I am from the east coast, meaning I do not know much about the University of Washington. I am thinking of applying there but have a couple of questions…
Does the engineering program do a good job of integrating liberal arts courses? Potential for double major with engineering and a social science like anthropology?
What is the quality of undergrad education? Professors accessibility and average class size.
Do people study abroad?
What is the reputation of the school in comparison to other public universities such as Wisconsin?
What is the quality of life on campus like? I am a bit worried that the majority of people do not live on campus after their first year and I know no one within a three hour flight of Seattle.
What is the student body like?
What is the hiking and cycling like?
And anything else that people love about the school.
Hi! Okay I’m definitely biased here, because I absolutely love UW, but here’s my take:
No matter what your major is you will have to take a breadth of courses to fulfill your distribution requirements, so yes, even engineering integrates a liberal arts education quite well. I definitely know several friends who are double majoring in engineering and a social science, so it's doable. If you are extremely enthusiastic about interdisciplinary studies I would recommend the University Honors Program, which specifically emphasizes interdisciplinary studies and would love an engineer/anthropologist. It also gives you access to amazing (and particularly small) honors seminars.
I've been blown away by the quality of education. (That said, I'm not an engineering student in the slightest, so I can't speak specifically to that.) Class size can be large for freshman intro classes (not sure what an average number would be though), and some sophomore classes, but even in those you will always have a smaller discussion section. I've also had quite a few classes of around 20, even in my first couple years, and even one seminar of just ten people. Plus I don't dislike the big classes, frankly. I've found profs to be extremely friendly and I've had some great experiences with ones who will create extra weekly discussion hours, even take their classes out to dinner, etc. Plus the profs are definitely top of their field, which is worth it in and of itself.
Study abroad is definitely popular. Again, I don't know percentages, but it feels like the majority of students do it at least once. The nice thing is that you can do it for either a quarter, semester (combining two quarters or doing an early start to a fall semester), or full year. The UW-led programs are amazing, but you can also do a program at a wide variety of foreign universities. There are also a ton of summer programs.
I would say UW is slightly more well known than the other UW, Wisconsin. (We did snag the uw.edu website after all ;) ), however they are honestly probably pretty similar in many ways. I have heard Wisconsin has a party-school reputation though, plus Washington is in a better location. Compared to other public schools I'd say it has a very solid reputation, certainly in the top tier of state schools (and private ones too).
I think campus residential life is great: even though the majority of students only live in the dorms their first year. Off-campus life is practically on-campus, just not in university housing, so it includes students who live in the greek houses, which are practically on-campus, as well as the many apartments and houses that are right next to campus. The community environment remains even when students aren't in the dorms. Most students make friends in the dorms their first year (or some other way) and then live with those friends in their remaining years off-campus, so you don't have to worry about not knowing people right away. In fact, it's nice to have the freedom of having your own place. (Of course, you could also live in the dorms past your first year, it's not unusual.)
If you like hiking and cycling, UW is definitely the place for you. Washington is filled with amaazing natural beauty, and there are several hiking groups on campus that will help you get there if you don't have a car. (Great way to make friends!) Hiking around the area has actually been a highlight of my experience. Cycling is also great - UW is on the Burke-Gilman trail, which goes for miles through Seattle and beyond. The campus is overall very bike friendly. There is also a competitive cycling team and triathlon team, if you're that into it.
The student body is really hard to succinctly describe - it's certainly not a homogeneous place. I've met a hugely diverse group of people over the years. Everyone is obviously smart and passionate, yet still pretty laid back.
Overall I love UW, and would definitely recommend you at least apply and check it out!