Q&A w/ current freshman.

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington State University
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<p>@Jimbo903 - WSU loves diversity, yes. There are quite a few international students here, oddly enough, from Asia. As far as a quota goes, I honestly do not know. At the same time, Washington State is a state school and they do (highly) favor in state students (taxes and whatnot), but don’t let that discourage you. I’m sorry, I just really don’t know. As far as stats go, you seem to be in the high averages, so there’s a good chance of admission. Again, I don’t work for the admissions office and I really can’t tell you. I’m sorry. </p>

<p>@juul16 - YAY!!! Love the Honors College. Proficiency is usually determined by the STAMP test. As long as you can demonstrate that you can read/write/speak/listen quite well, you should be fine. I know that 4 semesters of foreign language prepares you for the STAMP test (or less if you study abroad or took classes in high school). You don’t have to be as fluent as a native speaker. Pretty basic stuff. During orientation, they’ll place you in the level of the class they think you would do well in (if you’ve taken it in the past), or possibly even just let you take the test and call it good.</p>

<p>@crabbie1234 - You declare your major when you have enough credits (usually meaning junior status - so the end of sophomore year or beginning of junior year) AND you’ve gotten a C or better in classes you NEED to take IN ORDER to certify in your major. You can’t just say, “I’m declaring my major in ____” without preparing for it. Everyone takes GERs in order to graduate (Honors is different), but you take classes that you need to certify in your major. If you’re a Comm major, there would be no need for you to take the Calc series. If you’re an engineering major, then you have to go through the Calc series, but do not have to take early level Comm classes. See what I’m saying? You do take GERs (same as everyone else) as part of WSU requirements, but you take classes required by the Department of your major. They ask you in your application because they match you with an advisor who will advise you in what classes you should take in order to get into that major. I know people who prepped to certify in the Sciences and took all the math, chem and bio courses, then all of a sudden, decided to switch to a liberal arts major (or vice versa). That person was unable to certify and officially declare a major because he or she did not take the required courses needed. You have to apply to declare, which shouldn’t be an issue as long as you have the required classes and meet the minimum grades.</p>

<p>Considering the vet program is highly ranked, I’m assuming the pre vet program is pretty good. It’s a science related major. It would be better if you’re in the Honors College - they have all the hook ups with the Vet School. I think. But I do know a lot of pre-vets or those doing the accelerated pre-vet/vet 7 year program.</p>

<p>Isolated, yes. Trees, not so much. There are some, but not like Seattle. It’s mostly bare. Just hills and wheatfields. But it’s beautiful. After being here for a semester, you forget about it because there’s so much to do on campus.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much for the information and your time (: It’s very helpful!</p>

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<p>Hey man, thanks for your response. In fact, I just got ACCEPTED!
So I was wondering, are international students allowed to work off-campus? Also, what job opportunities/positions are available for int students?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>My daughter was accepted to WSU in the honors college and U of Idaho in the honors college. Yesterday she was accepted to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo here in CA where we live. She definitely has some decision making to do. There are a lot of pros about those three schools. I can’t think of many cons. A lot of her decision will be based on financial aid she receives from the OOS schools. WSU is the most generous; making tuition roughly that of being in state. U of Idaho not so much.</p>

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<p>Ross25 - I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all the information from this thread.</p>

<p>My son is going to WSU this Fall. He is not in the Honors program, but requested for the Honors Hall as his first choice. There is a required class which all Freshmen must take with their dormmates. Do you think this will be a disadvantage for him?</p>

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<p>4 Rivers: Last year my D was in nearly the same scenario as your D is this year. We live in N CA and she had already accepted to attend Cal Poly and then WSU sweetened the offer. On a hunch and short notice we checked WSU out. She decided it was the place for her (despite the weather). She has had no regrets. Obviously CP-SLO is also worth serious consideration.</p>

<p>bpbmbb: My D is in Honors, but did not get in the Honors Dorm due to late request on our part and it’s high demand by students (come to think of it, she didn’t get any of her first 3 choices). Lots of non-Honors students are in this dorm - so don’t let that concern you. Ironically this year D didn’t even apply to the Honor’s dorm when she had the advantage of an earlier request. She has already been notified that she received her first choice - which wasn’t even on her list last year. Go figure.</p>

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<p>Thank you, elPadre. Glad to hear that. He has yet to hear about the dorm assignment from WSU. We heard that they will let us know in June. My son requested last month; hope he has a good chance.</p>

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<p>@bpbmbb </p>

<p>Your son will be in the same class (called Freshman Focus) as the other freshman non-Honors residents of Honors Hall, assuming your son gets in that residence hall. Honors students are exempt from this because it’s a GER. We have to take a different curriculum. I don’t think it’s a disadvantage at all. The only advantage I can think of is that RAs usually put on programs inviting the professor of that class to come to the building and help prep for essays, exams, and whatnot. Honors is beautiful. That’s where I wanted to live, but did not get in because I responded in May…</p>

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<p>@ross25</p>

<p>I have a question about WSU…</p>

<p>I’ve gotten accepted and I’m a RS student - but started RS in my senior year.</p>

<p>WSU would give me two awards that would cover my full tuition and fees, however, I’d still have to pay $14.000 b/c of Room and board and books expenses, etc.</p>

<p>I don’t really know how to decide right now - if I should stay at my Community College and finish up my AA, so I’d be done next year in Spring 2012 and could transfer, or if it would be a better decision to attend WSU this year in Fall.</p>

<p>I’ll receive my Bachelor of Arts degree in 2014 and I’m planning to go to law school.</p>

<p>I have not paid my tuition deposit right now because I really don’t know how I should decide.</p>

<p>Do you know anything about budget cuts btw at WSU? </p>

<p>I’m double majoring in Political Science and Psychology and I heard that WSU might cut their Poli Sci department?? It’d be awesome if you’d know more and could give me more information :)</p>

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<p>@aheadofthegame</p>

<p>Honestly, take what you can get. It’s not guaranteed that you’ll get the same amount next year, especially since it seems to me like you’re graduating high school this spring. It’s different for students who go straight to Pullman after graduation than those who don’t. There seems to be some sort of discrepancy with financial aid–recent high school grads are favored, in my opinion anyway from what I’ve heard. </p>

<p>$14,000 is an estimate. Live in the residence halls for a year, see what it’s like. Apply to be an RA–if you’re lucky enough to get a position, it pays for room and board and is an excellent extra curricular to put in your resume especially for law school. Granted, it is a TON of work, but it’s a sound financial option. Apartments are also way cheaper. That’s the reason why many students move out after freshman year. It’s significantly cheaper. </p>

<p>As far as budget cuts go, I’m not really sure. You don’t see a lot of it here on campus, they just cut classes that don’t really get a lot of students. They’re being very smart with where to cut money from and making the most of what they have. With that big fund raising even that they did (or are doing, I’m not sure if it’s done yet), I’m honestly not too worried. Except for the part where tuition continues to rise, but I think that’s state imposed. </p>

<p>Don’t take my word for it, but I highly doubt WSU will cut the Political Science Department. They’ll probably shove it with another department to form a giant department that houses Political Science and others. There are a lot of pre-law students here, and the whole thing WSU is trying to build on is providing a quality education that can compete with other universities. Cutting something like Political Science that preps students for professional school is not a very smart thing to do if they want to continue to improve their ranking. If, for some inane reason, the department is cut, they’ll probably do what they did with Higher Education Administration and just stop accepting students and continue to get the students who are already in it to finish their degrees. So it’s not like they’ll tell you to pick another major. </p>

<p>Butttttt–don’t forget that I’m just a student here. Don’t take my word for it. Honestly, I really think it would be to your advantage to come here. I don’t know what your financial situation is like, but there are ways to cut costs, just be smart about it. I am super biased because I’m already attending school and ultimately this is your life and your decision, but really weigh the pros and cons. If you have the opportunity and the means to go this fall, I would do it.</p>

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<p>@ross25</p>

<p>THANK YOU!!! :)</p>

<p>I’ll visit WSU and I am really, really thankful for all your information.</p>

<p>As for pre-law: do you think it will be better if I go to WSU straight after high school, so that I’d have about two to three years to get a high GPA and to prepare myself for the LSAT?
What shocked me and what I didn’t know is that apparently, when you transfer, your credits transfer to the university but not your GPA.
If I would transfer as a junior I also have to take the LSAT in the same year and I’d also have to get good grades from the start, or I might not get into a decent law school.</p>

<p>I had absolutely no clue about that and that’s what made me re-think my decision to stay at my CC for next year… as well as the fact that the transition might be a bit hard in the beginning.</p>

<p>Just one more question - do you know if it is possible to transfer into the Honors College?
I also thought about joining a sorority but that might be a bit too much time consuming…?
Oh! And what residence halls would you recommend?</p>

<p>Again, I really, really want to thank you! You helped me out a lot!!!</p>

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<p>You are correct that the GPA won’t transfer. It’s really up to you. I do know a lot of transfer students from Community Colleges who have a hard time transitioning. Your study habits do have to change and for some, it takes awhile to acclimate. Another advantage to staying here longer is that you’ll be able to make connections with faculty members so if you need a letter of recommendation, they’re a really great resource. It also gives you more time to build up a resume. </p>

<p>Transferring to the Honors College might be a little tough and unnecessary if you’ve already completed the GERs through your CC. The Honors College has a set curriculum and will not take any sort of transfer credit or AP classes. You have to take all the required UH classes - those are our GERs and there’s no substitute for them. That’s something you might want to ask and think about. </p>

<p>I do have a few friends who are both in Honors and sororities, so it is possible. You just have to make sure you trust yourself enough to stay responsible and know where your priorities lie. It is quite time consuming…from what I can tell.</p>

<p>As far as residence halls go, it really depends on you. Go to the housing.wsu.edu website and pick the ones you’re interested in and I can tell you more about them.</p>

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<p>Well, I’m not sure how I’ll decide but I’m definitely going to visit and go from there.
But I totally agree with your points.</p>

<p>I am almost done with my freshman year of college, at least at the CC at which I’m at, so I probably will still have to take some GERs at WSU. I might try to transfer in.</p>

<p>Sweet! Yeah, I think I’ll do either or. Both would be a bit too much.
I really want to join a sorority but I think I have to go to Rush and look at them individually since each of them is different, I’m guessing.
Do you know which sororities have which reputation? That’d help me out a lot! : )</p>

<p>That’s awesome! Thank you so much!
I really like Olympia Avenue but it’s probably already full because I didn’t pay my tuition deposit yet and couldn’t therefore apply for housing…
Gannon/Goldsworthy, Streit - Perham, Scott - Coman, Orton and Stephenson do seem alright as well.</p>

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<p>When you come here to visit, make sure you talk to the Honors College and talk to a pre law advisor. I think that would help you out so much, as far as figuring out classes you’ll have to take and what will transfer for what. </p>

<p>I really don’t know a lot about sorority recruitment other than you come a week early and go through rush week, visit all the houses, go to exchanges, make your bids, then they make theirs and do the whole match thing, I think. I’m not really sure…</p>

<p>Olympia is amazing, except the location is a little far and it’s the most expensive. And yes, you’re right. You really do have to sign up for it early because that’s where a lot of people want to live. Streit-Perham has the reputation of being the rowdiest hall on campus because it’s basically 50% Greek and 50% athletes, but it is a lot of fun to live there. You get the full college experience, especially your first year in a residence hall. I would definitely suggest SP. Gannon/Golds I would personally stay away from. It’s rowdy in a different way–people there are very eclectic and just…unique…I guess. Don’t really know a lot about Scott-Coman, but I hear the rooms are pretty big. Rooms at Orton are by far the biggest on campus. The community is fun, but the people are all older. Stephenson is the STEM building, so a lot of math and science freshmen. It’s a fun building too. Orton has the least amount of craziness (not a lot of conduct and is quieter). All the others are pretty much freshmen halls.</p>

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<p>Yay! I set up an appointment to meet with one of the advisors of the Honors College! : )</p>

<p>Hmm… I guess I’ll just sign up for Rush and look if I can find a house that fits me.
Btw - do you know if the dorms are cheaper than the sororities?
I’m afraid I would miss out on a lot of fun if I wouldn’t join and that’s kind of my main reason for thinking about going greek.</p>

<p>Oh danggg! Thanks for filling me in on all that you know!
I would’ve definitely signed up for Gannon/Golds but now I’m a lot more drawn to SP!!!
Oh! And how is living in the Honors Hall? Is it really true that the people who live there shut their doors and basically study all the time? That’s what one of my friends at WSU said but heck, I have no clue.</p>

<p>Also, do you know what the minimum GPA is to maybe transfer into the Honors College? I’d love to join, however, my transfer GPA is just a 3.34 right now because it’s only been my second quarter at the CC… I’ll ask one of the advisors at the Honors College when I’ll visit but I thought you might know.</p>

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<p>I really don’t know which is cheaper, I’m guessing dorms are more expensive. Being in a sorority really gives you a unique college experience, I would definitely suggest looking into it to see if it’s something you’d like to pursue. </p>

<p>Honors is very unique because they’re suites. You share a room with someone and each suite has like 3 or 4 rooms and you all share a living room, kitchen, showers, and bathrooms. I think it’s amazing in there, it’s like a hotel. As far as shutting their doors, that’s probably the reason why–because they’re suites…every time I go there to visit my friend, there are always people out in the hallway studying together or doing something crazy. Because it seems like you’re really interested in greek life, I would definitely suggest SP or Wilmer-Davis because there’s a high population of sorority women in those two buildings. </p>

<p>I have no idea about the minimum GPA. I think they’ll look at your high school GPA more. They changed their admissions policy, instead of having the option to apply, they invite you to join instead. I think you can say that you’re interested in joining so they will look at your WSU application.</p>

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<p>UW’s transfer GPA is a 3.4 so I would say you are fine.</p>

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<p>@ross25</p>

<p>I really want to thank you once again for all your valuable information.
I have had the chance to visit WSU and Pullman last week, however, it just doesn’t seem to be the right fit for me. </p>

<p>I’m not quite sure to which school I’ll transfer or go to in the future but as of now I’ll stay at my community college. You were absolutely helpful though! :)</p>

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<p>What is on the writing placement test for incoming freshman and is it difficult?</p>

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<p>I took the Honors writing diagnostic exam. It was pretty ridiculous. I’m not sure what the other one is, but the one I had, it was some article backed up by research on how videogames affect people or something like that and it asks if you agree or disagree. You pick a side, and explain why. I wrote about how stupid the prompt was (in a nice way) and gave reasons why. I apparently did well. </p>

<p>Point of the story: they’re looking at your writing abilities.</p>