Keep in mind that you will be paying out-of-state tuition, which is not that inexpensive, about $280 per credit. That works out to about $12,600 per year, which is not going to be a good way to save money. If you want to pay in-state tuition ($103 per credit, or about $4,600 per year), you will need to become a resident by living in Washington for a year without going to school. So, if you really want to live in Seattle, you may want to consider coming here to live and work for a year before enrolling in a community college.
Here is a list of all WA community colleges, along with links to their websites: http://sbctc.edu/general/c_index.aspx
As you can see, there are a several in and near Seattle: North Seattle, South Seattle, Seattle Central, Shoreline, Renton. Another few are a little further away but still accessible by public transportation: Highline, Lake Washington, Cascade, Edmonds, Everett, Green River, Bellevue.
Bellevue has a very good transfer rate, as does North Seattle. I’d look at those two first.
UW is considered one of the better public universities in the country. They want to see good SAT/ACT test scores and high grades from transfer students.
You can work part-time while going to college, but only if you are willing to sacrifice time for your social life. I find that students have a hard time balancing a full class load (3 classes per quarter), a part-time job and an active social life. To be successful, you will probably need to dial one of those back (i.e. only take 2 courses per quarter, cut down on part time hours, or don’t go out much).
