Grad school in Seattle? (loans, neighborhood, university)

[Buddybeth]

I'm applying to Seattle University and possibly will be attending this fall so that I can get my master's degree. I'm from Atlanta, so this would be a very big move for me. What's it like moving to Seattle when you don't know anyone? I don't know anyone on the west coast except for people in LA. Have you found it pretty hard to meet people?

My other question involves my finances. If I do get in, I'll be hoping to get loans. Tuition alone will be around $15,000 per year, and I'll hopefully get a few thousand more to help me live. Can a grad student survive in Seattle without going hungry? Of course I'll try and get a part time job, but that will only pay so much. Are there places for grad students to live near campus or a few miles out that are safe and relatively nice? (just not dumpy)

Finally, does one need a car in Seattle? How is the public transportation? It's awful in Atlanta. You pretty much have to have a car here.

Any input anyone could give me would be appreciated. I've applied to so many graduate programs and have not had luck getting in. And the ones I got into didn't offer me enough loans to attend. I'm about to give up on this, but I'm trying one more time with this school. I really want to live somewhere new and experience new things without having to go back to school here in Atlanta. If you went to college or grad school in Seattle, can you please tell me about your experiences?

[VeronikaW]

I can only answer one of those, and that is, for the most part, you can get by without a car. The public transportation here is very good.

For info on meeting people, I recommend the Seattle Freeze sticky at the top of the forum.

V. =)

[B24177]

Buddybeth,

I attended Seattle University for my undergraduate degree and really enjoyed it. What will you be studying? The professors there are extremely helpful, and the university is located near the coolest part of the city (in my opinion): Capitol Hill. The people who live there are very diverse (with a large gay/lesbian and hipster population), and the local bars/music venues are some of the best in the city. You will certainly not be lacking in things to do. Although I am a native and cannot comment on moving from out of state, I can tell you that many people who live in the neighborhood are young (both Seattle U and Seattle Central Comm College are there), so you should be fine making friends. The neighborhood is also very centrally located so you will definitely not need a car. You can walk to downtown in 10 minutes and the buses will get you anywhere you need to go outside of that. Finally, Seattle is expensive to live in (and the price is going up), but Capitol Hill offers plenty of cheap options for food and clothing etc.. which will help you. If you're not living on campus, though, you will need to search a bit for cheap housing, as the rents here have become quite high. I recommend checking cragislist and searching for either Capitol Hill or First Hill. I currently live on Capitol Hill and it is a great place. I know you will really enjoy your time here. Good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions and I would be happy to help.

[moving??]

Buddybeth,

I will try to answer all of your questions as I was in your situation a year ago. I would also recommend that you apply to the University of Washington. What are you planning on majoring in? December 2006, I moved out to Washington to go to Grad school, I didn't get accepted yet but I moved knowing that it would happen and i got in. I was looking for a cheap place to live so I communted to school and lived in South King County, public transportation is great. The bus system is very dependable and tons of people use it daily, they are also building a commuter train that will be done in 09. I drive a car as I don't like to wait on things...So Yes transportation is good and you can find affordable place to live and live on loans cheaply...I didn't know anyone when I moved here, so I met people when I started grad school...That's the only way I know how to meet people is through school..unless you are really social then you can join clubs or something like that...What's it like as far as not knowing anyone..I was fine, but I did move with my husband so I guess that helped..I think you can survive in Seattle without going hungry you just have to budget your money correctly ....As far as living in a nice area, I can help you locate places if need be and have you thought about a roommate? If you have any more questions or if my answers were unclear please feel free to email me at bootser1@hotmail.com or I will check back on here I will be glad to help you as I was in your shoes before and I know how it feels...Good luck!

[applepine]

I don't know about moving to Seattle without knowing anyone personally, but I can say that I met plenty of strangers there while out and about doing my thing. Conversations on buses, standing in line, hanging out at the water front, clubs, bars things like that. You can also try taking classes outside of school, get involved in something.

The transportation is nothing like New York but it's not that much of a pain. I don't know about Seattle U but around the UW the buses were so frequent I rarely bothered checking the schedule during peak times. You should know, though, that the later it gets (11pmish and later ) the more infrequent they are. But you can walk downtown easy enough from SU.

You don't need a car. I got rid of mine actually because to drive is to park and paying for parking was never high on my list of things to do. Especially with the upass why bother.

About eating, it depends on how you budget yourself and what your budget is. Maybe you won't go out to eat all of the time but you won't starve. and lots of restaurants around campuses like to offer students special discounts/free stuff with i.d. and stuff like that. I think you're even near to a QFC.