University of Washington

[MashaMashaMasha]

With acceptances going out, decisions being made, and recruitment weekends just around the corner, I thought we might start a UW meet and greet thread.

I'm headed to UW for Sociology (PhD) in the fall. I'm pretty excited about spending time at the Suzzalo library, particularly that Harry Potter-esque reading room...

I also live in Seattle, so I'm happy to help answer questions about neighborhoods, culture, public transit, etc.

[ItsFreezingUpHere]

Hey Masha.... are you planning on being there for the Soc recruitment this weekend? I've never been to Seattle, but I'm def looking forward to checking it out...

[MashaMashaMasha]

Yep, I will be there! Sorry in advance for the rain... Looking at the event schedule, it seems like it will be a pretty useful weekend. Are you staying with a graduate student?

[ItsFreezingUpHere]

No, I have a few friends and some family there, so I'm going to stay a little longer and will be in and out. I have a hotel room near the campus at the University Inn. I'm not too worried about the rain, though, because I live in Minnesota, and we just got a ton of snow and freezing rain. It'll be a good few days to get away!

How is the transit system out there? I would prefer to not have to use my car a lot, but I've heard the train system is pretty weak.

[MashaMashaMasha]

How is the transit system out there? I would prefer to not have to use my car a lot, but I've heard the train system is pretty weak.

It's pretty weak, but decent around the university and surrounding neighborhood. If you go to http://tripplanner.kingcounty.gov/ you can find routes that service the U as well as whatever neighborhood you're in.

[silent_sophy]

Hi there, I still can't really believe, but I was offered admission to the University of Washington last week. And I don't live in the States, I haven't even been there yet ... will be a big step for me. So, it's great to meet you What you said about the Harry-Potter-style library sounds great, Masha - I'll have to look that up.

[MashaMashaMasha]

Hi there, I still can't really believe, but I was offered admission to the University of Washington last week. And I don't live in the States, I haven't even been there yet ... will be a big step for me. So, it's great to meet you What you said about the Harry-Potter-style library sounds great, Masha - I'll have to look that up.

Congrats!! Are you in the Jackson school, then? The library is called Suzzallo, and you only have to do a google image search to see what I mean!

[silent_sophy]

Congrats!! Are you in the Jackson school, then? The library is called Suzzallo, and you only have to do a google image search to see what I mean!

Not exactly, although I think I can/might take courses there. I'll be doing the Interdisciplinary PhD Programm in Near and Middle Eastern Studies - and I keep misspelling it, as it is such a monster of a word Also, it is not completely unlikely that I will do some sociology courses as well. May I ask about your subfields?

[MashaMashaMasha]

Not exactly, although I think I can/might take courses there. I'll be doing the Interdisciplinary PhD Programm in Near and Middle Eastern Studies - and I keep misspelling it, as it is such a monster of a word Also, it is not completely unlikely that I will do some sociology courses as well. May I ask about your subfields?

Sure - demography (migration) and political sociology with a focus on Russia and Eastern Europe. I've been plotting out which electives I want to take and there are quite a few in the JSIS! What kind of research are you hoping to do?

[MashaMashaMasha]

Is there anyone out there who has totally decided to attend UW for Sociology (Ph.D.)? I'd love to know your thoughts on why you chose this program (fit, faculty, resources, collegial atmosphere, etc.? How do you feel it fits within the other sociology programs' rankings? I know it is #17 according to US News rankings, but I also know these aren't totally trustworthy. It ranks #5 for this in sex and gender, though. Just wanted to know everyone's general thoughts!

Hi there! So, I have totally decided on UW. This is my second round of applications, and interestingly enough, I had a comprehensively different approach and criteria for this time around. I am the first to admit that my first cycle criteria was based much more on ranking than fit, which was a detriment to my applications, for sure.

So here's a rundown of my impression of the department from discussions with faculty, the recruitment weekend and my own research.

1. Rankings are based on their own particular set of criteria, much of which is reputation, which as you can imagine leads to a weird cycle of reputation feeding ranking feeding reputation.

2. That said, UW is a top 20 school. The actual number doesn't matter, as long as it is in the Top something.

3. Sociology has a lot of subfields. UW seems to be strong in demography, sex/gender, and health, based on sort of overall faculty interests.

4. The department is really interdisciplinary and internationally-focused, which were two really important factors for me.

5. Faculty are warm and inviting.

6. Students don't compete for funding, and are collegial and collaborative.

7. My research interests are represented, in various forms, by several faculty members at different stages in their careers.

8. Personal reasons for staying in Seattle are big for me right now, so that was a factor.

9. Demography and Social Problems are edited in the department, so there are opportunities to serve on an editorial board.

10. The Harry Potter library, the cherry trees, views of the mountains, the Sound, boathouses, and the inexpensive and delicious pho.

HTH - what are you hoping to study? Reaching out to faculty who are also interested in your subfield/region/methods could help you get a better understanding of what the department offers (and how responsive the faculty are to students).

[SomedaySLP]

I accepted admission to UW this afternoon and am excited to move to Seattle in the fall! What neighborhoods do you all plan to find housing in? I've spent a total of about three days in Seattle ever, so I could use all the help I can get in learning the ins and outs of the city!

[MashaMashaMasha]

Congrats! I already live in Seattle, and my neighborhood is West Seattle, which is a great area, but about an hour commute to campus by bus. I recommend looking at Fremont, Wallingford, Green lake, Ravenna... Seattle is a city of neighborhoods, so each neighborhood has it's own personality. Feel free to PM me if you are looking for something specific and don't want to post publicly.

[lolifer]

I'm more than likely going to be moving to Seattle in the fall, since my spouse and I both got offered admission there. I used to live in the Seattle area, but I've been in California for the past twelve years so I'm not particularly looking forward to being rained on again.

Now, I have family up there but they're stuffy old folks, and I have some friends who recently moved to Seattle but don't know the area too well either, so it's nice to have another city resource?

What are the odds of finding a small house with a chicken-friendly yard and a short commute to campus? When's the best time to apartment-hunt? I live in a college town so 90% of all leases end on August 30th...it would be nice to know if Seattle had something like that as well.

[Kirobaito]

I'll be coming to Seattle in September, as well, for history. I'm a bit terrified, not because I'm moving across the country to start another chapter in my life (that part thrills me), but because I've been away from school for two years and made fantastic grades in undergrad despite loafing and I know I won't be able to get away with it any longer. Also, it's very expensive. UW was the only place I applied (long story), and I didn't get any funding (yet). I kind of have to move, though, for my own sanity, and while I have the money to pay for a couple of years of grad school, I'll be devouring my entire savings.

I'm taking a trip up at the end of April to meet my department and get a grip on the city, as I've only spent about three hours in Seattle (it was a waypoint on the way up to Vancouver). I'm looking strongly at Wallingford or Ravenna. Because it's so early, securing housing won't really be an option yet, but I'll probably find units that I like in neighborhoods I like and be ready to pounce when they do become available over the summer. It's much more expensive, but I'm so used to living alone now while I've been working that I couldn't really go back to living with roommates, much less blind ones.

But good to meet you all!

[J_C_7126]

for the people that already live in Seattle or have experience living there...can you give advice as to when is best to come find an apt?

I'm moving from the east coast but will be making numerous trips as I need to be here for most of September. So I was hoping to move my stuff in late Aug/early Sept and secure housing before then. I'll be taking a week off of work to secure housing but am not sure when to do this (sometime from June-August)? I just want to come when I'll have the most options w/o having to pay rent in July hopefully. I'm not sure yet if I'll be looking for shared housing or my own apt...right now I'm open to both but it will depend on the situation.

Any advice is much appreciated..thanks!

[MashaMashaMasha]

As far as housing and timing of finding housing is concerned, remember that Seattle is a city first, and a college town second. I've moved or helped friends move in all 4 seasons, without issues. Summer might logistically work out better because of the weather but in terms of securing housing, it doesn't seem to matter when. Each neighborhood is different, and the U Diatrict is obviously more in tune with the ebbing and flowing of students than the surrounding neighborhoods, which are full of "real" people...

[kasmith1]

Hi! I will be attending UW in the fall for Applied Mathematics (MS). I haven't found any other place to potentially meet people who will be going to the same school and in the same program. I decided to get housing in the on campus apartments, since I currently live in PA and have no clue where I'd even begin looking. At least now I know I'll be living close to where I need to be every day! Anyone else going for any form of math? Or anyone in a master's program with hints on how to keep bugging them for some form of financial aid?

[MashaMashaMasha]

Or anyone in a master's program with hints on how to keep bugging them for some form of financial aid?

Hey there - have you gotten a chance to look at the GFIS site? They host a wealth of information on sources of funding, although they won't post up things that are very specific to a field of study. They also post jobs like RAs for the graduate school, or TAs for certain courses where the department may not have enough graduate students to fill a spot, or there are no graduate students designated to do the work. HTH.

Here's the link: http://commons.lib.washington.edu/services/gfis

[kasmith1]

Ooooh, thank you!

[MashaMashaMasha]

Registration begins tomorrow, yes? Has anyone else mapped out their schedule? Looked up old syllabi and reading lists? Been generally neurotic?

Edited June 17, 2012 by MashaMashaMasha

[Kirobaito]

If I don't need to take a foreign language (I don't), I only have two classes and those are pre-decided, so registration isn't all that exciting.

[schroedingersmeerkat]

I'm excited to be attending UW this fall. Registration was quite painless as a grad student: no need to worry about full classes!