University of Puget Sound Reviews

Tacoma is a really nifty place...

Tacoma is a really nifty place with a low-key atmosphere. There are lots of things to do, like visit the Glass Museum or history museum downtown (Free admission on the third Thursday of every month!). And Tacoma seems to be the teriyaki capital of the world.

Silk Thai is the best Thai...

Silk Thai is the best Thai restaurant in town and totally within walking distance, although a bit pricey. Not much else as far as international cuisine goes. Hope you like teriyaki burger joints!

You get in major trouble drinking...

You get in major trouble drinking on campus, but people do it anyway in their dorm rooms. Your best bet is to go off-campus for partying, however, which most people do, so campus is generally pretty quiet at night.

Frat parties are really exciting...

Frat parties are really exciting when you´re a freshman, but after that they get blah. Greek life isn´t huge but it´s there, sort of like an unwanted pimple. I guess I´m just bitter because my friend passed out from alcohol poisoning in her sorority bathroom once and her "sisters" stepped over her to get to the sink area, leaving her on the floor. If you want Greek, go to UC Santa Barbara. They have sunshine.

Sleepy little coffee town, crazy...

Sleepy little coffee town, crazy campus. Last year Ben Folds and Hillary Clinton came to our campus (not together), so you rarely have to leave for high profile entertainment. But if you want to, Seattle is just 30 minutes away on the freeway! The bus ride is $3.

Todd/Phibbs is the party dorm; if...

Todd/Phibbs is the party dorm; if you like staying up late and always having people around, go for it, but if you ever want peace and quiet, stay away. Other than that, the freshman dorms are pretty much all the same. There are a some theme-living freshman dorms/floors, including the outdoors dorm, the substance-free and healthy living floors, and a couple of floors grouped by freshman seminar classes. Upperclassmen dorms are much nicer, especially Trimble, where you share a living room, bathroom, and kitchen with 3-5 friends, and University, where you share a living room and bathroom with a couple other people. Overall though, the dorms at UPS are WAY better than at other universities.

Public transportation is great in...

Public transportation is great in Tacoma. ASUPS (Associated Students of UPS) are working on getting free bus passes for UPS students, and bus passes are cheap anyway. You can get buses around Tacoma or up to Seattle for not much cash, and people do it all the time.

The facilities are really nice at...

The facilities are really nice at UPS. The computer labs are completely up-to-date, with the exception of printers, which tend to fail when you need them most. The athletic facilities are small but complete, and they are never so full that you have to leave. We have a pool that is open almost all the time for lap swimming, a rock climbing wall, and a pretty extensive weight room. The SUB (student union building) houses the cafeteria (with everything from a sandwich deli counter way better than Subway, to Asian food, to a vegetarian/vegan station, to burgers and fries, to an excellent salad bar), one of the two cafés on campus, the bookstore, the information center (where you can buy tickets to all sorts of events happening on-campus and find out about events and activites off-campus), and a pizza place with ice cream and any topping you could imagine for late-night eating. UPS also has an art gallery, consistantly available practice rooms with pianos for music students, and very nice dorm rooms compared to other colleges.

Campus security and RAs are really...

Campus security and RAs are really strict about drinking and drugs. If you get caught, you get written up, period. And once you get a certain number of write-ups, you have to go to "court," where they decide what your punishment should be, which can include loss of scholarships and expulsion.

Rainy most of the time. September...

Rainy most of the time. September has the potential to still be very warm here. Don't bring an umbrella---it shows you're new to the area. Bring coats, jeans, sweats, sweatshirts, tennis shoes. Some people get dressed up for class---we judge them. Don't forget to bring some nice attire for dates or job interviews.

The four places to get food on...

The four places to get food on campus are The SUB (Student Union Building), Diversions Café, the Oppenheimer Café, and the Cellar. The SUB has above-average college food. The sandwiches are good, and there are a lot of options: Italian, Asain, Mexican, Vegeterian, Grill, FullFare, Sandwich Station, and fully organic salad bar. Diversions Café is a joke---it takes forever to get a coffee. Oppenheimer has really friendly staff and fast service. Get coffee, cookies, wraps, and other snacks here. The Cellar is amazing; great pizza and junk food.

Typical student at UPS: Female,...

Typical student at UPS: Female, jeans, geeky with a possibilty to be attractive if she tried. If you're looking for really hot good-looking people, don't choose UPS. The girl-to-guy ratio is really clearly different. If you are a straight guy, there are a lot of options.

Parties on campus really vary....

Parties on campus really vary. There are a few good big frat/soroity parties each year. You can find a party basically anywhere on any weekend. There are limited clubs in Tacoma, but the bars are pretty good. I like the Engine House 9, Ferrellis, and The Matador.

A surprising number of UPS...

A surprising number of UPS students belong to the Greek system, but it really doesn't play a huge role in the social scene. Besides the occasional parties and social events, the Greek system really isn't that important on campus. The system has definetly even declined since I enrolled in UPS.

Almost everybody has a laptop...

Almost everybody has a laptop here, and there's free Wi-Fi in most of the buildings on campus. There's one Internet connection for every bed in every dorm room, so even if your dorm doesn't have wireless (they're trying to update it so all do, but they're still in the process), you won't have to fight over the Internet connection with your roommate. There aren't that many computer labs on campus, but you can usually find a free computer unless it's at midterms or finals. Another good thing to know is that printing from the computers in the labs is free. Take advantage of that because the cost of ink and paper adds up pretty fast!

Drinking is allowed on campus if...

Drinking is allowed on campus if you're of age. Generally people living in the dorms aren't of age, but RAs don't really do anything about it unless you're being super loud. In the Greek system, which is considered to be on-campus, drinking and drug-use are fairly common (esp. at big frat parties) but are generally ignored.

There are several areas around...

There are several areas around campus with pretty good restaurants. The Proctor District has some upscale places to eat, as well as some wine bars, though you can also go to Chalet Bowl and eat some pizza while you bowl with friends. Sixth Avenue also has several good restaurants. My favorites are Gateway to India and the bento place at Sixth and Alder. If you go into the museum district downtown or on Ruston Way by the waterfront, there are some pretty nice restaurants.

Parking in some lots is more...

Parking in some lots is more crowded than others but still doable. Campus is small enough, and close enough to stores, bars, etc. in the neighborhood, that you don't need a car, but it can be nice to have to get out into downtown Tacoma and Seattle.

Parking on campus seems to work...

Parking on campus seems to work really well. There are a lot of parking lots all over campus, so it isn't too hard to find a spot near where you want to be. Freshman aren't treated any differently than other students where parking is concerned.

UPS doesn't have too many options...

UPS doesn't have too many options in terms of computer labs (basically the library and the McIntyre lab), but those computers only fill up completely during midterm and finals week. The Wi-Fi on campus works in the dorms and in buildings across campus, so it is great to have your own laptop.

The girl-to-guy ratio is 60-40....

The girl-to-guy ratio is 60-40. Most people are pretty laid back, and there's a big hippie culture here, especially those people interested in all things green/environmentally-friendly. There are some more preppy people, but most people aren't all that concerned about looks, or if they are, it isn't a look that's featured in Vogue, more like something somebody saw in a back alley.

Security and safety have never...

Security and safety have never been a problem for me at UPS. Of course, there are some issues with theft and other small crimes, like on any campus, but overall security does a good job of protecting students. They just installed a system of blue light emergency 'towers' so that the University can respond quickly and communicate effectively with students during an emergency.

The two areas close by are the...

The two areas close by are the Sixth Avenue District and the Proctor District. Both have a mix of affordable and expensive places. On Proctor, I love Nick & Willy's Pizza lunch special. For about $5, you get a slice of pizza, a breadstick or salad, and a pop.

Diversity is something that UPS...

Diversity is something that UPS plugs a lot, despite or maybe because the student population is not that diverse, at least visibly. Racially, the campus is about 72 percent white, but it does have numerous diversity clubs and activities designed to support and celebrate the different diverse groups on campus (African American, Hawaiian, Native American, Asian, etc.). UPS is predominately liberal, and it does lack a lot of diversity in terms of the political or ideological views held by the students. UPS does rank highly at a national level in terms of the sexual diversity of its students and how the university supports these students.

Some people, me included, don't...

Some people, me included, don't get off campus and tend to stay in the "UPS Bubble," which is within a mile or so of campus. I don't really like Tacoma compared to some other cities such as Seattle or Portland, but it could be worse.