<p>Hello,
My son (graduating this year form high school) would like to attend SCC this coming fall. It is his hope to attend for 2 years, then transfer to ASU. </p>
<p>We currently live in Michigan and he'd be moving out there on his own. Does anyone have any advice as far as WHERE is a good place for a college student that is 1. SAFE 2. Close to SCC 3. Inexpensive?</p>
<p>I know many people are financially strapped right now and if a good apartment isn't available, does anyone know if people are renting out rooms more nowadays?</p>
<p>Also, I am new to this forum- If anyone recommends that I post this anywhere else, please let me know. </p>
<p>Will he have a car? If so, there are many, many places within a few miles where he could live – he could even get an apartment near ASU as the drive is only about 10-15 minutes. </p>
<p>Just be aware that nearly everyone at SCC is a local who is either very financially strapped (instate tuition is quite low at ASU, compared to other states) or academically underachieving. I would not think it’d be the best environment if your son is focused on academics, as most students will be working full/part-time (not necessarily a bad thing, but the focus is going to be vocational rather than scholarly). Also, socially, most students hang out with their friends from high school, and friend groups will already be established due to this.</p>
<p>If he’s still sure he wants to do this, it may actually work out better if he tries to get a room at one of the apartment complexes near ASU.</p>
<p>You’ve probably already done it but make sure you check the residency requirements for being able to pay in-state tuition. I’m sure you’ve already considered it but maybe it’d make more sense for him to skip Scottsdale CC and go straight to ASU.</p>
<p>I was a little concerned with teh fact that everyone going there is already from there and have their social circles formed already. </p>
<p>He would LOVE to start out right at ASU, I’m just not sure if we can swing OOS tuition (my husband become one of the 15% of unemployed here in Michigan just last week). He has applied so if he can get some scholarships, that would be a good route. Are there decent/safe apartments that are inexpensive close to ASU Downtown’s campus?</p>
<p>My daughter did the CC to state public and it has worked great for her. However, you should research and make sure you understand the rules for in-state tuition. Here in Wisconsin, an out of state student like your son who moves to the state and takes CC classes right away would not be considered “in state” later unless he took a one year break from school and worked.</p>
<p>Yes, we did check on residency requirements. He will only be able to take 6 credits at SCC for the first year at a reduced rate (for living there, but less than a year). After a year, he could achieve residency rates at either SCC or ASU… </p>
<p>I would prefer him to start right off at ASU, just not sure if we can swing it… We are in Michigan and my husband just got laid off last week. I knew things were bad here (15% unemployment), but I tell you, it sure doesn’t hit home until it happens to you.</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply. So, IF my son went to WI, and attended a Comm College right away, he would have to take a year off before getting an in-state rate? Is this just for the comm college or would it stand for universities too?</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>by the way, I am checking “Quote message in reply” in my replies but nothing is showing up in my posts… Not sure what I am doing wrong.</p>
<p>Here’s the link for Arizona’s residency requirements but it’s best to double check with the particular colleges since they might have modified rules. In your case both Scottsdale CC and ASU.</p>
<p>It seems that it’d be less expensive to attend college in your state but I guess he wants to move to Arizona. If he attended in your state he should be able to attend the CC then go straight to the Uni although it might be better for him to just go straight to the Uni. If finances are an issue then maybe he could commute to a Uni or do the CC-for 2 years then transfer to the Uni route like you’re mentioning.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear about your H’s job loss - I hear it’s tough in Michigan. I hope he finds other employment soon.</p>
<p>To quote text do (but without the spaces): [ quote]text here[ /quote]</p>
<p>One thing to understand is that Scottsdale is HUGE, and traffic is terrible, so locating someplace fairly near the college is going to be helpful. My superficial understanding (from a few visits) is that the are most closely adjacent to Phoenix is not too wonderful.</p>
<p>There are a bajillion empty houses for rent in Scottsdale and Tempe, and it ought to be relatively easy to find some housemates who’ve already rented and who are looking to fill up another room. </p>
<p>Arizona has really strong transfer promises, and it might be worthwhile looking to see what would be available if your son finished the first two years at CC there and then transferred to ASU. I know ASU has a bunch of scholarship money set aside for those students, and I think they publish the criteria. (That is, it is a pretty set standard; if you meet it you get the money.)</p>
<p>I think Phoenix area would be an awful place to go to school. Not many young people, terrible amounts of crime, just awful in general. Poor job prospects after college.</p>
<p>I lived there for a couple years and now am in Seattle. It’s much better here.</p>
<p>For what it is worth, the ASU Tempe enrollment is about 55000 students, and Tempe is immediately adjacent (to the south) to Scottsdale, so no particular shortage of young people from what I’ve seen.</p>
<p>I don’t know. I imagine not everyone will have already made friends by the time he gets there. And you can always make new ones in any given class. One of my classmates will be attending SCC next year before she goes to a Uni. (She’s quite excited about being an Artichoke, which is the mascot of the school.)</p>
<p>You can look for/google Scottdale CC housing, which I think just shows you nearby housing, not school property, but I could be wrong, and you should call/email</p>
<p>There’s a decent map to show you how many areas your son will have access to. </p>
<p>Bigtrees is entirely wrong about a lack of young people, but probably wasn’t native, and didn’t realize Phoenix area isn’t limited to Phoenix the City. Tempe is very much a college town, and there are plenty of young people, because of ASU. There are even 3 or so ASU campuses, so it’s not JUST Tempe, either. The crime in the more ‘urban’ parts of Phoenix the city is probably higher than other places. Tempe’s crime is less violent, and more likely to be your typical campus crimes (stolen bikes are very common) and maybe sexual harassment/drunkedness. </p>
<p>Scottsdale itself is probably safer to a degree, and like I said, often considered to be “wealthier” and more crime free. </p>
<p>There’s also (off the top of my head) Mesa Community College, and Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Generally speaking, CGCC is probably the ‘safest’ and most suburban/quiet. </p>
<p>Any big city will have a lot of crime, so pardon me if I feel that Bigtrees is a little biased. </p>
<p>Gilbert Rates a 14. Chandler a 10. Mesa an 8.</p>
<p>Personally, I feel that your Son will be able to find a safe place in Scottsdale, because Scottsdale is pretty safe. I’m not sure about inexpensive (well, he won’t be living in say, a condo in the rich parts of town) but he can probably easily find a roommate in either Tempe or Scottsdale (or a nearby city), though the amount of apartments in both places is fairly high. You should have no problem.</p>
<p>I looked at the document posed by uscd<em>ucla</em>dad and this is what it says
*
C. The domicile of an unemancipated person is that of the person’s parent.*</p>
<p>I would be very careful before you make the assumption that your son is eligible for in-state after one year, especially if he is just 18 or 19.</p>
<p>There are lots of housing near SCC. Any reason why he is considering SCC instead of say Mesa CC or Phoenix. I think they have more options and classes than SCC and lots of housing near those colleges.</p>
<p>The credits from a local community college in Michigan will in all likely hood not transfer over to ASU or any of the Arizona Universities. AZ scholarships are taking a hit this year due to the budget.</p>
<p>I would recommend going to the ASU financial aid/scholarships website to see if there are any private scholarships that he might qualify for.</p>
<p>I am a Phoenix native and have been living in Tempe for the last three years as an ASU student, and the only crime I have ever experienced is what I read about in the newspaper, so take that for what it’s worth. Scottsdale is a very nice city and SCC is placed right next to a major freeway, so it’s very easy to move about. Traffic can be annoying during busy times of the day, like 9-11 am or so, and perhaps around 4-6 pm, but it’s not a big deal if you’re used to living in a city of any sort.</p>
<p>Spending a year at SCC to establish residency, which sounds like your plan, is a good way to save a lot of money on out-of-state tuition, even in-state is going up quite a bit for the fall due to state budget cuts (I believe it’ll be somewhere around 7-8k including fees, I’m a bit out of touch as I haven’t been in the country for a couple of months). The quality of education, since he’ll be taking introductory classes wherever he goes, won’t be much different, but I would recommend that he focus on taking classes that are prerequisites for whatever major he plans on pursuing, or general education classes required for all ASU students – transferring credits won’t be an issue at all, I’ve done a number of classes through the Maricopa Community College system.</p>
<p>As for ASU campuses, it isn’t necessary to live in Phoenix to attend the Downtown campus as the light-rail directly connects the two campuses, and as a student you can buy a pass for under a hundred dollars that gives you unlimited public transit access, or you could just drive as it’s only about 20 minutes. The main thing is deciding on a major, as nursing and journalism, for example, are based on the Downtown campus. I personally attend ASU Tempe, so one could say that I’m biased, but for one seeking a traditional college experience, I think it’s truly the best option. The others are filled with commuter students and just don’t have the same student presence that Tempe has, nor do they offer the same range of classes or extracurriculars.</p>
<p>Have you or he ever been to the Phoenix area? If not, I’d highly recommend that he perhaps get a feel for the place before picking an apartment so he has an idea of what he wants. As has been said, regardless of your desired rent-level, you’ll be able to find a place. South Scottsdale is less expensive/nice in comparison to North Scottsdale, so it’d be more reasonable to find an apartment there. And as I said before, definitely check into Tempe. If you have any specific questions about locations or academics (SCC/ASU) just send me a PM.</p>
<p>OP, you really need to investigate the residency issue more thoroughly before you send your son here to AZ. It will take him at least 2 full years to achieve AZ residency for tuition purposes – IF HE IS ABLE TO GET IT AT ALL.</p>
<p>As a dependent, his state of residency is considered to be where his parents live. Just physically being here and attending SCC will not qualify him for in-state tuition. He will also have to be completely self-supporting for two full years. That means he has to show that he has sufficient income of his own to pay his living expenses (including all educational expenses). You cannot claim him as a dependent on your tax returns and you can’t pay his bills for him. </p>
<p>Here are the specific criteria (from the ASU website) to be classified as an AZ resident for tuition purposes:</p>
<p>I’m glad that you now agree that Phoenix and ASU are not much different from other major cities and universities, as you previously were quite negative. A good 1/64000 intoxicated fraternity member anecdote is always entertaining though.</p>
![http://azhousefinder.com/images/map_phoenix-metro.gif[/url]](http://azhousefinder.com/images/map_phoenix-metro.gif%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
