WWU- is it really that bad?

TheNamesHolland

TheNamesHolland

Member
whats up guys?? i know NS is not the best place to get serious and unbiased answers but its worth a shot.

im a transfer student from southern NY.. if i had it my way i would end up going to school at university of colorado, but that shits pricey. ANYWAY, western is near some amazing skiing, other outdoor shit, pretty close to Seattle & Vancouver, has a pretty good geology program, and is affordable.

all great reasons to go, but the lovely people of the internet constantly make WWU seem like a dismal social shit hole! so whats the deal??

ima be 21 next january, all i want to do is learn geophysics, meet chill people, party like once a weekend, meet some cool chicks, and then fill ALL my other time riding powder.

so my question to y'all..is it really that bad?
 
Recently graduated from WWU. Overall positive experience, there is a lot to do outdoors, although sunny days are few and far in between. As far as ski colleges go it's up there, but not the best by in terms of proximity as Baker is about 1.5 hours away, also definitely invest in avalanche safety gear as the inbounds is fairly limited and they require beacon/shovel backpack in the BC. There is a decent party scene, dorms first year is a great way to meet people. Bar scene is really chill minus one or two spots. It is quite difficult to find work in Bellingham also, although I was jobhunting post 2008. Personally my reason for WWU was that it wasn't WSU or CWU (Didn't bother applying to UW). If I had the means I would have gone out-of-state to Colorado or Montana where skiing is more pervasive. All in all I came in with few expectations other than hearing there was a decent business program and seeing Idea. I ended up having a decent time, met some cool people, and am happy with the education I received.

If you do enter the geo program there Thor Hansen is a boss, take classes from him whenever possible.
 
Western has an awesome campus.

LOTS of trustafarians. Good god they're everywhere. If you don't get along with a bunch of dreadlocked self-righteous pricks smoking weed on mommy and daddy's dime, you might not find a ton of friends. If you do, then you're in luck.

Baker is a bitch to drive to...1.5 hours gets really old really fast. On the plus side: PILLOWS.

Basically, bellingham sucks. Baker is awesome.
 
I have to give this some credit. I've never had more stupid trust fund fucks try to convert me to be vegans in my whole life. There are a lot of drugs floating around though, I guess it all depends on your personality type. Beautiful country though, you can't argue with that.
 
This. I'm really sick of some of the people here... But Western still is a really good school. And yeah, it's fucking gorgeous here.
 
yikes, definitely getting some of both sides here.

i mean, i can deal with some obnoxious people. but overall id consider myself a pretty average kid from NY, ive got imagine there are plenty of people id get along with. im coming to visit in april, hopefully i can get some sorta vibe for it.

and as far as the wet and heavy snow, baker obviously has a reputation that far surpasses anywhere within 2000 miles of my hometown...so im not too concerned about that.
 
People exaggerate the heavyness of the snow. Sure, it usually isn't crystal light, but you'd have to be a massive pussy for it to effect you (barring avy conditions).
 
hahah, i know the way NewSchoolers members are..but a lot them make good points, alot of the places ive looked for info western has been labeled as hipster, vegan, trustafarian and all that shit. obviously i take everything with a grain of salt.

but until i visit, you guys are all i have to go on!
 
Many colleges tend to be full of those people no matter where you go, hence the "college liberal" stereotype.

I rarely see actual hipsters around here, but maybe that's because I'm desensitized after living in Portland. I think people just notice typical college-age trendyness and are quick to label people "hipsters." The vegan/trustafarian thing is totally accurate though. It's not uncommon to show up to a bonfire only to have some dreadlocked cunt with a malnourished "vegetarian" dog criticize you for driving a car (when they themselves drive volvos).

Despite this, there are definitely some really cool people here. Some of the coolest people I've met go/went to WWU. I can't tell if they're harder to find because WWU is a paragon of typical college atmosphere, or because WWU is unique in its trustafarian population. I'm sure if you visit and go to a few parties you'll get a general idea.
 
I'm in the application process right now, and I was definitely thinking of WWU. If I were to visit, would anyone take a NS in for a night or 2 and take me to parties and tour me and such?
 
from what i've heard the ridge is where its at...do those rooms go quick??

BY THE WAY! i'll be visiting the weekend of April 7th and 8th...if anyone is around to say what up/show me around/ride baker...id appreciate it!
 
I woulddown to give some tours.. If any of you guys are really considering going here get a pass to grouse. Sickest park and only an hour and 15 from western. They're having a pass sale for $250 at the moment
 
Gamma 421 has had legends in it. Just saying.

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Carry on.
 
So my friend is going to be there next fall. He shreds on skis and likes to party but isn't on NS so anyone there meets a fellow by the name of Nick Blair show him a good time. I will be coming up to kick it at his dorm and shred Baker a few times and would love to match bowls with NS'erz up there next winter as well.
 
We were going to ball out and get her a super nice present at the end of the year, but she had to go and report us...

"HOUSEKEEPING!"
 
to the person asking about which dorms are best, it is true that the ridge typically has the party scene, but as far as which dorm within the ridge goes, that completely depends on the year and is luck of the draw. (as far as people that is, maybe some rooms are nicer than others) I live in fairhaven and loved it, best food on campus, and plenty of cool people that are down to party. the trustafarians defiantly exist, but whether or not you interact with them is up to you.

as far as skiing goes, you're from NY you will be stoked as hell on it. the drive is long but its easy to meet people who have cars, and you can pass the time smoking bowls and enjoying the jungle scenery.

If you dig rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, or hiking you'll be stoked on bellingham. It rains a lot but its insanely beautiful when it is sunny.

In my experience everybody at Western has been super nice and approachable. its a decent sized school but you see the same people a lot.

When it comes to school, i've personally been super stoked on all my classes and profs (doing primarily humanities/social studies). The faculty and student body are overall quite liberal, but for the most part people respect each other's opinions, and more input from a conservative perspective would make class discussions more interesting and beneficial.
 
Couldn't of said it better Eckels! I myself lived on the ridge this year and had a blast! Too much gangja, lusty ladies, and shred heads left & right! The food and vibe is best at fairhaven but i think the social scene is better at the ridge. If you're coming from instate, there's probably no better place than WWU for the liberal like minded mates.

The skiing was amazing this year! I rode an average of 3-4 days a week at baker during the winter quarter (make sure your schedule is set up properly) and when the weather wasn't brewin in the mountains i retreated to Snoqualmie or Grouse Mt. in Canada.

Plenty of shit to do as long as you like to do shit...... words of wisdom.
 
I'm curious how you set up your schedule to allow that? And how much is a season pass to Baker? Also how long exactly is the drive to Baker?? Sorry for so many questions I'm just trying to get all the info I can on Universities right meow.
 
College degrees in general are becoming uniformly meaningless.

Although it doesn't make it any less fun to belittle people with psychology/philosophy/political science/communication/english/history/art degrees.
 
thizzle - it sounds like he just scheduled all his classes on tuesday/thursday or monday/wednesday/friday. You can do that anywhere if you just plan your classes in advance.

cobra - I've met plenty of people who went to UW with worthless degrees as well. UW is just harder to get in to and has a broader range of studies (an actual engineering program). The business programs for example work with almost the exact same companies between the two schools.

If your going to college to impress employers, major in engineering. True regardless of the university.
 
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