University of Washington - Seattle Reviews

"Pros: an incredible excellent, competitive social work program with dedicated staff and strongly connected students Cons: difficult to maintain work load assigned"

"The Comp Lit graduate program obviously wants its students to succeed. Goes above and beyond to explain the ins and outs of UW and the world of academia at large. Focuses on career placement after graduation."

"This is one of the most competitive school in USA for pharmaceutical education which gives you excellent research training."

"Law School means working hard, but UW makes every effort to support its students. The staff and faculty are incredible in their warmth, kindness, knowledge, and capability--they are truly top class. Each student is warmly welcomed to this school. UW keeps tuition costs comparatively low, but it is still expensive. Prepare to budget."

"The Biology Program at the University of Washington is a fantastic, highly collaborative program, providing a lot of choice and freedom for its graduate students. Frequently labs will hold joint lab meetings, and graduate students are free to seek advice from multiple faculty. The graduate students are well organized with a graduate student committee and graduate student representatives on most faculty committees -- and what they say matters. I rated Quality of Network lower, but this is dependent on your advisor. Some are fantastic at turning their students on to networking opportunities, others are not so great. There are few department-wide structures in place to aid networking."

"A collaborative atmosphere -- can always go to another lab (even in another department!) for mentoring in a particular subject or use to a particular piece of equipment. Department-wide journal clubs mean excellent idea exchange. High morale among students. A great place to live."

"Excellent for developing independence, project building skills, and a diverse range of skills. The major cons are the lack of community and collaboration in the department."

"I think it's a great program. I am happy to be in this program. Most people are friendly and nice. And additionally, Seattle is a very livable city."

"The Bio Grads are fantastic and faculty and administrators overall have been really helpful. If your paycheck comes from teaching, you might find yourself completely slammed by time commitments from certain courses. Students have widely varying experiences with support, encouragement and funding depending on their advisor."

"The Biology Department has a great set of faculty and students who are all treated as equals. We the students have many opportunities to discuss our ideas among ourselves and with faculty in both private and public settings. The people of our department are overall very happy with their careers, students, and personal life in Seattle."

"Great faculty, post-docs, and other grads. Some TA-ships have huge workloads. Pay isn't great."

"Great location, resources and faculty. Experience will really vary by individual and adviser."

"UW is a great school with a very diverse biology department which provides a great environment. The grad student community is strong and helpful."

"The program shapes the student for careers in academia. The degree does not provide sufficient resources - skills, contacts, etc - for those seeking jobs outside academia. The average number of years to receive PhD is 6.5 years. The faculty claim you can stop by for help when needed, but are in reality rarely available and usually not interested in who you are or what you are working on. Working on a PhD in this program is an isolating experience. Student must be highly self-motivated, have a thick skin, and be willing to live in poverty for over six years. Most students I know came into the program inspired by their work, but by 3 years in have lost their passion and instead only have a desire to get out of here."

"Being in Seattle is the best! Being a TA is a lot of work but also can be fun, and the faculty are pretty supportive. We have a really diverse group of grad students who are fun to hang out with. Class requirements are pretty flexible so you can mostly choose whatever classes you think will be the most useful for you to take."

"Our program offers large amounts of flexibility, which can be perfect for grad students who know how to manage themselves. Our stipend is not competitive, and UW can feel not diverse, but these are all outweighed by the stellar quality of research and researchers who make UW their home."

"UW Biology is an excellent place to become an independent researcher. There are 5 years guaranteed funding (via TA/RAships) and potential additional scholarship support. And Seattle is the most incredible place to live and to be a student or young professional."

"The pros are the very collaborative research environment and open exchange of ideas between scientists in many disciplines of biology."

"Looking back after nearly 20 years I am amazed at the high caliber of leader and citizens that came from my class of peers. I spent 15 years working at another Pac 12 school and there is a significant difference in the undergraduates from UW and those from the other institution. A high percentage of my peers are leading businesses, schools, medical professionals, justice, churches, and their community. UW is a becoming difficult school to get in to but the quality and caliber of your peers will be unrivaled in the Pacific Northwest."

"The Museology MA program was great at helping me learn the various "languages" spoken in the Museum field, but also with providing me with practical experiences and networking opportunities which were essential to my job search after graduation. Many of the class projects involve "real-life" scenarios or projects based in a local museum, helping build my resume and give me practical experiences. Networking opportunities (lectures, happy hours, conference scholarships) were a huge part of the program, which helped me get to know and learn from other professionals in my career. I didn't feel that the coursework was particularly rigorous, which was frustrating at times, but was a relief at others, as it allowed me maintain a part-time job while in school."