<p>Is it more of a college experience than other state universities? like, is it a commuter school or is everything centered around the campus? What about the frat scene?</p>
<p>It’s a commuter school to the core. Just look at a map of Phoenix. Look at how many people “attend” ASU and then how much room there is housing wise on campus. On the flip side, ASU is smack dab in the middle of Tempe which has become the place to be if you’re college aged. If it’s not your thing, Scottsdale is just a short drive away.</p>
<p>Your experience will vary. A big 10 school it is not, however.</p>
<p>ASU is both a commuter school and has a booming social life. The expansion of brand new dorms on the South side of campus along with the light rail leading to new developments in that area have significantly changed the social atmosphere around campus. </p>
<p>There are over 10,000 students who live on campus (mostly freshman). The neighboring areas are mostly occupied by student renters as well. Tempe is dominated by ASU students until you get a few miles away from the school. </p>
<p>Unlike some schools, ASU is not greek-life centric. However, there are house parties, division 1 sports events, the bars/restaurants on Mill Avenue, etc. that provide for a nice social atmosphere. </p>
<p>The pools at local apartment complexes, such as the Vue on Apache, are quite the scene. </p>
<p>So, it is not a college town bubble like some big 10 schools but it is a college town within a metropolis. I prefer that because you don’t lose the worldly amenities that I enjoy, but Tempe still has a great social life to offer for college kids. It was once ranked #1 party school by Playboy magazine and is generally in the top 2 for “hottest girls.” </p>
<p>If you want a true commuter school, go to UCI.</p>
<p>Let’s pretend ASU is relatively a commuter school (though i would argue that living within a couple miles of campus is not really the definition of commuter. It simply is not an “on campus all four years school.”). Even if 2/3 of the students live more than 20 miles away from the main campus. That’s 20k students within 20 miles of campus. Let’s get crazy and say that only 1/6 live near campus. That’s still the size of many other universities. Terms like commuter school start to lose their accuracy when you are talking about a university with so many people.</p>