My son was accepted into the business school at ASU. We are from MA. He’s also been accepted to some other larger/medium schools like Alabama, JMU, Indiana and was deferred from U of SC and Tennessee. He wants a big school with lots of school spirit, sports, etc… Are there really 65,000 students on the main campus at ASU? That seems CRAZY big so wondering if it really feels that way when you are there. We are waiting on his top choice (UofSC) until we book a trip to visit ASU.
Did you visit ASU yet? We got admission to business school too but haven’t visited. Did you get into South Carolina?
Waitlisted at South Carolina. We haven’t gone to visit ASU yet. We’re from MA so not a quick trip, especially given the concerns about the size. I wish I knew someone there who could give an idea if the school feels as big as it is.
Visiting in two weeks for Sun Devil Day with my admitted son (business school). Can report back, if that helps. My guess is it’ll feel similar in size to Ohio State (enrollment is similar to the Tempe campus), which we’ve visited. OSU felt big, but exciting.
yes, please report back! We plan to enroll at Ohio State for business, but also got into ASU Carey school so interested.
I live in Scottsdale, AZ. My husband and I are both Michigan State alumni. We feel like Tempe has a similar vibe with much better weather. (Mill Ave. is a main drag of restaurants, shops, festivals, etc. and abuts campus). Lots of local kids go to ASU/Barrett and Carey for business. Tons of opportunities for go-getters, down to earth students and opps for a masters in five. Yes, it’s big— but exciting if that’s your vibe. Kids who need more handholding and a smaller campus might have a harder time, but lots of opportunities to find your people. Great for a visiting in any case!
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Having just now visited, I can agree with M2324’s description. The area of Tempe around the campus is very active. The size, population, and activity reminded me some of Columbia, South Carolina (UofSC). I think there’s lots to do in the area, so boredom wouldn’t be an issue. With that many students, you’re bound to have social opportunities. Geographically, it’s not overwhelming. You can walk diagonally across campus in about 20 minutes, and then another 5-minute walk to downtown Tempe, and a 10-minute walk to “A Mountain”.
The flip side is that I’m skeptical about any personalization at the school. ASU seems to have streamlined (with technology) all types of operations as they’ve scaled up, and I wonder if students get hands-on assistance from guidance counselors, professors, etc. We did hear 1-2 attending parents (with older siblings having gone to ASU) gripe about this. There were some ‘next one out, next one in’ vibes, but that’s probably inevitable for any school with 40,000+ enrollment.
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Glad you enjoyed it! Based on anecdotal stories from friends, I would say advising is top notch if you are in Barrett, and also available if you are proactive otherwise. I know several kids who have had a lot of success with jobs, internships and scholarships outside Barrett, especially in connection with business and engineering. It can feel a little daunting to navigate the website, etc., so maybe connect with the AO and get some emails of contacts in your interest areas and see how it feels. I have met a lot of responsive people over the years as my middle and high schoolers have reached out in connection with various projects. It is big, though, and persistence/assertiveness are definitely good traits to have under those circumstances. Best wishes!
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