U-Alaska? U-Maine? Any info please

College Search & Selection
1

<p>My first two kids were easy...reasonable lists that I understood. Kid 3 has decided that college is a good way to ease into relocation to the state where she would like to live someday. She likes cold weather (has been to Alaska twice and Maine once), doesn't mind long dark nights and hopes to see the Northern Lights someday. She's considering majoring in nursing. Her GPA will probably be around a 3.6, and based on her Sophomore PSAT I'm estimating a 1250+ for math/verbal SATs. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, U-Alaska doesn't have a College Confidential forum and U-Maine's board is very quiet. Can anyone tell us about these schools (aside from the obvious...that they're cold). I know that neither is ranked that highly, which doesn't trouble my D as long as they might help her to ultimately find a job in the state upon graduation. She's pretty early in the college research process, so she's looking for info that will either leave them on her list for further investigation or drop them off her list completely.</p>

2

<p>Which Alaska campus? I'd assume the largest one at Anchorage, but there's also Fairbanks and a few other satellite campuses.</p>

<p>I'm not sure how many people around here would be particularly knowledgeable about Maine or the Alaska schools. Honestly, the only reason I know much of anything about them is because I follow college hockey. Once I know which Alaska campus you're interested in, I can see if there are alumni from both schools on my college hockey forum that would be willing to give some information about their alma mater (or at least point you in the right direction for more information).</p>

3

<p>Is this what you really want to spend your money on? Paying out-of-state tuition for mediocre schools that happen to have cold weather? </p>

<p>I mean, seriously now, I can definitely see your daughter thinking twenty years from now, "Wow, did I really go to that university for the weather?"</p>

4

<p>At least for UAF, there appear to be a number of ways you can qualify for in-state tuition, if you plan on remaining a permanent resident:</p>

<p>2007-2008</a> UAF Catalog</p>

<p>Also, if she has above-average statistics, there's a good chance she could get some merit scholarships. I'd imagine Alaska doesn't get a whole lot of applicants from the lower 48, and would be pretty eager in trying to catch a bright student that's willing to embrace the state and the culture.</p>

<p>Out of curiosity, which parts of Alaska did she visit? There's a big difference between Anchorage and the rest of Alaska.</p>

5

<p>yeah, there is a huge difference between Southern Alaska, coast up to Denali, glacier bay, juneau, anchorage, etc. and Fairbanks, if she goes to Alaska thats where shes headed. Fairbanks is a desolate town where the weather often reaches 90 below in teh winter, and you do not see the sun, all of the classes are in underground tunnels becasue u cant really wlak above teh ground...maine and alaska are not similar at all</p>

6

<p>I'm from Alaska, so I can help in that regards. If your daughter is interested in nursing, the UAA's (Alaska-Anchorage) nursing program is actually well-known and highly respected here. Most of the students who attend there are commuter students and few live on campus, and there are quite a few non-traditional students. If she is looking for a strictly traditional college experience, this would definitely not be it. Even so, there is actually quite a bit to do. Their sports teams are division III except division I for basketball and hockey. Especially if your daughter can get into the honors program, UAA would be a decent option academically. The campus is pretty and modern I think. Northern lights aren't seen too much here (UAF in fairbanks is better in that regards). Any more questions, feel free to ask</p>

7

<p>Here's some stuff my brother wrote a while ago about the UAF-UAA hockey rivalry that illustrates the big difference between Anchorage and the rest of the state (from the Western College Hockey blog):</p>

<p>"You see, there's really two Alaskas. There's Anchorage, and then there's the rest of the state. In a state with roughly 627,000 people, just over 40% of them live in Anchorage. The rest live in small towns spread around the state, with only two cities going over 30,000, and the rest under 10,000 in population. Fairbanks is the biggest of the little guys, and most able to take on the Goliath to the south.</p>

<p>The differences between the two cities are pretty stark. The average high/low January temperature in Anchorage is a balmy 22/9 degrees. Cold for some, but actually warmer than many colder climates in the lower 48 states. The temperature in Fairbanks is what most people consider more "traditionally Alaskan". The average high temperature in January is a bitter cold -2 degrees, while the average low is -19 degrees.</p>

<p>Anchorage has a lovely Center for the Performing Arts for operas and Broadway musicals. Fairbanks does not. Anchorage has the huge Dimond Center Shopping Mall with a restaurant, and offices, and a bowling alley, and a hotel. Fairbanks does not. Almost of all of Anchorage has regular trash pick-up. Many Fairbanks residents have to take their garbage to "transfer stations" to be collected. Anchorage is one of the top metropolitan areas in terms of educational attainment. Some residents of Fairbanks still rely on subsistence hunting.</p>

<p>That's not to say that one city is better than the other. Anchorage residents view life in Fairbanks as cold, dull, and unsophisticated. Fairbanks residents view Anchorage as too cosmopolitan, and not really Alaskan. Each side sees the positive in their own way of life, and see the negative in the other. And for two weekends a year, that argument gets played out on a hockey rink. "</p>

<p>Western</a> College Hockey: College Hockey's Best Rivalry</p>

<p>The popular euphemisms for the two cities are "Los Anchorage" and "Squarebanks". I don't know which one your daughter would be more interested in, but I think it's pretty important to recognize the clear distinction.</p>

8

<p>We've been to Anchorage on one of our trips. She had been thinking Anchorage, with a goal of moving to Sitka. We have spent some time in Sitka (Russian heritage). We also have done two Alaskan cruises , which obviously gives a limited picture -- although it was sleeting during most of our May cruise, which was a hint of pleasures to come. Fa La La Lena (great name) -- any comments about the campus life?</p>

<p>Alternatively, U-Maine and then trying to move to Bangor (the whole coastal-cold thing...) </p>

<p>As long as I'm absolutely sure that she knows what she's getting into and my cost (including transportation) falls under the $20K/yr money that was saved for her before her Dad became terminally ill, I'm not going to stand in her way. I just want to make sure that her choices are as informed as possible - hence the question. College visits to the distant schools can't be scheduled until after admission and receipt of any financial aid package.</p>

9

<p>I did my Alaska cruise during August, and the weather was pretty nice then =]. I've always kind of wanted to go visit Anchorage or Fairbanks, but I can't see that reasonably happening for me anytime soon.</p>

<p>One thing you might want to have your daughter do is check into job availability. "Jobs related to nursing in Sitka" is a very narrow field, so there's no guarantee work will necessarily be available (I'd imagine that due to the small scope, this would require personal contact with somebody local). Also, I'd make a bit of an effort to impress upon her the isolation of Alaska (especially Sitka), to make sure she knows what she's getting into. Trips home would be infrequent, and especially with Sitka, getting to any place other than where you already are is going to be inconvenient. </p>

<p>Personally, I think Maine would be a better option, assuming she gets some financial aid to bring down costs some. It'll have pretty much the same atmosphere she's looking for in Alaska, but less disconnected from everything else, and probably more promising job prospects for after college. If you can't find a job right in Bangor, there's lots of smaller communities nearby that might have jobs. If you can't find a job in Sitka, the next closest place is...</p>

10

<p>I go to Alaska pretty often on business--I was there yesterday. Anchorage is pretty much like any mid-sized US city. Same chains, Starbucks, etc. You do have a very nice mountain backdrop and waterfront that is not used much except by the cruise ships. Fairbanks is smaller but still not much different than lower 48 towns of that size. Just colder and darker in the winter--very dark. The campus is up on the edge of town vs UAA which is in the middle of town. But it's much more of a residential campus than UAA. It's actually a drive up the the mountains from Fairbanks.</p>

<p>I did see a big moose crossing a busy street in Anchorage yesterday. It was around 50 degrees and cloudy--not bad.</p>

11

<p>I live in Anchorage and one thing I'd consider is the cost of travel back and forth from Alaska to PA. Our daughter went to school on the east coast and those tickets 3-4 times a year get costly. Driving out of AK is a pretty lengthy and expensive undertaking as well.</p>

<p>I think UAA is trying to become less of a commuter college, and they are building a new science and technology building as we speak. It is in an area of town very close to Providence Hospital, which is also undergoing some expansion. They just opened a new cancer treatment center to make staying in Alaska for treatment more viable. I think that as a nursing major your daughter will be in demand anywhere she chooses to go. Same could probably be said for employment prospects after college.</p>

<p>My son is a h.s. junior and he is definitely headed out of state for college. UAA is too much of a local school for him and UAF holds no appeal, although they evidently have a very good wildlife program and are trying hard in the engineering field.</p>

12

<p>I have lived in Alaska all my life so I can try to answer any questions you might have, though I don't know how many I'll know the answers too! I would have to agree with fa-la-la-lena on UAA being much more of a commuter college. You also have quite a few students here who are older. Fairbanks is much more of a traditional college. But then the winters are absolutely freezing and the town is much smaller than Anchorage. To be honest, I'd worry about your daughter really understanding how cold it gets in Fairbanks. I've been there in December or January several times for sporting events and it almost seems to take your breath away, I can't stress enough how cold it is. Or at least that's my opinion. Anchorage is much warmer, though far from tropical! :D But all that being said if I had to choose, I would still choose UAF over UAA, just because it is more of a traditional college. I feel like at UAF I would get more of a real college experience, whereas at UAA I don't think you would.</p>

13

<p>Snow White/Tiredofsnow -- I love your names!! I think you make very good points about the concern that each of these campuses has a weakness that might affect her college experience, that the travel would be a killer for 4 years, and that she can still relocate once she has earned her degree. Travel to Maine would be an issue too, but would be less painful. I appreciate your help.</p>

14

<p>You're welcome, Neonzeus (I like your name better!). I'd just hate to see you pay out of state costs for UAA, plus the high cost of travel, when there are so many good schools much closer to you which might serve the same purpose in the long run.</p>

15

<p>As for campus life, from what my friends who go to UAA say, its still possible to get a more traditional college experience if you are on campus most of the time. Obviously, the dorms house most of the out-of-state students, and would be the best place to meet people. The library is pretty substantial and beautiful, with nice gathering places for study groups etc.. There are concerts and random free events (movies, food, etc) quite often (albeit, not always good). There's a good amount of clubs also (don't really know specifics), and there's a few frats/sororities (service-oriented), which take up not much of the social scene if that's an issue. Uaa hockey and basketball are decently attended by students. The nearby starbucks is a hot spot for some college students. Otherwise the typical things to do are movies, the mall, the usual stuff.</p>

16

<p>Neonzeus - Someone in PA with stats like your daughter's has such great options that it would seem a shame to be out of state at one of these places and have the thrill wear off after a semester or two. Consider being an administrator at a school like U. of Maine or U. of Alaska. It's difficult to attract and keep faculty and staff, there are few strong OOS students, and those states don't tend to produce a lot of intellectually-oriented prospective students. That's not to bash those two schools; I'm just suggesting that unless there's a really solid life goal that's unlikely to change, that can only be facilitated in one of those places, I couldn't see it.</p>

17

<p>If your daughter is interested in nursing I have heard that there are a few hospitals here in Anchorage that will pay for part of college in exchange for working at these hospitals for a certain length of time after the student graduates. I'm not sure how true that rumor is or for how long the student has to agree to work but you might want to check into it. I've heard that Alaska Native Service hospital does this program, I'm not sure about Providence or any of the others. Hope this helps. I really think Alaska is a great place.</p>

18

<p>Don't know Alaska but UMO (Univ of Maine at Orono, the flagship campus) is a bland campus in a small town in the middle of nowhere. If she is going into nursing she can get an excellent education right in PA. I wouldn't in a minute pay the extra out of state tuition for coming to Maine (and I live here, AND am a nurse). She needs a good 4 year degree with excellent, varied clinical experiences. The closer she is to a large city (NOT Orono) the more likely she is to get that. Go to Boston, Philly, New York.....places where she will get clinical rotations in major medical centers and can see lots of unique and interesting patients. More important factors are the % of students passing the state board exams on the first try, number of hours of clinical....rather than the weather. There is tons of snow in the Northeast....how about UVM if she wants cold and snow? They have a medical center and med school....good choices. Orono is a nondescript campus. With her grades she would be highly likely to be accepted.</p>

19

<p>^ UVM = Univ. of Vermont. That's a much better idea.</p>