Northern Arizona University

Date: Jun 09 2004
Major: Communications (This Major's Salary over time)
I can't even begin to count how many times I've said I'm glad that I attended NAU instead of ASU or U of A. NAU isn't perfect, but for a variety of reasons, I really believe that it's one of the hidden gems of the Arizona university system.

A large part of what makes NAU so great are its surroundings. Flagstaff is one of the most beautiful cities in Arizona, situated next to the world's largest Ponderosa pine forest at an elevation of 7,000 feet. Great weather—mild during summer and fall, somewhat nippy during winter, but not unbearably cold. And unlike the other Arizona universities, NAU is a residential campus, meaning that it's possible (and very common) to live on campus for all four years. There are two grocery stores, a WalMart, and a Target all within easy walking distance.

As far as academics go, there are a few large lecture classes at the 100 level, but most upper-division courses are no bigger than 40 people (most of mine were closer to 20). Because there are very few graduate students, most classes are taught by full-time faculty, who tend to be fairly easy to access outside of class (although there are a few arrogant ones, unfortunately). Some departments are better than others, but the university is aware of where the problems spots exist and tries its best to make improvements. You can figure out what the "problem departments" are if you ask around.

There are some people who like to joke that NAU should stand for "Not A University" and say that it has a sub-par reputation. But I think I got a great preparation here for grad school, much better than I would have gotten at ASU or U of A because I had many opportunities to interact with faculty.