Dad here assisting daughter with college choice this spring… pre-business…business administration, accounting, health care. From NY…Do you have any considerations, recommendations, experience, or advice??? Thank you! University of Arizona or TCU
TCU (22k scholarship, no financial aid)
University of Arizona (20k scholarship, no financial aid)
Fort Worth is a really nice city, and TCU is in arguably the best part of town. The City of Fort Worth and its residents really support the school. There are a lot of fantastic museums, a great zoo, and many other cultural offerings within minutes of the campus.
For a private school, it is pretty laid back and not anywhere near as preppy as its neighbor 30 miles to the east in Dallas (SMU). The Greek scene is a big part of campus life at TCU, but I am sure there are plenty of students who have found their “people” without it.
TCU has great athletics for a private school. They consistently compete for championships in the Big 12 and nationally…especially in football and baseball. This, of course, is relevant only if school spirit and lively Saturday afternoons on campus are important to your daughter.
Since cost influences people differently and “worth” is a very subjective term, I will not try to argue whether TCU is worth the extra money. I will say that it has a good business school which will offer its graduates a realistic chance of landing a good job in the robust Dallas-Fort Worth economy.
I have no opinion on TCU’s reputation throughout the rest of the country (including NY). I am sure you can answer that question.
If i’m calculating this right, TCU is $10K more.
Both are fine names. They’re not Harvard…but they’re both very respectable.
I’d say fit and money are more in line.
TCU is in the huge Dallas Metroplex - but not in Dallas…doesn’t even sound like it’s in main Ft. Worth. U of A is in a busy city…not far from downtown.
Texas is - well not lots to see. Tucson has scenery, hiking, etc. all around it.
TCU is mid size, Arizona is large.
There’s many differences - which one is for you.
If money is a factor, that’s part of your answer right there.
btw - I know U of A has had funding issues. Will that ruin the quality of their education? Don’t know. Lots of places have funding issues these days - but you might look into it.
Being from Texas, I’m partial to TCU. Fort Worth is a nice city with a lot of culture. The campus is just a few miles outside of downtown. There’s nearby lakes and rivers to do outdoorsy stuff. Texas is hot as hell in the summer…and it gets miserably humid too. Personally, I find the dry heat of the Tucson desert more tolerable than Texas, but after a certain point it’s just freakin’ HOT!
Apparently, it snows in Texas too 
I promise, that big freeze last month was a freak of nature! Northerners laugh at us…and for good reason. We suck at cold weather. But she can expect snow days if it actually does gets cold…and the power is still on.
Nobody does BBQ better than Texas! NOBODY! Period…end of story! We don’t use BBQ sauce because we don’t need it. Brisket and sausage stand on it’s own! Mexican food…same story!
Hope this helps.
Thank you so much for the response and information. I appreciate the comments and they are helpful in the process!
What did you end up choosing?