University of Arizona (I would be indebted for your aid) (Tucson: apartments, rentals)

[OhSnap!]

Hello kind people I have many questions regarding this institution , but before I ask I would like to project a few facts about myself.

I'm 16 years old and I'm currently in my senior year completing the IB program. I was born in Los Angeles, California but I've been living in the Middle East (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) for 15 years. I have always aspired to become a surgeon and researched extensively for good institutions that suit me. Upon my research I have found that becoming a doctor in Europe is radically different then becoming a doctor in NA. In Europe medicine may be taken as an undergraduate course with a duration of 5 to 6 years, whereas in NA medicine is a graduate course in which you must complete an undergraduate course to apply. Knowing this I applied to an Irish university called RCSI and fortunately I was offered a place. Until I irrationally changed my mind and decided that I don't want to study anywhere but the US. To my misfortune it was too late for me because most universities deadlines passed. I found out about UA and applied directly after I found out it had a late deadline.

My questions to you are:

- First of all, is UA a good university academically?

- Is it known as a good university?

- Is it safe?

I had this plan in my mind where I would apply to UA and transfer to a university in California ,which is an area where I am more familiar with and love dearly,examples of universities I would transfer to are USC or UCLA

- Is the above statement reasonable?

Naturally since I'm doing pre-med my major is biology.

- Is the biology program in UA good?


THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! I will be indebted if you answer my questions.

PS: Please don't flame me

[Kevin J]

My first impression is that if you are only 16, you may want to just wait a year to apply directly to the schools in California that you would prefer to attend. Students in the US generally do not begin their university studies until age 18. There are exceptions, but you're already ahead of the curve, so waiting a year would not put you behind your peers here.

If you really are committed to starting your undergraduate studies immediately, here are the answers to your questions about the University of Arizona:

- First of all, is UA a good university academically? It's not Harvard, but among public universities, it is better than most. In national rankings, U of A is generally listed in the top 100 colleges and universities in the US.

- Is it known as a good university? Yes, U of A's national reputation matches its actual quality.

- Is it safe? Tucson and the university area are reasonably safe for the average male student. Women probably need to be more concerned being out after dark alone or living alone. But this is true in virtually every large city in the US.

As long as your grades at the U of A are good (probably 3.5 on a 4.0 scale or better) your transfer chances are probably very good. Keep in mind, though that all of the public universities in California give admission priority to state residents. Having beeen born in LA, are you still a legal resident of California? If so, that will help a lot with the California public schools.

I can't speak to the quality of the biology department at U of A.

[OhSnap!]

Originally Posted by Kevin J

My first impression is that if you are only 16, you may want to just wait a year to apply directly to the schools in California that you would prefer to attend. Students in the US generally do not begin their university studies until age 18. There are exceptions, but you're already ahead of the curve, so waiting a year would not put you behind your peers here.

If you really are committed to starting your undergraduate studies immediately, here are the answers to your questions about the University of Arizona:

- First of all, is UA a good university academically? It's not Harvard, but among public universities, it is better than most. In national rankings, U of A is generally listed in the top 100 colleges and universities in the US.

- Is it known as a good university? Yes, U of A's national reputation matches its actual quality.

- Is it safe? Tucson and the university area are reasonably safe for the average male student. Women probably need to be more concerned being out after dark alone or living alone. But this is true in virtually every large city in the US.

As long as your grades at the U of A are good (probably 3.5 on a 4.0 scale or better) your transfer chances are probably very good. Keep in mind, though that all of the public universities in California give admission priority to state residents. Having been born in LA, are you still a legal resident of California? If so, that will help a lot with the California public schools.

I can't speak to the quality of the biology department at U of A.

First of all I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being the first one to answer most of my questions

As long as I'm getting a quality education I guess it will not matter if I transfer or not (but I'm leaning towards transferring) .Yes I am still considered a resident so I guess I should be quite grateful I may get some sort of leverage. Though I'm still mystified towards the quality of the biology program in UA. Do you think I can get all my pre-med necessities from the biology program?

Again I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to answer my questions

I hope a few more people give me their input

[CodyW]

U of A is known in state as the university FOR medical programs, I believe. So you're probably good to go in that sense.

The university has a pretty good reputation; gaining recognition nationally for it's involvement in certain NASA missions, and such.

As for safety, I don't think you'll have a problem in Tucson. The area around the university LOOKS far worse than it is - But just play it safe, and use common sense.

[OhSnap!]

Originally Posted by CodyW

U of A is known in state as the university FOR medical programs, I believe. So you're probably good to go in that sense.

The university has a pretty good reputation; gaining recognition nationally for it's involvement in certain NASA missions, and such.

As for safety, I don't think you'll have a problem in Tucson. The area around the university LOOKS far worse than it is - But just play it safe, and use common sense.

Well if that is the case I am most definitely reassured right now.
(Just in case the transfers won't work out)

I too have heard about the recently successfully NASA mission , which highly intrigued me!

I'm getting the feeling Tucson is not as safe as I thought it was initially. Thanks for the heads up about that

Thank you so much Cody W for taking your time to reply and help me out.

You rock!

[azdr0710]

have you already been accepted into the UA for this next fall?....16 is young to be starting college, but you may be very mature and able to make the transition.....

are you familiar with US customs and habits?....sounds like you may have some US relatives or something....however, there are many foreign students at the UA, so may not be a problem....actually, a big variety of students exist here....rich, spoiled kids, ex-military, foreign, lots of grad students, serious students, everything....

I started the UA when I was 17 years and 10 months old...wasn't a problem for me.....

the UA is a good public school....you'll be taking basic courses the first year that don't really apply to your major, like English, Math, PE, so blaze your way thru these and stay focused on the future....

see if you can find a counselor to advise you on the best sequence to follow....have you checked on the CA transferring options for later and what you need to do?....or would you like to wait a year and go right to CA schools?....the med school is very good at the UA, too.....

the area around the UA, as one here said, is not that great-looking.....it's in an old part of town and somewhat crowded-feeling....lots of junky rentals, apartments.....as with anywhere in the world, be aware of your surroundings, use common sense, don't leave valuables unattended, lock your bike and doors..........

[OhSnap!]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

have you already been accepted into the UA for this next fall?....16 is young to be starting college, but you may be very mature and able to make the transition.....

are you familiar with US customs and habits?....sounds like you may have some US relatives or something....however, there are many foreign students at the UA, so may not be a problem....actually, a big variety of students exist here....rich, spoiled kids, ex-military, foreign, lots of grad students, serious students, everything....

I started the UA when I was 17 years and 10 months old...wasn't a problem for me.....

the UA is a good public school....you'll be taking basic courses the first year that don't really apply to your major, like English, Math, PE, so blaze your way thru these and stay focused on the future....

see if you can find a counselor to advise you on the best sequence to follow....have you checked on the CA transferring options for later and what you need to do?....or would you like to wait a year and go right to CA schools?....the med school is very good at the UA, too.....

the area around the UA, as one here said, is not that great-looking.....it's in an old part of town and somewhat crowded-feeling....lots of junky rentals, apartments.....as with anywhere in the world, be aware of your surroundings, use common sense, don't leave valuables unattended, lock your bike and doors..........

Yup! And I think I'm mature enough to handle myself.

You are 100% correct all of my uncles and cousins reside in California. I have a few cousins in UC Berkley also another few in UCLA, Cal Poly and UCR. Moreover my family and I visit CA almost every summer which is why I'm quite familiar with almost everything there .

Yup I have checked all the procedures of all the CA universities I'm interested in transferring to. I just wanted to make sure it was reasonable and not impossible I doubt I will wait a year because I have worked so hard to achieve an IB diploma. I just don't think waiting another year is an option. I also heard another individual praising UA's med school so I really wouldn't mind staying in UA .

Thank you for the heads up! I'll surely hold on to your advice.

AZDR I can't thank you enough for taking your time to help me out If people in Arizona are anything like you and the other kind people who helped me out. I guess I will not leave UA

[azdr0710]

not everybody can be as nice as us....

[OhSnap!]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

not everybody can be as nice as us....

I understand that.