University of Washington–Seattle, WA
UW’s Instagram
The Vibe
Studious and “good vibes only”
What it Feels Like to Go Here
Not all students crave the challenges college comes with when they’re distracted by raging parties and free campus events and surrounded by super attractive peers. However, the University of Washington certainly fosters some of the most prestigious and academically-driven breeds of students–otherwise known as Huskies. Sure, UW students get lit, but individualism is highly revered and socialization is often done within a campus activity or organization instead of at a kegger. While you study your brains out at UW, your view from the library will be lush green trees, brick castle-esque buildings and, oh look, Seattle’s Space Needle!
Awesome Alumni
You’re gonna scream once you find out who went to UW–Anna Faris! The actress is most known for acting in all of the Scream parody films and the sitcom Mom. The martial artist, actor, philosopher and filmmaker Bruce Lee actually started kicking ass at the university too. Another mind-blowing alumnus, Dale Chihuly, blows intricate (and huge) glass sculptures. His work is even displayed in Seattle’s famous Space Needle. Even though he talks smack about Seattle in the show Portlandia, comedian Kyle MacLachlan proclaims to be a proud Husky.
Where We Hang
On a day where the sun emerges from typical gray Seattle clouds, and the cherry blossoms bloom around campus, UW students lounge on the campus quad. Wherever you look, frisbees soar left and right. UW Huskies also take advantage of nice weather by strolling down the Ave, a historic street lined with restaurants serving on a college budget, coffee shops, book stores and record shops. The hip-hop group, Blue Scholars, even mentions the street in one of their songs. Wha-what?
Q&A
1. How much are students partying?
“From my experience, UW-Seattle is not much of a party school. There’s parties around for sure, but the real party schools in Washington are the more rural ones in the eastern half of the state. Many UW students are very academically focused. I do imagine things can get pretty crazy in the fraternities though,” senior William Klepadlo said.
2. What will you get in trouble for at your school?
“You can get in trouble for the usual things such as cheating. One time a student got someone else to fill in for them for class the entire quarter, and they were not caught until they went to office hours towards the end and the professor didn’t recognize them,” sophomore Andrea Siu said.
3. How much sex are students having?
“This is such a big campus, so I cannot say that everyone is hooking up a lot, but I do see a lot of couples on campus. These couples don’t give off a vibe where they are just flings; they actually seem like they are in a serious relationship. I honestly haven’t seen anybody really display any PDA to the point where others would feel uncomfortable,” senior Sabrina Oh said.
4. What would you tell incoming freshman about your school?
“Explore. There are so many things you can do here. We have a cool gym, beautiful campus, interesting student organizations and great facilities. You might feel a bit overwhelmed with the size of the campus during the first few weeks, but we have apps with a campus map, which can help you navigate,” senior Amelia Budimuljono said.
5. Why did you decide to attend the Seattle campus and not one of the other UW campuses?
“Not only is the campus gorgeous, but the faculty is great too. The classes are fascinating, and you’re able to take so many more classes than you could on a semester system. I chose UW Seattle for its urban, large campus and interesting classes,” freshman Olivia Witt, UW freshman said.
Overall Experience
“[UW has] a lot of majors I found fascinating and would have loved to pursue as an alternate. Especially the cultural and language studies; they offer so much more than a lot of other universities in that respect. And the urban environment is pretty cool. The university is convenient to the rest of the city and very accessible, especially now that the new light rail station has been opened on campus.” — William Klepadlo, Global Studies major, senior
“So far [my experience has] been great. Once I declared my major and focused more on classes that were in my major, I found that it was easier to meet people and make friends. I really like the environment because everyone is friendly and helpful. At first when I took more general classes it felt overwhelming with the huge class sizes, but it definitely got better.” — Andrea Siu, Interdisciplinary Visual Arts major, sophomore
“[My time at UW has] been great. I’m a transfer student so I’ve only been here for two years, but if I can turn back the time, I’d like to spend my freshman and sophomore year here.” — Amelia Budimuljono, Business Administration major, senior
“I did make some regrets by not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my career, and wish I would have made them sooner. However, they are very minimal, and I can say that if it wasn’t for my friends and supportive professors, I would have been miserable.” — Sabrina Oh, Fine Arts major, senior
“Winter quarter is truly a challenge to get through. Everyone says it’s very difficult, and they were not lying. But if you can make it through winter quarter, spring quarter is the best time of your life! It kind of goes in waves but I would say about 70% of the time, I’ve been very happy here.” — Olivia Witt, Sociocultural Anthropology major, freshman
Top 3 Majors
1. Speech Communication and Rhetoric
2. Psychology
3. Biology/Biological Sciences
Top 3 Most Popular Student Organizations
1. For the UW students who identify as Filipino American, the Filipino American Student Association (FASA) feels like the home away from home. While the group aims to create a sense of unity among its members, FASA also involves the surrounding community in activities focusing on educational, political, cultural and social advancement. They host events like Filipino Night, where the Filipino culture is showcased through a little acting, song and dance. The group even has their own traditional dance troupe called Sayaw. “You get what you put into this organization. You put an effort to make friends, you’ll gain friendships that last a lifetime. You put an effort into being in a leadership position, you get to create change in the community that you didn’t know was possible. You put an effort to love FASA and FASA will love you right back,” FASA’s 2015-2016 Vice President and junior Claudette Sambat said.
2. Do you love your school’s student body so much all you want to do is advocate for them? Then Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) is the org to join if you want to act as the democratic voice of UW students. ASUW strives to enrich student life through programming, services and advocacy. There’s no limit to what you can do as a member of ASUW. The student government is comprised of 25 units including entities, commissions, programs and committees ranging anywhere from Arts & Entertainment to Pacific Islander Student Commission. “It is not everyday that you get to work on so many different projects that make waves of change in a large community while being challenged and growing as a leader. The students at ASUW make all projects a positive experience and I am inspired daily by the individuals I work with,” ASUW’s Communications Director Ana Sabartos said.
3. Tie up your dancing shoes or tighten up the strings on your cello because it’s time to put on a damn good show. Stage Notes is a performance group that puts on a musical production every year. Members sing, act, dance, work with the orchestra and basically run the entire show themselves. In the past the talented troupe performed Urinetown: The Musical and even Legally Blonde. “The community in which Stage Notes has created has been incredibly tight, and it doesn’t matter what your background in performing/theater is or what [your major is],” Stage Notes’ 2015-2016 President and senior Mikko Juan said. “I felt completely out of place when I started college. I started looking up clubs that fit my interests and found out about Stage Notes. I never looked back since. The memories and friendships I’ve made with this club will always live within my heart.”
Getting In
While many factors determine whether you get into UW or not, the big two that require the most focus is GPA and SAT/ACT scores. Even though UW’s acceptance rate of 55% seems pretty high compared to most universities, don’t let the large number fool you. UW typically accepts applicants with GPAs higher than 3.75. Those AP and IB classes are lookin’ pretty good right about now, huh? Also, UW technically doesn’t have test score requirements, but their SAT average is 1815, making them moderately competitive.
Stats
Location: Seattle, WA
Tuition & Fees: $12,394
Total Cost on Campus: $26,698
Undergrads Enrolled: 30,672
Grads Enrolled: 14,112
Total Enrolled: 44,784
Acceptance percentage: 55.2%
Percent Admitted who Enroll: 36.4%
Enrollment: 6,360
Percentage of Male Students: 48%
Percentage of Female Students: 52%
Percentage Receiving Financial Aid: 56%
Percentage Receiving Federal Grants: 38%
Percentage Receiving Federal Loans: 31%
