University of Washington Foster school

I've been looking to take (non business) summer classes at the university. This seems to be how they operate university wide. Rather frustrating, but what can you do?

On a different note - anyone looking to learn chinese this summer? UW offers some classes starting in June where you get 1 years worth done in 9 weeks!

yes, I asked Dan Poston about that. He said that they don't look at anything until after the deadline.

thanks soul/jfals!

the wait continues i guess.....f.

Hi guys,

I am glad to see so many foster admits. I got my decision last week and I am glad to say that I too am a potential UW student.

I am just a little confused right now though .. I have an admit from UIUC and UW and I dont know which one to pick. I am a bit skeptical about the cost of living in Seattle, but then again I fear that UIUC's remote location would hamper the number of job and internship opportunities.

I would be really grateful if you guys can help me ease my dilemma ... I have been having some sleepless nights for a while now !

What school is UIUC? I suspect a California school,

jfals

Its University of Illinois @ Urbana Champaign .. Champaign is a quite town about 100 miles south of Chicago

naw, I think illinois, urbana-champaign?. California would either be UCXX or CSUXX.


Also - I think cost of living during attendance should be pretty low on your list of reasons for picking the schools.

I would ask yourself where you want to live when you are done. If seattle sounds good, then UW should get some credit. I have to admit my Illinois Geography is a bit weak, but probably Chicago would take a number of the grads of that program.The schools probably have very different profiles of admitted students backgrounds AND goals after graduation. Also some varied outcomes and lifestyle. I would (personally) make the decision based on these factors. Which lifestyle and outcomes most match your goals. The difference in cost of living over 2 years couldn't be more than a total of $12kish? (assuming $500 more expensive one place versus the other for 24 months).

Well, I am an international student and I am pretty unbiased towards region. I basically applied to colleges that I thought had strong tech curriculum as I wish to remain in the IT industry. I have been talking to UW students and I have heard great stuff about the program.

Since UIUC was my first admit, I researched a lot about the school and the campus town .. and I kinda liked the idea of staying in a small place where the biggest thing in town is the university. But as am coming out of the hangover and as logic is kicking in .. I think just as in real estate the location of a b-school is golden ! Which is where UW wins hands down.

I was in the US (Buffalo, NY) for about 6 months when I was managing a few projects for my company .. I traveled to Seattle over a long weekend and I really liked the place (not to mention PJ are from Seattle). I still cannot forget the usher in the lift at the space needle saying : "... and on top, ladies and gentleman, you'll find the only Starbucks in Seattle"

Long story short - My heart says UIUC and my brian says UW

Like pearl jam much??

You just need to ask yourself, "what would eddy do?"

.. well Eddie would never pursue an MBA .. I think it would be too 'commercial' for him

Anyway, after a lot of research .. I think I have started leaning towards UW (I guess I'll have to start getting used to wet weather) .. Can anyone temme how much would an average joe's monthly expenses turn out to be in Seattle?

Depending on what you want, and location:
(studio - 2 bedroom, DOWNTOWN - suburb)
Apartment $750-$2,000. For "convenient areas" around the U - maybe $1000-$1500/month?
Utilities:Say a couple hundred a month. Probably comparable to any other American city. I dont think these vary much in dollar terms (maybe somewhat in percent terms, but who cares if you pay $40 for water bill a month instead of $30)?
Gas: ~same as anywhere else in the US $3.50 a gallon currently
Public transit: I think UW "forces" you to buy a pass that gives you unlimeted use as part of your "fees". Maybe $45 a month for this? Anyhow the tranist is for all intents and purposes just buses (I know TECHNICALLY other things exist, but they probably wont be useful where you would live as a student). The buses are generally clean, safe, and easy to use. Lots of professionals ride the bus here so they aren't as scary as they are in, for example, Los Angeles.

Those are the major expenses I think....
In the end the only expense noticably different from any other place in the country is housing. If you are comparing to middle-of-nowhere towns, it is maybe 2x as much. HOWEVER, college middle-of-nowhere towns aren't as good of a deal, particularly for anything convenient to the the University. So, if you think you found a $500 apartment in the same Town as UIUC - it is probably no more convenient than the $750 Seattle apartment. Just be sure to compare appropriately.

Hope this all helps!

You are correct with this statement. Nobody in LA with an income over $20k rides the bus.

I would imagine that is true of most cities here. Us Americans just dont like our public transport.

maybe because those buses are so ghetto.

they need to pimp that ride--throw some d's on it, tint the windows, add a sound system, maybe add a fish tank or two for good measure...

bus bling.

I just got the call from UW a few minutes ago, I'm in I'll see if I can make it to the April admit day, but more likely it will be the may one that I will have to attend.

Congrats Christian!

EddyVedder,
congrats on your admit. m an international like you and so my knowledge of the US is even worser than yours but having researched UW and Seattle for over a year now because UW was the only school I was targeting I thing that for techhies, the best place is UW and the best city would be Seattle. Other guys in this forum much more qualified to advise you on Seattle though. Anyway, hope to see you at UW this fall.

Christian,
Looks like the long wait is finally over for you and congratulations!!!!!! By the way just out of curiosity, did UW wait till the last possible moment inform you of your admission

westsider,
Great info on Seattle and living expenses there. Can you say a little about food expenses for like an average eater and for a student. I know you can spend as much as you want on food but I want to know what the typical budget would be for a student