University of Arizona (military, education, teaching)

[I Like Flip-Flops]

UA is a top twenty public school with stated goals by the university president of firmly being in the top ten. Whether this is by reputation or research dollars I don't know.... I do know there is a great med school, law school, business school, diverse student body, and D-1 athletics, which all contribute to a great undergraduate environment and further opportunities.

[smarty]

According to US News and World Report UofA rank 45 in public Universities in the US. With acceptance rate at 80%, I doubt it would be in the top 10 any time soon. There may be some programs in the top 10 or 20.

Best Colleges - Education - US News and World Report

[city_data91]

Does anyone know anything about the Geography program? Some parts of the website say they have a BS and a BA program but other parts say they only have a BA program.

[I Like Flip-Flops]

Originally Posted by smarty

According to US News and World Report UofA rank 45 in public Universities in the US. With acceptance rate at 80%, I doubt it would be in the top 10 any time soon. There may be some programs in the top 10 or 20.

Best Colleges - Education - US News and World Report

There are other rankings besides US News. I would point you to:
Research- The Center for Measuring University Performance
You can download a pdf at the above site which explains in great detail the objective ranking system they used which puts UA in the 14-18 tier. You can also see that by research dollars, UA is 11th of public universities, 10th if you don't include UCSF, a pure graduate medical school.

Also,
Academic Ranking of World Universities - 2008

This organization ranks universities throughout the world, and by their measurement, UA is 23rd of American public schools, 48th of all schools public and private in North America. I believe global impact was what they tried to measure here.

UA and ASU's ranking is low in the US News algorithm due to the fact that their acceptance rates are so high, as you pointed out. This obviously does not say anything about the quality of the faculty or the degree of scholarship that is generated. These other rankings place more weight on these measures.

Just an aside about US News-apparently they changed from a weekly to a monthly magazine over the past year. They are going to focus more on their ranking specials, as well as other specials which they routinely put out, e.g. "Mysteries of the Bible", "Secrets of the DaVinci Code (Special Movie Edition)", "Women of the Bible", "Secrets of Faith", and so on. Pretty high-falutin' scholarship and journalism going on over there...

[smarty]

Thanks... Great info

I see UofA rank much higher than CalTech and Carnegie Mellon. This report shows Size matters. The ranking will be much different if they normalized by the number of students or grad students.

Unfortunately, Research Universities often do not indicate how good the education an undergrad gets. However, I'm sure UofA students are getting a great education for the $$$ spend. When one in four freshman need remedial math before taking college-level algebra... it is sad. I hope they continue to work hard so they graduate. I heard only 80% of kids return sophomore year (collegeboard.com).

[smarty]

I think they have both, but do check... call them up...
BA
http://geog.arizona.edu/undergraduate/ba.php
BS
http://geog.arizona.edu/undergraduate/bsgeog.php

[I Like Flip-Flops]

True, size matters and it would be interesting to see, say, the average grant dollars pulled in, or a publishing "impact quotient" per faculty member.

Though when it comes down to it, IMO, education is at least 80% what you put into it.
Though there are differences between schools as far as how easy it is to skate by without challenge-some more "competitive" environments require you to care more about your education, while at UA it may be more one's own choice, more ability to make of it what one will.
It also depends what you're studying: e.g. orgo is orgo no matter where you are.

There is definitely too much chaff in the incoming classes that separate themselves within a year. Pathetic, I agree. There are too many of these kids across the country who see education merely as a hoop to jump through to make more money...many also have a sense of entitlement toward success, and they expect to be led by the hand there because they are so very cute and special

But, getting back to the O.P, if you're going to attend a school in the southwest, go to UA.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by I Like Flip-Flops

Though when it comes down to it, IMO, education is at least 80% what you put into it.
Though there are differences between schools as far as how easy it is to skate by without challenge-some more "competitive" environments require you to care more about your education, while at UA it may be more one's own choice, more ability to make of it what one will.

I agree 100%.

Originally Posted by I Like Flip-Flops

It also depends what you're studying: e.g. orgo is orgo no matter where you are.

As one of my professor says... the difference between engineering program at MIT and a second tier school is speed in which material is covered. MIT teaches the same basic topics in a semester but they have much more depth and breath. Their students have the ability to absorb and process quicker.

[city_data91]

I got a scholarship at New Mexico State and now I get in state tuition at NMSU. It would be much cheaper than Arizona. But I haven't made a final decision yet. I like Arizona slightly more but would be happy at either college. Should I choose NMSU because it's so much cheaper? Are there any reasons why I should choose Arizona anyway even though it's more expensive?

[smarty]

No one can decide for you... You have to ask yourself why you want to go to that field.... that school.

Money is important to some... but not so important to others....
Campus life is important to some ... but not to others...

As I said before... they have high acceptance rate.... being accepted is only a start.... I suggest go talk with their professor (Advisor). His or her guidance is most important to your career (especially in science). I would also look at the credentials of professors, what are their accomplishment, Is that area of Geography you want to study, ....

Also, ask about the college use of lecturer. Many colleges are cutting cost by using lecturer (usually only with MS or MA instead of PHd.)



Good luck