University of Washington - Seattle Reviews

"Tell us about your college experience.I really had a good college experience. I made a lot of good friends and had a lot of fun. I did feel I went to a school that was too large for me because I felt like I was often forgotten in classes and it was hard to form relationships with the teachers and other students.Would you get the same degree if you could start over?I enjoyed psychology a lot and the classes, however it is very difficult finding a job with a vague degree as such. Looking back now I feel like I should have picked a more appliable degree such as accounting or computer science. I feel as though my degree didn't really help jump-start me into finding a career and now I am still searching for one.What advice can you offer other students?I would tell them that they should choose a school size that fits for them. I went to a huge university and although I enjoyed my experience I think I would have learned more and had a better experience at a smaller college expecially since I came from a small high school. I also would tell them to choose a major that can possibly be more appklicable in the work force as well as something they enjoy learning."

"Pros- low stress, fun environment, great faculty Cons- lecture-based curriculum, little area for development of clinical reasoning skills."

"Great program with an incredible campus/campus life. Its competitive but professors are generally very good"

"Faculty is very open to helping students if you are willing to seek help when needed. Financial aid is wonderful in terms of fulfilling need although it might be all in loans. UW is located in a high-populated area with a great amount of transportation routes via bus and is close to downtown where the train and more buses meet. Many buses are express to school, making it less time-consuming and more efficient for students. At night time, when it is dark and there is not many people out and you are by yourself, then you really want to be aware of your surroundings and be careful. I believe that is true for almost all school campuses. Workload for classes is heavy compared to undergraduate classes. Classmates are pretty competitive, but that also lets you know that the institution admitted quality students. Every once in a while they have alumni and other community pharmacists come in and discuss their career path, making you feel a bit at ease and not so lost. Very diverse population, with different age ranges (20-40 years or older), ethnicities, and from different states."

"Pros: Great classes, professors, and studios. They give 3 year grad students a paid internship during the first summer! Um, heck yea! Cons: The time needed for studio classes means you will have no social life. Get used to it. Lots of competing interests for your time. You'll have to buy a day planner and use it wisely (and not sleep very much either)."

"The Foster School is an excellent business school in the Seattle community. Strong faculty, good business connections, and a strong reputation in the area."

"The Evans School's MPA Program is ranked among the top ten programs in the United States, and is very competitive academically. Designed for young- to mid-career professionals, this program is catered towards individuals who want to expand on their careers and increase their knowledge of the inner workings of the Public Administration arena. While the detriments to enrolling in the program are few, they do pose significant restraints given that they are mainly financial: while Seattle is a wonderful city that affords its inhabitants many wonderful opportunities, it is a very expensive city to live in. Similarly, enrolling in the Evans School's MPA Program as an out-of-state student student also has the potential to pose future financial problems. That said, I expect that the benefits of enrolling in the Evans School will outweigh the detriments, and I am very much looking forward to my graduate school experience."

"This is a top institution for research. You'll have no trouble making professional connections, but in terms of your thesis, you're really on your own. Be prepared to be self-motivated in this respect."

"The interesting thing about my college experience was that I majored in a relatively small department (30 students) in an otherwise very large college (40,000+ students). There was something for everyone -- if I wanted to try something new like taking up fencing, there's a club for that. But there was also plenty of space to be alone or take up individual endeavors and also plenty of opportunities to develop really close friendships with the same small group of people if I wanted. Other plus to going to an in-state school was that tuition was very affordable. One of the other colleges I applied to was 3x or 4x more expensive and in the end I decided that going to a school 3 times more expensive would not get me 3 times the education, however prestigious the name of the school was. At my job now one of my coworkers is from that other college -- so we both graduated and got the same level job but I graduated with zero student loans. The other benefit of going to a small department is that the department offered scholarships and there were only so many of us that were applying. One scholarship was enough to pay for tuition. I would definitely choose the same degree. It's something that I was interested in so I was motivated to do well in school. The department was small so I got to know my classmates and teachers pretty well. My major was also diverse enough, learning about a wide variety of topics, that I could apply myself to a large range of different industries for a career. However, because my major was so interdisplinary, it was also a lot of competition for jobs since my job prospects intersected with all the other engineer groups too. It didn't help that in 2009 the economy was down, either. But loved my experience with my major at my particular school and would do it again. Don't go to college with zero idea with what you may be interested in doing as a career. Make it something that you really like to do and can imagine doing daily for years at a time. That's not to say that you have to be 100% sure when you enter college, but it really helps to think at least some amount about your future. For one, what you want to do with your life may impact which college you want to go to since every school has strengths and weaknesses. Learn about the prospective colleges as much as you can and really think about where you want to apply. Only apply to colleges that you are willing to go to... there's no point in applying to a school that's too expensive, too far/close to home, way below your standards, or doesn't offer the types of studies that you're interested in. If you apply to a school you have no intention to go to and then get in, especially if it's too expensive, that's a lot of pressure to put yourself under to decide what to do. I learned that from experience and I don't want you to have to go through that. Once you get to college, if you're not sure what you want, take the introductory classes of the department and see how you feel. And talk to the advisers and the students that are already there. A great fit is extremely important. You're going to be spending years of your life there. The big pressure for a lot of students now is going into debt to get a degree. Make sure it's a degree that you want to put to good use, something that you really do intend to use as a career or will use in some way to get to where you want. And that it's something that you actually think will pay for your debts in the long run. My husband had a creative writing degree not because he aspired to spend his life as a writer (or not as a full-time job) but because he wanted a degree that related to when he applied to graduate school to be a librarian, his ultimate goal. He had student loans from all that schooling but he also put himself in a position to get a library job which allowed him to pay the debt off within 3 years."

"The cons of my graduate degree is that the classes are brutalizing difficult due to the complex nature of the Bioengineering field. This is due in part becacuse of the many aspects of sciences involved in Bioengineering such as Chemistry, Biology, Organic Chemistry, Physics etc. The pros however would be the amount of knowledge gained from the program's roots and the bounty of information used in order to solve complex issues in medicine."

"The UW school of medicine department of physical therapy is a highly competitive, high-quality program offering it's students and excellent education and entrance into an important and rewarding field. I am thankful for my admittance to the program and pleased that hard work has paid off."

"One of the best in the country! Ranked 20 of 266 at the time of this review. Diverse staff focused on social change not just counseling."

"The faculty in the Comparative Religions department of the Henry Jackson School of International Studies are all fantastic. They are experts in their fields and generally very knowledgeable about other fields as well. They are ready to offer advice when needed about your goals, academic or otherwise. There is a decent amount of funding available once you are in the program but applying before entry can be a little problematic. TA positions are usually available in this and other programs so it's not hard to get your tuition covered. Seattle is a great city overall to live in with plenty to do and see easily available on the many bus lines running throughout the city. One of the few cons is that if your focus is Islamic studies, it can be more than a little difficult to complete your course requirements as some classes are offered rarely or only offered as undergraduate classes. Also if you choose the Religion and Culture focus for your studies you will get a mixed bag. While the freedom this focus allows is wonderful it is also difficult to really ascertain if you have met some requirements. Make sure you become very good friends with your academic adviser."

"Pros: Best b-school in North West region Strong alum network Cons: less scholarship option for international students."

"My specific program offers great support and knowledge. It will definitely prepare me to excel in my field."

"Having the number 3 library science program in the country says enough about the University of Washington's goal to ensure that its students receive a quality education. The pros are the affordability, networking, resources, and scenery. I don't see any cons."

"Overall this program is academically strong. I would however have preferred more options for my practicum placement."

"The pros of my graduate program is that it is a year long program meaning that I will be that much closer to being in my dream career. Another pro is it is located in Seattle. Seattle is a city that I have always adored and love to visit every weekend. It is busy, but yet it feels homey to me. I enjoy the different scenes at night with all the lights and the scene of the space needle. The location is also key for me because I can still live where I live and commute easily since transportation to University of Washington is so accessible. The cons of this program is that my free time is limited being that it is an advanced standing program. I will have less of a social life and have little to no time to have a job where I can make some extra money for things I want. Overall this program is within the top 3 schools for social work master programs in the country and I could not be any more proud that I was accepted to this program."

"The practical application of the curriculum and the networking opportunities are very advantageous for young professionals. Seattle can have a high cost of living, depending on where you're moving from and which neighborhood you live in, but the public transit is very accessible. Overall, a beneficial program to live and work in."

"Outstanding program with great research options and fantastic students. It rains way too much!"