<p>Hey everyone,</p>
<p>Earlier tonight I was officially offered a semester exchange to UW for the Winter semester next year. I decided to start investigating a couple of things such as accomodation, as the whole process seems more complicated than at my University (in Sydney, Australia). </p>
<p>Just a couple of questions which would really help me out:</p>
<p>1) Are exchange students generally grouped together for accomodation or not? If so, where abouts?
2) What would be the best residence hall to apply for, especially in terms of meeting people?
3) Are there decent pubs and bars on campus, or do most students head into the city?
4) What are the best Ski resorts in the near vicinity? At this stage I am tossing up whether to purchase a seasons pass to Whistler, or to sample as many as possible in the region.
5) What are some must see places in the region - this may include places in Canada. So far on my definite to do/see list is New York, LA, Las Vegas, Spring Break, Vancouver. I realise these places are scattered all over the country (as well as across the border) which will make travelling between them pretty costly! I also have a bunch of mates who will be across America at the same time as I will, so I'll try to catch up with them.</p>
<p>Cheers!</p>
<p>I can give info on a few of these things . . .</p>
<p>3) Ha! There is no alcohol available on campus, but there are pubs and bars a couple of blocks away. The closest street where you'll find them is The Ave, which is what locals call University Way. The campus is right in the city, and you'll get a bus pass with your Husky card, so you'll be able to get around easily.</p>
<p>4) Whistler is by far the best skiing around, but pretty far away, plus the border crossing issues. Stevens Pass is good, better snow and more challanging than Snoqualmie Pass, which is the very closest skiing, one hour from campus.</p>
<p>5) What sorts of things are you interested in? Scenery? Museums? Architecture? Historical sites? Babes?</p>
<p>Congratulations on getting the semester exchange! What are you studying?</p>
<p>Thanks - I am studying Computer Science and Applied Finance. I am interested in scenery, historical sistes and socialising.</p>
<p>When you say that there is no alcohol available campus, do you mean that it is not allowed? Or just not sold?</p>
<p>Is there much in the way of parties or a social program organised by your student union?</p>
<p>I'm just getting a grasp of what I'm in for.</p>
<p>The CS department is very good, so I'm sure you'll have a good experience with that. </p>
<p>For scenery, the Olympic Peninsula is fabulous, also Mount Rainier and Mt. St. Helens. Just taking a ferry ride through the San Juan Islands is gorgeous, but if you have time to spend in the islands or in Victoria BC (Vancouver Island), it will be worthwhile. Vancouver BC, on the mainland, is a vibrant city with a lot of Asian culture. </p>
<p>Alcohol is not sold on campus. The drinking age here is 21, and if you bring alcohol on-campus and are not of age it is a pretty serious infraction.</p>
<p>The fraternities have big houses just off campus and are throw large parties on the weekends -- I don't know how open they are for non-members to get in. I understand that alcohol is consumed there, especially beer :)</p>
<p>As for student union activities, I think they run more to movies, concerts, etc. I suggest that your classmates would be your best resource for social activities, also any clubs you might join. Perhaps there's an exchange student club? Or a skiing club? Here's a link to the Student Activities Office <a href="http://depts.washington.edu/sao/%5B/url%5D">http://depts.washington.edu/sao/</a>, and here's a link to the Climbing Club, which seems to do a lot of skiing in the winter <a href="http://students.washington.edu/climb/faq.php%5B/url%5D">http://students.washington.edu/climb/faq.php</a>. Oh, and here's a nice overview of the various ski areas <a href="http://www.int.washington.edu/skiing.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.int.washington.edu/skiing.html</a>. If it were me, I don't think I'd get a season pass, but take the opportunity to go to several different places, and have the flexibility to go with friends on their outings.</p>
<p>You should know that I'm not a student, but the parent of a student at UW, so I don't have quite the perspective you are hoping for. And my son isn't a partier, more into gaming.</p>
<p>Where will you be staying?</p>
<p>Thanks heaps for the information thus far. </p>
<p>All advice I've heard so far seems to point to staying on campus, so I think I'll end up doing that. I only have to do 3 subjects, which shouldn't be too much of a heavy workload.</p>
<p>It's strange to hear that no alcohol is available at the University - in Australia, all universities have accompanying Uni bars on campus. That said I guess it's understandable given the higher drinking age!</p>
<p>The UW Computer faculty does sound very good, so I'm looking forward to taking some of the classes which don't have equivalents at my University.</p>
<p>On-campus would make the most sense, if there's space available. You should get going on that right away, as dorm space is hard to get after the normal deadlines. Unless perhaps they reserve a few rooms for exchange students?</p>
<p>UW operates on a quarter system, not semesters, so the classes cover a lot in a short period of time. That's why 3 classes is the standard number.</p>
<p>Australian campuses sound like great fun!</p>