Seattle University

Loved going to school here! small class sizes and a great jesuit well rounded education!

I attended only my freshman year before I transferred to UW for the remainder of my college years. Beautiful campus located within the city. But that’s about it. I thought since it’s a private institution that I would be more comfortable meeting new friends, smaller classes, and more interaction from the professors. Boy, was I wrong and wished for once I listened to my parents…
As a Freshman, I did not know what I wanted to major in. The problem that I had attending here was I could not just sign up for any class. It had to be pre-​approved or be part of the core requirements. You sorta feel like you’re on a leash the first year dealing with on-​campus housing, fulfilling core requirements that were chosen for you, and the tuition… Oh man. That hits you on the head when you’re fresh out of high school and you get ding for that loan+interest once you graduate.
By mid-​year, I wanted out of here. Being part of UW Air Force ROTC, I experienced both campuses on hand and was much more happy at UW. They had more programs to offer, supportive staff, cheaper tuition, and much more friendly people. Plus, commuting via bus in my uniform through Capitol Hill was a no-​no. You fear for yourself that some cray-​cray person is going to get you.
The clincher to my experience here is when I was in the process of transferring. I found out I was accepted to UW. The staff here will drag their feet in helping you make the smooth transition, which I understand. You don’t like any student leaving your university. I had to get a couple of signatures from different faculty to process the transfer. One being in particular was a female PhD faculty member in the History department. Mind you, I have never met the lady nor do I care about this witch of Oz. As the last person to sign off my sheet, she looked me in the eye and said, «You’re NEVER going to make it at UW. You will be just a number and will regret your decision in leaving here.» I couldn’t believe this faculty member at SU had the audacity to say that to my face.
13 years later with a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from UW. I remember what a bun-​hole she was because that pushed me even harder in my studies. I thank her for not putting me more in debt in having my tuition payments towards her salary.

Graduated in 08 with a BA in anthropology. Though there were a handful of phenomenal professors (Drs. Hinkle, Matriotti, and the late Fr. Reichmann were fantastic), I wasn’t impressed by the school’s academic rigor, comprehensiveness of programs, or over all student friendliness.
The campus has some gems but, for the most part, it’s simply post modern architecture (the Chapel of St. Ignatius has the beautiful panels depicting the patron’s life, but is otherwise just ugly and should probably be torn down). The student body combines the least friendly aspects of Seattle cultire mixed with a level of such extreme social justice driven self-​righteousness that only here can proper elitist white guilt be truly experienced for all of its magnificence. It’s not your standard white guilt either, it’s the kind that say «Tuition? $ 8,000 a quarter (2008). The value of a social sciences degree with a minor in religious studies? Worthless. Feeling socially just by ramming social justice down everyone’s throat? Priceless.» Side note: I was once informed by a professor that «White/​trailor trash» were «not socially just terms.» ***Vomits***
The collegiums were ok places to hang out, but were ultimately places to get nothing done while hanging out with other commuter students. The library was underwhelming, and the campus, even though plastered with events had a hard time producing even one that was even remotely interesting on an academic level. Any public debate was prohibited unless the conclusion (always a «socially just,» ultra touchy-​feely, PC, and «culturally inclusive» conclusion) was predetermined and was assured complete and utter worship — dissenters were not allowed. Thought police? Yes.
Campus ministry was probably the biggest joke of them all. I don’t know if anything, or one, could turn someone off to religion in general or the RCC in particular (aside from the Inquisition) as much as hearing someone like Erin Barry wax on about social justice with a tint of ‘Jesus’s body was eaten by dogs’ (no joke, she expounded that view). I’m not RC (nor am I Protestant) but I just couldn’t tolerate the mindless, meaningless, feel good bull s**t campus ministry managed to regurgitate from God knows where.
I wish I’d gone to UW. Way more program and class choices, friendlier student body, honestly, more people to network with.

Interesting education. I enjoyed the student to teacher ratio.

I am an international student and graduated from SU in 2011 with a BA in psychology. From a learning and personal-​development standpoint, I feel like I really got an excellent education overall. Most of the psych classes I took prepared me for grad school but more options in the undergrad courses would have been appreciated. I also feel privileged to have studied under Dr. Steen Halling (now retired), whose Psychology of Forgiveness course equated to a quarter’s worth of therapy for me. If you’re thinking about applying to the psych program, be aware that the modus operandi here is Existential Phenomenology.
From an international student’s standpoint, my experience here was very disappointing. I did not receive much community/​social, advisory, or financial support at all. I was assigned several international advisers during my time here and none were much help with anything because they knew practically nothing about my program, what I needed, or who I was. It felt very impersonal and I always felt unwelcome at the advising center. They do offer events and outings occasionally, but unless you live on or near campus, it’s difficult to attend (in my experience). Oh, and if you want financial help in any way as an IS, you’d better have independent sponsorship, because no scholarships or aids were available when I went here.

okay, so I got admitted to the school. They did offer several helps for tuition (financial aids, scholarship, work study, & student loans…).However, everything included could not pay off the amount of ~$ 40,000 annually. Also, they expect students to pay about $ 1,500 for insurance through Well Fargo something (I dont remember). Those who don’t have insurance or submit evidence of outside insurance will be automatically charged to their student account bill. Plus, they require student immunization test which also cost more money. Not to mention other costs (books/​supply/​other fee…) Wow, I really want to study there and experience their education quality, but I believe it is not that excellent to worth that much.

This review is for Graduate Admissions. I was experiencing some issues with my application so I called Admissions. The first woman I spoke to was lovely, she had a sense of humor and a friendly disposition, then transferred me to another admissions counselor. After explaining my situation to him, he sighed and in an annoyed tone of voice said «Can I speak now?» It is extremely rude and unprofessional to say this to a prospective graduate student.

Reasons why someone would not go here:
1) Tuition at Seattle University costs $ 37,485 per year. Harvard costs $ 38,891. Berkeley for an out of state student costs $ 35 850. University of Washington (the undisputed best school in the State) costs $ 12,394.
2) How does that make any sense? It costs more for a Washington resident to go to Seattle University, than it does for them to go to a much better school like Berkeley in one of America’s most expensive areas as an out of state student.
3) Students are required to live on campus if they are under the age of 21. Room & Board is listed as $ 10,830. Together, that brings total cost of attendance to $ 54,705. Keep in mind, that’s for a Bachelors, at not even the best school in it’s own state. Complete money grab.
4) The buildings are nice, but they’re not exceptional. If you’re paying $ 54,705 a year, you better have exceptional buildings. The rec center better be ridiculously nice. I don’t even workout, but if you’re charging that amount, there better be a pool and a large sauna, with champagne.
An SU student might argue,
«But, but, it’s in Capitol Hill! It’s sooo trendy here.»
That’s up to opinion, but I think consensus would say it’s not any cooler than Austin (Texas), San Francisco, Las Vegas, or New York City. Any of which you can easily afford to attend if you’re willing to drop the $ 50,000+ range per year of tuition. For that price, you could find yourself in Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, London, maybe even Tokyo (or at least attend a school with exchange programs with all these cities, for a cheaper price than it would cost to attend Seattle University).
Even then, I’d just tell you, Capitol Hill is messy, it can get smelly, and every bar has the same vibe. If this is your biggest reason, you need a better one. You could go to UBC, hit up gastown, and order yourself some bottles on weekends for this price.
«You said there were nice buildings though!»
The main student center with the cafeterias looks solid, The Douglas is impressive, Allard looks nice and new, the welcome center looks good.
So what?
That’s like paying twice the price you should for a car. Then saying, «But…but…sometimes the paint looks nice in the sun!» Raise your expectations. A lot of schools have nice buildings, and don’t charge that price.
Point is, you’re paying Ivy League or top notch school prices (Berkeley, MIT, Caltech) for a school that’s far from that rep. If you’re going here anyways, make sure to take a personal finance class. You might need it.

I cannot imagine myself at any other school. The Jesuit education is top notch and very personalized. The students are globally aware and always fighting for a just and humane world.
The campus is located in the heart of Capitol Hill, within walking distance of a variety of hospitals, a thriving night life, and Seattle’s gorgeous parks. Within the campus lies the stunning Chapel of Saint Ignatius, a field perfect for dogs, and beautiful wildlife.
Facilities are well kept, and eatery options are scattered around campus and offer quite the variety, from a full fledged dining hall to smaller cafés for studying by the library.
¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend!

I feel like I’m required to review my alma mater. I may not have always had the best experiences at times (thank you SU housing for being completely unprofessional during my time there), but I certainly think I got a rocking education.
Now to start with the bad first, which is why this review is 4-​stars instead of 5-​stars. One word describes it all: Housing. The housing department may have changed since I left, but literally I had the most horrible experience with this department. The only way anything got accomplished was when I played «my father’s an alumni» card. The department was not willing to help in a situation when I actually felt threatened by roommate until I said my dad graduated from here. To me the whole thing was unacceptable that only his alumni status solved anything. On top of this when I was allowed to move into an emergency housing room, the person who ran Campion at the time contacted my roommate first. Later she was actually reprimanded by one of the heads of housing for this since this was a huge no-​no. Ironically she was fired at the end of the year for a multitude of other problems. Sadly housing problems did not end here, thanks to unhelpful RA’s and the one year addition of SU renting some of the Rianna apartments. By my Junior year I luckily did not have to live under the annoyance of SU housing.
On to the positive! I notice a huge difference in the education I received versus where I’m currently going to graduate school now. I feel like I am more prepared to conduct research then the other students currently around me. I think a lot of this has to do with the great education I received at SU. At the time I may have complained about the massive amount of papers in the political science department, but now I truly feel this has influenced me greatly. Class size was the best part of SU. The largest class I had was 35 students and on average the political science classes were 15 to 20 students.
SU taught me to think outside of the box more and examine what is going on around me. I truly feel SU has influenced who I am today and this is such an amazing thing. Even though SU is Jesuit Catholic university, the school does not shove this down your throat. I am not Catholic nor really practice any faith, and I loved how the school didn’t try to push you into religion. Even though you have to take 2 theology classes, they don’t even have to be Christian based. I took biomedical ethics for my theology course.
The location in Seattle really cannot be beat. I loved living in Capitol Hill and feel SU did a great job being connected to the neighborhood. Literally you are in walking distance from the great bars and restaurants of Seattle.
Overall Seattle University is a great school. There definitely was the occasional issue, but I truly love my alma mater.

SU. My alma mater. This institution really wants you to succeed. They’ve tried to track me down at my home when I was MIA from class because of illness.
I will forever be grateful to SU for helping me get back on track to finish my undergrad, even after 15+ years away from the university.
It’s a top notch institution. Really, the best!

This is a review for the College of Science and Engineering lab.
I called to see if they did private lab tests, the front desk (probably a student) was friendly and transferred me to the lab manager. This is how the conversation went:
Her: Hello?
Me: Hi! I’m…[cut off by her]
Her: Drea? Is that you Drea?
Me: [awkward silence], I’m sorry this isn’t Drea.
Her: Oh. You’re not Drea. Who is you?
Me: I’m Cynthia, I had a question about the lab.
Her: Are you a student? Who’s your professor?
Me: Well I’m actually not a student at SU.
Her: Oh. What do you want?
Me: I was just wondering if the lab does private testing?
Her: NO. [click].
WTF?

Beautiful campus, wonderful academic program that’s Jesuit based.

One of the best colleges in the northwest. I’ve taken several classes here, mostly in the School of Theology and have found the school to be great!
The facility is top-​notch and very hard working. It is their extra-​ordinarily friendliness and effort in working with the students that sets SU apart from other institutions. The campus is clean and safe and easy to follow. Parking can sometimes be a challenge, but for the most part it’s good.

Was here for a week-​long institute. This rating is for a number of things: the food (quality, variety, taste), the library (gorgeous), the general demeanor of staff (both student workers and non), the facilities.
Great campus, gorgeous, clean, well-​kept. The food was always different in the Cherry Street Market (cafeteria) and there was always vegan and vegetarian options. I had the tempeh option on a number of occasions. The suites (Chardin Hall) were spartan as one would expect for college housing. For a week it was fine, though. I had a 4 bed (2 room) suite all to myself. The less-​than-​year old library was beautiful. They should have scanners, though, for students & visitors to use. I’m confused how a BRAND NEW library building wouldn’t have scanners. Hmm…
Centrally located near downtown and smack dab in the middle of Capitol Hill (yayy gays!!!), it was rally easy to get everywhere.

Woot! 4.5stars! I’m set to graduate fall quarter of 2011. I transferred here from SCCC after deciding that UW wasn’t it for me. Now, through grants and loans, I’m paying about 2k more than the annual in state tuition for UW– this includes small class sizes, professors that actually teach instead of assigning a TA, professors that actually remember you a year after you have finished their course, on campus food that is organic/​sustainable/​affordable, and others. For example, my BIO 110 class had something to the tune of 35 people in it; I don’t remember the exact number, but the same class @ UW would be the entirety of Kane Hall.
Yeah… it’s Catholic. Yeah, you have to take theology. If you decide to go to a private religious university, it comes with the territory, stop complaining. No, not all the professors are Catholic, although some, a small number, are Jesuit priests. No, you don’t have to be Catholic to attend (I was raised by two agnostics and I haven’t exploded yet).No, SU is not connected to any of the recent Catholic sex crimes trials or been made to contribute to the settlement of abuse victims, although some priests have had allegedly hidden documents proving that abuse was going on… Argh.
I’ve been very satisfied with my education here… Some of the core requirements are a little frivolous, but the fact that I can walk into the sociology department and have the department head know my name, even though I’ve never had her as a professor, is really cool. The sociology department (my major) sways much more liberal than the American Sociological Association, and while my education of sociological founders and major contributors such as Durkheim, Comte, Engels, Weber, and Mills has been totally covered, we were also encouraged and given assignments from feminist and minority sociological perspectives. I feel overall content.

First of all, I often talked to people who are not satisfied with their education, they just can’t find ways to study by themselves, and rely heavily on professors to teach them every single details… then they become disappointed by the school and talk crap about it online…
Sorry Ladies… it’s college. not high school anymore… in college, profs will only tell you how and what to study… you are on your own…
WELCOME TO pre-​REAL WORLD
Here’s why I like SU:
1. Class Size:
I transfered from WSU. once I had a class with more than 300 students… taught by at least 5 or 6 TAs basically… people race to sit in the front beginning of the class… I remember that there were 30 to 40 students waiting to talk to the prof right after class… and took more than half of class time for TAs to hand out class materials…
At SU, it barely ever happens… biggest class size i had was not more than 35 students per class? maybe more if it is prerequisite core class, but i took all of those at community or at WSU…
Profs are very friendly, and they know individuals name maybe less than first month of the quarter… As long as you respect them by showing up class early, never late, sit in the front low, do your work right… THEY WILL RETURN YOUR RESPECT!!! so… if you don’t respect them and expect your profs to respect you first… ain’t gonna happen…
2. Tutition:
Yes it’s extremely expensive. but i truly believed that it was worth every penny.
I graduated with Finance Major, and most of Business majors are nationally recognized… Even Finance Major is ranked higher than UW and highest in NorthWest… Accounting, International Business, and Entrepreneur are also ranked Top 30~ish on US. NEWS…
Ranking doesn’t really mean anything yet but once you are in workforce and trying to work in bigger cities… it might help you out because the employers will have different perspective and respect your education more…
3. Bad Experiences:
Yes, I also had bad professors… but mostly because the class subject was extremely hard to teach… they don’t teach 1+1=2 anymore here… sometimes you can’t just teach complex materials in a given time…
4. Others (pros and cons):
I recently realize that the school is expanding… looks like they bought a couple of blocks around the campus and building new dorms, school offices, and classes possibly… that’s a good sign i guess…
They are building a new Gym, and I didn’t like the old one… it was too small
No Greeks… can’t party much but there are alot of house parties you can go around
In the edge of downtown, sometimes they run into security issues but they seem have control over that around the Campus…
Well I guess that is it… FYI. I don’t work for SU… haha it soudns like I’m advertising SU here … Im really really not working for SU… hahaha
Enjoy your college life people! :)

Let me start off by saying that SeattleU wasn’t exactly my first choice school and that I decided to attend after my soul-​searching and debate. Yet, if I went back in time and met the college-​decision me, I would tell him that SU was the perfect fit and that he will not only do well there, but he would succeed in life.
Located on the edge of downtown Seattle, the campus is well laid out and organized. It features beautiful design and landscape with the Chapel of St. Ignatius being its architectural gem. The residence halls are well proportioned and feature great study spaces, fun areas, and community activities. Its location is also one of its highlights as students/​staff have access to great restaurants, stores, and job opportunities.
Its academics are top notch with its programs receiving acclaim in the major college lists such as US News, BusinessWeek and Princeton Review. The small classes facilitate a more interactive learning experience where you have tremendous access to your professors and no classes taught by teacher’s assistants.
It’s campus life is always rated very high with an assortment of student organizations, recreational clubs, on-​campus entertainment and activities, and just the overall feel.
Oh and the on-​campus food is pretty darn good… no seriously. Pretty darn good!
oh and to close out my review… GO REDHAWKS!

Albers MBA is made of win!
Ranked 25^th by BusinessWeek /​24^th US News.
Profs enjoy teaching. Jesuit tradition gives curriculum strong foundation in ethics and sustainable biz practices.

Seattle University is where I spent all 4 of my Undergrad years and recently graduated from (CLASS OF 2009 WHUT WHUT!). I honestly didn’t want to attend in the first place, as I had my heart set on attending a school in NYC, but it turned out for the better that I didn’t pick that school.
As a transplant from California, coming to Seattle to start school was pretty huge. The community at Seattle U was super accepting and friendly, as I have made so many friends that I can’t keep track of them all. The faculty and staff are all extremely supportive as well, and are there if you have any questions, concerns, or want to chat for a bit.
The campus is located on the edge of some very interesting places. First off, it’s at the end of Broadway, aka the Castro Street of Seattle. For those of you who don’t know what that means, Seattle U is really close to the gay part of town. Not being homophobic, as some of my good friends that I’ve made from school are gay/​lesbian, but this will lead to some interesting run ins late night. In addition, the campus is a 10 minute walk from Downtown where all that shopping and food mayhem begins. The school is also a short walk from the International District (Chinatown) and is in the heart of Capitol Hill. With all that craziness going on, you’d think the campus would be just as loud. However, the campus is a nice sanctuary away from all the hustle and bustle that surrounds it.
A big thing that most people make their college decisions on is the amount of scholarship and grant money given. Seattle U’s tuition this past year was $ 28k (not including housing, then that jumps up to like $ 34k I think). HOWEVER, Seattle U gives out money like there’s no tomorrow. The average student gets at least $ 14k in grant money per year. So a private school education for $ 14k? That’s public school tuition! Absurd!
Academics are obviously a big part of life at Seattle University, but they don’t cram it down your throat. Classes are pretty small, with 25 to 30 kids in a class max (unless you’re in nursing or some business classes).
I myself was in the business school, and the professors were pretty mixed bag. Generally the lower level professors are hard on students to weed out the kids that aren’t cut out for business, while the upper level professors get easier. It helps that you tend to see the same students in classes, as these people will become awesome friends (read: drinking buddies) as well as help you with any projects or homework.
As other people have said, this is a Jesuit college that does require you to take theology classes, but they don’t have to be based on Catholicism; I took a Buddhist films class for my upper level requirement. There are a few classes that make you do community service, but the school in general doesn’t require you go to mass or write in a prayer book (unless you choose a class that requires this) like Pepperdine or SPU.
So the good, stuff. I believe that there are two different types of social college experiences: one where the «socializing» happens around campus at frats and what not, and one where the school is pretty much smack dab in the center of downtown or another comparable party spot. If you want the latter, then Seattle U is the place for you! There are so many places that surround the campus that offer exciting night life and all that jazz that UW students constantly come over to our neck of the woods to hang out and have a good time. And of course there’s the student houses that throw parties if you want to experience the former.
So yeah, Seattle University. You’ve been good to me. You’ve given me some good times, some bad times, but most of all, you’ve given me millions of memories that I’ll never forget. If I could do it all over again, maybe I wouldn’t have slacked off so much Frosh and Soph year, but I’d put myself through it again.
S.U., WHAT IT DO!
P. S. There are about 60% girls and 40% guys at school. However, half of the 40% of guys at school are gay. So if you’re a straight guy, then do the math. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel (No creeper status).