Allen's Advice--A Husky Experience
Here is Allen Jung, a Husky Connect mentor!
What was it like being a commuter? Would you recommend it?
For my first 3 years I commuted to UW. I often stayed late at school to study or to come to club events like our very own A2F Fridays. Since I still wanted to live the college experience, some nights, when I was on campus until like 10PM, 11PM, or 12 AM and everyone else was saying goodbye, I knew there was still a 2 hour bus ride and walk home.
But I did not commute every time after A2F Friday because it was draining and hard. I was able to crash a night at other people’s places such as some of the mentors in A2F or with some of my peers. I have been super blessed to not need to go home so late and still be able to make it to our A2F Fridays to have lots of fun and hear the word of God.
You also don’t experience FOMO! If you are commuting, you will be missing fun times with your peers because having fun and hangouts are spontaneous and you cannot plan for it. Spur of the moment study times or dinner and board games after are somethings you have to miss out on if you are already at home.
So would I recommend commuting? I think there are some good sides to commuting such as being able to wake up earlier. There is also being able to save money on rent and there is free food at home.
But I think there are so many great things about living on campus! Like I learned how to clean my first year living near campus! If you are on your own, you are in charge of cleaning and man is it such an important step of being more responsible.
Ultimately I would say living on campus is worth it! Having time to live with your friends in college is so worth it. You get to have many moments of fun, laughter, and bonding.
How did you come across transferring into CS? What was the process like? // How did u want to know what you wanted to major in?
When I came to college, I had no clue about what to major in. I thought you came to college to figure out what you love to do. Sometimes that really isn’t the case; you’re stressed about some classes, doing well in others, and in those classes, you feel like you didn’t really learn enough about any particular major. If you feel like that, no worries. Most people are also trying to figure out what major they should apply to. We’re all in the same boat!
Things you may want to know about applying to a major? I didn’t think about applying to CS until the end of my freshman year, because the only thing I knew was that I did not want to major in Physics or Chemistry. But I had an idea of what kind of major I wanted to work towards (Engineering), so every quarter I was making progress in completing the prerequisites for many of those majors. I was taking around 1 STEM class each quarter for my first 2 years of college which helped me focus on doing well in those classes and allotting enough time to study for them. While I was considering other majors I was always completing requirements towards my back up major.
It was not till the middle of my sophomore year, did I take my first CS class as recommended to me by friends. I ultimately tried CS not knowing much about at all. The process would have been longer if I didn’t have the other prerequisites done with and so I saved myself the stress by completing it before. The process as a whole applying to CS can be really competitive because you have to take all these STEM CLASSES that can seem like your grades are only based on tests. So, often--finding your major isn’t a straight and narrow process, it may take some twists and turns, but try to manage your classes well and don’t give up!
What is your favorite memory of undergrad?
Some of my favorite memories of undergrad are playing sports. Seattle is rainy for like a good chunk of the school year but when spring quarter rolls around, I get excited because the weather’s nice enough to play sports. Since A2F is around all year, my favorite time is during the summer where we can play softball, volleyball, frisbee, and so many other sports. At times it can be competitive and other times we have fun encouraging each other to learn how to get better at playing certain sports.
What is some atypical, but really crucial advice you would give to a UW incoming freshman?
My advice is get connected! College can be a challenging place to be, especially since it is so big. Since many of my friends were not taking the same classes as me, A2F was where I was able to build that connection to other UW students. Even though my friends are pretty different from me, I have had some really awesome and fun times through meeting in A2F. Such as after a long week of school, I enjoy coming to A2F Fridays and being able to spend time with all my friends! It is nice being able to take your mind off of grades and maybe even the stress of not doing as well as you wanted to do in your classes. It means a lot when you’re able to have fun and be silly together, as well as support each other when things are frustrating and hard.
