Advantages & Disadvantages of Studying in Seattle

You consider studying in Seattle but want to get additional information on student life, living costs, housing, tuition, extracurricular activities, career prospects and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of studying in Seattle in the following chapters.

Study in Seattle – Overview

Advantages of Studying in Seattle

1. Decent quality of education in Seattle
2. Students in Seattle can do many extracurricular activities
3. Decent bars where you can meet up with other students
4. Seattle is a pretty tolerant city
5. Seattle is a rather relaxed place
6. Easy to socialize for students in Seattle
7. Students in Seattle can enjoy great weather
8. Seattle is surrounded by interesting nature
9. Students in Seattle can enjoy the beach
10. People who study in Seattle can spend lots of time outdoors
11. Studying in Seattle may keep you fit
12. Easy to get around for students in Seattle
13. Students in Seattle find most things they need close to their homes
14. Many of your friends will envy you for studying in Seattle
15. Many recreational spaces in Seattle
16. Many student jobs and internship opportunities in Seattle
17. Graduates in Seattle usually find a decent job rather quickly
18. Decent guest professors in Seattle
19. You can build a strong business network rather quickly

Decent quality of education in Seattle

One advantage of studying in Seattle is that while you will have a hard time finding world-class education, you will still have many decent colleges in this region and will have decent career opportunities after graduation.

Students in Seattle can do many extracurricular activities

Since there are many student clubs and organizations, you can also join many extracurricular activities and can not only get a fancy degree but can also do good for society at the same time and can also just make your student life much more interesting and impactful.

Decent bars where you can meet up with other students

Seattle also has many interesting bars and clubs and in case you are a party person, studying in Seattle can make quite a lot of sense for you since you will find many locations where you can party with fellow students until the early morning and can just have a great time together.

Seattle is a pretty tolerant city

Another upside to studying in Seattle is that it is also a pretty tolerant city where you will be welcome no matter where you come from and can have a great time with many students from all over the US and even the world.

Seattle is a rather relaxed place

You should also know that compared to many other big cities, Seattle is also a rather relaxed place and you will therefore find more quiet spaces and compared to students in NYC or other more vibrant and hectic cities.

Easy to socialize for students in Seattle

Students in Seattle also have a relatively easy time meeting new people since there are many student organizations and other clubs where you can meet many like-minded people and you can therefore make many really good friends in the Seattle region rather quickly.

Students in Seattle can enjoy great weather

Another benefit of studying in Seattle is that you can also enjoy really great weather in this region.

Not only will you have warm and sunny summers but you can also enjoy relatively mild winters and can therefore get lots of fresh air as a student in Seattle.

Seattle is surrounded by interesting nature

Since Seattle is surrounded by nice national parks and nature reserves, you can also go hiking, fishing and do many other interesting things in nature and this can make your student life in Seattle just much better since you will have many things to do and can also relax from stressful times in an efficient manner.

Students in Seattle can enjoy the beach

Not only will you have many national parks, but you will also be able to enjoy the beach while people who study in Fort Worth or other non-coastal areas will not have the luxury of going surfing on a regular basis.

People who study in Seattle can spend lots of time outdoors

Since there are many nice places to explore in nature and weather is often great in the Seattle region, you can also spend lots of time outdoors which may get you in a pretty good mood and may also help you stay motivated to study hard since you can look forward to many exciting things yet to do in the Seattle area.

Studying in Seattle may keep you fit

Since you can spend lots of time outdoors and will get more than enough exercise in a natural manner, chances are you will also burn lots of calories and can therefore stay fit and in shape in the long run.

Easy to get around for students in Seattle

Since Seattle is a pretty bicycle-friendly place and public transport is decent near the city center, you can also get around as a student in Seattle in a pretty efficient manner even if you don’t own a car or are not able to drive for various other possible reasons.

Students in Seattle find most things they need close to their homes

Thanks to solid public infrastructure and decent supply of material goods, people who study in Seattle also find most things they need for daily life pretty close to their homes so they don’t have to search for long in this regard and can use their time in a pretty efficient manner.

Many of your friends will envy you for studying in Seattle

Since Seattle is a pretty popular city, many of your loved ones will also envy and admire you for your plans of studying in Seattle and you will also have many interesting stories to tell so you will have a pretty high social standing among your peers.

Many recreational spaces in Seattle

You will also find many parks and other green spaces in Seattle and this gives you the opportunity to study outdoors where you can get lots of fresh air and will also get enough oxygen so your brain can work in the best possible manner.

Many student jobs and internship opportunities in Seattle

Since Seattle is an economically important region, you will also find more than enough student jobs and opportunities to work as an intern and this can increase your chances of finding a good job later on significantly since you can make many important contacts early in life which can help you climb the corporate ladder rather quickly.

Graduates in Seattle usually find a decent job rather quickly

Not only will you find many decent student jobs, but there are also many big corporations to work for after graduation and chances are you will have an easier time finding a job in the Seattle region compared to people studying in Philadelphia or other regions where unemployment is a bigger problem.

Decent guest professors in Seattle

You will also be able to attend lectures of many decent guest professors in the Seattle region and this not only allows you to expand your knowledge but you will also be able to experience many different teaching methods and can get a different view on certain topics.

You can build a strong business network rather quickly

Since Seattle is a strong economic region where you can meet many influential people, you will also be able to build a solid business network rather quickly which can greatly improve your overall career prospects in the long run.

Now that you know the reasons for studying in Seattle, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of studying in Seattle so you will be better able to decide whether you still want to study in Seattle or rather want to study in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Studying in Seattle

1. Hard to find world-class education for students in Seattle
2. You will not have the same great career prospects as people from top schools
3. Seattle is not the most popular city for international students
4. Many students in Seattle complain about high living costs
5. Hard to find a decent and affordable place to stay in Seattle
6. High tuition costs are a problem for many students in Seattle
7. High overall financial pressure for people who study in Seattle
8. Student jobs in Seattle often don’t pay enough to finance your degree
9. Many students in Seattle have to stay in rather dodgy neighborhoods
10. Crime rate in Seattle is above national average
11. Student loan debt may become a serious problem
12. Seattle may be an overrated student city

Hard to find world-class education for students in Seattle

One downside to studying in Seattle is that while you will find decent universities, it is still hard to find real world-class education and if you want to get the best education possible, you should rather move to Boston to study at MIT or other more renowned universities instead.

You will not have the same great career prospects as people from top schools

Since there are not many really great universities in Seattle, graduates from University of Seattle often also have worse career prospects than students graduating from more prestigious colleges.

Seattle is not the most popular city for international students

Another problem with studying in Seattle is that it is also not the most popular city among international students and if you want to make as many contacts with people from all over the globe, you may be better off studying in Los Angeles or other metropolitan cities that are more popular on a global scale.

Many students in Seattle complain about high living costs

You should also keep in mind that living costs in Seattle are pretty high compared to many other cities in the US and if you don’t have lots of money in the bank and also don’t get financial support from your parents, you may have a hard time financing your degree in the Seattle region since everything is pretty expensive.

Hard to find a decent and affordable place to stay in Seattle

Not only high living costs are a serious problem, but also housing shortage has led to a state where rents are barely affordable for many students in Seattle and it also often takes them quite a long time to find a decent and affordable place to stay.

High tuition costs are a problem for many students in Seattle

You should also know that tuition is often pretty high in the Seattle region and you should therefore make sure that you are willing to spend those huge amounts of money on your education before finally enrolling in such a degree.

High overall financial pressure for people who study in Seattle

Since living and housing are pretty expensive in Seattle, people who study in Seattle also have to worry about their finances quite a lot and overall financial pressure is pretty high.

Consequently, many students in Seattle are not really able to focus on their studies since they always have to worry about their finances while people who study in Dallas or other cheaper regions often have a much easier time in this regard.

Student jobs in Seattle often don’t pay enough to finance your degree

While there are many student jobs in Seattle, you should still know that compared to high living costs, those jobs pay rather poorly and you will often not be able to finance your degree by working in those jobs.

Many students in Seattle have to stay in rather dodgy neighborhoods

Since housing is pretty expensive in the Seattle region, many students also can’t afford to live in a fancy borough and may have to live in rather dodgy districts where they often don’t feel welcome or safe and may therefore also not be able to focus on their studies.

Crime rate in Seattle is above national average

You should also know that crime is a big problem in Seattle and all sorts of social problems are about to get worse due to an increasing gap between the poor and the rich and you may therefore be confronted with lots of poverty and other unpleasant things as a student in Seattle.

Student loan debt may become a serious problem

Since Seattle is a pretty expensive city and tuition is often pretty high, you may also have to use significant amounts of student loan debt to finance your degree which may financially constrain you later in life when you have to pay back those huge amounts of money.

Seattle may be an overrated student city

Since Seattle is already pretty expensive, it may be an overrated student city and you may find other great student towns where you could live and study at a much lower price.

Top 10 Studying in Seattle Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Seattle A Good City For Students?

While Seattle can be a great student city since you will find decent universities, can enjoy the beach, spend time in beautiful nature and can meet many interesting people, you should also know that everything is pretty expensive and many students have to use significant amounts of student loan debt to finance their degrees.

Alternative Cities To Study

If you don’t want to study in Seattle anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of studying in San Francisco

Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Indianapolis

Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Charlotte

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/seattlecitywashington

Own research.

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.