Seattle University Top Questions

I absolutely love Seattle U, the students are nice and easy to meet. The school is a little small, but students have the entire city to draw on. People that like Seattle U most are those kids that abhor the idea of a faceless state school with crazy parties every night. Get ready to make use of the quirky offerings of Seattle like international film festivals and concerts. There isn't a lot of sports pride, in fact most students are opposed to the move to D1 sports. The administration is easy to deal with, professors are great about meeting with students.

The school is a great little community inside a big busy city. Once you step off campus you're reminded that you're in a big city -- trash on the streets, homeless people, horrible traffic! But stepping on campus, it's quiet, calm, clean, and beautiful! The campus itself is a great location in Seattle, where you can easily walk downtown or to the many music venues in Capitol Hill. Pacific Northwesterners tend to be more cynical than fiercely loyal, so Seattle U doesn't have the most school pride. Sports activities are sporadically attended, even when we win championships. Instead, we're focused more on studies and academics. But I still love my school!

When I first came to SU, after a hard partying senior year I was worried it would be too serious and that it would be tough to party hard because of the city campus. Fortunately I was wrong. The City itself offers ample opportunity to party. There are tons of bars and clubs in the Capitol Hill area where SU is located, however there is a large homosexual population and the bars card...Religiously. On the other hand, I had a good fake for my first 2 years of undergrad and i barely ever had any trouble with it. Everytime my ID got confiscated, a $20 bribe always got it back, and it was always worth it. That being said, every year there are Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors who have houses off campus and open them up for some pretty legit parties. Houses are usually a good 5 minute walk away from campus (which can be a bit dangerous at night) but very easily accessible. Quite possibly the most memorable party to date, Cunt Hunt '08. Absolutely nuts, the administration got a hold of it and there were articles in the school paper and the house owners were threatened by the admin because of the name and theme. Fun times though.

Seattle University is right on Capitol Hill, meaning it is right next to downtown Seattle. I think Seattle University provides an ideal atmosphere because the campus itself is small and intimate but it is surrounded by a large city which provides a plethora of avenues to be explored. I would say there is a good deal of school pride here, but it's not expressed in the typical ways. Instead of rallies or themed "spirit days", Seattle University express their pride through the productive activities they are involved in. Students are made constantly aware that "commitment to social justice" is not just a line out of the mission statement, its a standard to which the students hold themselves accountable.

The school is small, which I like but gets awkward if you like to remain anonymous. Everyone is upset that the administration spends so much money building things, but I guess that is going to pay off for incoming classes reading this. The best thing is that it's walking distance from downtown, right next to Capital Hill (alternative lifestyle central), and also close to the international district.

To start off: The biggest issue on campus right now is money. Our school decided to change to divison 1, and most everyone is unhappy with that. This change means cutting art programs, such as German and theater. Also, it means a 9{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} increase in tuition. And when you're already paying over 30,000 to go to school, 9{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} is a big deal; especially when it's for something like athletics at a school where people could care less if we have a soccer or softball team. Other than that, it's nice. The campus gets to be small after a while, but a 4 block walk always brings you outside of the school to a nice park, new resturaunt, or downtown to all the shopping and movies and Pike Place. Not many people have heard of SU. Usually when I say I go here, they reply with "Oh yeah. I've been to SPU. They have a nice campus." I usually correct them and say "Sorry, not SPU. SU. Seattle University. On Capitol Hill." Other times, I just let it fly. There's not really a college town feeling here, but I like that becuase it transitions you into the real world a little better, providing more job oppertunities other than working for the school or in a resturaunt. There's plenty to do and see here. It's easy to get caught up in the goings on around campus, but it's nice to be able to get out easily and experience things on your own.

I absolutely love the size of Seattle University! Its not to small, and defintely not too big. The best thing about the school is the location, being an urban community is so much fun! There are so many things to do on campus and off that it is never boring and you seriously have the city of Seattle as your playground. The next best thing is the class sizes, as a freshmen, I have not had a class over the size of 30, and all my professors have known me and given me great feedback on papers and tests and it has really helped me to be a better student. People usually consider me kinda of a nerd for going to Seattle and maybe rich, because the tuition is rather steep. But to be honest, they give great financial aid packages and make it affordable, at least for me. The biggest controversies on campus are protests, which are awesome! You feel the energy and compassion of the students in what they believe.

Seattle U is located in the center of the Capital Hill district, so the avenues of fun and entertainment are pretty open. The campus is pretty small, class sizes seem to generally be between 15-25 students. Most students on campus will say that's a major reason why they came to Seattle U. The hot spots usually aren't on campus, since it is so small in size, but that's countered by the availability of coffee shops and entertainment spots gallore right off of campus. Some of the big recent controversies on campus include the condom debate. Unlike public colleges and universities, Seattle U is a Jesuit institution which derives it's heritage from the Catholic tradition. Needless to say, condoms can be found everywhere except on campus here. Students have been pretty riled up on both sides, but the administration stands firm on it's opinion about contraceptive use.

There are no sororities or fraternities, which makes the college experience different than a lot of public universities. There are definitely people to party with if you'd like, but there are a large number of people who don't drink or smoke here. It's a very liberal college, and I wouldn't suggest a conservative student go to this school, and that's coming from a liberal. A lot of the classroom discussions are biased and assume that everyone in the classroom has liberal beliefs. Along the same lines, if someone is uncomfortable with homosexuality, then this school would make this person uncomfortable. There is a large population of homo/bi/tras-sexual/gender students here. The class sizes are generally small. Some of the more popular majors are Poli Sci, International Studies, and various liberal arts majors. For someone who is applying, I'd tell them that although the school is very expensive, they give very good scholarship and aid. Oh, and write your essays about diversity.

Seattle University is a (supposedly) Catholic University. While only about half of the students are baptised Catholics and only half of those practicing, the common thread of social justice unites the school's varied populous. If I could change one thing, I would definately try to help people transcend the Nietzschean slave-revolt mentality that many have against tradition--they often define themselves for being non-traditional, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The school has about 6,000 students, just the right size to have lots of opportunities but not too large as to just become another number. A student here definately associates with the same people enough to make friends, but can always meet new people. Campus has many comfortable areas for dining, study, and simply relaxing with friends. The library, engineering lab, and the residental halls all have accomodating study areas. In the dorms, TV lounges, game rooms, and music rooms all allow students to hang out on campus if they don't feel like going out into the city. Seattle itself is a great place to study, and SU is located a few blocks from downtown. Perhaps the biggest issue on campus is an increased crime rate. It's not so bad that one has to be scared constantly, but one should be smart, never walking late at night, alone, with an I-pod, completely aloof to surroundings. If one is smart, then safety won't be an issue.