Last time q: U of A v ASU

Mario2144 · 04-25-2008, 02:31 PM

I am an out-of-stater and everyone says that U of A has a better reputation. I loved the campus at ASU, but I am afraid that the academics at ASU is not up to par with U of A. Can anyone help me with insights so I can make an informed decision?

Christian2 · 04-25-2008, 03:10 PM

Mario, I think ASU Honors will be better than UA with or without Honors College. My son was admitted to both UA and ASU honors college, and between the two he likes ASU better.

Mario2144 · 04-26-2008, 07:21 AM

Thanks Christian2. However, WHY did he like ASU better? What about the better "reputation" u of A has? Will that make a difference when I go out into the job market?

Hamadeh · 04-26-2008, 09:47 AM

ASU Honors college is one of the best in the west, ASU W.P. Carey is also one of the best in the west for business, The only good thing U of A has to offer is their medical school and astronomy.

broetchen · 04-26-2008, 11:03 AM

Can you be in ASU Honors college and the business school at the same time?

rainmama · 04-26-2008, 11:46 AM

^^ Yes. You take an honors core curriculum and do a thesis/senior project to graduate with the honors designation. You also would do your business major concurrently, and it's very likely some of your business courses would be honors-only sections, so you would receive honors credits for those.

Mario2144 · 04-26-2008, 02:51 PM

Thanks for everyone's help. However, how come U of A has an overall better reputation for academics (ex; US News & World Report higher rating)? I heard ASU's rep is one big community college?

Hamadeh · 04-26-2008, 03:46 PM

Cause ASU is not that great if you just want to go to college, and you dont know what to do, but if you go to Journalism, Business School W.P. Carey will own it, with better proffesors and better facilities, and a better reputation.

worried_mom · 04-26-2008, 04:25 PM

ASU is still trying to overcome its "party school" reputation from 10 - 15 years ago, when Playboy Magazine put it on its top 10 list. And it is true that in those days, the brightest students staying in-state automatically headed to Tucson.

Things are very different at ASU now -- but that old reputation is proving hard to shake off. President Michael Crow has really put lots of emphasis on upgrading the academics at ASU and building new research facilities to help attract outstanding professors. He has also given lots of attention to upgrading the honors college (and the $10 million from the Barretts certainly helped there!)

If you compare the student profiles (GPAs, class rank, test scores) for both schools now, you'll see that they are pretty much the same. In some fields (engineering, music, architecture/design, and business), ASU has better undergraduate programs than UA. However, to be fair, UA is definitely still the better school for astronomy, physics, and life sciences.

Christian2 · 04-26-2008, 04:41 PM

Mario, funding is one of the major difference. The funding to Barrett is greater than those to UA honors college. When we visited ASU a couple months ago, the students in the honors college said there are a lot of scholarships and opportunities for Barrett students. They are being sought after by employers in the Phoenix area. They are viewed as the best in ASU and being treated that way as well.

OaksMom · 04-26-2008, 05:53 PM

Mario, we too considered and looked at both schools recently. Consider the business opportunities you will have in the greater Tempe/Phoenix area. You will have many choices for internships, jobs etc. imo. We (as a family) liked ASU better...and it will be easier to get to as well with the airport very close to campus.

rainmama · 04-26-2008, 06:16 PM

As Dean Jacobs likes to say, Barrett has the top 2700 college students in a city of 4 million people. Businesses and government agencies come to Barrett all the time looking for interns because these students have proven to be very talented. The opportunities seem extraordinary.

Mario2144 · 04-27-2008, 10:52 AM

Thanks for all the info, but I have not yet been admitted to the ASU honors program. My concern is if I do NOT get into Barrett, what would be the advantage of ASU over Uof A? I do not know what I want to major in yet, so the fact that each school is rated higher in certain majors doesn't factor in to my decision. If I don't get into Barrett, I want to go to the school that is more prestigious and recognized. HELP!!!

Hamadeh · 04-27-2008, 07:07 PM

Well then they are still about the same, I guess U of A sounds better when you say it to people, but if you decide Business or Journalism or even Enginnering more prestigious is ASU W.P. Carey School of Business or Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Media or the Ira A Fulton School of Engineering.

BTW I dont think you should choose a school for prestige, prestige is more like Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Standford.

Go for the better school.

Mario2144 · 04-28-2008, 05:53 AM

That is my dilemma, what is "the better school. I really do not know what I want to do or major in yet, but not business or journalism (which would lead me to ASU) or the sciences (which would favor U of A). Help . . .