UW Seattle vs. all other WA Universities (Spokane, Tacoma: schools, living in)

[MtnSurfer]

Hello,

For those who have either attended, thought about attending or know someone who has, do you think UW Seattle is really viewed as 'head and shoulders' above all other WA universities? I know the answer of 'it depends' on the student will probably apply to many situations. But generally speaking, is this a well established, widely known fact that UW Seattle is the premier school in WA among businesses, students and academics?

The main reason I ask is that we're looking at WA colleges for our son who is strongly leaning toward a degree in Computer Science. We also have a family member attending there (not in CS) who loves the school. But it is so large and so ultra-competitive to get into, especically CS, I've wonder if its even worth applying? Up until now I've been encouraging him to look at 'other' schools such as UW Bothell which is much smaller yet still has an excellent repuation as an up and coming U. I know there are other good options as well such as WWU.

Then yesterday he asked me 'why not UW Seattle?' This is after I explained the ridiculous (to me) size, that CS is the most impacted major and the stiff competition to get in. Yet, unlike me, he seems to not mind, at least for now anyway.

I guess I'd like to hear from some locals either from a student or professional perspective if they think it's really 'all that?' Would be it worth attending if one could actually get into one of these difficult majors? Or could it be somewhat overhyped? What is your opinion of UW Seattle?

Thanks,
Derek

[mayfair]

The best thing to do is take a tour and see for yourself. It is the most highly ranked university in the state, but some will love it and some hate it. It's most important for your student to go where he or she will thrive- whether that is the UW or a smaller school. The only way to really know that is to visit- preferably when classes are in session.

[Ruth4Truth]

Well, what does "head and shoulders above" other universities in the state mean? It's the largest, and therefore has the most variety of academic majors and course offerings. It's the only one with a School of International Studies, for example. WWU has some interesting and unique programs, but it's still a smaller school. WWU also has very few graduate programs. So the level of scholarship is higher at the UW (meaning: faculty research & publishing), and there's more of it happening. So that's what gets factored into evaluations.

Much of that is irrelevant to a student looking for a good CS department, though. If you haven't already, you should find out who has the best CS dept. I'm not sure why you're moving to WA, for your college-bound kids, if CA obviously has top-notch CS departments around the state. I forget what your original rationale was.

[Frihed89]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Well, what does "head and shoulders above" other universities in the state mean? It's the largest, and therefore has the most variety of academic majors and course offerings. It's the only one with a School of International Studies, for example. WWU has some interesting and unique programs, but it's still a smaller school. WWU also has very few graduate programs. So the level of scholarship is higher at the UW (meaning: faculty research & publishing), and there's more of it happening. So that's what gets factored into evaluations.

Much of that is irrelevant to a student looking for a good CS department, though. If you haven't already, you should find out who has the best CS dept. I'm not sure why you're moving to WA, for your college-bound kids, if CA obviously has top-notch CS departments around the state. I forget what your original rationale was.

I agree with this, having lived in Eastern Washington for 13 years. Also, take a look a Washington State University in Pullman, WA.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Well, what does "head and shoulders above" other universities in the state mean? It's the largest, and therefore has the most variety of academic majors and course offerings. It's the only one with a School of International Studies, for example. WWU has some interesting and unique programs, but it's still a smaller school. WWU also has very few graduate programs. So the level of scholarship is higher at the UW (meaning: faculty research & publishing), and there's more of it happening. So that's what gets factored into evaluations.

Much of that is irrelevant to a student looking for a good CS department, though. If you haven't already, you should find out who has the best CS dept. I'm not sure why you're moving to WA, for your college-bound kids, if CA obviously has top-notch CS departments around the state. I forget what your original rationale was.

Ruth,

Yes, I've already looked at those things from a program ranking persective. UW Seattle is actually one of the top CS programs in the nation right up there with the Stanford, UC Berkeley, MIT, etc... So there is no downside to attending in that regard. Although there are others factors to consider such as size, competition to get in, etc...

I'm really asking this question more from a 'local's perspective', either businesses or student experiences.

One more aspect I should mention is that our son is also interested in research rather than simply meeting the basic requirements to satisfy an undergraduate degree. And some schools have much better research opportunties even for undergrads to participate in. Whereas some of smaller schools, while good, do very little in the way of reseach. Some do not even have graduate degrees or they are severly limited in terms of staff, corporate sponsors, grants, internships, etc...

The move to WA, although another topic, has more to do with CA's much higher COL for housing in the areas we would like to live. We're looking for more affordability which will allow to better pay for college amoung other things. In a nutshell, there are a multitude of factors, hence another subject all together.

Derek

[CrazyDonkey]

No reason not to apply at UW/Seattle - I wouldn't throw cold water on it, but encourage him to use that aspiration as motivation to buckle down. That doesn't mean that he shouldn't hedge his bets, with plans B, C, or even D, in case plan A doesn't materialize.

According to Niche, minimum SAT scores for CS degree programs:

UW/Seattle: 1120
DigiPen Institute of Tech./Redmond: 1090
Gonzaga/Spokane: 1110
WSU/Pullman: 930
Seattle U: 1070
Whitworth/Spokane: 1000
UPS/Tacoma: 1110
UW/Bothell: 910
WWU/Bellingham: 990

https://www.niche.com/colleges/searc.../s/washington/

[StealthRabbit]

OP, I know you have a multitude of reasons for potentially moving to WA or OR from CA... but I would suggest lowering the weighting of 'funding college' as the very tentative criteria that it is (stuff changes, kids change, objectives change, careers change, schools and profs change...). There are many ways to afford / fund college (the greatest being your student's many options of schools AND funding). And of course (many) companies / seem to hire from their colleges of choice / alumni.

CA will offer a LOT of advantages (in each)
as will UW. (Probably more so than other WA U's, but VERY subjective to:
1) Specific branch / focus of Computer Science field and career / employers...
2) Available PT jobs / internships / partnerships during U attendance.
3) Available careers upon graduation.
4) How student fits, networks, and can exploit the above.


I would suspect UW holds higher esteem, but it is NOT better for all, just a benefit to some specific careers / students / alumni.

My kids would still lament, that they should have gone to Stanford, or not bothered going at all. (tho they have been very successful and well educated and well adjusted to serve their employers and community). Nothing is ever quite PERFECT. Living in Monterrey and schooling in a CA powerhouse University is pretty close to rolling out the 'best of the red carpets' for your kid's future objectives. IMHO. The technical grads we hire from Cal Tech SLO are quite excellent. tho we also hire many from Stanford and Berkeley, and UC schools all over CA
.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

No reason not to apply at UW/Seattle - I wouldn't throw cold water on it, but encourage him to use that aspiration as motivation to buckle down. That doesn't mean that he shouldn't hedge his bets, with plans B, C, or even D, in case plan A doesn't materialize.

According to Niche, minimum SAT scores for CS degree programs:

UW/Seattle: 1120
DigiPen Institute of Tech./Redmond: 1090
Gonzaga/Spokane: 1110
WSU/Pullman: 930
Seattle U: 1070
Whitworth/Spokane: 1000
UPS/Tacoma: 1110
UW/Bothell: 910
WWU/Bellingham: 990

https://www.niche.com/colleges/searc.../s/washington/

Yes, this is what I'm thinking. He's already exceeding where I was at his age. So, if that is something he has aspirations for, then it doesn't hurt to give it a shot. I think we'll at least visit the campus to meet with an advisor. Then see where things go from there. We'll definately have a 'safety' school or two such as UW Bothell, for example. His SAT scores are far above those numbers which I question for UW Seattle CS. I'm pretty sure I've read higher numbers somewhere else. Of course, that is just one of many criteria they use to narrowly select the few chosen amoung thousands of applicants. Acceptance rate for CS is the lowest of all other majors at UW Seattle. I think its ~ 4-5%.

Here's an interesting article discussing how difficult and sometime cutthroat it can be to get into these programs: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...ering-program/

Derek

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

OP, I know you have a multitude of reasons for potentially moving to WA or OR from CA... but I would suggest lowering the weighting of 'funding college' as the very tentative criteria that it is (stuff changes, kids change, objectives change, careers change, schools and profs change...). There are many ways to afford / fund college (the greatest being your student's many options of schools AND funding). And of course (many) companies / seem to hire from their colleges of choice / alumni.

CA will offer a LOT of advantages (in each)
as will UW. (Probably more so than other WA U's, but VERY subjective to:
1) Specific branch / focus of Computer Science field and career / employers...
2) Available PT jobs / internships / partnerships during U attendance.
3) Available careers upon graduation.
4) How student fits, networks, and can exploit the above.


I would suspect UW holds higher esteem, but it is NOT better for all, just a benefit to some specific careers / students / alumni.

My kids would still lament, that they should have gone to Stanford, or not bothered going at all. (tho they have been very successful and well educated and well adjusted to serve their employers and community). Nothing is ever quite PERFECT. Living in Monterrey and schooling in a CA powerhouse University is pretty close to rolling out the 'best of the red carpets' for your kid's future objectives. IMHO. The technical grads we hire from Cal Tech SLO are quite excellent. tho we also hire many from Stanford and Berkeley, and UC schools all over CA
.

Stealth,

I understand what you are saying. In our case, its just not that simple, unfortunately. We are moving from Monterey regardless to somewhere more affordable. And we love Monterey but also know its time to move on. We've already done extensive research on all those options including many alternative CA scenarios. But for the purpose of this thread I'd rather not go into all other those things. The working assumption or premise is we'll be 'living in WA' with kids attending college there.

Thanks,
Derek

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Yes, this is what I'm thinking. He's already exceeding where I was at his age. So, if that is something he has aspirations for, then it doesn't hurt to give it a shot. I think we'll at least visit the campus to meet with an advisor. Then see where things go from there. We'll definately have a 'safety' school or two such as UW Bothell, for example. His SAT scores are far above those numbers which I question for UW Seattle CS. I'm pretty sure I've read higher numbers somewhere else. Of course, that is just one of many criteria they use to narrowly select the few chosen amoung thousands of applicants. Acceptance rate for CS is the lowest of all other majors at UW Seattle. I think its ~ 4-5%.

Here's an interesting article discussing how difficult and sometime cutthroat it can be to get into these programs: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...ering-program/

Derek

Those are the "rock bottom" SAT scores, I believe - they've admitted at least one at that score, I'm guessing. If above it, there is no guarantee of admission; if below it, however, you're SOL.