Hi, Utah senior here deciding between University of Utah and University of Arizona. I plan to major in physics and double major in another STEM field (computer science or biology), and be involved in the arts. I want to eventually get a Ph.D. and work as a research scientist.
I want a school with plenty of undergraduate research opportunities and flexibility to explore different fields. I like being part of clubs, serving in the community, and having access to the outdoors. I value diversity and want to meet new people from all over. Weather and size are not considerations.
University of Arizona:
Arizona Distinction Award—so total board and fees ~14k
Accepted into Honors College
Pros:
New area
Diverse student body
Awesome research opportunities with NASA
Seems very friendly
Cons:
11 hours from home
Has a party school reputation
University of Utah:
Flagship Scholarship—so total board and fees ~15k
Accepted into Honors College
Pros:
30 min from home
Nice public transportation
Aunt and uncle familiar with school
Many friends are attending
Cons:
Don’t really like Utah culture—want new opportunities
Campus is on a hill
If anyone’s familiar with either school I’d love learning about your experience with research opportunities and the campus culture.
If your primary emphasis is physics, then computer science will be much more useful as a secondary subject (you do not necessarily have to complete an entire second major in it) than biology, both as a supporting subject for physics (writing computer programs to analyze large amounts of data, etc.) and for helping with backup career directions (many physics graduates at the BA/BS and PhD level end up working in computing).
Since U of U is 30 min from home, I presume that you are well aware of all its non-academic advantages and disadvantages (location, outdoor recreation, culture).
If I were you, I’d take Arizona, just for the chance to try living in Tucson, instead of SLC. It’s not that I have anything against the U of Utah or living in SLC - there are many wonderful things about the U and SLC and the outdoor recreation opportunities there. But SLC is isolated, geographically and culturally, from the rest of the country. I’d welcome the opportunity to try someplace else.
Make sure you check any other differences in cost, such as health insurance (will your policy from Utah cover you in Arizona or will you need to take the U of A policy at $2700+ per year?) and travel (will you want to take a car to Tucson?).
Our experience at Utah as an OOS family (in CA) has been very positive, because of the outdoor activities, but I can see how familiarity may breed contempt. It has not been a problem at all to be a liberal atheist there. The dorms are amazing (especially compared to our UCs) though the food is poor.
Some of the students from our high school who went to Arizona were interested in partying, others were simply chasing merit. But they were mostly not so wealthy as those who went to Boulder or Oregon (which are much more expensive OOS). They seem happy with their choice, though the heat took some getting used to.
Just to add, Utah has very generous grading (hence the 3.5 GPA renewal cutoff for the merit scholarships, which is a concern to some scholarship winners because it is way higher than other universities). No idea about Arizona but it is something to look into if you might want to do something that is grade sensitive (law, medical school, etc.).
Also it may or may not be worth considering that after college it will be much easier to find a local job in SLC than in Tucson. Seems common to go from U of Arizona to Southern California though. That may or may not be a relevant factor.
We took the policy from the U ($2100 this year) for coverage in SLC as it was better and cheaper than our existing California policy. Utah doesn’t force you to demonstrate health insurance coverage (unlike the UCs). I don’t know what Arizona’s requirements are (for example sometimes you have to show there is a doctor/hospital that is in-network within a certain distance of the university: the UCs are notorious for making it quite hard to waive coverage)
Good to know! UofA has a 3.0 GPA requirement, but I’m planning to maintain a high GPA no matter what.
I’m looking to go to graduate school after my undergrad (obtain a Ph.D.) at a top university, so the job market in an area is less of a concern for me.
One thing that has impressed me is how good a job Utah do of helping top students to win prestigious graduate scholarships like the Churchill: 2020 Churchill Scholar | College of Science
The book Inside Honors compiles a lot of info to build a score for each Honors College listed. It’s not for everyone but I think it is worth reading if you want to compare Honors Colleges.
You can read the preface of the 2020-2021 edition on Amazon using the “look inside” feature. By the way U of AZ is one of the Honors Colleges listed in the 2020-2021 edition, so look at that edition rather than the previous one to get the latest info on U of AZ.
Utah is listed in the 2016 edition. You could buy that edition used on Amazon for pretty cheap.
SIL is a physic prof. (PhD) at a brand name university in SoCal. (field- quantum information.) DH was (before retirement) a PhD senior research scientist at a National Research Lab. (field-condensed matter)
Both agree that Arizona is a stronger physics program with a better reputation among physics grad schools.
I’m familiar with the U and it’s outdoor access is awesome! Tuscon will be a very different experience. Smaller city with a very different climate and different culture. If it gets below 50 degrees, everyone breaks out the wool hats and down jackets… There is outdoor access in Tuscon, but the type of outdoor experience will not be the big, green mountain/ winter skiing experience. Nor the red rock, big canyon experience. It’s a drier, more typically desert experience. Rock climbing/hiking in the south Arizona area is pretty good.
The U of A Honors program looked amazing when we toured last week! The dorm is brand new and has a dining hall on the first floor (the other dorms don’t have any dining so that’s a huge perk) plus the new Rec center is steps away from the dorm. It’s a bit farther from campus but not too far.
