University of Washington-Seattle Campus Top Questions

It's a large, public university in a diverse college town. You'll get a full-scope college experience at UW and have the opportunity to be exposed to best practices. I'll never forget my Early Fall Start (EFS) experience. EFS provides freshmen with the opportunity to come to college 1 month early and take 1 class--it's a GREAT way to make long-lasting friends and get acclimated to a new campus environment (especially for those out-of-staters like myself). I met my best friend during EFS!

Big picture for a big school... UW is a city. Between staff, faculty, undergraduates, and graduates there are 60,000 of us. We have our own police department, hospital, zip code and it's a mile walk across campus. Don't be fooled by idealistic talk on admission pamphlets. As an undergrad you'll be anonymous, you'll be in classes with (literally) 400 other students, you'll get shoved through the hoops by advisors. Your voice gets drowned out in a crowd. In a nutshell, the UW is a giant research factory driven by prestige and $$. Some good points: - rigor and intensity are valued - excellent lecturers - you're in Seattle - strong medical and technical research - there's lots of $$ floating around (this is perhaps more of a con than a pro, though)

UW totally rocks. And i'm not just saying that...since coming here i've heard so many stories from friends at other schools, and i was worried that maybe i'd made the wrong choice. But i visited several of them at their schools, and none of them could even compare to UW! Don't worry about the big size. Seriously. I have sooo many friends, and there's no way you could ever meet everyone, so you can always make more friends! Also, almost every new friend I make knows at least one or two people I know, which really makes the school seem tiny! Also, joining clubs and sports teams helps a lot. I've made a lot of friends that way! There's a lot of school pride, too. There's always a ton of people on campus wearing purple sweatshirts!! Our big rivalry with WSU is fun, because let's face it, it's nice to be in a rivalry with someone who is obviously inferior to you! :) And even though Seattle is a fairly big city, it's definitely a college town!! If you go off campus wearing a Husky sweatshirt, alumni will say hello to you or say "nice sweatshirt!". Also, thousands and thousands of people who live in Seattle come to our football games in the fall. Also, local employers love hiring UW students.

I love it here. The beginning sucks though. It's mostly people hanging out in old high school groups since it's a lot of people mostly from Washington. Since I didn't really like anyone from high school, I hated the beginning. But it gets better! The giant intro classes also kind of suck--it's fairly easy to fade away into the crowd and it's just as easy to get a horrible TA. But the fact is, I still love it. Not to mention, for the most part, the school pride is overflowing. The campus is huge, but it's gorgeous. Seattle is beyond amazing (if you like cities), but UW still has a nice little nook outside a big city. Although it does seem to have a heightened crime rate and for the most part, except for one time this year, UWPD is worthless in counter acting the crime (have they caught anyone? but seriously....) For the most part, you come to UW knowing what you're going to get. I expected a large school outside of a large city that is able to provide me option. That's exactly what I got. Although I wish someone of the douchebags wouldn't come here and that the dorms situation was waaaaay better (tiny rooms with 3 people shoved in them is not uncommon), I can't say I don't love it here....because I most certainly do : )

Washington is an ideal place where many people is desiring. It contains peace, excitement, nice weather, clean water source, beautiful nature, and the romantic scene which appears on the Space Needle in Seattle.

I think UW is too large and the resources are really limited. I think most UW students feel pround of the U, but they also think that they got losted in such a large-size U. The ave and U village is....OK...but not many things to do.h

The University of Washington is a big school. Many people don't like this, but I love it. There are opportunities to stand out here. To stand out amongst 26,000 students. When you get recognition in something that is inherently competitive, it gives your work more value. I am pretty involved in theater and it is one of the coolest feelings to know that I am working with people that have worked on Broadway and popular TV shows. There are opportunities for the type of people who go out and get what they want. Do not expect things to be given to you, you must find them. Seattle is always busy. There is always something to do for someone that wants to find something. Because UW is so big, buses go to and from UW to just about everywhere. There is always a band or a play or a mini festival or a big festival. The only thing that suffers in the night life. There aren't many late night places. Unfortunately, the food is over priced. If you plan to live in the dorms, get ready for bland repetitious food at high prices. I plan to move into a house next year where I can get food from the store and restaurants. If you are living in the dorms, you can eat on the Ave, but you still must by a food plan and if you don't spend your dining money, you loose it.

A world-class education on a beautiful campus

Seattle is a great place to live. People here are very laid-back, but still very active. There is much to do outside the city, including hiking, camping, skiing, kayaking and boating, as well as plenty of high-end shopping, restaurants, clubs, bars, theater, music (Seattle has one of the top Jazz scenes in the world) and organizations within the city. The area around the university provides a lot of support for students in terms of housing, cheap and diverse food, and part-time jobs. The crime rate in the area is low compared to most other urban settings. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that UW is a very large school. While this can provide a lot if you're unsure what you'll be doing with yourself, it can also make you feel a little lost, especially when first starting out. UW is one of the top research universities in the world, and thus a lot of its energy and focus goes into its graduate programs. Many undergrad students feel as if they are being marginalized by this attitude...on the other hand, it means your TA's are usually top-quality. Many of the more specialized classes like English and philosophy still have small class sizes, too, and are often offered in multiple sections--enabling you to choose the schedule that works better for you.

People generally seem pretty impressed when I tell them I'm a grad student at UW. I maintain it's because they don't know how hostile the environment is to conservative-leaning students. The organization caters to the radical left. I have been insulted, yelled at, censored, and ostricized for voicing any conservative viewpoint--by faculty and students alike. My ethics, law, and policy course was taught by a communist who wasted most of the course's time talking about the shortcomings of a free market and how India and China even have better medical systems and how global warming is going to bring another ice age and we need to start modeling China in economics and global clean-up. I have been horribly disenfranchised by UW and will never recommend the school to anyone. I believe it can only be enjoyed by those from the far left end of the political spectrum.