<p>Hello! This post has to do with transferring from the University of Washington Tacoma to the University of Washington Seattle. I know there have been some previous threads in past years, but hopefully I can get new information.</p>
<p>I am an out-of-state student who hopes to go to UW Tacoma. I plan to study computer science. My main goal (and something I think about too much) is getting my diploma from the Seattle branch. I'm aware that the admission staff hold these types of transfer students to a higher standard (coming from a four year institution instead of a community college). Hopefully I can communicate to them why I want to transfer to a different branch.</p>
<p>I am looking for the following information:
1. Has anyone successfully transferred from UW Tacoma or UW Bothell to UW Seattle?</p>
<ol>
<li> Do any of you have tips for me (such as when to apply for the transfer, what classes I should take at UW Tacoma and which ones I should take at UW Seattle)?</li>
</ol>
<p>3.What is an ideal GPA for a student transferring from a four year institution (like UW Tacoma) to UW Seattle?</p>
<p>I would be glad to answer any questions you have for me. I appreciate any other type of feedback. Thank you!</p>
<p>I transferred from UWB to UWS after my freshman year, and during the year that I transferred only 10% of transfer applicants accepted were from four year colleges, so I was pretty lucky. I don’t know the GPA range that look for specifically in transfers, but you’ll want it to be as high as possible. You’d think that you’d have a better chance than community college transfers because you’re coming from another campus within the UW system that, but unfortunately that isn’t the case as I was told.</p>
<p>Computer Science at UWS is very competitive to get into for regular students, even more so for those coming from another college. I was told by a CS adviser one quarter that transfers who had applied to CS that quarter basically had to have a 4.0 in order to be admitted. As for your classes, look up what the prerequisites for CS at UWS is and take the courses at UWT that are equivalent to them. However, if you don’t get into CS right away after transferring to UWS then take CSE 143 asap. As good as you do in the CSE 143 equivalent at UWT, UWS doesn’t really think highly of it. They’ll still want to see you take their version of the course (and it is challenging).</p>
<p>If you’re dead set on computer science, then staying at UWT might be a better choice. Otherwise you can take the gamble and transfer to UWS in the hopes that you’ll be able to enter the CS dept. If the gamble fails, then you’ll have to pick a different major (Informatics is a somewhat similar one) or transfer again.</p>
<p>@ZeroShadowBlade</p>
<p>How did it turn out for you if you don’t mind me asking? The reason I’m asking is that I’ve seen a few of your posts on here and I’m in a fairly comparable position. How did you do in CSE 143 and did you eventually get into CSE, Informatics or transferred again?</p>
<p>Sol did you get my message?</p>
<p>I got your message. Don’t think I’m ignoring you, I actually wanted to reply but for some reason this forum won’t let me PM other users unless I have 15 posts.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t want to transfer to UWS and then fail to get accepted into the CS program. Is there a way to apply to UWS + CS (direct admission into the program) as a transfer student?</p>
<p>A lot of the courses found at the UWB and UWT that are supposedly ‘equivalent’ to the version offered at the Seattle campus are not considered as such by some of the engineering departments, CSE being a prime example. The department wants students who can commit full time quarters at the Seattle campus to see how they really fare against students of the same caliber before being accepted.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it’s a reality that many transfer students from other UW campuses have to face (including myself). The worst part is that advisers won’t explicitly acknowledge this issue, although they might hint at it. Honestly, to maximize your chances, you’re going want to cross-campus enroll into important courses at the Seattle campus. The catch is that you can’t do that until you have 45 credits completed at your home campus (a full year).</p>
<p>To answer your question: Yes, it’s possible to switch campuses, quite a few people have done it. The key is getting into CSE and the reality is that transfers are a step behind those who already go to UWS.</p>
<p>So, you’re really questioning the quality of education that the University of Washington is offering at their extended campuses? If I was on the admission committee at either school, I would vote to deny you on the spot. You’ve missed the point of the university, and have no clue how it functions. We share the same faculty within the UW system. Professors within the department I graduated from went to Stanford, Yale, and the London School of Economics. They’re well published and perform research in Tacoma for good reasons. </p>
<p>Do you want to know one big difference? I was never taught by a grad student–ever. I had close relationships with tenure faculty, performed research in the field, and got into my current graduate program no problem. As a graduate student myself, I would never want to sit in the over-crowded classes I proctor for. No point when you don’t have good letters of recommendation at the end. If you think UWT or UWB are any less qualified, then you don’t know UW and don’t deserve to go here.</p>
<p>Saying that someone doesn’t deserve to go to UW because they would prefer to attend the Seattle campus is not a fair judgment at all. The OP made no judgments insinuating that they think students graduating from the satellite campuses are less qualified at all. </p>
<p>The bottom line is that while the curriculum at the campuses may be the same, student life is not. The campuses are very different, and while a smaller campus and smaller class sizes is ideal for a lot of people, the experience of attending the Seattle campus offers altogether different opportunities outside of the classroom.</p>
<p>Sol’s point seemed to be that some departments don’t count the courses as being equivalent, not that the courses themselves or the other campuses are inferior.</p>
<p>As someone in the process of having my entire undergraduate record transferred, I find it completely believable that regardless of the quality of the classes taken, some departments and/or advisers might be reluctant to give them the same weight as the classes taken at UWS by professors known to them. It’s not a matter of whether or not such a bias <em>should</em> exist but dealing with the fact that it does. Given this potential bias, Sol’s advice is sound.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with the the discussion on transferable credit. I’ve taken courses at both, as any UW student has permission to take a certain number of courses between campuses and have credit count towards a degree. </p>
<p>UW Seattle is a beautiful campus, and I loved going there for classes very much. But, I believe that I received many more offers for admission to graduate school due to my close relationship with my professors. Not to say that there isn’t the same opportunity in Seattle, but I found that the professors in the Seattle campus were much less interested in working with undergrads, and much more interested in their own publications. </p>
<p>That being said, I stand by my argument that if I heard a student downgrading the education of UW at different campuses, I would not look favorably on admission. Sure, we all deserve to go to UW, but it’s just not fair to downgrade a campus that receives a sizable portion of UW money to conduct research. The University of Washington would not risk its reputation on a sub-par campus. If you visit the campuses and see how much money is put into their new facilities, especially the new UW-T library, you will agree. </p>
<p>At the end of the day, we all receive a very nice diploma that has the University of Washington written in beautiful purple lettering, signed by President Emmert (president at the time), with the university “Lux Sit” logo embossed below.</p>