I have family who live in Arizona, and I’m thinking about applying to schools in that state. Can anybody tell me what Arizona State University, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University? I’ve heard good and bad things about these schools however other’s opinions and comments from the primary and secondary sources would really benefit my decision making.
Here’s my 2 cents, for what it’s worth:
Outside of Arizona, the 3 are, generally speaking, considered in the following order in terms of reputation of quality of education:
- UofA
- ASU
- NAU
NAU:
about a 2-hr drive north of the Phoenix airport
sits at 7000-ft elevation
definitely 4 seasons - you’ll definitely need winter clothing because it snows in Flagstaff
Flagstaff is a medium-sized city (~70,000 people).
Not a whole lot of big businesses in & around Flagstaff, so you’ll need to venture down to Phoenix for summer internships most likely. Tourism is Flagstaff’s main industry.
close to lots of cool outdoorsy stuff to do, so if you’re into that, that’s a definite plus
in terms of reputation (FWIW), not ‘ranked’ as highly as the other 2
does not offer a National Merit scholarship, in case you’re in the market for that
has Division 1 football, but the team isn’t as good as ASU or UofA
has ~25,000 students - about 7000 or so of which attend NAU through satellite campuses in the rest of the state
ASU:
in Tempe, AZ
has the most students
has multiple campuses: main campus in Tempe, Polytechnic campus in Mesa, downtown Phoenix, and West campus (Peoria/Glendale area), plus an online campus. Some majors are only at the non-Tempe campus, so pay attention to what your major(s) might be & at what campuses those major(s) are located.
has a nice honors college - separate app to apply for the honors college. Honors college students must live in the honors dorm for freshman AND sophomore years. Those dorms are considered the better ones on campus. Honors dorm has its own dining hall.
has a big reputation for being a party school. BUT with any college, if you want to spend every day or weekend drunk or high, you can find a party to accommodate you. However, with >40,000 total students, there are thousands of ASU students who are NOT party animals. If you fall into the latter category, you can definitely find a group of friends like you there.
the greater Phoenix area has the most opportunities in the state for employment. So this will make it easier to find an internship while in college & still going to school.
since it’s a really big university, expect a lot of classes (especially lower division) to have a lot of students in them. It’s the sort of college where you will have to be proactive and seek out help if you feel that you need help, have questions, etc.
Phoenix airport is pretty much right next door to Tempe, so if you are an OOS student & would be flying home at holidays/breaks, airfare shouldn’t be too bad since Phoenix is a major airline hub for a few airlines.
fair # of local Phx-area students live @ home/commute to ASU - based on which part of the valley they live in.
it’s SUPER HOT in the summer. “Summer” = May - October. A heat wave in Phoenix = high of 115-118.
“Winter” lasts about a month.
“Spring” starts in February (aka, when wildflowers start blooming). Highs in 70’s.
UofA:
in Tucson, AZ
Tucson & its suburbs has about 1M residents, but Tucson is a weird town because it has a smaller town feel to it.
only 1 campus, sort of near downtown - access to downtown clubs/bars/restaurants via street car (light rail)
has an honors program, but ASU’s honors college has developed a bigger reputation lately compared to UofA
lots of different dorms & housing options to choose from, but no traditional dining halls. I’ve heard anecdotal reports from students that this, combined with which dorm you end up in, can sometimes make it hard to make friends.
fair # of local Tucson high school grads go to UofA & live at home/commute to UofA.
UofA has a top-ranked MIS program
its Optics program is top notch. I’ve been to their annual open house for elementary - high school students & the stuff they do there is really cool. BUT there are almost zero Optics engineering type jobs in Tucson, so you should plan on leaving Tucson upon graduation for employment reasons.
the Lunar & Planetary Lab is really awesome → https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/
you can get by w/o a car here at college, but the public transportation system in Tucson really sucks. So if you have an off-campus part-time job, better employment can be had by having a car.
it’s super hot in Tucson, too. Like Phoenix, “summer” = May - October, but Tucson is usually about 5 degrees cooler. A summer heat wave in Tucson is considered high temps about 110.
The older homes around campus that lots of students rent often only have ‘swamp coolers,’ which will NOT cool off the house in monsoon season. Monsoon season is usually July - September. Phoenix gets monsoon rains, too.
“Winter” lasts about 6 weeks.
Greek life:
Greek life is present at all 3 colleges, but is the most popular at ASU.
As an Arizonan I’d agree with most of that analysis. Today in Phoenix high 93/67low. Lovely. Tempe is a fun smaller more liberal and younger town next door to “Phoenix.” The honors college is well thought of. For general undergrads, U of A is better regarded. All the college towns tend towards more “liberal” than most of the rest of the state.