Seattle University Top Questions

Describe the students at your school.

Juliana

Very diverse. You'll find friends easily.

Cassandra

All pretty friendly and diverse, you'll be able to find your niche.

Alex

Seattle Univeristy has the most varied group of people that I have ever met; based on the makeup of a hippie commune, a religious communnity, a cultural revolution, and a dreamer's scoiety, all based five square blocks of urban jungle.

Emily

Most of my classamates are intelligent, talented, hardworking, and relatively friendly.

Donjay

Very understanding and very talented individuals.

Chelsea

Cliquey and unable to adapt to college life from high school.

Alexandra

My classmates consist of some of the best people I have ever known; with great hearts as well as good characters and diverse ethnic, racial, and economical backgrounds.

rebecca

They are an interesting group of people.

Christopher

My classmates, whether they come from "comfortable" or less "comfortable" economic backgrounds - though more seem to have come from the former - tend to be sharp, with a strong, general interest in and concern for the world around them.

Brandon

My classmates are ethnically diverse focused on sports, academics, and careers.

Breanna

My classmates are diverse, mostly liberal, smart, interesting, and unique.

Aerica

My classmates are mostly upper-middle class white kids with liberal sensitivities.

Cori

Intelligent, mildly competitive, upper middle class, generally friendly, privately educated.

Megan

Diverse, challenging, friendly, helpful.

Christopher

Classes are composed of diverse students from numerous ethnic, economic, religious and other backgrounds. My time at Seattle University has allowed me the opportunity to meet a large number of individuals, from all walks of life.

Amanda

My classmates are hardworkers who would rather work together than compete against each other.

Jessica

hardworking mostly and diverse

Alison

Can't be described in one sentence: very culturally diverse-relatively little pretensions, all around good people. I've met people I clashed with, but no one I despise.

Robin

SU, being the Jesuits that they are, is incredibly mindful of having an open campus where everyone--regardless of race, religion, socio-economic, LGBT (hello! it's in Seattle. It has to open), etc--is accepted and not marginalized. Since everyone is required to take core classes, people will interact with others outside their majors which results in a nice mix of relationships and friendships.

Victoria

It would be wise to embrace the non-traditional students more than is currently the norm.

Mari

There is a group for everything on campus. No student would feel out of place, there are all types of people at Seattle U. Students usually wear sweats and comfy clothes to class. I felt dressed up when I wore heels one day, some students wear heels al the time though. Yeah all the different groups interact with each other. Four tables in the dining hall, one contains the soccer boys and some girls, one contains graduate students and their computers doing work, one contains all sorts of different people who are all friends and one contains a group of girls just having good time. Most Seattle U students are from Washington, but people come from all over. The financial backgrounds of people are usually middle to upper-middle class. Yes any students would love to rave about their political views to you. They are predominantly left, democratic views. No they do not talk about now much they hope to make someday.

Arman

Mostly liberal students. Most are very accepting. Dress is really whatever you want it to be. Most are very friendly. Students at SU are from all over the globe. There are a lot of activists on campus too.

Owen

Very diverse, some groups are very accepting of 'outsiders'

Ryan

Seattle's student population is very diverse, which is a great thing. On top of that, everyone integrates so well into that diversity because the students seem to have a mutual respect for diversity. The majority of clubs on campus are ethnic clubs with representations from countries around the world, including Japan, Taiwan, China, Africa, Spanish speaking countries, the Middle East, and more, so if you have an interest in those cultures, even if you're not ethnically of that culture, you can join. There is a very large international student population which offers a different perspective from that of the typical American college student. There is even a whole international residence hall, Xavier, which focuses on other cultures and language and where a majority of international students live among the American students. Everyone seems to find more than one niche group of friends, with a different group for each interest they have. If you live in the residence halls on campus, you'll never feel left out, as there are various events planned by the RAs that will interest anyone. All students I have met have been very laid back and are never stressed about what they're going to do about graduation. There are no fraternity's on campus and sports aren't very popular, so there is no culture of jock or masculinity worship. Everyone seems to be learning focused: not so much academically, but learning about new things and new people.

Devin

Seattle University's student body is very interesting. I have observed that most people know everyone. We are a small campus and have taken a class together, talked at orientation, or been introduced.

Olivia

School is pretty diverse, racially, sexual-orientationally, and socio-economically. Its diverse religiously too, with a majority of students being atheist or "spiritual". Little is offered for non-catholic Christians: a meaningless student-led weekly worship, a Bible study, and no on-campus church services. There aren't clubs for Christians either. Students are indie or preppy. They are studious and boring. Partiers would feel out of place. Different types of students interact. Most students are from WA, followed by CA, OR and HA. Many students are lower-middle class. Students are politically aware, but not active. Very left politically.

Alyssa

There is a strong presence of minority groups on campus. Many clubs are formed and they put on some pretty amazing events. The only kind of student who would feel out of place at Seattle U would be a very close-minded student who is afraid to ask questions and show genuine interest in people who are different from them. Students wear all types of different clothes to class. They wear whatever is most comfortable. During finals you see more people wear sweats but you also see more people dress up for final presentations. Most Seattle U students are from the State of Washington but most others are from California, Montana, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii. There is also a very strong population of international students on campus. Many Seattle U students are politically aware and are predominantly left/center. Although there is a strong right presence on campus as well.

Anne-Marie

The ratio of girls to boys is 60:40 and the gap is growing. It also doesn't help that, here on Capitol Hill, there is a large homosexual population. So there's not a lot of dating opportunities out there for heterosexual girls. There are many races present and lots of international students. However, many students seem to stay with their own "groups". The Japanese students only spend time with one another, as do the Hawaiian students. Certainly there is interaction, but not to the degree that the university likes to pretend. Many students are from the Seattle area, so out-of-state students can often feel left out. There's a mix of financial backgrounds though. Some people have completely over the top apartments and don't work, while others live in the triple rooms in the dorms and work 40 hours a week along with classes. It's a very socially aware campus due to the Jesuit commitment to social justice. There are lots of rallies and protests and club meetings constantly going on. I would hazard a guess and say most students lean toward being Democratic, but so does most of the country after George Bush, so it's hard to judge.

Nicole

Generally everyone on campus is open minded. There is a large LGBT population and these individuals are accepted by other students. Seattle U prides itself on being the most diverse institution of higher education in the north-west. A closed minded person would definitely feel uncomfortable on campus. There isn't one prevelant type of person on campus; there are international students and individuals come from all across the United States. Students are definitely politically aware and active. Accepting is a great way to describe the Seattle University student body.

Lizzie

SU is fairly diverse and students come from an array of socio-economic backgrounds. About half the school is from somewhere in Washington; you meet a lot of people who grew up locally. SU is probably more active in politics and the community that most colleges; there are speakers/presentations nearly everyday on a wide range of issues. There is not a huge conservative population on campus.

Alex

Students here are extremely left, and they make sure to shout about it. It can at times be frustrating because you might feel out of place. But outside of class there really aren't many instances of political activism. We do get into campus wide debates at times when it comes to race, however. This campus can produce some pretty ignorant ideas.

Kelly

I've met people from every race, religion, and sexual orientation here. There are a number of multicultural clubs that put on events throughout the year for the whole campus. For example, the Muslim Student Association celebrates Eid, the end of Ramadan, every year with a huge banquet that everyone attends, and no one cares who is Muslim or who isn't. LGBT is definitely accepted and open. People are chill about what they wear, wearing jeans and sweatshirts or tee shirts when it's sunny (it's not always rainy.) There are a few people with dreadlocks who dress kind of liberal-hippyish. I've met people from wealthy families and people who are only here because they got a full ride scholarship. People don't really talk about their financial status though, so it's not divided like that. There are quite a few people who went to private high schools, so I suppose that upper middle class dominates. It's all over, though. Most students come from the Western States, but I've met people from just about every state, and there are quite a few international students, though I don't get to meeet all of them because they're required to live in the Xavier Hall. The political left is definitely more vocal, but everyone is accepted as long as they respect other's opinions. Also, I've met a lot of people who really aren't interested in earning money but just want to change the world. People are very idealistic and are very into things like non-profit and volunteering. There is a business school, but I feel like it's kind of detached from the rest of the student body because they're not quite as into the social justice, change the world mentality as the rest of us.

Jenna

Seattle University is one of the most diverse campuses in the Northwest. We have a lot of international students and have a whole dorm dedicated to global students and also students interested in other cultures. A lot of activities are put on by the school that involve diversity and different cultures and I really feel like every race, religion, and lifestyle is extremely welcome here. There is a large homosexual population at Seattle University and also in this part of Seattle (Capitol Hill). Everyone socializes with everyone here and there is not one stereotypical person here at Seattle. Our eating areas are small so you can always find people to eat with and it's extremely easy to make and maintain friends and friendships. About half of the students are from Washington state, but 7{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population is international and basically every state is represented at Seattle. Students' financial backgrounds also vary. Seattle is very good with financial aid and will help anyone in need with great scholarships and loans. What I like about this school is that there is a lot of money in the school, but you could never tell who was rich and who was poor here. Everyone interacts and there are no class distinctions. Students are pretty liberal here and are very active politically and environmentally; Seattle is a very green school.

Elizabeth

The most vocal student group is probably the LGBT groups, aimed at acceptance and equality. They are accepted hear at Seattle U, especially in Capitol Hill, Seattle's "Gay Neighborhood." Many students do come from a priveledged background, but not everyone! Some students, myself included, pay for our own tuition and living expenses. That means we work hard, and get a lot of help through scholarships and grants. In the garage, you'll see brand new BMWs right next to twenty year old Toyotas. In the same vein, some students are preoccupied with how much they'll earn after graduation. The school is very social-conscious, so most just want to get by and make a difference in our world.

Ryan

Huge gay population. Not ever a nuisance though. Su students range from those from po-dunk nowhere, to those who came from extremely afluent backgrounds. It is quite a good mix. It puts things into perspective. One thing that most all students have in common though, is that no matter where they may have came from, everyone is going to do something in the future.

Matt

The racial diversity is pretty strong, and the Mexican and Filipino communities seem to be particularly tight and well developed. Ethnically there is a lot of mixing, too, not so much 'self-segregation'. It's hard to feel out of place at SU because you have the rich kids straight out of prep, you've got kids in on scholarship from Seattle itself, you've got your (stereo)typical Seattle grunge and indie kids, and you've also got a lot of kids from Idaho or Montana bringing sort of a country or at least small town sensibility with them. The LGBTQ community is very strong and active, we just had a drag show this weekend. The LGBTQ community is also the place where there is the most ethnic and socioeconomic mixing I think.

Allie

Our student body is really open. And since it's so small, you get to know a lot of people really quickly. There is a lot of diversity, not everyone comes from one place. We have plenty from the east coast, and plenty from the Seattle area. Not everyone is of a specific social class. In my room, I'm middle class and paying for EVERYTHING through loans. My roommate is lower class and paying for almost everything through the government. Another is upper middle, lower upper, and is paying with a trust fund. My last roommate has a rich grandparent who gives her whatever she needs. But no one cares. And no one cares about future earnings. We care about the future in general. Where we're going to live, if we're going to get married, what our dream job would be... that stuff. And that's what most everyone is like. They look at the happy ending, and what makes them happy along the way. Not the money.

Haley

The kind of student that would feel left out is the student who doesn't care about their education and are all about partying. I feel that Seattle students are the perfect balance of work and play. Different types of students do interact which is what I love about the school. There are a lot of wealthy people here and not being one of them sometimes that is hard to deal with. Politically, most are left, but not all.

Casey

Students are generally open to differences in culture, race, gender, sexuality, etc. I would SU requires students to be pretty mature and task-oriented in order to succeed. Students have their fun, but since no greek system exists on campus, students generally have their fun off campus. Students dress varies, but most just come to class in a jeans, a jacket to keep warm during the cold rain, and comfortable shoes. Students on campus are predominanlty left wing on campus, however, right wing and libertarian ideas are also pretty prevalent.

Bonnie

If you're conservative, especially morally, then you will not have an easy time here. The general population is extremely liberal and extremely LGBTI friendly. Coming from a conservative state, even though I am liberal, people assumed that I was conservative and gave me the cold shoulder from time to time. It's a expensive private school, so a good amount of the students come from very wealthy backgrounds. However, SU gives good scholarship, so there are people from different financial backgrounds as well.

Jesse

Seattle University prides itself on ethnic and cultural diversity. This means a lot of Asians--the largest minority population of the area. The school also has small but significant African American populations and foreign students. If you want to learn about different cultures, you have the opportunity. The school is very gay-friendly, making it a comfortable place to study for homosexual students. A warning to the ladies--the guy to girl ratio is low and a larger-than-per capita population of the male students is homosexual. In short, it's easy for a strait guy to meet women but hard for a strait women to meet men. If you're religous, conservative, or moderate, the liberals will try to make you into a straw man they can attack to define themselves. The level of political liberalism coupled with the drama of the students makes it a politically charged campus. It's kind of a farce, really. You may come here political, but you'll leave apathetic to the whole deal.

Chris

HAHAHA!!! pretty much whites and asians with some sprinklings of hispanics and blacks. Hole bunch of gay people, and lots of girls