Visit to University of Washington
On a recent visit to the Pacific Northwest, I took a campus tour of the University of Washington in Seattle, the public flagship school of the state. It was a partly sunny winter morning, when I arrived on the bustling campus, found the parking garage, and walked through the large quad with its massive buildings.
“U Dub” as it’s affectionately known by students, is University of CA sized with 48,000 total students, and 31,000 undergrads. I learned that the student body is quite diverse and actually 15% of undergraduates are international. It also enrolls an increasing number of BIPOC students.
Our tour guides were a junior Economics major from Dallas, TX and a freshman from New York State. We walked quickly through the northwest side of campus and I noticed most students were trekking on foot as the campus and neighborhood are too hilly for bicycles.
Here’s what I learned about residential life:
--70% of freshmen live on campus; dorms on North and West sides
--Most students live off campus in apartments or shared housing after freshman year
--Greek Life is big at the university--50 fraternities and sororities; also offer housing
--Good public transportation in buses and on light rail to airport/train station and downtown
Academics:
Quarter system, 180 majors
Class sizes: average 44 students, large lectures 100-200 students; largest class 750 "dinosaurs" lecture
3 ways to declare a major:
--enter into a pre-major program
--declare major after meeting pre-requisite classes
--direct admit to "capacity constrained" majors like CS, Engineering, Business
(Capacity constrained majors have different degrees of selectivity. At this point most biology majors are admitted, but only 10-15% of nursing pre-majors and 2% of CS pre-majors. Other engineering ranges around 30%.)
Extracurriculars:
--To make friends, join clubs. There are more than 1,000 student organizations.
--Some popular activities are a radio station, bowling alley, and video games in the student center
--D1 sports; students can buy "Dog Pack" ticket for $150 for all football/basketball games
--Club sports and intramurals are popular
--Freshman Interest Groups or FIGS, led by an upperclassman--small group takes a class together first quarter with peer advisor
My overall takeaway from the tour--U of WA Pluses and Minuses:
Pluses:
--Comparable to UC system, but more accessible overall (higher admission rate than many UCs)
--Strong public STEM school
--Has aeronautical engineering and architecture programs
--Beautiful city with many activities and sports
--Nature nearby
--Diverse, inclusive student body
Minuses:
--Expensive for a public school
--Large class sizes and less academic advising
--Very low admission rate for CS (2%) and many engineering majors, as well as nursing
--Housing only available for one year
For many students looking for an excellent science education and an active student and extra-curricular life, University of Washington could be a great fit.