<p>I definitely suggest he apply to both, if he wants to stay in-state. My personal opinion is that UA is better for non-honors students, and if your son happened to not be in honors when he applied (and it happens – I’ve met 4.0 students with great ECs who didn’t get into our honors college, which amazes me), he might not object to joining the Wildcats!</p>
<p>UA is better know for their pre-med program and their med school and is a better overall school, however, ASU Barett is known as the best in the nation and recieves better funding and better attention. I would choose Barett</p>
<p>I visited both ASU and UA and their respective honors colleges before I made my decision. UA’s honors program is sub par at best, whereas ASU and Barrett Honors College is a real college with its own campus in which faculty, advisors have offices, students reside in- and not to mention the best food on campus. Many of my classmates turned down ivy schools in order to come, and many right now are in their PhD programs at Ivy schools for their grad work. Barrett is best, bar none.</p>
<p>Barrett > UA Honors. </p>
<p>Coming from a UA Honors student. Barrett has so much more to offer academically and ASU as a whole offers a better social life.</p>
<p>It’s about two years into the future. Is all this still true?</p>
<p>Yup. UA still effectively does not have an honors college, Barrett is actually going to hire a couple more professors this year, and is still expanding. UA has new dorms, but they cost the same as Barrett’s, and aren’t as nice, and they don’t have their own dining hall like Barrett. I also debate the claim that UA in general is better. For one thing, ASU has the far superior business school, even if UA is better in life sciences and whatnot. So in terms of that it depends on what you’re doing. (Also sitting in union at UA right now, and their campus is way less pretty than ASU, though obviously that shouldn’t be a deciding factor.) Full disclosure, I am a senior Barrett student, so might be slightly biased. </p>
<p>However, I will note that my sister is a senior in HS, prospective at both, and she couldn’t even get UA honors college to reply to her emails to visit, whereas Barrett was super nice and helpful. She’s actually only looking at UA for their excellent dance school, and has said otherwise based on her visits, she thinks ASU seems far superior. And she would definitely be in the honors college in both, as she is national merit.</p>
<p>Oh. Thanks, that was really helpful. Is it the same for National Achievement?</p>
<p>As far as I know. When it comes to an unbiased opinion, ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College is much more prestigious and offers much more than UA Honors college. As far as the schools themselves go, I personally am an ASU person so I’d choose ASU, but statistically, UA itself as a public university compared to ASU is a better institution when comparing education.</p>
<p>Interesting, I’ll add my comments since I believe I am objective and have been on an ASU Board of Advisors for some years and have also a son at UofA.</p>
<p>Barrett is in indeed a nice honors hall with good dining they attract good students but the cut off for students on SAT scores is surprisingly low, you should also consider after the first year in the Barrett dorms, where next for 3 years, many students I know move home, since ASU is a commuter school, this does not lead to a campus oriented college experience. </p>
<p>UofA have brand new (newer than Barrett dorms) Arbol and the old Yuma (Charming) honors dorm, UofA do not have the dining hall like Barrett since UofA have more an a la carte dining offering at the student union, I have to say living at the UofA Honors dorm would be preferable to Barrett to me or my son, since he had a choice and elected UofA over Barrett @ASU.</p>
<p>On considering ‘Prestige’ thats a rather personal call, but again I am in somewhat objective, I do consider UofA a cut above ASU in prestige for several reasons.
ASU accept anyone, I have not heard of anyone locally not being accepted to ASU and equally my son and most his school peers were accepted to Barrett @ASU, but most of the ‘stronger’ students attend UofA.
ASU has a lower 4 year graduation rate than UofA, not much but UofA rate is better they also have a lower acceptance rate, especially for the Honors college.
UofA attacts better students since it is the only Med School/Pre-Med University and attracts strong students who are keen to Pre=Med or STEM, ASU attracts STEM students, but UofA is the only Pre-med/Medical School and thus attracts better scoring Med School students, thats just a fact, Med Students tend to be higher scoring students.
The business school at ASU is good, I know professors there, I took Ex-Ed there (also at UofA), and they have a very strong benefactor in W.P. Carey. However Eller at UofA is, I believe stronger but lesser funded, However Economics and Entrepreneurship are very strong and the Careers office for Business students is excellent. from experience students from my sons High School do well at both, but I have to say (my son is not business) that UofA students find better Grad schools for MBA and graduate into often stronger 1st jobs, I have been very impressed with UofA students in general.</p>
<p>Finally you should consider where you will be after 4 years, Uof A provides in my opinion, the quintessential ‘American College Experience’ with a strong student body and very campus centric organisations, Greek life is excellent and provides great options, ASU does not provide the same.</p>
<p>Overall ASU is good but I have to say after my experiences UofA is better, with stronger Honors Program, Excellent Grad rate to Grad school, strong faculty, wonderful campus life and wholesome Greek Life, Your Choice!</p>
<p>Happy to relay more on both and answer questions, oh and UofA FinAid is better!</p>
Mainly ASU Barret is better funded and more well respected.