University of Washington?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: thanks, everyone. This is so helpful!

My kid is pre-health and keeping an open mind as to what that looks like (pre-med, pre-PA, BSN). So possible majors are biology, public health, BSN. To the PP offering to ask their student at Washington, are any of these particularly competitive to be accepted to?

We already have a family vacation planned in June that goes through Seattle so we will visit. And she will have a chance to see how she feels about the homeless/safety issues. Our area’s shelter is a block or so away from her school, and she’s traveled often to many major cities, so she’s no stranger to seeing homelessness.

Sincerely appreciate all these insights!

My kid who is there is Chemical Engineering but leaning towards a biomedical slant so will know about those. Additionally, one of my younger children is applying biochemistry with a pre-health - maybe pre-med or maybe more medical research?

Okay - child says:
- One of their friends is in Biology - very chill to get into like 90-95% acceptance rate
- Nursing is harder but not terrible but definitely need to get decent grades first year.
- Public Health and Biochem aren't hard "as long as you don't fail out freshmen year".

I have heard that nursing at most schools is competitive these days - need As and Bs.

Also, we live in DC and my kids have grown up roaming the city on their own. They say Seattle feels safer then DC though the homeless can sometimes have a more unhinged edge Also, if you haven't been to visit - the geography of the city makes the University area feel somewhat protected. I have been there many times and love it - so many cool neighborhoods and the trees and gardens are beautiful. Good luck.

There is definately a huge mental health (and drug) aspect related to homeless in Seattle area versus anywhere else I've ever been/lived.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:My brother got degrees there in engineering, and in relevant specialties it really is up there.

I was of two minds about it growing up in WA. There were some strong programs there, but it was also a university that let in so many much worse students than me, so I wanted to look down on it. I didn't go there. Sometimes I say that if I had done the right specialties I would have had a very elite experience there. Anyway, my life would have turned out quite differently.

The prior poster brings up something I've thought about as well. My son is interested. He is a great student. But if he isn't able to get into the harder programs due to numbers of seats, isn't he just going to Big Box University?

I don't want a kid who is working really hard to gain human capital for a future career to end up with nothing more to show for it than kids who got Cs in high school and a 1200 on the SAT. That's my worry. Or at least one of them.

Seattle person here. Times have changed. No one who "got Cs in high school" is getting into UW nowadays. Their GPA 25/75 is 3.74-3.98. https://admit.washington.edu/apply/first-year/by-the-numbers/.

I would caution folks about apply OOS to CS, which has an extremely competitive 2% acceptance rate(!). You cannot switch into CS, but my understanding is that students can switch into any other majors. The campus is safe and beautiful and nowhere close to the areas where the homeless/mentally-ill hangout (i.e. south Seattle, international district, even downtown).

Was a Seattle person until 2021. Your point, while somewhat true, is relative to being in Seattle. To someone coming from the dc area, it’s likely the homeless in the u district over towards Ballard would be somewhere between uncomfortable and shocking. Downtown, Id, and Sodo would be downright frightening. We really don’t have anything here that comes within 1/10 of Seattle.

Because we do not that lots of homeless in DC? Seattle does not seem any different to me

With all due respect, have you spent significant time in Seattle? If not, you have no idea how bad it is. So no, dc does not have homeless compared to Seattle.

Have spent significant time in both. Yes the Av has some crazy homeless but no worse then some DC ones and the crazies are easier to spot. Just don't go to downtown Seattle after dark without a group and a plan!

Oh for God's sake. I have been in Seattle a ton and it's totally fine. I was there for the Eras tour, at UDub and so many lacrosse tournaments in and out of the city. Pike's place, down town, at night, etc.

I wasn't saying it wasn't fine. I'm saying you should always pay attention and be alert. The homeless in downtown Seattle around that one intersection of Pike & 3rd are a slightly different level than I have seen. A combination of numbers and a lot of drug use and mental health issues. Which doesn't mean you freak out but does mean you pay attention. And if you are a female maybe don't wander alone late at night down there. Which is common sense for any place!

Nobody should ever walk on 3rd ave in seattle, EVER! Avoid it.

And yes 3rd and pike/pine is terrible, but much better now than 1 year ago. But with our new mayor who knows.

However, that area is nowhere near UW campus. And just like any city, you need to be alert/aware when moving around, especially at night (and when alone).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you visit the school, please visit it outside of the summer window. A majority of the time they will be there it will be rainy, wet, icy.

Umm...rarely is seattle "icy". We haven't had snow/ice in the city in over 2 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My brother got degrees there in engineering, and in relevant specialties it really is up there.

I was of two minds about it growing up in WA. There were some strong programs there, but it was also a university that let in so many much worse students than me, so I wanted to look down on it. I didn't go there. Sometimes I say that if I had done the right specialties I would have had a very elite experience there. Anyway, my life would have turned out quite differently.

The prior poster brings up something I've thought about as well. My son is interested. He is a great student. But if he isn't able to get into the harder programs due to numbers of seats, isn't he just going to Big Box University?

I don't want a kid who is working really hard to gain human capital for a future career to end up with nothing more to show for it than kids who got Cs in high school and a 1200 on the SAT. That's my worry. Or at least one of them.

Seattle person here. Times have changed. No one who "got Cs in high school" is getting into UW nowadays. Their GPA 25/75 is 3.74-3.98. https://admit.washington.edu/apply/first-year/by-the-numbers/.

I would caution folks about apply OOS to CS, which has an extremely competitive 2% acceptance rate(!). You cannot switch into CS, but my understanding is that students can switch into any other majors. The campus is safe and beautiful and nowhere close to the areas where the homeless/mentally-ill hangout (i.e. south Seattle, international district, even downtown).

Was a Seattle person until 2021. Your point, while somewhat true, is relative to being in Seattle. To someone coming from the dc area, it’s likely the homeless in the u district over towards Ballard would be somewhere between uncomfortable and shocking. Downtown, Id, and Sodo would be downright frightening. We really don’t have anything here that comes within 1/10 of Seattle.

Because we do not that lots of homeless in DC? Seattle does not seem any different to me

With all due respect, have you spent significant time in Seattle? If not, you have no idea how bad it is. So no, dc does not have homeless compared to Seattle.

Have spent significant time in both. Yes the Av has some crazy homeless but no worse then some DC ones and the crazies are easier to spot. Just don't go to downtown Seattle after dark without a group and a plan!

Oh for God's sake. I have been in Seattle a ton and it's totally fine. I was there for the Eras tour, at UDub and so many lacrosse tournaments in and out of the city. Pike's place, down town, at night, etc.

DP. I’m from Seattle and my family is all still there but I’ve lived in DC almost 2 decades. I can’t even imagine how you got the idea these places are similar wrt homeless people and property crime. In Seattle I’ve had serious problems with aggressive homeless people, getting mugged, breaking into my car, etc. All in supposedly “nice” areas. Very different than DC.

Thanks for the backup! I'm the poster who was saying you don't need to freak out about them but they are definitely more of an issue there.

+1

It's definately more of an issue...and with the new mayor who knows what will happen. Makes me glad I have a 2nd house to escape to if the city gets worse.

The issue is mental health and drug use, and the fact that it's not illegal to pitch a tent and "live on the street" after 8pm in the city of Seattle. The new mayor will decrease the police presence and we already needed more, not less. I love the city, live in the city in a luxury building, but can exit my bldg and watch drug deals happen at 10am and see strung out homeless people, who refuse to go to shelters because they can't do drugs in the shelter.

Most are harmless, but you never know and it's a bit unnerving at times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you visit the school, please visit it outside of the summer window. A majority of the time they will be there it will be rainy, wet, icy.

Umm...rarely is seattle "icy". We haven't had snow/ice in the city in over 2 years.

Not a lot but there was some snow and ice last year.

[Anonymous]

Don't underestimate how grey and blah it is from September to May. The university is on a quarter system it's grey when you arrive for Fall quarter and stays grey and misty until almost the end of last quarter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't underestimate how grey and blah it is from September to May. The university is on a quarter system it's grey when you arrive for Fall quarter and stays grey and misty until almost the end of last quarter.

It is not grey when you arrive in mid Sept. up until today, we have only had 7-8 days of fall/winter weather so far. And even then in Seattle itself (where uw is located) it might be dreary for part of the day, then sunny in afternoon

Hint:Seattle is not as dreary as it's made out to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't underestimate how grey and blah it is from September to May. The university is on a quarter system it's grey when you arrive for Fall quarter and stays grey and misty until almost the end of last quarter.

My DS commented on this last year: “I’m out of school when the weather is good.” Fall can be nice sometimes though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again: Pitt is also high on her list. How do the two schools compare with respect to these issues? Homelessness/crime, weed-out classes, collaborative vs competitive feel, school spirit? I read a few PP who had experience with both schools. Thanks!

Pittsburgh doesn't have a homeless issue except for a few parts of downtown and I've never had any issues with aggression. Oakland is very safe and there are lots of students around. As with any urban school, exercise caution at night and be aware of surroundings, but Pittsburgh neighborhoods have a very residential feel and the area around the school is and feels very safe. I think Pitt feels more collaborative than cut-throat, although STEM and engineering and CS classes are as challenging as they would be at any big school. School spirit is there, although maybe not as much as at really big schools with big football programs and not much else to do. It's definitely an option for students and fun to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: thanks, everyone. This is so helpful!

My kid is pre-health and keeping an open mind as to what that looks like (pre-med, pre-PA, BSN). So possible majors are biology, public health, BSN. To the PP offering to ask their student at Washington, are any of these particularly competitive to be accepted to?

We already have a family vacation planned in June that goes through Seattle so we will visit. And she will have a chance to see how she feels about the homeless/safety issues. Our area’s shelter is a block or so away from her school, and she’s traveled often to many major cities, so she’s no stranger to seeing homelessness.

Sincerely appreciate all these insights!

My kid who is there is Chemical Engineering but leaning towards a biomedical slant so will know about those. Additionally, one of my younger children is applying biochemistry with a pre-health - maybe pre-med or maybe more medical research?

Okay - child says:
- One of their friends is in Biology - very chill to get into like 90-95% acceptance rate
- Nursing is harder but not terrible but definitely need to get decent grades first year.
- Public Health and Biochem aren't hard "as long as you don't fail out freshmen year".

I have heard that nursing at most schools is competitive these days - need As and Bs.

Also, we live in DC and my kids have grown up roaming the city on their own. They say Seattle feels safer then DC though the homeless can sometimes have a more unhinged edge Also, if you haven't been to visit - the geography of the city makes the University area feel somewhat protected. I have been there many times and love it - so many cool neighborhoods and the trees and gardens are beautiful. Good luck.

There is definately a huge mental health (and drug) aspect related to homeless in Seattle area versus anywhere else I've ever been/lived.

Agree, and people around here don’t get this. It starts with the fact they don’t even call most of them “homeless” but rather:

- transients.

Unlike the DMV, a huge percentage are young men and women living out of their backpacking packs. These are fit, younger people and they are constantly on the move from place to place. That type of homelessness is far less common here than it is out there. The younger male transients also account for the much higher incidence of rape on and around college campuses in the pacific NW.