Don't limit yourself by applying to only one school, advisers say

With admission to the University of Washington becoming harder to attain, what should college-bound high-school students do?

Linda Jacobs, a private college adviser with College Placement Services in Seattle, says students should always apply to more than one college, and not fall in love with a single campus.

"You can do great at any school," she said. "Maybe if you don't get into your first-choice school, you can be a superstar" at your second choice.

If money is an issue, Jacobs recommends starting at one of the state's community colleges. The UW and the state's other four-year universities accept a large number of community-college transfers.

Dave Quinn, an instructor in Edmonds-Woodway High School's International Baccalaureate program who also does college advising for students, usually recommends another four-year school over a few years in community college. A popular second choice to the UW for Edmonds-Woodway students is Western Washington University, and to a lesser degree, Washington State University, he said.

Quinn said a number of Canadian schools began recruiting on the Edmonds-Woodway campus this year, and the tuition and fees at some of those schools — for example, the University of Alberta, Calgary — are very well-priced.

Jacobs said students should also check out schools in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE). Students can get a reduced rate of 150 percent of resident tuition at participating two- and four-year schools in 14 other states outside Washington.

The WUE program brings the cost of some excellent schools in Montana down to a price that's very competitive with tuition and fees at the UW, Jacobs said.

For more information, go to wiche.edu/wue.