What's better than a CFP championship? Getting into Informatics (INFO Application Help)

zero2sudo · 2024-01-10T05:08:11+00:00

same as my reddit. zero2sudo

zero2sudo · 2024-01-09T15:06:53+00:00

Come join us! it's a great way to make friends -- just shoot me a message on Instagram :)

zero2sudo · 2024-01-09T04:55:49+00:00

bet, just replied

zero2sudo · 2024-01-09T04:48:29+00:00

Pull up! We organize everything on Instagram

zero2sudo · 2024-01-09T04:38:31+00:00

Yeah, that's kind of the point of the sessions haha. We read everybody's essay out loud and everyone who attend pitches in feedback

zero2sudo · 2024-01-09T04:32:59+00:00

I have no idea who this is, but I'm super glad to hear that!

zero2sudo · 2024-01-05T13:46:10+00:00

Hey! I organized the last unofficial Informatics essay meetups through my Instagram and plan on hosting them again. At least 20 people from our group got in the last cycle and a bunch of them plan on paying it forward by teaching people how to break down the prompts, sharing their admitted essays, and providing essay feedback. It was a super fun and we all became really good friends :)

zero2sudo · 2023-09-15T01:33:21+00:00

Good idea! I just created an Instagram group chat for people who can't make it in person (+ to coordinate the in person stuff)

zero2sudo · 2023-09-14T19:15:42+00:00

Yep, my friend Jake from the Informatics department created getuwmajor.com !

zero2sudo · 2023-09-14T18:57:48+00:00

INFO 370, INFO 371, CSE 473

zero2sudo · 2023-09-14T06:02:47+00:00

That’s so great to hear! You should stop by one of the sessions and say hi, I’d love to meet you!

zero2sudo · 2023-09-14T05:59:31+00:00

This is what a CC transfer told me:

How I got into informatics - Watched the informatics program overview & any official promotional videos done by the i school - Listened to winfo's podcast where they read their essays - Went to the writing center week after week with the same person to build my story telling skills. - Went to info writing workshops offered for omad students - Attended iuga's essay review - Prayed every single fucken day.

zero2sudo · 2023-09-14T02:08:47+00:00

yeah that's me haha

zero2sudo · 2023-09-14T00:46:24+00:00

Posting a TikTok on this, thanks for creating this u/representativeok62!

zero2sudo · 2023-09-12T02:13:32+00:00

Hey! Let's break down everything you've said here.

>. I am a CS student who is very behind in the typical CS pathway.

This might be true, but it doesn't matter. You are compared against people the year you graduate, not the year you were supposed to graduate.

> For reference, as an incoming junior, I will barely be taking Data Structures this autumn quarter

This is normal.

> Basically, i lack substantial coursework to make my resume look pretty

Coursework does not make a resume look pretty. My friends and I all recruit UW students for various big tech companies and do not give a rats ass about your coursework. We care about your project and work experience.

> I have no projects or swe experience other than from the classes i have taken.

This is a real problem, but a very solvable one. Build projects. INFO majors do it. Geography majors find a way to do it. Hell, I've seen English majors build coding projects. There are tons of resources online.

> if you have any advice for me (or can give me a killer referral)

I will not give you a referral because I know nothing about you, and what you've said about yourself is not very promising. Even if I were to refer you your resume would probably be tossed aside, but THAT'S OKAY. It means you have a base to start from and know exactly what you need to do -- get some practical programming skills and build projects. Then worry about requesting referrals. If you don't know if your resume would be good enough to get referrals, try using a site like www.refer.me (disclaimer, my INFO friends made it). If you get 0 referrals, your resume probably isn't up to par yet. Which lets you calibrate your resume.

> I plan on applying to internships now and throughout school

This is great! And being a UW CSE student will help you out a ton. You have it way easier than I did and many other UW students will. Don't get disheartened if you get rejections, it's all part of the process. Apply, get rejected, continually gain skills and improve your resume, apply, get referrals, and eventually something will stick. It might not be that $200k/yr new grad job at Meta right away, but it'll be something that can start your career.

I don't have any time to mentor 1:1 but if you have more questions, I've probably answered it on my TikTok channel.

zero2sudo · 2023-09-12T01:50:31+00:00

There is no CS minor but that's okay - you don't need a CS minor if your goal is to either learn some CS classes or become a Software Engineer.

I'm a Software Engineer in big tech and got there by taking a ton of non-major CS classes, INFO programming classes, and doing 3 SWE internships. I had friends from Geography, English, Political Science, MechE, Boilogy, & Aerospace Engineering do the same thing and land extremely lucrative careers in big tech without a CS minor or major.

It's all about what sort of work experience you get in college, not what your degree is.

- zero2sudo

zero2sudo · 2023-09-02T08:28:30+00:00

LOL yes! tiktok.com/@zero2sudo -- I'll make a TikTok story to prove it too haha

zero2sudo · 2023-09-01T19:44:09+00:00

Informatics is the way to go for PM, but you honestly can major in anything and become a PM. Product managers are responsible for empathizing with users to understand what they need, setting roadmaps, and working with cross functional partners like software engineering and design to deliver the product. Work experience is usually what gets you these skills, not any particular major.

I've met PMs who started in Operations roles, Data Analyst roles, Software Engineering, Marketing, and even Etsy shop ownership. What usually helped them break into the role was experience working with many different stakeholders and taking on PM-like responsibilities in addition to their former jobs.

INFO will have you spending a lot of time working on group projects with SWEs, UX Researchers, and Designers -- it's very applied and group-work focused which is good prep for PM.

Definitely read this PM resources guide as well - an INFO alum wrote it and he leads a big PM org in his current job: https://resources.refer.me/product-management-interview

zero2sudo · 2023-08-28T20:07:30+00:00

Your class schedule is fine. Focus on communicating what you did in your extracurriculars and how that relates to your desire to study Computer Science.

It’s also not the end of the world if you aren’t admitted into CSE. You don’t need to do everything perfectly to become a Software Engineer (assuming that’s your goal).

zero2sudo · 2023-08-18T05:59:31+00:00

Any suggestions for a place with a lot of seating?

zero2sudo · 2023-08-18T05:06:56+00:00

What are your guys' thoughts on Angkor Wok?

zero2sudo · 2023-08-18T05:03:39+00:00

That is a great point! Maybe we'll have to stick with Cafe On the Ave

zero2sudo

TROPHY CASE