Residential College?

<p>So I'm really confused as to what a residential college is at UW. I'm interested in Chadbourne as a dorm, but I don't really understand what the residential college part means. Would anyone reccommend going for it? Do you still take classes throughout the campus like I normally would? Thanks for any help!</p>

<p>You can take all your classes outside the RC. It just gives you the option to take some right in the dorm with a smaller group.</p>

<p>What they do expect is taking part in some activities and contributing to the overall group experience.
I would recommend it highly as RC students tend to be more highly focused on academics and positive ECs. Some are invited to do research and other projects with faculty they meet through RC programs. It’s the best way to avoid the just another number feeling.</p>

<p>Thanks Barrons! I think I will probably list it as my number one choice. I don’t want my college years to be spent getting wasted every night. I heard that Chad is kind of anti-social, is that true? Will it be hard to meet new people? I’m not a terribly social person, but I do like having a group of really good friends.</p>

<p>If by anti-social you mean they do stuff besides hitting the bars for fun–then yes. But I think it’s very social from the people I have met which is quite a few. Just not so party focused. They do other stuff and party a little less.</p>

<p>I live in Chadbourne and you can party as much or as little as you would like. I know many people who never go out and are constantly studying, I know people who are HARDcore partiers, and I know people who are a mix of both. If you do want to party you definitely can, I do all the time and I don’t think I’m in the minority :)</p>

<p>The residential college part lets you take special classes that are often smaller versions of large freshman classes or sometimes they’re on weird topics. There are also a lot of free trips and outings as well (well, not totally free, you pay with your housing bill). I think the layout of Chadbourne is much more social than other dorms. It’s hard to explain but the common areas work better and are used more often. All the floors seem to be very close as well (I just moved here from Witte). </p>

<p>They are a lot stricter with alcohol though than in some of the other dorms, and they enforce quiet hours more. You just have to be more careful. It’s a lot nicer than many other dorms though!</p>

<p>Do they track how many activities each resident participates in during the semester? Or is is just assumed that people wanting to live in Chadbourne will want to participate in the programs?</p>

<p>No, everything’s your choice. You don’t have to do any of the programs if you don’t want to. Most people I know don’t. But you pay regardless, so it’s up to you.</p>