(ARIZONA) What I Liked/Loved:

How this student rated the school

Educational Quality	A	Faculty Accessibility	A-
Useful Schoolwork	D+	Excess Competition	B+
Academic Success	B-	Creativity/ Innovation	C+
Individual Value	B-	University Resource Use	B+
Campus Aesthetics/ Beauty	A+	Friendliness	A
Campus Maintenance	A+	Social Life	C+
Surrounding City	D-	Extra Curriculars	A
Safety	A-

Describes the student body as: Friendly, Arrogant, Approachable, Snooty Describes the faculty as: Friendly, Helpful

Female

Quite Bright

Lowest Rating Surrounding City	D-

Highest Rating Campus Aesthetics/ Beauty	A+

She cares more about Surrounding City than the average student.

Date: Feb 16 2012
Major: Communications (This Major's Salary over time)
What I Liked/Loved:

Campus itself. So beautiful, elegantly designed, and really awesome to walk/bike/skate around. It caters much more to pedestrians and bikers than cars, which is something I find really appealing. The buildings are in good condition and all the resources you could ever need are available, either free (well, included in your tuition) or fairly cheap.

Major classes. I can't speak for others, but as a Speech/Hearing Sciences major I loved the classes I took here. Every professor I had was passionate about their field, extremely knowledgable, and always willing to help if you don't understand something. I learned a lot from them.

Gen eds. Not all of them are great, but I tried to choose mine based on Rate My Professor reviews more than just what fit my schedule or if a friend of mine was also in the class. Many of the classes are taught by grad students which has its ups and downs. On the plus side, they are usually really interested in the course they're teaching so they want to make the class fun and interesting, not exhausting and tedious. They are also easier to approach and (tend to) make it not too difficult to get an A. On the downside they aren't all the best teachers. They don't accurately gauge how much info is appropriate to ask a student to learn in a semester and have poorly written exams.

What I Disliked/Hated:

Greek life. They supposedly only take up 10% of the population but they are so obnoxious it seems like 60% of the school belongs to a sorority or frat. There are exceptions, but the majority of them are dumb, shallow, self-absorbed wealthy people who just want drink every night and sleep around. And have Daddy foot the bill for their daily Starbucks hangover cure. Really annoying.

The weather. I've lived in warm places before and been content, I've lived in cold places and been content. But I really didn't like desert weather. First of all, it's really fickle. One day it'll be 97 and your skin will be blistering and the next it'll be 45 and windy. It's much more hot than cold and winters are very mild. But for me the heat was too intense. Just walking to class I'd get drenched with sweat and my skin would hurt from the heavy amount of direct rays. Despite the "dry heat" which locals are quick to remind you of should you complain, it's too damn hot in the fall and spring. I wouldn't dare face a summer here.

Math program. Unless you're really excellent at math, DO NOT take it here. Most of the gen eds are taught by grad students. This is fine, but not for math, where if you struggle with it you need an excellent teacher to clearly explain and be patient with you. Grad students might know the material (just barely) but that doesn't mean they know how to teach it.

Tucson. It has its nice places (4th Ave is pretty cool), but it wasn't my kind of city. Very dirty and ugly beyond campus, with a HUGE homeless population. It has stuff to do like any other large city - malls, restaurants, bars, etc., but it's extremely spread out, mostly chains, and every few blocks it just starts to repeat itself (Oh look, another Jack in the Box, another Target, a Walmart, a Super Target, yet another McDonalds?.) Looking for unique and charming culture? A place to call your own? A place you'll be judged by your ideas and abilities instead of your skin color or how much money you have or what kind of clothes you wear? Look elsewhere.

The people. This sounds harsh, but it was my experience, and the ultimate reason I decided to leave UA. I'm from the northeast and the southwest culture is completely different. Many of the California/Arizona kids are arrogant and selfish. The wealthy republican population contrasts sharply with the poor, migrant community. It was uncomfortable to listen to spoiled slackers talk about how immigrant Mexicans shouldn't be allowed to work or go to school in the US, and in the same breath brag about how they never went to class and got raging drunk every weekend on their parents dime.

Out of state tuition. You're basically paying for the air-conditioning and perfectly manicured lawns. At every turn they're trying to screw you out of another dollar. Invest your money in something better that will truly benefit you.

Bottom line: If you're in state and have a social group of your own to retreat to, this is a good school. You can look past the annoying students and take advantage of the good education, beautiful campus, and affordable cost. If you're out of state, I wouldn't recommend going here unless you're wealthy, into the Greek life, and don't mind desert weather.

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