University of Washington-Seattle Campus Top Questions

I don't think so at all. People are campus are generally down to earth, and very friendly.

Not at all.

Heck yes.

UW is an incredibly large diverse campus, it is hard to place any stereotype onto 40,000 people and have it actually ring true.

not sure.

A bit.

For a small percentage of the student body, yes.

While this is true some years, other years it can be rather dry and sunny.

It really doesn't rain THAT much here. Coming from Los Angeles, I was told horror stories about the weather, but it's really not as bad as people make it out to be.

More or less. I think stereotypes in general put people in a box. I get the sense that most of us share a common frustration with the university, but have a difficult time finding solidarity.

everyone DOES wear north face (it's cold and rainy, what can you expect?) but lots of people use umbrellas (I'm sorry, but I hate those people who say "true Seattleites never use umbrellas" are just totally wrong. I grew up here and I definitely use umbrellas sometimes. just not as often as tourists, I guess, haha). also, I have a tonnn of friends who are from out of state. One from South Carolina, two from Tennessee, one from Colorado, countless from California...you get the picture. Also, the dorms are really not that bad!!! My best friend lives in the dorm that is commonly believed to be the "worst," but she LOVES it! it has a great view of the water, and all of the people who live on her floor are really cool. All of the dorms are located in great areas, either super close to classes or close to the great shopping and restaurants on the Ave!

Partially, yes. Stereotypes had to come from somewhere right? In comparison to a lot of other schools, there is a large Asian population...but who said that was bad? But they still are a minority here, despite what some may say. And the fact is, UW is a good school. And smart people like to go to good schools! So there are a lot of really nerdy, smart people...especially in the engineering school. However, they're nice ; ) We must not forget about the large amount of rich people. Although there are some lower income people here, it would be common to notice the designer bags and their owners openly flaunting them. I've noticed this kind of stereotype more prominent in the greek community. Don't get me wrong, there are some incredibly awesome people, but there are also a large number who are not. For the most part, one can identify a frat boy or sorority girl...they make it pretty easy by following the general trends seen everywhere else.

yes.

For the most part yes.

The beauty of going to a big school is that the population cannot be grouped a large stereotype. There are many people here that fit every stereotype, but there are more that do not. You will find what and who you want here.

YES!! You have to be smart to stay in school too, because it is very challenging.

For the most part, these stereotypes are accurate. We here at UW are very laid-back and accepting of different cultures--at least as well as any school in the US is. The campus and the community are very respectful of the environment because they live in a naturally beautiful area, which is very green largely because of the humidity and frequent rain. It's true that it rains a lot in Seattle, but not as much as people think. New York actually gets more precipitation than we do; we just have more cloudy days. And while coffee often feels like a necessary drug to counter the dreary weather, very few people are actually elitist about it. And while the students at UW tend to have done better in school compared with those at other state colleges, there is still plenty of room for those who weren't the top of their class.

intelligence levels are mixed--not nearly up to expectations. Very liberal, socialists, and activists are all true. High grades is misleading--UW has a severe problem with artificial grade inflation, meaning that a 3.9 is probably closer to a 3.4 at another school.

YES!!!!

To an extent, the campus is not as big as one might think. Just walking to class everyday you will see 5 or 6 people that you stop and say hi to. But there are a lot of asian students.

In a very broad and general sense, yes.

No, the University of Washington and its satellites are very competitve academically and employ professors at the top of their subjects. Satellite campuses have a greater focus on real-world situations and less theory. Many professors at the satellites' business schools are very accomplished, current and former, business professionals.

Pretty much. Except I don't really think that there are too many protests against things these days. But there are a lot of demonstrations in the quad or on the HUB lawn all year long.

Relatively so, yes!

Yes

No and yes. We do party, but we do our homework too. That's why the second stereotype is true.

Oh yes.

Of course not, stereotypes never are.

Sure

It is true that a lot of students are from the Seattle area, but thas because Washington is a public school. However you still meet a hude diversity of people from different states and even countries. Its also not true that most students get depressed during the winter there are many ways to counter the effects of the winter.

While a majority of students do return home on weekends, this is not necessarily a negative factor. I enjoy being able to take a 40 minute bus ride home and visiting with my family and friends from back home whenever I choose to return. The student population is not predominantly Asian. But the school is very diverse, which is something I value greatly.

No, not on the whole. Most of the people I know are down-to-earth, and really smart but you wouldn't guess it in just passing them on the street.

Kind of. About the coffee, although it does drive many student's energy supplies, tea is becoming popular pretty quickly . Students feel strongly about environmental issues and the campus is one of the greenest in the country. Yes, it rains a lot, but in actuality, Seattle isn't even the raniest city in the country, not by a long shot. Sure, winters can be a bit crappy, but the moment it get's gorgeous, it gets GORGEOUS, and almost nothing can beat a gorgeous Washington campus.

They are completely, 100 percent accurate.

No, they are the majority but there is a lot of diversity at UW

I think there is some truth in this because UW is a very academically challenging school and you have to work hard in order to get accepted. As far as partying and drinking goes, if that is what you are looking for, you can definitely find it. It may not be as prevalent because UW is located in the city and a large number of students are commuters, or live close enough to go home on the weekends, so campus can seem somewhat dead on a saturday night.

The stereotypes fit some groups and some people, but the UW is such a diverse school that the stereotypes can't apply to everyone.

I would like to think so. UW students are very competative in the class room in all areas of study so each individual has to work really hard to earn good grades.

I do not think so. I guess in some ways they are true because a north face is good attire for the weather here, but I would not say that we are tree huggers.

Somewhat. There is an overwhelming liberal presence on campus, but there are conservatives too. There is a large proportion of techies and hippies on the campus but there are students who are neither as well. Ya, last one is true, washington students drink a lot of coffee.

To an extent, yes. You will not get the same experience at UW as you would at a small school, say a tenth of the size. Yes, there can be drawbacks to being on a large campus, and yes for some students it is not a right fit. However, for the students that can handle the stresses of a large campus, being apart of a 40,000 person community opens up opportunities that would be impossible at a small school.