Deciding between U of A and ASU (Phoenix, Tucson: crime, homes)

[terrific-tom]

I know most of you probably won't know much about each school specifically, so I'm trying to get a feel for the two areas, in Tucson and Tempe respectively.

Which school has a more downtown feel, since it says on a couple websites that U of A's campus is in a more rural area, although I've heard others say it is in a pretty bad part of Tucson? How does Tempe compare to that previous question as well?

What area would you say is more scenic, and less crowded?

I've read alot of negative comments to go along with the positive comments about ASU as much as I try to block them out, with people saying that the campus in general is kind of run down, not well set up, and just not a very nice place to live or go to school. Would you say this is true?

Any other info you could give me would be great too. Thanks.

[Ponderosa]

I attended both of them at one time or another. Neither is in anything that remotely resembles a rural setting. Both are city universities. U of A surroundings are decidedly more trashy than ASU. ASU has some nice old homes and neighborhoods nearby. U of A is in a "Mexican" barrio. ASU is also located right next to the trendy Mill Avenue area - a touristy spot that hosts, among other things, one of the biggest new year's bashes in the country. UofA has student hangout area but it is just not in the same league. ASU wins on every count but two. First, the campus is ugly, spread out, has no cohesiveness, and is a bunch of architectural styles that reflect the trend of the day when they were built. UofA has much more character. Second, UofA is a respected university academically. It consistently ranks among the top public univs in the country. ASU is not a bad as its reputation as a party and football haven. But ASU just doesn't attract the top domestic and international students and grant money that UofA does and that is how they judge colleges. If I were coming from out of state and not looking for a particular major or academic excellence, I would choose ASU. I think it would be more enjoyable. And I say that as a true UofA alum and Wildcat!

[AndyJ]

I'm a student at U of A. I don't know much about ASU, and don't particularly buy into the whole rivalry thing between the two schools, but I can say that U of A has a nice campus, good facilities, and a lot of academic opportunities.

U of A isn't in a rural area, but neither does it have much of a downtown feel. University Ave. here doesn't seem to be nearly as trendy as Mill Ave. in Tempe does. There is certainly crime to speak of in the university area of Tucson, but it isn't pervasive, and most calls to police revolve around breaking up parties and maintaining noise ordinances.

Tucson has some nice recreational options, like Sabino Canyon, Mt. Lemmon, and Saguaro Nat'l Park. The city has its share of sprawl and traffic, but it's nothing like Phoenix in my opinion. At any rate, that's my two cents on U of A, I can't really make any comments one way or the other about ASU since I haven't spent much time in Tempe. Hope that helps.

[Idaho]

I agree with both above commentors on ASU vs. UofA, and just have this to add regarding the specific points you asked about:

RURAL? Neither one, but UofA might outrank ASU, as you are completely out of the city in 20-30 minutes no matter what direction you go. Tucson is in a smaller basin, so the mountains are closer and easier to get to and into.
However, near ASU - Camelback Mt. and other parks in the Phoenix area can make you feel as if you're in a rural area.

DOWNTOWN? Both Phoenix & Tucson have downtown night life, but of course there's more options in Phoenix, as it's much larger. Tucson is struggling to bring their nightlife up a few pegs, and frankly it is getting better, but that is only one person's opinion - our definitions of downtown might be very different. YOu should check them both out for yourself on weekend nights.

LESS CROWDED? Well, U of A has over 40,000 students enrolled this semester. That seems like a lot to me. Parking is a nightmare there; I surely know that.

RUN-DOWN? The neighborhoods surrounding the 2 colleges can't be compared at all. ASU wins that handsdown. But on the actual campus, well UofA has attempted to maintain a similar "blend" of architectural design for outer appearances, so it looks pretty good on campus. That might make ASU seem less upscale at first glance.

Another thing to seriously look at is the actual department and the advisory staff of the major you want. You should definitely visit both campuses, but with purpose - Make appointments to tour the department your major will be in & talk with the advisors at ASU and at UofA. The location, beauty, or access to rural areas might not seem quite such a big issue if the staff that are going to be your jr/sr/gradschool advisors aren't your kind of people or share your vision for your future - You are your own best advocate, so look out for yourself, and do your homework - talk, ask, see, get names, pick up detailed course catalogs - your everyday classroom experience is what will impact your degree and future more than the "place". Do they both even offer the major you want? ASU and UofA do not offer ALL the same degrees.

You've got a tough decision. They are both good schools. I have known many successful folks who studied (and some in programs now at both) at each college - all got careers just fine - but some changed colleges because the advisory staff for their major at one college just didn't work out for them.
Check them out. Ask questions. Make them EARN the tuition you'll pay, no matter where you'll end up. GOOD LUCK! You're asking great questions, and will do just fine - keep it up!!!! You'll go far

[afvet]

Ponderosa- you traitor!

tom,

I'm in graduate school at the U of A but don't know anything about ASU, other than it tends to rank lower academically than we do. The U of A campus is very nice but not in the best part of town.

The school attracts a lot of big name instructors and has many great programs, such as optics and business. A significant drawback is the availability of internships in town. I've become increasingly convinced that where you do your undergraduate work really doesn't matter. Experience in your field is much more important, and you're likely to have better options at ASU.

Parking is challenging and expensive. A year pass for one parking garage is about $450 and there are five or six garages across campus. You'll probably have some classes that are inconvenient to whatever one you chose. There are lots on and near campus that cost about $200 per year, but there are a lot of car break-ins. The school publishes a daily newspaper that lists on-campus crimes and most are non-violent -there a frequent reports of underage drinking, marijuana use and stolen property, especially bikes.

If you are from out of state, you may want to keep in mind that it's almost impossible to change your residency to in-state for tuition purposes. I don't know if this is specific to the U of A, or state wide.

Hope this helps.

[red sky]

Skip AZ altogether. Come out on vacation, then go to a real school with a nice collegiate environment--not our diploma mills surrounded by drug and immigration portals.

[micrguy]

The other part of your decision is what are you going to study. The AZ Board of Regents was trying to consolidate programs so that you would have one good program instead of three mediocre programs spread between NAU, UofA and ASU. So if you want a journalism degree go to ASU, but if you are interested in pre-med the U of A is the only place to go. So depending on what you are studying, the decision may already be made for you.

[Singlemom2specialneeds]

If all you care about is partying.. go to ASU
If you care about getting an education that shows you have intelligence.. go to UofA.

[gcfreak3001]

I'm considering both schools with the intention of majoring in business. I also would like to join a fraternity and have the feel of going to college. Which one would suit my needs better?

[Idaho]

ASU has a great rep for their business college.
I don't want to sound like the proverbial "broken record" . . . But . . .
You need to see advisory staff at both universities and check them out on-site.
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