Arizona vs Arizona State for OOS business major

College Search & Selection
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We have a junior at a very competitive HS here in Texas. We are able and willing to pay more for some private or even OOS schools within reason but would prefer not to. Our daughter is looking at a lot of possibilities including UofA and Arizona State as the combination of quality and merit aid is intriguing. She currently has an UW 4.0 GPA so UofA would offer lower costs based on current merit tables but both schools would be a “bargain” in our opinion.

She is definitely considering in-state schools like many Texas kids (UT/A&M but less interested in other in-state publics). Good student, extracurriculars, etc. Right at 11% for school that ranks (A&M is auto admit for top 10% for all Texas HS) though that may slide backward a bit as she opted to take a highly regarded business incubator class which is unweighted. No test scores yet. Would likely go to UT or A&M if admitted to business school and gravitating to finance but UT would have low odds in particular for McCombs. We have no family history with any Texas schools so are agnostic here and think both are terrific schools.

All else being equal as parents, we would prefer a school with strong outcomes, reasonable costs and to a lesser extent, a school with good geographic diversity (less true of UT/A&M but worth the trade-off in our opinion). Less concerned about rank though ideally the business school would be well regarded. We would potentially visit both in Spring or Summer along with other schools.

Looking for opinions on:

-UofA vs ASU for business specifically and whether ASU might be worth the higher cost (if merit doesnt change next year.
-Any downsides to either school worth noting (not sure the funding situation at either)
-Other similar alternatives

Thanks!

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ASU for supply chain. U of A for MIS. U of A for a more controlled (traditional) campus and nicer weather. And while ASU is very well known for Honors, the U of A Honors dorm is awesome. You mention finance - either.

But most with a 4.0 and I don’t know her test score look at Indiana as it’s considered near elite but it’s a relatively easy in. Alabama is another that’s even cheaper than Arizona. Manderson school at Bama is rising quickly. FSU is strong in finance too and if the test score turns out well and you get an OOS waiver will be dirt cheap too. UF rated high but many don’t like the online classes.

All these schools are interchangeable except Indiana which would likely cost in the 40s after merit. And most consider just a shade below the top schools. And a great alternative to UT which will be a hard admit at 11% if she wants to study business.

UGA could be another top school. U Denver for lower cost private with a strong rep. Or SMU to stay closer to home.

Does she have a test score ??

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Thanks tsbna–good to know finance may be a toss up at either school (vs supply chain/MIS specialties). On the face of it, seems like location of ASU might be a plus for job search but that might be unfounded.

No test score yet…working on ACT prep now. I would think she could get into Indiana based on looking at requirements, maybe UGA with a good score. Not sure about FSU. We have mentioned Alabama before as you suggested but she seems to have less interest there or any of the Florida schools. Also seems less interested in Indiana right now though on paper looks like a great school with a relatively high chance of admittance. Think she would consider UGA. We like all these options but daughter less so for most.

U Denver and SMU are on the longer list of possibilities but would definitely require strong merit money. Based on NPC, DU definitely seems in range.

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I think location and job stuff is far less relevant than people make it. Both cities have large employers - but yes, Phoenix is bigger.

ASU is far larger, has multiple campuses. I did my MBA there. It’s fine. For supply chain, it can’t be beat. They had more recruiters than students. Same for U of A and MIS.

My kid goes to Bama. Already interviewed 14 companies. Most are in the midwest - as he wants to be in manufacturing - and that’s where they are. Today, you have indeed and linkedin. Most companies that used to come, come on line. Yes, some still come. His first offer- never visited - so it’s a different world. All on zoom. He has had one company - fly him to Wisconsin.

So I think the worries about - job search, etc. today are unfounded to a large extent short of going to a specific name - like - your Ivies.

IU is very well thought of in business - yet it’s not a difficult admit for top kids. So it’s unusual that way. They place well. See attached.

I think - if you have time, you go visit. If you’re in TX, go see some schools - not just a big public but a smaller (Rice), an urban (Trinity), a mid sized school. Forget the names - figure out what she likes. If you look at big publics only, after visiting she may not be feeling it…and then it’s like - uh oh.

You might find a mid size like Denver (strong merit), SMU, Tulsa, Miami…or a small school. My daughter’s BF is at Denver - and has a ton of interviews - from a hospital company to Walgreens, Travelers, Nissan, Mars…and we live in Nashville…so again, I think the job thing is a bit unfounded. The healthcare company will be M&A and when I look at their glassdoor - they pay HUGE - and they just offered him the internship although no $$ yet (offer letter coming next week).

Why finance? Does she know what it is - it’s varied of course - from corporate to I Banking to other areas.

It really depends on cost desired - you can go to a Mizzou, a WVU, Ms State and so many more for cheap. Miami of Ohio, U of South Carolina…lots of good schools. You sound like a typical - I can afford anything - but I don’t want to afford anything. :slight_smile:

She’s a Junior - you have time - figure out if she likes big, medium, small. Urban, suburban, rural, etc. This way you can focus on putting her in the best environment for her - and then you can find budget from there.

A “great fit” on paper doesn’t mean a happy four years…so start visiting, even locally, to see the environment she might like.

Outcomes – KelleyConnect | Kelley School of Business (iu.edu)

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ASU has 63,000 undergrads and U of A about half of that. For us, ASU’s main Tempe campus felt truly enormous. But their honors college facility is pretty great. Honors students required to live in the honors dorm for 2 yr. ASU has I think a ~$1000/semester additional fee for the honors college. U of A honors college fee is a lot lower.

Both business schools are pretty good. My kid is going to apply to UofA instead of ASU because ASU’s size totally turned her off.

You should go on the U of A Eller College website (well, go look up the info on both school’s business college websites and compare) and look up info about the majors your kiddo is interested in. The Eller business college building is close to the honors dorm.

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I’ve been research this as well for my nephew, and UofA has the nose ahead on this for all the reasons mentioned above. Eller is on the rise in rankings w a new Dean from Purdue who promises to shake things up.

Re: location - Tucson is just 1.30m from Phoenix, so it isnt in the boonies. Many kids end up in tech in Phoenix (Intel and like) for internships and jobs. SoCal (LA/SD) is a few hours drive - same as ASU.

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Agree with the visiting starting locally. We have taken her to a number of campuses to gauge a few things (Baylor, UT, A&M, Trinity, CU Boulder, DU, USD). Will also visit SMU/TCU soon. Right now, she still seems interested in med/large school with some preference for more of a city/urban location–but not hardwired. Ideally looking to keep it near 50K or less/yr after merit and won’t push to send her to a school she doesn’t want to go to.

You asked about why finance. I think she is focused on business in general so a well-rounded business school program would make most sense.

Clearly she is still young and could change and has a decent idea here of what it would be like in finance. She is not interested in I-banking…more corporate finance (thus “high-powered” business school probably not a must).

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Great - you’ve been to a lot - we were doing that. If we had a vacation, I’d make us stop at one campus, etc.

Mid/large - city/urban and $50K -

U Arkansas - lots of Texans, campus and city are really nice (IMHO)

SDSU - just east of san diego proper - large school.

CU Boulder - it’s unlikely - and it stinks to take kids there. They all love it!!! Most merit is $6250 per year.

Florida (large school, small city - complaints on CC are many online classes first years) - I know you said not thrilled in Florida

FSU - in state capital (smaller city) - fine b school - quickly moving up the rankings. It’s well under budget full pay and with a great ACT score, unless things change, you can get an OOS waiver.

U Miami - unlikely to get there but they have substantial merit opportunities. But most full pay won’t get there.

UGA (large school , smaller city - but less than an hour from Atlanta outskirts, potential merit).

GA Tech - large school but undergrad mid size. Business on the rise. In city although I’ve read several on here talk about how it’s got a campus life.

Butler - likely a bit too small -but merit in the 20s to get you there. The “other” Indiana school - but private.

Purdue, like IU, could work too - it’s large but I didn’t find the campus that way and like IU a small city about an hour outside of Indy.

Bentley - business focused school - would need merit. Likely a bit small but Boston area.

U Kentucky - large public

Michigan State

UMN - large, urban

UNL - Nebraska - not as large as others

NC State - in a large city, under $50K.

Ohio State - massive - there was a debate a month ago, myself and others thought it suburban; others thought urban (ok, one other). It’s close to downtown Columbus and the school is large. ASU large. If she doesn’t want large, likely not a fit.

Oklahoma - a haven for Texans :slight_smile: Really nice campus and we had a 1:1 visit day - it was impressive!!

Pitt - but you’d need merit. It’s mid/large and in the city. The debate a month ago was which is more urban - Pitt/Ohio State. Pitt won out but it wasn’t a shut out - in other words, there was opinion on both sides. You’d need merit - it’s not easy to get but if you apply early you have a chance. Full price over $50K.

College of Charleston - mid size, popular city. If you get into the Fellows program, merit can be substantial. My kid has a scholarship (well like 5) and has $5K more than tuition. Urban in a tourist city.

U of South Carolina - larger school, nice contained campus, merit for sure so great choice. #1 for international business - in a state capital.

UTK - in City, big flagship. It seems to have a lot of recent love on the CC. Well known for supply chain - like ASU.

If she loves the outdoors, Utah and UVM (with merit) .

There’s so many and more (you named some previously) but here’s some thoughts that might fit your desires. Others no doubt will have thoughts too.

Good luck.

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Of those two, both are good, but I’d give the edge to UA. My D visited Eller and we were very impressed with them and UA in general. At the time she wanted a small school and ended up at Southwestern U in Texas but UA was the strong second choice over ASU. D is in Eller at UA now, working on a PhD. Tucson is a nice city, nicer than I had given it credit for, especially if you like the outdoors.

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UT and A&M are both nationally recognized in their business schools, most especially UT. Going to either of these schools would be a huge step up over UofA or ASU. Also, Texas has a much larger economy, which will mean internships and job prospects.

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In the first post, it is fairly obvious that the Arizona publics are being looked at as backups in case the student in question does not get admitted to in-state UT Austin and Texas A&M (student is not in the top 10% of class).

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Hi- I am from AZ and while slightly biased since both my parents graduated from ASU’s business school and my brother is a senior there studying supply chain as well, I would say ASU has the more well known and regarded business program in general. Supply Chain especially is top ranking. They also have the Barrett Honors Program which I know many people enjoy for the more advanced courses as well as helping find a smaller community within such a large school. ASU also has a much more urban campus in comparison to UofA. At UofA there really isn’t much outside of campus, whereas at ASU tempe is a more city vibe with more going on and you have Scottsdale close by as well. Both are good schools, and while UofA does have better merit scholarships, I would say ASU is probably worth the extra cost for the business program. Let me know if you have any questions about either school!

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