Second-year advising guide

As a second year student, you will continue to explore your academic and co-curricular interests. You will continue to explore majors, and may begin the major declaration and/or application process toward the end of this year. As you navigate your second year at UW, the second-year advising guide can help you continue to explore your interests, get involved, and set goals for your time at UW.

Second-year advising guide 

 

Summer

Summer Activities

  • Make a short list of academic and co-curricular goals for your second year.
  • Research activities outside the classroom you would like to be involved in or where you might take on more of a leadership role.
  • Plan for how you may need to modify your study skills and time management going into your second year.
  • Work a summer job or volunteer to further explore interests and test career hypotheses.
  • Conduct an informational interview or shadow someone in a career field that you’re interested in.

Questions to ask yourself 

  • What was the best part of my first year? What was the most challenging part of my first year?
  • What are my goals for the summer?
  • What types of careers or jobs interest me? How can I find someone in these fields to talk to?
  • Where have I found my friendships and support network? How do I want to continue thosenrelationships? Are they helping me to be my best, or are they distracting me?
  • And if I haven’t found those folks, where might I start to meet them, and get to know them?

Questions to ask your adviser 

  • How can I best prepare to make the most out of my second year?
  • Given my academic goals, does my fall schedule need any adjustment?
  • If I wasn’t very involved last year and felt that I spent a lot of time studying and in the library. How can I better balance my academics and co-curricular activities?
Autumn

Autumn Activities 

  • Have a plan and timeline to declare a major. If your intended major is capacity constrained, create a parallel plan.
  • Learn about the UW Satisfactory Progress Policy and how it might impact you.
  • Attend informations sessions or visit/contact an adviser in your intended department(s).
  • Explore new student organizations related to your major and/or career goals.
  • Apply for an Undergraduate Community Based Internship (UCBI) for Winter and Spring Quarter.
  • Attend the Study Abroad Fair and meet with a study abroad adviser.
  • Update your resume, LinkedIn profile and Handshake profile with your recent/Summer experiences.

Questions to ask yourself

  • Am I happy with my major choices? Can I articulate why I plan to choose a particular major?
  • What part of my academics am I enjoying the most? What am I finding most challenging?
  • What is my plan to take care of myself emotionally and physically this year, while also balancing my academics?
  • What did I enjoy in my first year that I want to continue in my second year?
  • What are my co-curricular goals for my second year? What do I hope to accomplish outside of the classroom?
  • What new opportunities do I want to explore?

Questions to ask your adviser 

Is my course and major preparation plan realistic and strategic?
• How will the satisfactory progress policy impact me, if at all?
• What are ways that I can achieve my goals, beyond just my major choice?
• When should I start thinking about studying abroad? How should I think about incorporating it into my academic planning?

Winter

Winter activities

Questions to ask yourself 

  • How do I want to use my remaining general education requirements and electives? Do I want to learn something new and different? Explore another subject with a minor? Gain a new skill?
  • How do my interests inside the classroom relate to activities I might want to be involved in outside the classroom?
  • What am I doing well to maintain my physical, mental, and social well being? What adjustments do I want to make to help me to feel my best?

Questions to ask your adviser 

  • Beyond my major related courses, what are the options for how I can use my remaining credits?
  • What is the best way to connect with faculty and academic departments?
  • What are options for co-curricular involvement?
  • How can I start exploring my career interests?
Spring

Spring activities

  • Declare and/or apply to your major or have a plan to declare your major within the next quarter or two. If not, work with your adviser on a pre-major extension plan.
  • Solidify your plan for summer an consider options such as working, participating in research, or studying abroad.
  • Participate or volunteer for the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
  • Participate in an Alternative Spring Break Program.
  • Attend the Job and Internship Fair and search for summer positions on Handshake.
  • Apply to be matched with Alumni through the Huskies@Work Program to learn more about their career journeys and workplaces.
  • Begin to think about your plans for the summer. Do you plan to work? Take coursework? Volunteer?
  • Get involved in ASUW.

Questions to ask yourself 

  • What have I learned in my second year about my academic interests? What has changed since my first year?
  • Have I connected with my major department?
  • What kinds of activities can I be involved in related to my academic interests?
  • If I need to move to an alternate major because I was not admitted to my first choice, how can I connect this new major to my goals?

Questions to ask your adviser

  • If I need a pre-major extension, how do I get one?
  • I was not admitted to my first choice major, how might I achieve my goals in a different major?
  • How can I explore some of my interests through coursework, but outside of my major?
  • What does my academic plan look like for the next couple of quarters (note: you will likely need to meet with a departmental adviser to work on this plan)