University of Washington-Seattle Campus Top Questions

The University of Washington is an outstanding University and home to many academic opportunities that lead to a bright future. My opinion is that anyone that doesn't go to UW is missing out on the opportunities presented on a daily basis. Each and everyday I am given opportunities to become the greatest "me".

This school has fabulous environment and professional teachers.

This is one of my writing samples that is published on Unigo.com, a multimedia college platform. I am answering the question, what is your overall opinion of this school (University of Washington)? The best thing about the University of Washington is the smaller community within the larger campus. People become connected through different events and similar passions which often lead to sustaining friendships. Red Square, the center of campus, booms throughout the day with tents promoting clubs and other fun activities. Not to mention, the campus could not be more gorgeous with its Harry Potteresque buildings dripping with vines, blossoming cherry trees, and the fountain decorated with swimming ducks. Oh, but the education. That's pretty important right? Well, UW definitely knows how to teach and does it well. My teachers display an enthusiasm about teaching I never received in high school. My freshman year, my hands clasped my school map tightly as I sat down at my lecture boasting hundreds of students. And there stood my teacher, smiling. For the next few weeks, she begged us to come to office hours to speak with her, because she sought to know her students on a more personal level. This kindness did not fail my following quarters at UW and still can currently be seen. One of my professors memorized over 200 of our names in order to make us feel more comfortable and some required us to come to office hours, because they truly wanted to know about our backgrounds and personalities first hand. Of course there are some lectures that are boring, but there are always others that leave you on the edge of your seat waiting to hear more. It really depends on who is teaching. But either way, my educational experience has been undeniably the best I could have asked for or ever dreamed I could obtain. Although all the great qualities that drew me into UW's atmosphere fulfilled my expectations, I will admit I did feel isolated when I first came here. I found it hard to make new friends in my classes where everyone seemed they had a full quota and were not looking to meet anyone knew. Therefore the one thing I would change about UW is the way they handle assimilating freshmen into what at first seems like a giant campus and school population. Now that I have been here for two years, I have found my groove. My shyness slowly melted away and I have been able to meet new people in my classes, dorm, and on campus job I had as a freshmen. Husky pride in Seattle, oh...it's real wild. During football season last year, my ears perked up before I looked out my dorm room window. I smiled as I saw the entire school marching band wrapped in Christmas lights, hands clutching their instruments in the cool November air. It was the night before a football game. And everyone knew. The day of a game is also an exciting event here. Faces caked in purple and yellow paint jumping on two feet in the Dawg Pack, the student section at the games, is simply a necessity. The rain beats down on the relentless fans as their purple and gold beads dance up and down around their necks. This incredible enthusiasm doesn’t just end at the edge of campus either. Husky pride radiates all over Seattle despite the nonexistent sunshine. Every time I tell someone I go to UW people seem to pop out from everywhere to shout "ME TOO!" When I applied for my debit card at Bank of America, at least four different people working at the West Seattle bank all told me they were alumni. For this reason, I have always felt as if I was connected to something bigger. An entire community within my hometown all felt and went through the same experience as me. Trying to sleep in loud dorm rooms. Walking with rain soaked umbrellas through the red brick path on the quad. Giggling with my new friends. Discussing social issues that affect our community. They were who I have become, a college student at a highly acclaimed university. And boy, are they jealous they can't go back! Because my experience at UW is in fact priceless (despite the thousands in housing & tuition, but hey you can't be a college student without SOME debt right?). Another common reaction I get after speaking the name of my school is, "how did you get in there?" Curious eyes often beat down on me as if I just told them I had been chillin' inside Bill Gate's mansion this weekend. But I try to suppress my proud smile and simply tell them the tricks that every prospective student should know; I worked hard in high school. I earned my spot at UW by volunteering, getting good grades, and writing strong college essays. As a first generation college student, I knew and still understand the value of my education. Being accepted into UW, especially as an in-state resident, is not easy and is something to be envied. But you do not want to feel the people who get in to your desired school were accepted solely on the fact that it was easy, do you? I always wanted to go to a school that people took seriously, because to me, education is serious. Not to say that you can't have any fun, but it's important to crack down on the studying and homework more often than not. Because it is time to be someone and do something with your life, and after all, UW is an award winning school scattered with opportunities. So what are you doing? Apply and take one.

I hated every minute I spent at UW, and if I could do it all over again, I certainly would not choose to attend this university again. Many of the introductory/Gen Ed classes were good. Also, when the cherry blossoms came out in the spring. Those were the best things. I would change the unfriendliness of the student body, and the way that classes seemed to decrease in quality the higher-up you went. The university was very large but that didn't matter so much to me. I spent most of my time at the By George Cafe or in my dorm. The new student union building really sucked. The Ave has a lot of tasty food choices and a movie theatre, so it serves the purpose of a college town. You can also travel to other parts of Seattle with the school bus pass. People do not care one way or another when I tell them I went to UW-Seattle.

There is a great college feel to the campus with a lot of students. For some it may be too many students but for me it is just right. There is tons of school pride due to the success of the athletic department. It is a prestigious well respected school world wide so this only adds to the pride factor.

Overall, I like my school. At first I felt anonymous and was overwhelmed by the campus size. It took some time to get use to but now I love it. The best thing about this school is the cherry blossom in the Quad in Spring. It's beautiful. Also if the weather is nice, you can see Mount Rainier. The IMA is a great facility that students get to take advantage of and with all the renovations that are currently going on, the campus buildings will be much better. One thing that I wish I could change is the tuition increase. Only in the past few years, the tuition has increased by more than $1000 for in-state students. I can only imagine what it feels like to be out-of-state students. Tuition increase is the biggest controversy on campus at the moment. With the budget cuts from the government, the school was forced to admit more out-of-state and international students and significantly lowered the admissions rate for in-state students. Tuition increase and the budget cuts are also the most frequent student complaints. Although school announces that there is a financial problem and keeps in increasing tution rates, there are lots of renovation projects and new building constructions going on on campus that upsets and frustrates the students. To have a great college experience at UW, it is important to find a smaller community within UW to feed upon. It's hard to make connections with a classmate or professors so joining a club or finding friends in your dorm is important. People definitely react positively when I mention that I attend UW because it's probably the best school in Washington state and one of the best in the west coast. It's medical program is one of the best in the nation. I mostly spend my time at many cafes all over campus, Suzallo Library or Law Library to study. There are a lot of opportunities since Seattle is a great city. There is also a lot of school pride espcially when it comes to varsity sports. Basketball games are always fun and football could be if our team started doing better.

My overall opinion of this school is that it’s a great place to get a good education and the city offers lots to do. Although Seattle is huge, UW is located inside the U District which caters toward college students. The school is large, but this allows student to get their work done and not have to be ‘babysat.’ Although it’s big, I still frequently see people I know around campus. The community feels pretty small. There is lots of school pride which is apparent at football games and throughout all the clubs and activities that go on at the school and on campus. For the past two years, I spent most of my time on campus at the HUB. This building has restaurants, a bowling alley, study areas, and more. The building has been closed this year, but is rescheduled to be opened next summer, where it will be fully renovated. There is nothing I would change about my experience at UW thus far.

I could not have chosen a better school for me! The University of Washington has the quintessential campus and a wonderful faculty to boot. Though this school is in the midst of a big city, it is tucked away inside its own district, which makes the sense of community at this school very strong. This is a very large campus with upwards of 40,000 students, but its very easy to get involved in something and find ways to make that number seem much smaller. This school has immense pride - there are always students sporting Husky gear.

The best thing about this school is the amount of variety it provides you with. There are over 100 different majors, the campus is HUGE, and it is in Seattle, one of the most unique cities in the U.S.. The only downside currently is the budget cuts. Because of them, the art class sizes are starting to shrink, and one of the most exciting majors (Digital and Experimental Media), is going away . . .