Nebraska vs. UArizona

College Search & Selection
1

<p>hey, I need some knowledge sprinkled on me. </p>

<p>What school would you prefer ... the university of nebraska-lincoln or the University of Arizona. I don't know a whole lot about either, so having them compared and contrasted would be great. </p>

<p>My brother is choosing between these two colleges, both in the honors programs, and full ride to both schools. Undecided major, though leading towards business/econ and would eventually like to work in the music industry one day. </p>

<p>any insight?</p>

2

<p>Arizona. Great business program. Environment beats Nebraska by far.</p>

3

<p>yea, there's not much you can do in Nebraska. The state isn't that interesting, cept that Buffet lives there.</p>

4

<p>As a UNL grad (who came from out of state) I'll dispute the fact that there's nothing to do.</p>

<p>Lincoln is a great college town of about 240,000. City campus (where all the non-ag related courses are) is literally in downtown Lincoln while still able to retain a great campus feel. There are plenty of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, interesting stores and multiplex all with easy, easy walking distance. One thing I loved about Lincoln was that it was still a big city so not everything was entirely focused on the University (like some other college towns I looked at that were smaller, say ~60,000 people in size). Also for a town it's size Lincoln gets a lot of major concerts and there is a number of venues for live music as well. And of course, there are the Huskers to cheer on. Football is an experience in and of itself, but there's also a ton of support for the Women's Volleyball team (2006 National Champs) and the Baseball team in the spring.</p>

<p>The other thing is that Omaha is only 45 minutes away, and so you have an even bigger city nearby. Even bigger national acts will hit omaha, there's the College World Series every June in which the entire city is a party, and there's an even better local music scene (Bright Eyes, among others, is from Omaha). </p>

<p>As far as business goes, UNL isn't bad, I don't know anything about Arizona, but there are plenty of job opportunities with Nebraska companies (Union Pacific, FirstData, ConAgra, Gallup among others), and I know that a lot of national companies recruit in Lincoln. Considering the interest in music, Omaha has a lot of small record labels that might be interesting to your brother.</p>

<p>AZ weather certainly beats NE (there's about 6 inches of snow on the ground right now, and it's only 18F right now), but AZ weather beats weather most places. </p>

<p>The Honors Program at Nebraska has it's own dorm. The rooms are smaller than the other residence halls, but most do have their own sinks. The floors are pretty quiet, and the residence hall government tends to be better about organizing events than the other halls in part because they have help from the Honors Program advisory boards and student recruitment team (Honors Ambassadors). There is an additional book scholarship that comes with admission to the Honors program which is nice too.</p>

<p>I can answer any more specific questions here or through a PM.</p>

5

<p>Not sure about Nebraska's numbers, but Arizona has about 30% OOS, decent hoops, palm trees and cacti...</p>

6

<p>I'd say Arizona, hands down.</p>

7

<p>Nebraska is 28% OOS. Higher than I expected, but I know the University has been making out of state recruitment a priority in recent years.</p>

<p>It seems like everyone is saying AZ, but I really think your brother has to make the decision and go with the place that's the best fit for him. He needs to go to the place that will make him happiest.</p>

8

<p>"yea, there's not much you can do in Nebraska."</p>

<p>Tuscon isnt that exciting. But it is close to Cali, Colorado, Mexico. Good for road trips I guess.</p>

9

<p>I agree, it will be a fit thing. He's planning trips to visit both schools in the near future. I'll be tagging along for arizona ... it's my spring break and I like the area. </p>

<p>The one thing I'm worried about is the other type of people he'd be around. I think that the environment can play a critical role in one's college experience. BigRedmed, can you comment on the student body at UNL? How are students in the honors program distinguished? He's a very smart kid, but I would hate to see him surrounded by 30,000 of the "frat boy idiot jock" type of student that I had to deal with at my last college. I know these types of people will be present at both colleges, but I'm interested in the 'other' crowd and how influential they are on campus. </p>

<p>Also, can you comment on the academic experience at Nebraska. How were the classes/professors. </p>

<p>In general, the two schools seem to be a close as possible - I think they were even tied on the US news rankings. He is going to visit the campuses, but I certainly appreciate all of the feedback.</p>

10

<p>Nebraska is only 17k Undergrad. </p>

<p>Greeks are only about 15 or 16% of the student population, so numbers wise they're not huge. However, Nebraska's greek system is EXTREMELY strong, and many very talented, ambitious, and successful students join the Greek system. It would not be a stretch to say that Nebraska is probably one of the very best Greek Systems in the country in terms of achievement. Academics are very strong (average Greek GPA is about .2 higher than the all-university average, this gap holds when looking at men and women separately so it's not just the ladies pulling the guys up). Greeks at Nebraska also tend to be far more involved, even more so than the Honors kids (who are more involved than the average independent). There are some astounding over-representations of Greeks in some of the most prestigious and highly selective organizations and honoraries on campus. Some are as high as 90% Greek despite being only 15% of the student population. So I'd say that Greeks are influential but they're influential because they are doing great things. There are many, many students who are both in the Honors Program and in the Greek System (I was one of those). That said, there's really very little animosity between Greeks and independents, at least not that I ever noticed.</p>

<p>As far as the students, overwhelmingly the number one thing people from OOS say about Nebraskans is that they're really nice. I would agree. That's the biggest thing. It's a pretty even split between the number of kids from Omaha/Lincoln and those from smaller communities (or at least seems that way). Most aren't hicks either. In general, I've found most Nebraskans to be very hardworking and aiming to do the right thing. I've often felt that there's sort of a collective "are we good enough?" attitude in the state which leads to a lot of success in many areas. It's almost like everyone realizes that Nebraska is going to have to do it a lot better than other states in order to get noticed. I wouldn't call it a complex, or necessarily a chip on the shoulder, but I certainly think it's a motivator, even if Nebraskans themselves don't notice it.</p>

<p>I'm not sure what you are asking for by how students in the honors program are distinguished. To graduate from the Honors Program there are requirements in the number of hours you take in Honors sections, GPA minimums, and you do have to write a thesis. Other than that, there are extra resources for Honors kids - advising, programming and (perhaps most importantly) free printing(!). </p>

<p>I found the classes at UNL very engaging for the most part (obviously some more than others). Yes there are some very large classes (~200), but those will be everywhere, and are mostly limited to the lower level courses. Classes in one's major become very small, very quick typically. Almost all of my profs were very interested in teaching, and UNL, maybe 3 years ago (2003 or 2004) actually won a national award for innovation in undergraduate education. It really is a priority. Research though is important obviously, and you do gain the benefit of going to a Research I university. There is the Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experiences (UCARE) program which pays students to take part in research. The first year of the program students work with a faculty member on the faculty's research, and the second year, the student designs their own original research project with assistance from the faculty member. It's a pretty good deal because the student is doing far more than just washing glassware or stuff like that. </p>

<p>I really did have some phenomenal professors though, and some great classes.</p>

<p>I'd say that as long as your brother has some initiative, there's really a lot of opportunities available for him. It's not like every student is trying to be a part of everything. It's one of the reasons why the Greeks are so involved - the chapters encourage involvement and push kids into other organizations, and most independents for one reason or another dont' take the time to get involved. But if your brother does take that time, there are tons of organizations, classes, projects, and activities to fill his time on campus.</p>

<p>I agree that UNL and U of A do seem very similar. Hopefully his trips will help make his decision easier.</p>