My DS has been accepted at UCR and ASU for Business. He is leaning toward ASU but is reluctant to pass up a UC. He hasn’t visited either campus but says he doesn’t want to choose based on that. To him, it’s more about which will provide him with better business connections and where will he enjoy the college experience.
UC Riverside
Pros:
Part of the UC system (possibly a better reputation than ASU)
In-state Tuition (Total cost covered by 529 funds)
Beaches and nice towns 45 minutes away (that could end up being too far though)
Cons:
Possibly not as social as he’d like
Not much to do in Riverside itself
ASU
Pros:
Seems to be a better fit socially
Business school has a better reputation than UCR (I think)
Cons:
OOS Tuition means he’d owe $25K after 4 years (His 529 will have run out)
The “everyone gets in” reputation
Neutrals: I know ASU is really hot, but we live in a hot climate already so that’s not an issue. I know ASU is huge but that doesn’t bother him either (though he really doesn’t know what that means). He’s outgoing and resourceful and thinks it sounds like fun.
I’d pick UCR and offer to cover a study abroad program (even if he doesn’t major in international business, the experience of living in an environment where you discover your assumptions about how things work will stretch his mind in a way that’ll make him more creative and adaptable in the business world.) Possibly in a cool rainy place that’s also big for business, like Dublin or Amsterdam or Paris, if he likes “weather”
Check out the Career center at Riverside and ASU: what services do they offer? How much support do they offer freshmen with their resumes and interview skills? Sophomores seeking internships in the region it’s located in, in LA or SD specifically, elsewhere? How are the career fairs organized, which companies come? How easy is it to add a non business minor (statistics)?
Uh, distance is REALLY different from actual traffic if you are taking the 91 into “town” to the coastal cities. Traffic is unpredictable, but I know from traveling often on the 91, that there is always something delaying getting to the coast. Yes, they upgraded the 91, but the multiple transitions, to the other freeways, are often bogged down, even in the evening. He won’t be going to the beach too often because it’s just such a hassle.
He should expect to be sitting in traffic, more than an hour, on a sunny day. Plus, trying to find parking at Laguna or Newport will be an issue. Maybe there are beach shuttles on the weekend from the school.
I’m in North San Diego County and we’re 15 minutes from the ocean. If there is no fog, nor overcast skies, then we know that traffic to the beach will be tough. It’s a hassle to find parking.
I lived in Riverside for a bit - this underestimates the time. With normal traffic it will be an hour or more. With rush hour traffic that would be another hour.
There are really nice places to hike within 30 minutes, but the beach isn’t.
@kmilano , our DD passed up UCSB,UCSD, and Cal Poly SLO to go to ASU and loves it.
The business school at ASU has a very good reputation, certainly better than UCR’s, and it’s probably the highest ranked department at the school. A number of areas are ranked in the Top 10 according to US News and the whole program is #24 (UCR is #90). We live in SoCal in a beach town so this is something different for my DD.
You would be lucky to get to the beaches in 45 minutes from UCR. More like an hour to 1:15. UCR has never struck me as a place where a lot is happening.
We just visited our daughter at ASU last week. There is a ton of things happening in Tempe and also Phoenix. Sure, it’s hot for August and September, but the rest of the year there is very good weather.
$25K is not a lot of debt. If it were $50K, then I would give it pause.
The OP mention’s ASU’s “everyone gets in” reputation like it’s a bad thing. But I would say that it reflects a different organizational philosophy, not low standards. Arizona’s public university system is organized somewhat differently than California’s. Arizona does not have a second tier of public universities comparable to the CSU system in CA. ASU has made it an essential part of its mission statement to create broad public access to learners at all levels. ASU’s Mission Statement says: “ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed . . .” https://president.asu.edu/asu-mission-goals#charter-video. Thus ASU has multiple campuses and offers many different paths for students. Barrett Honors College, WP Carey School of Business, the Fulton engineering school, the Cronkite journalism school, the Sandra O’Connor Law School are all well ranked. ASU's top academic programs keep climbing in world rankings. There are great resources and opportunities for ambitious, high achieving students as well as space for the struggling student who may need extra time and support to succeed.
The OOS tuition and required debt is a huge knock for ASU. Between the 2, UCR seems like the clear choice. Are these the only schools that admitted him?
Congrats and a wise choice. Our daughter had an internship with Skechers last summer. She’s looking at other internships this summer, including with Lucid, Tesla’s competitor.
I’d recommend looking at the Supply Chain Management major. ASU is #2 in the country, according to US News. These days, it’s a very hot major.
Btw, I just drove by UC Riverside today out to our home in the Beach Cities. 1.5 hours on a Sunday.
In part, this is enabled by Arizona’s concentrated state population, where the Phoenix metro includes the majority of the state population, and much of the rest is in Tucson metro. So making the two flagship level universities also broad access commuter universities makes sense. (Hawaii is another state with similar population concentration.)
