Seattle Pacific University (Washington)

"Engage the culture, change the world is the Seattle Pacific University motto, and students say their school "does a very good job supporting it." Undergrads speak highly of SPU's "great academic programs," of which Business, Theology, Science, and Engineering are most often mentioned. SPU offers a "strong Business program with special focus on ethics and integrity in business," and also has "a great Pre-Med program, with an impressive percentage of students who get into med school." Additionally, SPU's Education program has a "reputation in the community for producing high-quality teachers" and is "the only local school with a bachelor's degree in Special Education." Students report that there are "lots of opportunities to get involved in on-campus or off-campus volunteer work or ministry/leadership. Plus, there are several opportunities each year to study abroad and/or be a part of a cross-cultural, even international, mission trip." SPU students "love the smaller class sizes and individual attention" they receive from their instructors. Professors "are engaging and intelligent and truly strive for each student's success. Finding help when you have a question is easy with both professors and administration, and everyone is always polite and knowledgeable." One student adds, "Although this is a Christian university, it is broad-minded in a good sense. Professors teach their subject, not their faith. Their faith comes through the material just like their personality does."

According to its students, SPU is a "very white, very female campus." Because it is a religious private school, SPU "attracts a lot of students who are similar in social aspects. Most students are white, upperand middle-class Protestants." Although diversity is somewhat "lacking" on campus, there exists "the usual rainbow of people in the community such as the alternative/Goth dressers, a slowly increasing range of racial/cultural backgrounds, and a percentage of adherents to faiths other than Christianity (or none at all)." Undergrads report that "the University has been working harder to bring in more ethnic and cultural diversity," and though minorities "are very few in numbers, everyone is accepted equally." In general, SPU students describe themselves as "friendly and compassionate." As one student explains, "It's easy to make new friends and get to know new people because everyone is really open and approachable."

SPU is located "right in the middle of downtown Seattle," so life at SPU "is usually split fifty-fifty between having fun around the city with friends and studying." Some popular attractions in the city include "the Experience the Music Project, the Space Needle, lots of concerts, Pacific Science Center, and tons of coffee shops and restaurants." SPU also hosts "lots of different campus events like a big talent show, lip sync contest, dorm film festival, formal dances, a date auction, and many other events." There are also "tons of service opportunities and ways to grow in your faith, from chapel to Group to serving with Urban Involvement." SPU students "are prohibited from taking part in anything related to alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and premarital sex." Students point out that "rules do get broken," but insist that "SPU is not considered a party school at all." One thing students can be sure of is that they'll never be bored. As one undergrad concludes, "Seattle offers more entertainment than you could possibly experience in a decade, let alone four years."