<p>How is it up there in Seattle? I'm originally a resident of California (Los Angeles to be exact...)</p>
<p>How is the weather, social science, women, men for those who care (not me), and the city overall?</p>
<p>I'd really like to know what you guys have seen or have heard about the University of Washington @ Seattle other than it's great academics!</p>
<p>The weather isn't the best. It rains quite a bit, but you can deal with it. If you've ever been to San Francisco, I heard its kind of similar. It's definitely different from LA, that's for sure. I don't know enough about the people there or anything, but I do know that the city is a really good one, especially for teenagers and college kids. </p>
<p>Right now, the only other school I'd probably go to is UCLA over U-Washington. I got into UCSD but that doesn't look very promising for me.</p>
<p>I'll just deal with the issue of weather since I'm pretty ignorant of everything else you've mentioned...</p>
<p>We just had a week-and-a-half of nice Spring weather until a few days ago. Now it feels like a typical Seattle-winter (mild version), which consists of gray/hazy skies, a healthy dose of wind chill, and sun in the late afternoon. The rain is not too bad, but I, for one, am quite sick of it. It doesn't pour often, but there are frequent drizzles and such. The rain (amount and presence) can also vary from one suburb to the next, which is bewildering sometimes. But hasn't Southern CA been getting more rain than ever during the winters? As for the cold, I only remember wearing leggings under my jeans for a few weeks in December. Some crazy kids at my school wear shorts almost all year round, but the typical winter gear is: fleece jacket, a sweater, maybe a nice goose-down coat, and jeans. Snow is awesome (for high school kids, anyway), but it comes rarely in high volume. Usually the rain melts it. Ice is a much more serious problem, especially for commuters, but the main roads are always quickly taken care of. Let's see....am I missing anything? Oh, Spring is really, really nice here.
Anyway, point is, I think you'll find that you'll enjoy the city (the food! the music scene! the skiing!) more than you mind the weather. (if that makes any sense at all)</p>
<p>:)
(btw, I'm a native Californian, too!)</p>
<p>The weather is really not that bad. Certainly it's not LA (although I prefer the Seattle weather) but it rarely gets "seriously" cold, and the rain is usually pretty light. There are only ever a few weeks a year of intense rain/snow/freezing, and it goes away pretty fast. The city itself is amazing. There is always somewhere to go and something to do. The U District is a little bit removed, which is nice because the campus is the center of local activity, but you can be smack in the center of downtown within minutes. It's my favorite city ever.</p>
<p>How does parking and driving work?
And are most points of interest easily accessible through walking/bus?</p>
<p>As far as the weather goes, rain is much easier to adjust to than extreme cold or heat. Our family moved to Seattle suburbs a while ago, and neither my husband nor I would want to move after living here for many years. The air quality is amazing. Seattle took spot # 2 in overall nationwide quality of living "top 10" list" this year, and it consistently ranks in the top 10 most educated, most technologically savvy and fittest cities in the US. It is also one of the most caffeinated, too ;) It is not unusual to find two Starbucks occupying the two diagonally opposite corners of a downtown intersection (Tully's, Peet's or some independent cafes sit on the other two).</p>
<p>Parking around UW is tight and expensive, and I would not recommend bringing a car, because in the long run, public transportation will do just fine. For a very cheap price, UW students are issued the so-called U-Pass which allows them to ride any bus in Seattle (Metro, Community Transit, etc.). I live and work north of Seattle and own a car, but when I have to travel downtown, I take a bus from my local park and ride, because it is so much more convenient than the hassle of navigating those one-way streets and finding a cheap parking spot. Of course, if you want to venture to the Olympic mountains, you need to find a friend with a car, but with so many locals attending UW, I do not think that would be an issue :)</p>
<p>I agree with everything BunsenBurner just said. Great answer--especially about the weather. And the caffeine! My kids (OOS) eventually got jobs in the area and felt they needed a car, so they shared one for their last two years at school. Since they lived in the Greek system and parking was so tricky, there were many times that they would use their U-Pass (which was convenient, easy to use and very popular) instead of risk losing their parking spot on 17th. Kind of silly. Metro can get you almost anywhere. That said, parking is easier the farther you get away from campus--either driveways or streets are available in the neighbors at a distance from the school.</p>
<p>is University of Washington @ Seattle the best campus in term of academics and rankings? What are some other good colleges worth visiting in the Seattle area? Thanks!</p>
<p>Yeah, the Seattle campus is the major hub of the university. There are campuses in Bothell and Tacoma, but they have more limited majors and different standards for admission.</p>
<p>Other colleges in the Seattle area are Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University, Western Washington University (in Bellingham), and University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma.</p>
<p>does anyone know how the party scene is?</p>
<p>I'm hoping for more information on the best residence halls for incoming freshman. Lander seems to be choice #1? Thank you. Any info helps.</p>
<p>I think the party scene is heavily centered on the frats, but I have no idea really. </p>
<p>UW Bothell is pretty much a joke. Absolutely don't go there if you got in to UW Seattle or if you are an Out of State Student. I dunno about UW Tacoma but would assume the same thing. </p>
<p>I'm from a Seattle suburb, but we regard the metro bus system as a joke. No one wants to take the bus because it takes ridiculously long and no one wants to wait around in the rain for the bus to come. </p>
<p>My favorite parts about the UW:
It's right on Lake Washington, which makes for beautiful views! The main campus has a stunning view of Mt.Rainer, a huge mountain. There are many hiking/running/walking trails and a fabulous Rec. Center for exercising and staying healthy. </p>
<p>Western (WWU) is a long way from Seattle (2 hrs.) but very very cool, if it is at your academic level (i.e. lower than the UW). They have neat dorms/eatinghall/campus that gives a real community feel.</p>
<p>If my son attends UW, there is no way he's bringing a car! Parking on campus is very expensive, and parking in the surrounding area is almost impossible. While commuting by bus from the burbs might be irritating, the UW is perfectly linked to downtown by a zillion buses, and that's really the main destination students would be interested in.</p>
<p>jillbot - Lander/Terry and Stevens are a bit removed from main campus (by just a few blocks), while the north campus dorms like McCarty, McMahon, etc., are right on campus. They are very close to U-Village, a very upscale shopping center with good food and shopping, and close to the athletic facilities. They're also close to the Greek houses. The Lander area is good too, close to the lake and "the Ave", and with a heavy concentration of freshmen.</p>
<p>About the rain - you OOS people might be interested to know that true locals don't even carry umbrellas here. A hood is handy, or a hat, but umbrellas just aren't done. There's more mist or drizzle or sprinkles than rain, generally speaking.</p>
<p>Rainmama,</p>
<p>Do you know if its still relatively easy to meet people in the north campus dorms? I want the freshman experience, however north campus is much closer to my schools of interest (Computer Science or Business) and it's closer to the sports/frat row which I am both interested in. But since I'm oos I'll be pretty much going there on my own.</p>
<p>My D is an OOS sophomore at UW. She lived her first year at Lander (South Campus) and met lots of lots of people. She is now at McCarthy (North Campus) and it's much quieter. However, the other dorms on North Campus (McMahon and Haggett) seem livelier. UW is a very big school and you have to be prepared to make an effort to meet people and maintain relationships. It doesn't just happen on its own, but it's not that hard.</p>
<p>Just based on hearing about dorms from other parents, I think of Lander as providing a significant bonding experience - sort of like freshman boot camp! But I recently spoke to a friend whose son is in McCarty, and he really likes it a lot. He's not in Honors, but likes living in the dorm with a lot of the honors kids, and it's so convenient. If you're a friendly sort, I don't think you would regret living on north campus, but Lander would also be really fun. Either way - it's a big school so you'll find like-minded people wherever you live.</p>
<p>Thank you, rainmama... My daughter is social but on the shy side. Lander will probably suit her fine. I think McCarty was her 2nd choice. Either one will be fine, I'm sure.</p>
<p>the weather here is not really that bad...u get used to it..i am a seattle native...from mercer island..like 20 mins from uw...i got into uw business school and honors and am not quite sure if i am attending yet...</p>
<p>its a great school tho..there is also a fair amount of partying if u are into that..i went to a frat party a few weeks ago and it was a lot of fun..it is easy to meet ppl in the north campus dorms...most ppl are freshman there and everyone is tryin to meet new ppl.</p>