<p>Ok, so I have been really set on going to the University of Arizona, but my dad is telling me not to waste my time applying there, because he thinks i should go to FSU. hes pretty narrow minded when it comes to universities he knows nothing about.</p>
<p>So what i really want to know is what do you guys think, which is a better school?</p>
<p>I know UA is considered to be a public ivy, when FSU is not. i also know that FSU would be better for my family financially because i live in florida. but thats basically it when it comes to comparing the two.</p>
<p>what do you want to major in? My son’s half brother graduated from Virginia Tech and that was my son’s number one choice and he did get accetpted there. When we went to their open house we met their associate Dean of Business. She got her undergrad at FSU. My son wanted to major in business and specifically, accounting. When I asked her if she thought VA Tech was worth the at least $90,000 more it would cost to go there, she was conflicted but admitted they considered FSU a peer school. I laid out the finances for my son. I told him I could see paying for VA Tech if he wanted to be an engineer or an architect because they have very highly ranked programs, but for business, unless he was going to Wharton or Harvard, I couldn’t see much difference between the two schools. I told him if he went to FSU there’d be more money available to help with graduate school or to study abroad. If he stays in accounting and does a 5th year, he’ll have the money to go virtually anywhere he wants. I emailed the business department at FSU and asked if someone could meet with us when we went up for a long weekend. I heard from them within hours and a meeting was set. The business adviser met with us for over an hour then gave us a tour of the business school. That made my son comfortable in deciding to go to FSU. He’s happy at FSU (but still a VA Tech football fan–unless they go head to head in ACC championship.) The point is, if there’s a compelling reason to go out of state, that’s one thing, but FSU is an excellent school and you can get a fine education.<br>
I should add that I was never a big supporter of the Florida university system, and always assumed he’d go out of state. However, I have been very impressed with FSU and their accounting dept. is ranked very well, and financially, it made sense for him to stay in state for undergraduate. I’ve discovered that even in Florida, college costs more than I expected.</p>
<p>Arizona is a fine school. Is it really any better than FSU? I doubt it. </p>
<p>The term “public ivy” is over used. I suspect that every major public university wants to consider itself a public ivy. I think that the term is ridiculous and should not be used by an intelligent person. The Ivy League is world renown and holds a special place among institutions of higher learning; however, they may not always provide the best education possible. They distinguish themselves because they can take the best of the best students and put them on the same campus. Can the University of Arizona do that? NO. </p>
<p>Research both universities carefully. Find concrete reasons that UA is superior to FSU, in your desired field. Then, present the facts to your father. Good luck.</p>