A&O Part 1 is entirely self guided through the New Husky Checklist. You will complete university requirements, explore the Husky Foundations Course, and review the Husky Guide. This is also where you will receive a list of important tasks to complete such as: 

• Sending your transcripts (from each institution attended for any high school or college credit completed) and AP test scores to UW Admissions for processing (they will send these to us once the autumn quarter begins) - no need to send them to the RC Scholars program directly. 

• Completing placement testing (doing this before A&O Part 2 will help your registration session go much smoother if you already have taken the tests that you need).

• And making your Advising and Orientation reservation! 

A&O Part 2 is hosted synchronously online (you can attend from anywhere in the world so long as you have an internet connection) over the course of two days in July, where the transition to the University of Washington might begin to feel more real. This is where you will start meeting with peers, peer leaders, faculty, and your Academic Advisor as well as begin understanding what campus resources are available to you and how to find community. 

This is also where ALL incoming first year University of Washington students will begin the process of completing course registration and will be where you begin working with your Academic Advisor! Your Academic Advisor will be hosting a Registration Foundations session on day 1 and a Registration Lab on day 2 so you will have PLENTY of time to get your questions answered about course selection. 

Please note: Incoming students cannot schedule meetings with the Academic Advisor until after A&O Part 2. While we are sure you have a ton of questions about how to approach registration, please know that there are likely other students who have the exact same questions that you do and we will be addressing those questions and concerns together. 

While the A&O Part 2 sessions are recorded, if you miss your A&O Advising and Registration components, we do require our incoming RC Scholars to attend this synchronous session with your Academic Advisor during the Makeup session in August. All other sessions can be viewed asynchronously if you are unable to attend any session. 

This is it! 

A&O Part 3 is where you have the opportunity to get accustomed to being on campus and surrounding yourselves with thousands of new Huskies who are just as excited to be here as you are! Soak in the energy because this only happens once! 

A&O Part 3 consists of two days of community connection building. You will have small group meetings with peer leaders, identify tools for academic success, and get an overview of campus history and traditions. You'll learn how to navigate campus, make a plan to engage well with new opportunities in your first quarter, and visit important offices that are related to the transition experience. 

Day 1 will be mostly hosted by Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA), but you will have a full day session on Day 2 with the RC Scholars program so you can start creating bonds with your peers and meet your PACK (Peers Advancing Community & Knowledge) Mentors. 

DAWG DAZE is UW's Welcome Week where you can get connected with resources, interest groups, RSO's, research and community engagement opportunities, and peers across campus. This is a great way to start figuring out where you will find your community while you are here. Lean into your interests or explore something new! You're in college now, so let's see what you will discover! 

Textbooks

There are a few locations you may look for your course's textbooks including:

• MyUW 

• UW Email or syllabus sent by the instructor listing course materials 

• UW Bookstore 

You are welcome to procure your textbooks through the UW bookstore or a private vendor. Make sure your ISBN numbers are correct! Multiple editions of a book may be published and you need to ensure you procure the edition that you need for your class. 

Some folks prefer e-books and others prefer physical textbooks. Some books will only be available online and others may only be available in print. If you are struggling to locate a text that you need for a class, connect with RC Scholars staff or a Peer Mentor. 

What to Bring on Your First Day of the Quarter

UW is definitely a bit different than Middle School or High School. Here are some important things to bring with you on your first day. 

• A bag (backpack, satchel, or tote) 

• Something to take notes with (notebook and something to write with or a laptop/tablet and charger) 

• Something to navigate campus with (your phone and charger should suffice) 

• Husky Card (you will need this to scan into buildings, purchase things on campus, and access public transportation)

• Water bottle and a snack

• Comfortable shoes (the UW campus is quite large and you may have a bit of walking to do)

• Rain jacket or umbrella (it is important to pay attention to the weather forecast) 

Navigating Campus

You can look up most campus buildings on Google Maps, but the UW also has a great, interactive campus map that can help you get wherever you need to go! 

Feeling Unsure About Course Registration

You are not expected to come into the University of Washington with all of the knowledge you need to build a schedule and get registered for classes! These topics are reviewed and discussed extensively during the first day of A&O Part 2, AND there is specific time during the Day 1 presentation where your Academic Advisor will give you tools to help you build out a strong first quarter schedule. The information you need is baked into the A&O Part 2 curriculum, so there is no need to have a strong grasp of these concepts beforehand. The First Year Checklist videos are only meant to give you a glimpse into what we will cover in more depth during part 2. You are not behind or unprepared!

A&O Part 2 Hasn't Started and the Classes I'm Interested in Are Filling Up! 

Please know that your concern echoes those that incoming students have each and every year. Incoming student registration opens the day of your Registration Lab; upperclassmen are provided the opportunity to register for classes first as they have fewer quarters remaining to satisfy graduation requirements. You will receive this same privilege as you move through your time at UW. 

We promise that classes are not filling up! Because A&O Part 2 dates for incoming first year students take place across multiple weeks in July and August, major departments will stagger the release of new course sections throughout the summer. This can result in it looking like courses are filling up, when in reality, new sections may soon be released. Because of this, we adamantly advise our incoming students to avoid continuously monitoring the seats that are available in specific sections. It will be important to determine what courses will be feasible for your schedule during the A&O Part 2 sessions. 

Since students are able to change and swap their courses all summer (all the way through the first week of classes), if students are not able to enroll in a class they want during A&O Part 2, it is very likely that they will be able to get a spot in that course prior to the start of the school year. All students are encouraged to turn on course notifications (explanation for how to do this provided in A&O Part 2) for courses they want to enroll in. Most importantly however, there is no one 'right' schedule for a student's first quarter. During A&O Part 2, incoming first year students will be taught how to 1) register for balanced academic schedules as well as 2) how to plan for multiple different course schedules based off their interests, values, and academic goals. Students desiring further support with schedule planning after A&O Part 2 are able to set 1:1 meetings with the RC Academic Advisor. 

Meeting 1:1 with Your Academic Advisor

1:1 Advising appointments with incoming students do not open until after A&O part 2 has been completed, but students can meet 1:1 over the summer to answer any remaining questions you have about registration, majors, or CADRs. A&O Part 2 will give you hours of presentations specifically tailored to registration preparation and an hour and a half live session to ask your Advisor specific questions in a small group setting (~15 other RC students). If you have questions, you will have lots of time on day 1 & 2 of A&O Part 2 to get them answered. In addition, you are able to change and swap your courses all summer, all the way up to the start of classes, so there are many weeks for you to make edits if needed, before committing to a finalized schedule! 

Has UW Received My Transcript or AP Test Scores?

Once processed, your AP credit will appear on your UW transcript and your high school transcript will be uploaded to your supporting documents in your MyUW portal. There is no specific timeline for these items being processed as the UW Admissions Office is processing thousands upon thousands of transcripts and AP test scores. We would not anticipate receiving an update for transcripts or test scores submitted by the July 15th deadline until sometime in August or even into September. If you followed the transcript submission instructions and AP test score instructions, all should be fine. Please note that UW Admissions will contact our office directly in the event that they have not received a transcript and we will provide you with guidance to submit your transcripts successfully. 

Can I be admitted Direct-to-Major or Direct-to-College?

RC Scholars are not eligible for "direct to college" or "direct to major" admission processes (ex. ENGRUD, INFO) due to their early entrance into college. RC Scholars enter the UW as Pre-Major students in their EEP or UWACAD pre-major codes. Students interested in majors that offer direct-to-college/major admissions processes, like engineering major or informatics, will apply to those majors through the capacity constrained process, and should review the major prerequisite coursework for "current UW students" on those majors websites. RC Scholars will work 1:1 with the RC Advisor to create major application plans for the majors they are interested in. 

All incoming first year students will be grouped into PACKs (Peers Advancing Community & Knowledge), led by two Peer Mentors, who you will get to know during A&O Part 3. Your PACK will coordinate and arrange a required meeting time once per month during the autumn quarter, followed by optional, but highly encouraged, PACK gatherings in the winter and spring quarters. Your Peer Mentors will also be able to meet with you individually or in small groups throughout the school year and are there for you to seek peer guidance or advice.

The first week of school, Peer Mentors can be found around the RC wearing PURPLE Peer Mentor shirts; they are your Northern Lights. If you have a question about campus or need any support, reach out to them to ensure you know how to navigate your first days on campus. These folks will also arrange to go with you to some fun Dawg Daze Events so you don't have to go alone: 

• Student Activities Fair  

• CELE Center VIP (Volunteer, Internship, and Paid Opportunities) Fair 

• Undergraduate Research at the UW 

We have curated a series of 3, 1-credit classes to support your full transition to the UW. Check them out! 

Fall: GEN ST 297: First Year Seminar 

This is a mandatory course for all first year students. 

Description: As a first year RC student, you have many choices and opportunities ahead of you. This seminar will focus on meeting the unique needs of younger students transitioning into the university system without the benefit of a complete high school experience. Students will get to experience lectures from faculty from different disciplines to expand their knowledge of the academic areas of study available to them. They will also learn about and set goals to seek out the many academic support resources on campus. They will spend time getting to know one another and developing smaller groups within their cohort focused on shared identities and areas of academic interest. Finally, we will use some of our class time to further educate our students on the advising tools available to them to support their time at UW.

Winter: GEN ST 297: BeREAL 

This is an optional course for all first year students and open to all years. 

Description: Be REAL (Resilient Attitudes and Living) is an initiative that promotes mental health and well-being by equipping participants with cognitive behavioral skills to manage emotions and cope with stressful situations, mindfulness skills to strengthen self-awareness, and practices to encourage compassion for themselves and others. Be REAL was developed and evaluated by the UW’s Center for Child & Family Well-Being. The RC Scholars program offers a dedicated section of this course that is open only to RC Scholars students and intended to assist with managing their transition to University life. 

Spring: GEN ST 220: Experiential Learning 

This is an optional course for all first year students and open to all years. 

Description: The Robinson Center Experiential Learning Program seeks to increase the early engagement of our students with a focus on pre-major activities. In doing this work, we will partner with campus programs such as URP, Study Abroad, CELE, and the Career & Internship Center. The focus of the experiences students pursue will be development of academic-related interests and skills, career exploration, and resume building. By providing funding for these experiences we believe we can increase access by relieving students of the need to have a job while doing unfunded work, and to encourage them to engage in these opportunities which have been shown to affect student success in college.