A Few General Questions...

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Washington
1

<p>Hi, right now I think that UW is my number one school and so I went to visit a little while ago. It was my first college visit so after visiting a few more I have thought of some questions that I would have liked to ask, but didn't (and I am from the east coast so the next time I would be going back is if I decided to go there). Any answers would be great, and please be brutally honest.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>What are the dining options like: are there a lot of dining halls? can you buy all food using your meal plan or flex money?</p></li>
<li><p>How easy is it to get around campus and to downtown seattle? Are the buses efficient? Do a ton of people ride bikes?</p></li>
<li><p>Are the workout facilities nice? Are they separate from student athletes (ex: varsity sports) Are there classes offered (things like yoga, zumba, ect.)? Does the school have an organized outdoors/adventure sports (rafting, backpacking, scuba diving, rock climbing)?</p></li>
<li><p>Obviously there will be a lot of students from Washington but do you feel like every single person you meet is from washington (I worry that people won't be as excited to go to the city because they have been there and done that)?</p></li>
<li><p>I have heard since a lot of people know eachother there are already a lot of cliques established, even for incoming freshmen?</p></li>
<li><p>Do any of the dorms stay open over breaks like thanksgiving since I wouldn't have enough time or money to fly home?</p></li>
<li><p>Do a lot of kids go home on the weekends/do a lot of people commute?</p></li>
<li><p>What are the dorms really like? Do a majority of people live off campus..especially upperclassmen?</p></li>
<li><p>What is the honors program like? Is it hard to get into/prestigious?</p></li>
<li><p>What do people in Seattle/ Washington really think about UW? Does it have a reputation for being a good school that is rigorous, or do people just think it's a party school?</p></li>
<li><p>It seemed like there is a lot of school pride, but do people really LOVE uw?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>12.Are there a lot of research opportunities for undergraduates (specifically bio majors)</p>

<ol>
<li><p>How is greek life, I don't want to join, do you think that not being greek makes you automatically an outcast or are a lot of cool/fun people not greek?</p></li>
<li><p>I know that the school is generally liberal, however I would classify myself as a moderate leaning towards conservative views, but I especially have problems with things like abortion. Am I going to be attacked constantly for my views (obviously I don't mean a literal attack, more or less people being appalled by my views)? Are there any republicans, or one in a million?</p></li>
<li><p>Very specific question but... I want to be a vet and although UW doesn't have a vet school I didn't know if they are partners with Wash state vet school, and whether or not there are people who could help me get internships are such.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you to anyone who can answer any. Obviously I will try to look up things that are more about the academics but unless you talk to a student finding out about life at a college can be hard. Alums are welcome too. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I can’t answer all of your questions, but here’s what I can help with:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>It’s very easy to get around campus and downtown Seattle. There are buses that run every 5-10 minutes in every direction.
Many students ride bikes - for some, this is how they get around campus. Others bring skateboards, longboards, scooters, walk… or run.</p></li>
<li><p>Most people I know are actually out of state and international students. And… even if they are from Washington, believe me, not everyone has done the whole sight seeing thing. I’ve lived in Western Washington all my life and I’ve never been to places that out of state students ‘must’ check out when they get here. There’s always places to explore and tons of people to explore with!</p></li>
<li><p>Maybe for some people, they stick with their friends since high school. I’m more of a… floater type of a person. I have friends in engineering, premed track, some specifically in the CSE major, then theres friends who overlap from cultural groups I’ve joined. Find a student organization of your interest and you’ll definitely meet new people!</p></li>
<li><p>I believe Stevens Court is open during breaks.</p></li>
<li><p>Some kids go home on the weekends. It really depends on them and their family. I commute, and my buses (Seattle - > Bellevue routes) are always really full of students during rush hour.</p></li>
<li><p>Honors is a ‘college within the university,’ but there are many things to talk about. Please refer to: </p></li>
</ol>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-washington/1118121-honors-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-washington/1118121-honors-thread.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>and</p>

<p>[UW</a> Honors - Benefits of the Honors Program](<a href=“http://depts.washington.edu/uwhonors/about/benefits/]UW”>Benefits of UW Honors | University of Washington Honors Program)</p>

<p>For freshman admission, they retain a little less than 10% of all freshman applicants to Honors. This is 250 people per incoming class. It’s difficult to be accepted in the sense that many people don’t exactly know what Honors is looking for, or perhaps they just don’t ‘fit’ the Honors mission. the Honors Program focuses on interdisciplinary studies (ie. Journalism + Biology) where you take two different fields and ‘combine’ them.</p>

<ol>
<li>Right now, people are angry that we’re giving less spots to in state and more to out of state students. Here’s our response from The Daily:</li>
</ol>

<p>[Taxpayers:</a> Your kid isn?t entitled to a UW education - The Daily of the University of Washington](<a href=“http://dailyuw.com/2011/4/6/taxpayers-your-kid-isnt-entitled-uw-education/]Taxpayers:”>http://dailyuw.com/2011/4/6/taxpayers-your-kid-isnt-entitled-uw-education/)</p>

<p>However, as a whole, people think UW is a great school. For some, UW is a ‘backyard’ school where it’s ‘expected’ that all the high school seniors are accepted at. This is obviously not the case, and it’s getting more and more difficult to be accepted. UW has an amazing reputation in terms of the Medical school, research, engineering, etc. We’re not as… ‘known’ for being a party school as, say, WSU. I’ve never heard anyone say, “I’m going to UW because my goal in college is to chill, have fun, and PARTY!!” Some might go for the Greek life though, it’s all personal choice.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>A lot of people here have pride for UW. The last time I saw the stats, I think we retain 95% or so freshmen (so 5% transfer/drop out after first year). Also… we get pumped for sporting events!</p></li>
<li><p>There are always research available, you just have to time it right. Talk to professors, get a sense of when their assistants are graduting (so you can take their spot). As a freshman, you actually have a slight leg up for research unless it’s very specific/has upperdivision classes as prereqs. This is because once professors/researchers train you, they can keep you for four years and don’t have to keep retraining.</p></li>
<li><p>I haven’t done anything that has to do with Greek Row. You’re definitely not an outcast if you don’t rush. It’s probably just my experience, but of everyone I know at UW, first-fourth years, I only know 3 people in sororities and 2 guys in fraternities. Most of my friends dorm, live in their own apartments, or commute.</p></li>
<li><p>I can’t really answer this one. There are some vet clinics around Seattle you can talk to to see if you can first shadow then intern, something like that. If you talk to an advisor, I’m sure there are opportunities for you. There is also a Career Center located in Mary Gates Hall on campus. Check it out - there are plenty of opportunities, advising, etc.</p></li>
</ol>

3

<p>To answer 3:</p>

<p>When driving by UW, I’ve noticed there are people who don’t fit the athlete build. Leading me to believe the workout facility(ies) are open to all.</p>

4

<p>Woo links~!</p>

<ol>
<li>the IMA (fitness) building fee is part of your tuition. I forget the exact amount, but make use of it. More information (+classes): [UW</a> Recreational Sports Programs](<a href=“Recreation”>Recreation)</li>
</ol>

<p>Classes:
[UW</a> Rec Sports Programs - Sports and Fitness Classes](<a href=“Recreation”>Recreation)</p>

5

<ol>
<li>Yes, MANY people LOVE udub!! Students get really into sports especially :)</li>
</ol>

6

<ol>
<li><p>Lots of dining options on campus even if you’re not staying in the dorms. The 8 at McMahon is typically where I go for lunch- the food tastes great. Also it has a Pagliacchi Pizza :)</p></li>
<li><p>The buses are very efficient and people do ride their bikes a lot around here. You can get a UPass for a pretty cheap sum of money and that can be used as a bus pass for the whole quarter. It’s a great deal and if you are considering bussing I would look into it. </p></li>
<li><p>Oh my goodness yes! The IMA building is gorgeous! Tons of equipment to be used, also a huge rock wall at the Crags Climbing Center, a swimming pool, tennis courts, soccer fields, you name it. Admission is completely free for all current UW students and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in club sports and whatnot. </p></li>
<li><p>I’m not really so sure what you mean from this question, but I have met people and made friends with others from a multitude of backgrounds. </p></li>
<li><p>This is not true, there are really no “cliques” and on the first day you will be just as lost as every other freshman and you should find it very easy to make friends, even if you’re not staying in the residence halls. </p></li>
<li><p>I’m not so sure about thanksgiving but I do know that the dorms close during Spring and Winter breaks. </p></li>
<li><p>Sure a lot of people commute, I’m a commuter student, but to be honest the majority of people I talk to are just from the residence halls, so you wont feel like an outsider no matter where you end up staying. </p></li>
<li><p>I stayed in a dorm over the summer once (Terry Hall) and it was quite a pleasant experience, but I think that was only because I didn’t have a roomate. Their basically what you would expect from any dorm, but the lobby/cafes connected to the dorms are simply fabulous. Excellent food and design. Depending on where you stay they might even have free PS3 and Xbox games to play. As for upperclassmen I would suspect that they do not frequent the dorms as much as the underclassmen do. </p></li>
<li><p>I think it is pretty difficult to get into. I don’t know much about it as I didnt apply for it. </p></li>
<li><p>The notorious party school in Washington state is hands down WashU. The UW is only notorious for its frat parties, sure, but you would expect that from any frat house. The UW in Washington state has a pretty good reputation. When I tell people who ask what school I go to they typically seem quite impressed. </p></li>
<li><p>Haha, well I guess in general it doesn’t really have that much school spirit. I enjoy the experience of being a student there a lot, and I couldn’t imagine myself at any other institution, but I’m not a big fan of wearing purple shirts on fridays or anything like that. I’ve always been that way though. </p></li>
<li><p>Certainly there are, inquire at Mary Gates Hall about how you can get involved in Undergraduate Research. </p></li>
<li><p>In all the classes I’ve been in so far I have met only one person who is a fratboy, and yes I can assure you that people who are not in Greek life do have lives and personalities. The majority of people I meet live on campus in the dorms, and after that commuter students/students who live in nearby apartments. Greek living is the lowest population here. </p></li>
<li><p>To be totally honest no, and in fact while it is for the most part a liberal school I have not once heard any heated debates among my peers over politics. There are so many different people from a multitude of different backgrounds at this school that you really get used to the diversity, and conservatives are no exception. You have nothing to fear. </p></li>
<li><p>This one I can’t say, to be honest I am pretty sure that WasU has the best vet school in washington state and is the only reason anyone would choose WasU over the UW, but that is just a rumor. You will have to ask someone with experience in that field as I am just an engineering major. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Hope this helped :)</p>

7

<p>Back to 15 - My friend chose WSU over UW because of the vet school, and she’s really loving it there. I suggest doing more research on both schools and student experiences specifically in that field.</p>

8

<p>Yeah speedsolver, two of my friends who want to be vets are choosing WasU over the UW simply because it’s supposed to have the better program (and they both have the merit to be accepted to the UW).</p>

9

<p>as far as dining goes, in my opinion you’re better off getting the lowest possible plan (especially since the hub is gone for the next couple years). the 8 and by george (pretty much your only options now) get old fast unless you like eating pizza and pasta every day (if you think you would, you’re probably wrong). there’s better food on the ave.</p>

10

<p>The ave always has great options!</p>

<p>Burger burger, Jimmy Johns, Chipotle, Wayward Cafe, Pagliacchi, I love Bento, Pizza Pi, Pagliacchi, etc… The ave has tons of options for good eating.</p>

11

<p>Wow thanks guys. All of your answers really helped a lot!</p>