<p>I was recently accepted to UT Austin and the University of Washington. I'm really stuck - I'm leaning towards UT but my parents like UW a bit more since we have more family friends etc near Seattle.</p>
<p>Both are amazing schools and both have what I want (great music scene and music scene) so I'm really clueless on which one to choose.</p>
<p>Btw, I'm interested in Linguistics/Journalism. I've asked around and people have said that TX has more job/internship opportunities.</p>
<p>Since I live abroad, I won't be able to visit the campuses. There's only so much one can learn about the two cities online.</p>
<p>Any thoughts on the two cities? Anything? Please give me some input.</p>
<p>My daughter faced the same decision. Honors acceptances at both schools and a mom who would have suggested Seattle. She chose Austin. (Her academic program was stronger there.) It was an amazing place to go to school. Great campus (fun school spirit) and great city. Live music everywhere. Great public transportation. She loved her years there.</p>
<p>Both cities are places where people enjoy the outdoors and everything their city had to offer.</p>
<p>The college specific UT forum here on CC is very active. You could post questions about Austin and UT there. Good luck!</p>
<p>Not knowing anything about either school but you applied to them so I am assuming they both are schools you like, I would personally pick Washington simply because I think I would like that area better-weather, scenery, ability to visit other parts of the region easier, etc.</p>
<p>UT Austin is a great school and very fun to attend. It’s in a beautiful part of Texas, has the great music scene, tons of cool stuff to do. It has mild winters, but summers and early fall are very hot. If heat bothers you and all other things are equal, that might be a consideration.</p>
<p>I had to read your thread just because of the title . . . I have a niece who moved from Austin to Seattle last October with her husband and their toddler son. They were both in the Longhorn Band. He got a job offer that was too good to turn down. They love Seattle, but they are sort of still in the “tourist phase” after only a few months.</p>
<p>Can’t really offer you anything more than that. I can see the UT campus out my window at work. It is an amazing place, but it is a huge campus with a huge enrollment. You will have to find a group or association or something because otherwise you’ll sort of get lost in the shuffle.</p>
<p>One other thing to look at in your decision is housing costs – it is difficult to get into the dorms at UT and lots of kids end up living off campus. Austin is not a cheap place to live, but neither is Seattle. But definitely compare the dorm situation between the two schools, at least for your first year or two.</p>
<p>My D is a student at UT and she loves it. Yes, the campus is large, but student groups make it small and you will easily find like minded people at UT. Austin is one of those towns where there is something for everyone. Very focused on physical fitness, people love being outdoors, and of course the music. You can’t beat the school spirit here so buy some burnt orange and like you said…Hook’em! \m/.</p>
<p>U of W is also large with not enough dorm space. There are lots of rentals. Both would be vibrant city, music and ootdoor scenes. The weather could make a difference. Seattle is just beautiful when it’s beautiful, but it’s beautiful when the UW is not in session. To give you an idea . . . several days ago a client said to me optimistically, “The weather station said we’re supposed to have rain and showers today!”</p>
<p>Translation for non-Seattleites: Showers are when the rain comes and goes and maybe lets up a bit from time to time. Rain is straight, unabated rain. You will also come to understant the meaning of the term “sunbreak” if you come here. e.g. Forecast: rain turning to showers with afternoon sunbreaks.</p>
<p>We have visited both schools. Both good schools for all the reasons cited here. I have to add my two cents re: WEATHER! My parents lived in Austin for 10 years. I visited several times and found the heat/humidity overpowering. If you’re from the south, I guess it’s not an issue and you get used to it, but OMG. As soon as I stepped outside, I felt I needed to shower again. </p>
<p>Seattle – no heat issue, but you do have to be able to deal with rain, rain and more rain. </p>
<p>Sorry – I know I’m a weather wimp! If weather doesn’t affect you one way or the other, then don’t worry about it :)</p>
<p>True, but mainly in the summer/early fall. Late fall, winter, and spring are quite nice. But yes, summers in Texas are brutal. I’ve lived here since I was 6 or so and I’m still not “used to it.”</p>
<p>I’m sort of local to UW. You have to assume that if you go to UW these days, it is going to take you five years to graduate. The budget cuts have been brutal, and have mostly affected availability of introductory courses, and the number of upper level electives. Include that in your planning.</p>
<p>I’ve been living in Austin since I was three and I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s a very beautiful and active place with tons of trails. It’s also very liberal as demonstrated by the “Keep Austin Weird” shirts. The weather’s sunny most days, but in summer expect temperatures over 100. And UT football > UW football.</p>
<p>I love Seattle. It’s amazing, and the only reason I have no desire to attend UW is because I live 45 minutes away (Bainbridge Island, for anyone who’s around there). I go to the campus regularly for drum lessons, and I’ve done a few camps there. It’s great - good food, beautiful place. Seattle as a whole is pretty cool, really.</p>
<p>I’ve never been to Austin, but lived in Seattle for 20 years. Amazing, beautiful city. Don’t be scared off by the rain; Seattle actually gets less precipitation than a lot of other places. The UW campus is gorgeous, and in the spring, it’s breathtaking.</p>
<p>(I’m also a UDub alum, but it’s been so long that my thoughts about the school itself are probably irrelevant by now. Go Dawgs! )</p>
<p>That precip thing is the big con. It does not rain hard much but you and everything else will be wet much of the time from October-June. Today notwithstanding. It might take a week to get an inch of official rain in Seattle but it will be wet out all the time. It bites. I’d rather have a hard shower for an hour and get it over with. Also many areas around Seattle get FAR more rain than the official airport numbers. Issaquah gets twice as much.
I have lived in both towns for some time and for college, UT wins easily.</p>
<p>I love Seattle, but it’s cold and rainy a lot. Austin’s weather is a lot nicer. If you go outside Seattle, you’re still in a Deep-Blue liberal state, while Texas is Texas. </p>
<p>On the other hand, having been in both places, I think Austin people are friendlier than Seattleites.</p>
I can see the UT campus out my window at work. It is an amazing place, but it is a huge campus with a huge enrollment. You will have to find a group or association or something because otherwise you’ll sort of get lost in the shuffle.</p>