University of Washington-Seattle Campus Top Questions

The most frustrating thing about the University of Washington is the recent increase in tuition, housing, and dining fees coupled with the cutting of programs and courses. The UW recently cut its mens' swimming program, and is offering fewer course options than in past quarters. As a student, I have also been asked to fill out a few surveys that ask questions along the lines of whether I would prefer to see a dramatic increase in tuition cost or a decrease in the education opportunities I am provided. I feel that a University should not have to make that choice.

Because UW is large, things like registering for classes and getting minor abnormal scheduling problems etc. worked out are quite a nuisance. There is a fair amount of red tape and you really have to know the right people (advisors, profs etc) to get anything done/fixed in a timely manner

UW is a large university. This means freshman year you will probably have 700 person classes. The professors are more interested in their research than teaching for the intro level classes. Advising is unhelpful in general, but the departmental advising is good. The financial aid is very minimal and only diminishing and tution continues to rise.

The most frustrating thing about my school courses is not having homework or reports returned in a timely manner. This is something that repeats quarter after quarter no matter how many course evaluations I take. But these evaluations pointless to the student since these are given at the end of the quarter. I understand there are only a few or a single grader for each course. But without early feedback, it makes course material more difficult to retain if major mistakes are made on course work.

Easily, one of the most frustrating things about my school would have to be the lack of diversity. I came from a high school consisting of mostly minority groups, so something as simple as just sitting in class makes me feel somewhat awkward. It's also hard to relate to other people; I've always felt like not as many people here have the same type of general tolerance that I have learned. I would like to be able to identify with my classmates instead of feeling out of place just because of my ethnicity.

The most frustrating thing about the University of Washington is that since it is such a major research school, most of the professors who teach the 100 and 200 level classes of math and science don?t really care about the students. They are focusing on their research, so getting a good professor to teach in these classes is nearly impossible. Most of the time, you have to rely on your TA for help or find some sort of outside tutor, which can be difficult. I wish the professors cared more about the students' success.

I would have to say the sheer number of people. The classes are really big, so the professors have almost no time for one on one teaching. Even when you go to study centers there are usually quite a few people there. The dorms are also very overcrowded.

The most frustrating thing is that our grades are calculated from a couple tests that we take during the quarter so that puts a lot of pressure on the students to do well on those exams.

Nothing about it is truely frustrating. I would say that the only thing that is slightly frustrating is that the price of living in Seattle is so high that it is difficult to find off-campus housing that is affordable of students. However, that is not solely the university's fault, and they do their best to maintain the price of campus living as much as possible.

The most frustrating thing about the University of Washington is the feeling of isolation and lack of belonging, due to its massive student body. It is rare to pass the same people day to day while going to classes, and classes are often very large, preventing much socialization. This all lends to a more difficult experience meeting people and making friends than a smaller school would provide.