Reading about expectations and traditions of the University of Washington will help you prepare for your first year. We encourage first generation students to explore resources and embrace their new community.
Before you arrive on campus, the University of Washington expects you to read the Student Conduct Code and be a responsible member of our community. Use these topics to ask questions about what it means to be a UW student. fyp.uw.edu/expectations
We expect you to practice high standards of academic and professional honesty and integrity as defined in Student Conduct Code WAC 478-121-107. In doing so, you will be part of a vibrant intellectual community striving for academic excellence. Huskies have integrity.
What does it mean to have integrity as a first-year student at the UW?
To be successful, instructors expect you to commit yourself to being present and engaged both in the classroom and with outside studies, assignments and activities. There are an incredible number of staff and resources available and waiting to support your journey, and we expect you as a student to ask for help when you need it.
How do you define being present and engaged in your classroom?
You are joining a community with a long-standing and growing commitment to equity, inclusion and diversity. We expect you to be aware of your own biases and seek to understand many perspectives and individuals’ narratives. You will experience many ways to make connections and build your own community and network of support, both in person and online.
How will you engage in fostering community for yourself?
Your academics are an important part of your time at the UW, but they are only one part of the complete picture. We expect you to engage in co-curricular involvement, which can include part-time jobs, internships, community service opportunities, tutoring students at a local elementary school, getting involved with research and more.
What is one area you want to explore in your first quarter at UW?
How will you engage in outside studies, assignments and activities?
You will find yourself in unique situations that require you to act ethically and with the utmost integrity. We expect that you hold not only yourself, but also your peers, to the highest standards of ethical conduct and consider a variety of perspectives when making decisions.
Who can you go to for support and advice when faced with a dilemma?
Are you the first one in your family to go to college? Here are a few tips to begin your journey:
1.You already have a built-in network: your departmental or pre-major adviser. Meet with them frequently at first, your advisers can help you start to build your own network by connecting you to people in your unique areas of interest.
2. Research and utilize your resources. The UW has resources for so many things — and a lot of them are here in this guide — but it is up to you to tap into them. Seek out resources that align with your academic and extracurricular interests and values.
3. Ask questions in class and visit the office hours of your professors and teaching assistants. They can help you with course materials and you will stand out as someone who cares about the course and your grade.
4. Continue to use the same mindset that helped you become a Husky. Now that you are at the UW and part of our rich campus community, use your first-gen initiative to take advantage of the resources at your fingertips. Your lived experience is a strength —what else can you accomplish on your path to graduation?'
Save the date: November 8 is "Celebrate Firstgen," the National 1st-Generation College Celebration (Bothell, Seattle, Tacoma). uw.edu/diversity/national-first-gen-day
Learn more about what it means to be first gen and explore resources: firstgen.uw.edu.
Participating in UW traditions will help you feel close with your Husky community and make new friends. Here are some fun traditions to join as you begin your first year.
Dubs and Harry, Dawg Daze, ASUW Elections, Commencement and Convocation, Drumheller Fountain and Rainier Vista, Apple Cup, UW Family Weekend, Cherry Blossoms, Purple Fridays , The Wave , UW Homecoming, W Day, Dawg Dash, UW Cheers, Windermere Cup, W Photo At Husky Kickoff, & Sylvan Grove Columns!
Learn more at fyp.washington.edu/traditions.
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First Year Programs fosters a successful undergraduate student experience through strategic programming that focuses on positive academic transitions and the development of learning communities. Through partnerships with faculty, staff, alumni, and student leaders our programs create the space for students to define how they will engage, learn, and thrive at the University of Washington.
