The University of Washington - Seattle

Date: Jan 30 2003
Major: Computer Science (This Major's Salary over time)
UW is a great school if you are from the area and are already established. I found that coming from out of state was not the best thing to do. It seemed as though most of the undergrads were already in cliques from local high schools. Socially, it seemed like transferring to another high school, which is fine once you learn how to deal with that. I was just expecting something different. I also particularly did not like the teachers in the sciences. They seemed to never want to be in class, and really didn't show that they cared at all. Many of them are researchers that are required to teach, so thats how they teach, as if they are required to… The dorms: the dorms are horrible. I hated them. I was in Terry Hall, and it seemed more like a prison than a dorm. After two weeks at the start of school, everyone closes their doors and you never see them again. RA's roam the halls, some of them nice, some on a power trip. I don't recommend living in the dorms past your first year, if even that (not sure if you're required to be there). If you are going to go here, at least have a bit of an idea of what you want to do. It's good to experiment, but it's also easy to get lost in this school. Getting to know the city of Seattle is something you have to do if you want to take advantage of anything outside the university. It's a big city and requires a bit of exploration. One of the benefits of having a teaching staff that is very centered in research is that there are also many opportunities to take part in this research. Being at this university for four years will definitely make you more of an individual, but I'm also afraid that it could make someone very mechanical. One thing me and my friends agreed upon about UW teaching is that its a factory for students. The process of putting 30,000 kids through the same institution is a difficult process, and there is a system designed to make this possible. I started to feel as though I was a part of this system rather than an individual at a University. I no longer go to UW, im currently at Portland State University and will probably transfer one more time before I get my degree. My path isn't true for everyone though, a lot of people are happy at UW, and especially if you are from the area, I see it as a great school. If you are a transfer student, this school would probably be great, as you'll already have gotten that transition to college over with and you'll know what to look for, making it easier to get through. If you're coming from high school and are from out of state, make sure you have something in your sites (a research program, a specific major) before you decide to attend the U.