Hello -
I am admitted to College of Letters & Science for undergraduate in economics
Does the school support the concept of major & minor?
When do I declare my major? Beginning of 3rd year?
Can I take few courses in business & finance from other departments in the first
couple of years?
Thank you
You need to familiarize yourself with information on the UW website. The site will be yoursource of accurate information. Here’s advice from my experiences as a UW student and mother of one.
Many decades ago UW dropped any concept of minors- they have comprehensive majors. You can have more than one major. Some majors are easier to add as they have overlapping requirements. You can declare your major at any time. You need to declare one in order to graduate (and meet its grauation requirements). To be admitted to any major you need to have met certain requirements. This could be courses taken or a gpa in certain courses. Technically some courses are only open to majors but practically speaking it can be possible to take some without being in the major. You can change your major or add one until you graduate- even late in your graduation semester.
As to taking specific courses in specific schools/colleges you need to do your own homework. Look at the requirements for taking courses in a given department of the school/college of interest. Look at prerequisites for a course. Also look at your eligibility for those prerequite courses. It is possible you need to be in a specific school/college to be eligible- probably because of space constraints. There has to be availability for those already in to get their classes.
You should do your research before your orientation. This way you have ideas about logistics. You will have an advisor. This advisor will be useful in navigating the technicalities. They can make exceptions to written rules in the course catalog and otherwise suggest ways to meet your needs. If the computer says a class is full they cannot magically create a space for you. However they can offer ways to optimize your schedule.
Please note that I did not answer your specific course questions. You will answer your questions by figuring out your eligibility. Do remember that being allowed to take a course does not mean there will be room for you when your turn to register comes, nor that the times available will fit your schedule. btw- some students will be able to get enough AP et al credits to become sophomores before the second year but none of those credits go through until you complete your first semester of freshman year. Therefore you will not be eligible (technically) until after registration occurs for second semester. Humans rule over computers so your advisor will be helpful.