CSE Survival Guide
Welcome to the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering! We’re thrilled to have you as a member of our school, the best unit at the University of Washington (of course). Our program provides endless opportunities which we hope you will take advantage of. Definitely work hard on your classes, but keep in mind that the school is about much more than lectures. There are opportunities to be involved in undergraduate research, internships, TAing and much more. Make time to exchange technical ideas with your peers and talk about how computers can and should affect the whole world. It’ll help you mature not only as a computer scientist and engineer but also as a person. Once again, welcome! We’re extremely glad you’ve joined the Allen School team!
SO YOU’RE IN…NOW WHAT?
Congratulations again on being admitted to The Allen School! Your hard work has definitely paid off. Now come the “heeeeelllp I’m-just-getting-adjusted” questions. How do I get around the Allen Center? Where is the closest place where I can purchase caffeine or food? Who can I turn to when I need help? This survival guide should help answer all of these questions as well as give you more insights about the school than you could ever dream of. Ultimately, our goal is to help you figure out how to get the most out of your time here.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
INTERNSHIPS AND CO-OPS
There are career fairs throughout the year, and ACM also hosts some recruiting events for well-known companies such as Microsoft, Amazon and Google. Attend one of these, submit your resume, and go for one of those Internship or Co-op positions. You can also subscribe to the jobs blog for more information. The experience you gain will be invaluable to your future career.
TA-ING
A great way to learn presentation, organizational, and technical skills. TAs become great at interviewing too! Ask a professor or one of your TAs on how to become one.
WORKING LATE?
Time to swipe my card to get into the building
After certain hours, you’ll have to tap your husky card to get into the Allen Center. Both entrances have card readers. Unfortunately, access through the EE building is not granted. Most night owls will become familiar with Franklin, the Allen Center security guard.
How do I get home?
Night Ride shuttle information can be found at http://www.washington.edu/admin/niteride/
Where can I take a 4am nap?
The ACM Lounge (next to the basement elevators) has couches and some chairs, and all of the breakout areas have couches to lay out on as well.
No time for sleep. Need caffeine!
Reboot is the closest place for coffee, and the HUB is the closest place for other energy drinks. Be warned, Reboot closes at 5pm Mon-Fri! Also, SnackOverflow in the ACM Lounge has caffeinated soda for as cheap as 60 cents, and as a last resort, there is always the vending machines in EEB!
Late night snack?
It’s not uncommon for CSE students to order a midnight pizza. Ask around the labs! There are many Shawarma places on the Ave that are open late. Also consider getting food delivered (to the atrium).
OPPORTUNITIES: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ‘EM!
Outside of taking classes, there are many character-building and career-preparing opportunities that CSE offers.
Leadership
Be an ACM officer! New officer elections are held at the beginning of Spring Quarter. Ask an ACM officer about becoming an Associate Officer while you wait!
Research
Don’t know where to begin? Ask your favorite professors about their own research. Attend Research Night!
“It is not uncommon for a professor to have many research projects going at the same time. This results in many opportunities for undergrads to get involved in the research process. Professors are interested in your help now even though you have not completed a bunch of courses in the department. It takes about a quarter to get up to speed on any research project. If you wait until your final year at UW, this means your assistance is only available for two quarters. The earlier you get involved, the better!”
AAHHHHH COMPUTING!
Windows facilities
Machines in 002, 006, 003 and 022. Remote to aria.cs.washington.edu.
Unix
Machines in 002, 006, and 022. Instructional Linux servers at attu.cs.washington.edu.
Must log in securely (via SSH)
PuTTy, SSH Secure Shell Graphical login available through Reflection X; shortcuts on Windows desktop
Passwords
Windows and Unix passwords are not the same. When you change one password, the other one does not automatically change. Remember to change your password frequently! (Windows: ctrl-alt-del -> “change password” AND Unix: passwd command)
ASSOCIATION FOR COMPUTING MACHINERY FOR WOMEN
Around 30% of our students in the department are women, which is something to celebrate. We pride ourselves in having a great diversity of people in the school, much higher than the national average. We are working to broaden our definition of diversity beyond just women, and that is a key topic when addressing the future of this school.
ACM-W is a group of students in the Allen School dedicated to cultivating a strong supportive of women, helping members succeed academically, socially and professionally, and demonstrating the importance and necessity of diversity in the computing world.
ACM-W hosts many fun activities throughout the year such as bi-weekly brown bags, informal networking events, the winter affiliates’ fair dinner, and other spontaneous adventures.
Membership is free and open to all students. Join today!
WORDS OF WISDOM
Current and former Allen School majors share their advice here. These pieces of advice are like nuggets of gold, but much more helpful! keep in mind that each quote is taken from a single person and only reflects their personal experiences.
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions; you aren’t dumb.”
“As a corollary to that, you are smart. Remember that. It’s easy to forget here.”
“Office hours save time, frustration, and lives. Don’t be afraid to go to them. In fact, use the s__t out of them. If the TA and professor doesn’t personally know your name halfway through the quarter, you’re doing it wrong.”
“If something’s stressing you out, take a break (or a nap) to cool down; that stress is probably just making it harder for you to get past the issue.”
“Don’t freak out. Do your work and you’ll pass. Perfect is the enemy of good.”
“Writing and speaking skills are very important to your future. Take those W classes, even if you don’t want to. Take them anyway.”
“Just like distributed systems, try and be tolerant in the face of occasional failures.”
“It’s generally not a good idea to take more than 10 credits of CS classes a quarter. If you want to take more, ask the friendly folks at CSE Schedule and Class Advice on how best to survive. Or talk to an adviser.”
“Be generous. Help people out by sharing what you know it’ll help you learn the material better yourself.”
“Everyone gets stressed out over projects and finals, but remember that you all go into the department, and you’re going through the program together.”
“Start homework early! Many Computer Science programming problems are the type you’ll start at for hours on little sleep or solve in a few minutes after some rest and a fresh perspective.”
“The Allen School advisers are amazing! Don’t be afraid to reach out to them for help.”
“Don’t stretch yourself thin; it’s better to do a few things well than to do a lot of things poorly. Taking extra time to graduate is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.”
“Make friends with people in the department, everyone’s there to help each other.”
“Start looking for summer internships early. September is early. February is not. April is just funny.”
“There’s tons of flame wars (e.g. notepad is the superior editor). Figure out what tools and systems work for you, and get good at using them.”
“Stop thinking about credit loads. Credit loads mean nothing in CSE.”
“You’ll be way better off if you stop focusing on grades and start focusing on actually learning.”
“Go to ACM events!”
“If you ever feel inadequate or like you don’t belong, remember that everyone feels that way at some point, and it’s not true. you got into this department for a reason, and you’re doing just fine!”
“Learn how to use Git/don’t skip the lecture about Git in 391.”
“Consider learning LaTex — you can make some really beautifully typeset equations that way, which is nice if you’re taking a math-y class like 311 and want to maintain a certain degree of craftsmanship.”
“It’s occasionally possible to petition to take 500-level classes (grad/phD classes). There are some interesting classes at that level, so take a look at those every now and then.”
“Go to career fairs, even if you don’t feel qualified.”
“Stay humble, luck was on your side, not everyone has the opportunities you do.”
“Don’t fall in the trap of comparing yourself to others- we’re all on different journeys, with varying learning speeds and styles.”
“311 is a tough course. Don’t forget that you’re capable of doing well in it, even though there are days when it doesn’t seem that way.”
“Try research! you might find out that you want to go to grad school or you will learn that you definitely just want to get a job.”
ALLEN SCHOOL ADVISING
Advisers provide helpful information and guidance to prospective and current CSE students. Foster a departmental atmosphere where all students feel welcome and included.
CSE Main Office: Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering, room CSE 101. Email us at ugradadvisor@cs.washington.edu. Call us at 206–543–1695.
Drop in hours are for quick questions (5–10 minutes). To see an adviser during drop in hours, check in at the Allen School reception desk. Email the advisers to schedule a longer meeting.
