After months of acceptances and rejections from the 24 schools I’ve applied to, my decision has come down to University of Florida and ASU-Barrett. I’m really having trouble choosing between these two and I’d really appreciate any help or insight!! UF is much more highly ranked, but I’m not in honors college there. ASU-Barrett is well-respected but not ranked as high as UF. I would definitely get a more personal experience with ASU-Barrett, but I do want to go on to graduate school and law school afterwards so I need a well-respected undergrad. I’d be a business major and they are both tied at #27 for business (US News).
Any help/opinions/insight would be greatly appreciated!!!
@JackM82 UF is about $42k and ASU is about $33k. I’ve grown up in the southeast and always kind of pictured myself at a big SEC school, but I was blown away by ASU when I visited this past week. I don’t have any preference to where I want to live after graduation. I’d really like to graduate from a school with a reputation that would be respected just about anywhere.
Interesting question. I graduated from ASU in the 80’s and I can honestly tell you that this will really depend on where you see yourself now as well as after school. Based on your screen name, it seems that you live in Georgia which is where I live now (Atlanta). Right after college, I got a job in consumer sales working for Colgate/Palmolive Many of friends got great jobs straight out of school. I know a lot of things have changed things then, but I believe that it will be what you make it to be. If you are planning in staying in the SE after you graduate, Florida will probably be the better choice. It is the better known school in the area and probably the more reputable one as well at least here in the SE
Now, there is a world of difference between Gainesville and Tempe/Phoenix I enjoyed being in a larger city and living in one of the most unique parts of the world. The Grand Canyon, Vegas, and Southern Cal was within a 4 to 5 hours… This was a huge plus as I got to experience all these great places during my college years. Having said all that, my rising senior is looking at all her options right now Florida is at the top of her list as well as UGA and a few other OOS Public. ASU is not one of them although we are still a few months away. Right now you are looking at close to $40K for the 4 years.which is quite a difference. However, travel cost will be higher going from GA to AZ…although is hard to say no to the honors college… I had no regrets going to ASU. I think is going to come down to suburbs/city vs college town and where you see yourself after school. Besides all the instate Arizona kids, the majority of the students at ASU are from California and the Midwest. UF is pretty much Florida kids.
@mikemac Thank you so much for your advice! It is very helpful! My dad works with several people who went to ASU and had great job offers even before graduating and you and your friends’ experiences definitely prove that I would be in a good situation job-wise after graduating. Also, thank you for your point about law school. I have heard that advice about having a higher GPA and writing skills, but it helps to hear it again!
Both good schools. Just a quick note - I would think ASU is even cheaper than $33k - with Barrett level stats (not crazy high) I would think you would qualify for the Presidential scholarship bringing COA closer to $26k. Know Barrett adds to the cost but hopefully not too much. Anyways good luck with two very good choices.
Where you go to undergrad certainly IS relevant if you go to law school, it is just not important to the level that many elite-school enthusiasts would like you to believe.
First, unless you apply to a law school with stats-driven admission, a “holistic” review of your admission profile will certainly include some weighing of the “quality” of your undergraduate degree. If you attend State U (not in top 50) and are competing for that last admission slot with a kid who attended Williams College, and you have equal grades and test scores, there is a high likelihood that the Williams alum will get the slot. Of course, all things rarely are equal, so this is not a HUGE issue in most cases.
Second, and more importantly, recruiting by large law firms is driven by the summer clerkship interview system, which occurs in the fall of your second year of law school. At that point, you will only have one year’s worth of grades and few (if any) extracurriculars (most of your major stuff is second and third years, like Law Review, trial and moot court competitions, etc.). When law firms look at candidates, where you went to undergrad and how well you did matters, because it may say quite a bit about your long-term success as a lawyer (given you have only been in law school one year). If you try for the rare clerkship available for the summer after your first year, you would be interviewed after only your first semester of law school, so where you went to school looms even larger.
My point is not to say that going into tremendous debt for a “name” on your diploma is always worth it. I see far more young lawyers, armed with two private school diplomas, burdened by debt to the point of it driving their career and family choices against their own dreams and desires. But, I am also tired of people coming on this forum and repeating the refrain that “where you go to undergrad” does not matter, because it can and sometimes does.
With that being said, everyone in the SE has heard of Arizona State, and everyone out west has heard of Florida, so do not overrate the regional impact of either name. Personally, being in the honors college is worth quite a bit on your resume, and also means in practice that you will get more attention and have a better academic experience during your undergrad years. In the long, long run, how hard you work and how much you learn is what really matters, so I would prioritize learning experiences that will push you and make you better than simply give you a decent grade. Going to a good school can get you an interview, and sometimes even the job, but if you cannot perform at your work you will be fired, and if you excel you will be promoted, whether you went to Harvard or to NE South Dakota State.
All law schools will know Barrett. It’s a top 10 honors college. Its students receive an excellent education and personalized advising.
UF is more homogeneous - classes won’t e as personalized as Barrett 's not will be the opportunities as easy to get, but the average class will be better than the non Barrett class.
I’d take Barrett because after all you’ll be able to balance your schedule relatively easily and since you’ll need to care about your GPA, I think that balance between challenge in Barrett and easiness in lower level classes at asu will be good for your plans.
If you don’t know about it already, if you are in Barrett at ASU, you have the option of taking part in Project Excellence. This will allow to potential take Law School courses during your undergrad years.
My DS is in a similar situation. He is trying to decide between U of MN-TC (no Honors, yet) versus ASU and Barrett. He is going to major in Mech Eng as an undergrad but is planning on going to Law School after graduation.
IMHO, Barrett is really special, and well worth the travel as compared to being among the masses at UF. Being in a big metro area during undergrad is also a big advantage for internships. If Barrett is actually cheaper, for me this would be an easy call.
Thanks to @my2caligirls@gouf78@BooBooBear@MYOS1634@Tribruin@Hanna !! Your responses have been extremely helpful! I just returned from visiting both UF and ASU and learned A LOT about each school (UF would allow me to merge my undergrad classes with Master’s level classes and receive my bachelor’s and master’s degree in only four years) but then ASU is starting their new full-ride MBA that I’d have to compete for…