jjanders
Hey man, congrats. I'm looking at UW as a possible school. Got a 700 on my GMAT and am a great writer, have all my essays done already and I think they look great.
My only concern is from what I've read UW doesn't give out very big financial aid packages/scholarships....and since I'd be out of state the tuition would be much higher, at least for the first year. Any chance you could share what kind of aid they offered you (via PM if you don't feel comfortable posting for all).
Thanks man!
Congrats on getting your applications prepared relatively early in the season. A 700 is a competitive score anywhere, regardless of your demographic, so be sure and make a shortlist of the schools you want to attend. Then refine that shortlist to schools you absolutely must attend and begin your sniper approach towards gaining admissions.
Being a good writer is indeed halpful, yet you still need to find a near perfect fit with your ultimate school of choice. I highly suggest you visit the campus (UW or elsewhere) and speak to current MBA students, faculty, and alumni to get a better overall sense of what the culture is like. This played a huge factor in me settling on my target school.
As far as scholarships and financial assistance is concerned, UW provides $5K, 10K and 15K merit based awards for first year students. You really need to have a strong interview to be eligible for the latter. Second year scholarships are based on academic progress and community involvement. It's not uncommon to be offered a grad TA either.
That being said, a competitive candidate
could complete their MBA for under $20K total, not including living expenses. Not a bad ROI considering that 99% of our class body is employed three months after graduation.
UW does have it's drawbacks though. The weather in Seattle can be overcast and drizzly for weeks (even months) at a time and the facilities aren't exactly state-of-the-art (although we are in the process of changing that).
Again, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to visit the schools on your shortlist
before applying. Good luck and let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with!