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Students find 鈥渁 great combination of high-powered academics, an excellent social life, and a wide variety of courses, all in the midst of the exciting Seattle life鈥� at the University of Washington, the state鈥檚 flagship institution of higher learning. UW offers 鈥渁 lot of really stellar programs and the best bang for the buck, especially for in-state students or those in the sciences.鈥� Indeed, science programs 鈥渁re incredible. The research going on here is cutting-edge and the leaders of biomedical sciences, stem cell research, etc. are accessible to students.鈥� Undergrads warn, however, that science programs are extremely competitive, 鈥渉igh pressure,鈥� and 鈥渃hallenging,鈥� with 鈥渃ore classes taught in lectures that seat more than 500 people,鈥� creating the sense that 鈥減rofessors don鈥檛 seem to care too much whether you succeed.鈥� Pre-professional programs in business, law, nursing, medicine, and engineering all earn high marks, although again with the caveat that the workload is tough and the hand-holding nominal. As one student puts it, 鈥淭he University of Washington provides every resource and opportunity for its students to succeed. You just have to take advantage of them. No one will do it for you.鈥� For those fortunate enough to get in, the Honors Program 鈥渃reates a smaller community of highly motivated students.... It puts this school on top.鈥�

At such a large university, there is no 鈥榯ypical鈥� student, undergrads tell us, observing 鈥渙ne can find just about any demographic here and there is a huge variety in personalities.鈥� There 鈥渁re quite a lot [of hipsters], but then again, it鈥檚 Seattle,鈥� and by and large 鈥渢he campus is ultraliberal. Most students care about the environment, are not religious, and are generally accepting of other diverse individuals.鈥� Otherwise, 鈥測ou鈥檝e got your stereotypes: the Greeks, the street fashion pioneers, the various ethnic communities, the Oxford-looking grad students, etc.鈥� In terms of demographics, 鈥渢he typical student at UW is white, middle-class, and is from the Seattle area,鈥� but 鈥渢here are a lot of African American students and a very large number of Asian students.鈥� All groups 鈥渟eem to socialize with each other.鈥�

UW students typically 鈥渉ave a good balance in their lives of education and fun.鈥� They 鈥済enerally study hard and work in the libraries, but once the nighttime hits, they look forward to enjoying the night with their friends.鈥� Between the large university community and the surrounding city of Seattle, undergrads have a near-limitless selection of extracurricular choices. As one student explains, 鈥淭here are tons of options for fun in Seattle. Going down to Pike鈥檚 Market on a Saturday and eating your way through is always popular. There are tons of places to eat on 鈥楾he Ave,鈥欌�� the shopping district that abuts campus, 鈥渁nd the UVillage shopping mall is a five-minute walk from campus with chain-store comfort available. Intramural sports are big for activities, and going to undergraduate theater productions is never a disappointing experience. During autumn or spring, renting a canoe and paddling around lake Washington down by the stadium is fun.鈥� Husky football games 鈥渁re amazing,鈥� and the Greek community 鈥渋s very big鈥� without dominating campus social life. In short, 鈥淯W has anything you could want to do in your free time.鈥�

Internship, leadership, and service learning experiences are all on the menu at the University of Washington, where offices like The Career and Internship Center and the Center for Experiential Learning and Diversity are dedicated to connecting students with opportunity. For example, students and faculty work side-by-side on projects through the Undergraduate Research Program, or undergrads may join in the Social Development Research Group, which links academics with service learning in the community. Handshake consolidates job postings, internships, and volunteer opportunities, as well as information about employers who are interviewing on campus, all in one handy place. Even better, career workshops aren鈥檛 just for enrolled students鈥攖he two-day Dependable Strengths Seminars are geared toward alumni or community members 鈥渋n any stage of career transition.鈥�