Seattle University Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

Pauline

There are some people you'd expect to be hipsters, but most everyone here has pretty diverse interests and isn't a stereotypical anything. I don't feel like people have been really pretentious about it. The GLBTQ community seems to be a significant and well-respected presence on campus and the surrounding neighborhood I don't know what the numbers actually say, but given that SU has almost a 2:1 ratio of females to males, it's just easy to just overemphasize which guys are unavailable. The liberals and democrats definitely outnumber the right-wing. During election season, it was like the conservatives had to come out of the closet. But as a friend once described it, liberals here are less the tie-myself-to-a-tree type and more the start-a-non-profit-organization type. It's definitely not as much of a party school as UW, but it's not a dry campus or anything. I know plenty of people who party and plenty of people who don't. I personally don't. A lot of people will go to UW, if they really want to, but there are some closer by.

Victoria

There is always a grain of truth to stereotypes, but it is wisest to conceptualize stereotypes somewhat like archetypes. The idea is too exaggerated to be actual reality

Mari

We do have a lot of parties. You just have to find them. Yes we do have a lot of gay people, but they are all pretty cool. No we are not all rich, Seattle U just gives good grants and scholarships.

Arman

It does rain a lot. But it rains more in Portland. Yes, people walk fast. Everyone is also trying to go somewhere. It's fast paced, but not like NYC. Not true. But there are a lot of coffee shops here. There's a Starbucks on every other block practically. The last statement is completely accurate in the downtown area though...

Owen

Sometimes.

Ryan

Yes, for most people.

Devin

Seattle University is a Jesuit university but is not your typical catholic institution. I had came into Seattle University having no idea what a Jesuit education was, but some people have ideas on how the catholic tradition would affect the campus policies. We are just like any university, but out of the jesuit institution we are probably more open and diverse because of our location and the community that surrounds us. I do not think Seattle University is as conservative as many think and most students I know do not go to church or have a declared religious affiliation.

kristy

yeah i would say so there are a lot of people including professors that participate in protest and other political events

Patrick

Coffee snobs, some rich kids

Olivia

yes, not so much with the rich though. definitely not religious, "spiritual" would be more accurate.

Alyssa

These two things are not necessarily bad but oftentimes the extremists are the loudest in the crowd. There are many liberal minds in Seattle and the Northwest in general is a very environmentally friendly place. But that does not mean that everyone here are hippies.

Anne-Marie

Compared ot the rural area that I'm from, it is indeed a very liberal area as well. There are lots of protests, rallies, and marches constantly going on. It is very multicultural, which makes for a very interesting atmosphere. There are a lot of different kinds of people to meet, and lots of places to go that are very different, most especially the international district. And yes, there are some people that you see that could be considered "hippies." But grunge doesn't define Seattle.

Nicole

Liberal yes. Hippies no.

Torry

Yes.

Lizzie

My experience so far is that there is a range of students, some who are passionate about their classes or dedicated to doing well, and others who do only the minimum. Essentially, your going to get as much out of your education as you put in. The nice thing about SU is that the classes are very small so there exists the opportunity to learn and SU has some brilliant, amazing professors. As far as the disparity between straight boys to girls (I believe around a one to three ratio), its not really an issue.

Alex

Many stereotypes do end up to be somewhat true. There is always a little truth in falsehood.

Kelly

Partly. There is definitely a lopsided gender ratio, and the LGBTQ club has a pretty big presence on campus, but I've met tons of cool, straight guys too.

Jenna

Some people fit the bill, but the majority of the people here are really down to earth and welcoming and you can always find someone that you get along with. Also there are definitly parties, they're not just waiting for you though like fraternities. Also only about 34{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the students here are Catholic and everyone is pretty liberal, especially being in Seattle.

Ginger

There is some truth to the stereotypes; its hard to walk to class without seeing a hipster kid. The party scene is decent and those kids that crave more hit up UW frats. There are some good programs too, MRC college has 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} placement into law school.

Elizabeth

The first two, no. The second two, yes. Sure, there are a ton of liberal tree-huggers at Seattle U (there are a lot of liberal tree-huggers in Seattle in general), but not everyone is. Republicans and conservatives feel totally comfortable here.

Ryan

The myth that ir rains a lot in Seattle is partly true, it does rain and drizzle a lot, butits really NOT THAT BAD! The beautiful sunny days make up for it ten fold.

Katie

NOT church orientated at all. We're in the heart of one the greatest cities in the world-people are ecclectic, different, gay, lesbian, straight, conservative, liberal, wacky, fashionable, EVERYTHING. there are no stereotypes of people coming to this school, you will find every type of personality that you want

Matt

SU students don't seem to drink as much as say, UW students, but that's not to say drinking is overly difficult, and the religiosity is not as strong as one might expect. Good fincial aid means that there is a wide variety of socio economic groups. Most accurate - various student causes are constantly being pushed by someone or another, from environmentalism to homosexual acceptance.

Allie

Heck yes. Everyone is willing to help if you just ask. And they all glare at you if you litter, or throw a recyclable in the trash. Also, people are competitive to the point that gets you motivated, but not to the point where it gets you down. Also, Vallue Village will become your best friend.

Haley

Some people follow that stereotype, but honestly, Seattle U is so diverse, there are so many different types of personalities and beliefs.

Casey

Not really. Students vary from a wide-range of religious and nonreligious backgrounds. In the classroom, students feel pretty free and open to discuss all avenues of faith. However, theology classes are required of students in order to graduate. The perk is that those classes generally have some wiggle room in terms of the topic you'll discuss, so you don't wide up feeling frustrated with the inconsistency of the material you're expected to know and what you really feel.

Jesse

Probably 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of all people here play into at least one of the aforementioned stereotypes. While many are irreligious (and often unkind to those who are religious!), they are nonetheless generally nice people. For outsiders who don't fit into the stereotypes, if you find the other 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the people, you'll have a good time teasing the others about their well-intended but misguided lifestyles

Chris

Yup