UArizona or UIowa

[Anonymous]

The OP doesn't say where they live at all, I didn't assume they are even currently in the midwest. So if not even from the midwest why would they want to stay after graduation? Iowa is getting older and grayer, upwardly mobile young people tend to move out and never come back. Arizona is more attractive to long people for obvious reason as backed up by migration patterns as well. This doesn't seem to be a hard decision. Unless you live in Iowa and want in state tuition, but again, OP is short on the details.

Many Americans go to college in places (like New Haven, or Durham, or Ann Arbor, or St Louis, or Rochester) that they have no intention of settling down in once their four years of undergrad are done. Why is this chain turning into a debate about the merits (or implications) of migrating in perpetuity to Arizona vs Iowa -- not the topic -- as opposed to the relative merits of attending these two (quite distinct) universities? One suspects that because DCUM readership doesn't know much specifically about either of these two schools, it's filling the void with assertions about where the weather is nicer and where they personally would prefer to live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The OP doesn't say where they live at all, I didn't assume they are even currently in the midwest. So if not even from the midwest why would they want to stay after graduation? Iowa is getting older and grayer, upwardly mobile young people tend to move out and never come back. Arizona is more attractive to long people for obvious reason as backed up by migration patterns as well. This doesn't seem to be a hard decision. Unless you live in Iowa and want in state tuition, but again, OP is short on the details.

Many Americans go to college in places (like New Haven, or Durham, or Ann Arbor, or St Louis, or Rochester) that they have no intention of settling down in once their four years of undergrad are done. Why is this chain turning into a debate about the merits (or implications) of migrating in perpetuity to Arizona vs Iowa -- not the topic -- as opposed to the relative merits of attending these two (quite distinct) universities? One suspects that because DCUM readership doesn't know much specifically about either of these two schools, it's filling the void with assertions about where the weather is nicer and where they personally would prefer to live.

Bloviators gonna bloviate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The OP doesn't say where they live at all, I didn't assume they are even currently in the midwest. So if not even from the midwest why would they want to stay after graduation? Iowa is getting older and grayer, upwardly mobile young people tend to move out and never come back. Arizona is more attractive to long people for obvious reason as backed up by migration patterns as well. This doesn't seem to be a hard decision. Unless you live in Iowa and want in state tuition, but again, OP is short on the details.

Many Americans go to college in places (like New Haven, or Durham, or Ann Arbor, or St Louis, or Rochester) that they have no intention of settling down in once their four years of undergrad are done. Why is this chain turning into a debate about the merits (or implications) of migrating in perpetuity to Arizona vs Iowa -- not the topic -- as opposed to the relative merits of attending these two (quite distinct) universities? One suspects that because DCUM readership doesn't know much specifically about either of these two schools, it's filling the void with assertions about where the weather is nicer and where they personally would prefer to live.

Because the profiles of these schools are pretty similar. So, how to differentiate? Climate, social scene, networks, demographics, etc. If it was so obvious OP wouldn't have posed the question. Plus OP didn't provide much information so people are filling in the blanks.

[Anonymous]

Because the profiles of these schools are pretty similar. So, how to differentiate? Climate, social scene, networks, demographics, etc. If it was so obvious OP wouldn't have posed the question. Plus OP didn't provide much information so people are filling in the blanks.

I'm guessing repeatedly telling OP that the climate is warmer in AZ than in Iowa isn't imparting any information s/he didn't have already.

If people don't actually know much about the two schools themselves (FWIW, they're actually not that similar, unless you consider all 50 state flagships to be pretty similar) they probably should resist the temptation to make the discussion about their general stereotypes about those two states.

Frankly, I think what's most telling is that the self-identified UA alums commenting here have basically commented about the city of Tucson and its climate and not about the actual educational experience of UA.

[Anonymous]

I don't think this is a decision to make based on what the stats are. The culture in the SW is dramatically different than the culture of the midwest! You should actually try out these different schools with a visit if you want to pick. I'm from Iowa. I went to school my first year in OK. There is a big difference in the culture -- probably somewhat similar to AZ vs. IA. That student-culture difference is going to permeate every waking moment -- what people assume about you, what they do for fun, how they interact, etc. etc.

This is not a question of what the stats are.

(Lastly, no one has mentioned the Uof I medical school -- if you are interested in premed, that would be a selling point.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Because the profiles of these schools are pretty similar. So, how to differentiate? Climate, social scene, networks, demographics, etc. If it was so obvious OP wouldn't have posed the question. Plus OP didn't provide much information so people are filling in the blanks.

I'm guessing repeatedly telling OP that the climate is warmer in AZ than in Iowa isn't imparting any information s/he didn't have already.

If people don't actually know much about the two schools themselves (FWIW, they're actually not that similar, unless you consider all 50 state flagships to be pretty similar) they probably should resist the temptation to make the discussion about their general stereotypes about those two states.

Frankly, I think what's most telling is that the self-identified UA alums commenting here have basically commented about the city of Tucson and its climate and not about the actual educational experience of UA.

obviously she knows AZ is warmer than IA, but it really is a factor that -- for a lot of people -- is way more important than one would think. I grew up here in the dc area which isn't exactly tropical...and so I didn't give a second thought to attending school in Minnesota. But that first Minnesota winter hit me HARD and I struggled. A lot. For the next three winters I learned coping strategies and it was better than that first winter, but still...if I had to do it over I would not underestimate the effect weather can have on one's happiness!

[Anonymous]

Some people hate the heat

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The OP doesn't say where they live at all, I didn't assume they are even currently in the midwest. So if not even from the midwest why would they want to stay after graduation? Iowa is getting older and grayer, upwardly mobile young people tend to move out and never come back. Arizona is more attractive to long people for obvious reason as backed up by migration patterns as well. This doesn't seem to be a hard decision. Unless you live in Iowa and want in state tuition, but again, OP is short on the details.

Many Americans go to college in places (like New Haven, or Durham, or Ann Arbor, or St Louis, or Rochester) that they have no intention of settling down in once their four years of undergrad are done. Why is this chain turning into a debate about the merits (or implications) of migrating in perpetuity to Arizona vs Iowa -- not the topic -- as opposed to the relative merits of attending these two (quite distinct) universities? One suspects that because DCUM readership doesn't know much specifically about either of these two schools, it's filling the void with assertions about where the weather is nicer and where they personally would prefer to live.

Except it is relevant because people who attend Arizona so frequently pick it for the weather and little else. Given that, they also tend to be people who couldn't get into any decent school in California, which includes a whole lot of Californians. This brings down the quality of classes. But the area is an interesting change of pace, and the campus is gorgeous. Can't speak to it, but I'd guess that's not how people choose Iowa, which may be a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The OP doesn't say where they live at all, I didn't assume they are even currently in the midwest. So if not even from the midwest why would they want to stay after graduation? Iowa is getting older and grayer, upwardly mobile young people tend to move out and never come back. Arizona is more attractive to long people for obvious reason as backed up by migration patterns as well. This doesn't seem to be a hard decision. Unless you live in Iowa and want in state tuition, but again, OP is short on the details.

Many Americans go to college in places (like New Haven, or Durham, or Ann Arbor, or St Louis, or Rochester) that they have no intention of settling down in once their four years of undergrad are done. Why is this chain turning into a debate about the merits (or implications) of migrating in perpetuity to Arizona vs Iowa -- not the topic -- as opposed to the relative merits of attending these two (quite distinct) universities? One suspects that because DCUM readership doesn't know much specifically about either of these two schools, it's filling the void with assertions about where the weather is nicer and where they personally would prefer to live.

Except it is relevant because people who attend Arizona so frequently pick it for the weather and little else. Given that, they also tend to be people who couldn't get into any decent school in California, which includes a whole lot of Californians. This brings down the quality of classes. But the area is an interesting change of pace, and the campus is gorgeous. Can't speak to it, but I'd guess that's not how people choose Iowa, which may be a good thing.

I'm from suburban Chicago. Iowa is like THE school of choice for Chicago area kids who didn't get into UIUC (or Wisconsin or Michigan) but still want the big state school experience. No, obviously they're not choosing it for the weather but football, drinking, Greek life, parties? Yes. It's definitely A Thing. not a bad school, but suggesting that it's some bastion of intellectualism compared to Arizona is pretty disingenuous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people hate the heat

The worst of the heat is in the summer in Arizona, when most students aren't on campus. Unlike the dead of winter when kids are shuffling to class on icy sidewalks in Iowa in January.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The OP doesn't say where they live at all, I didn't assume they are even currently in the midwest. So if not even from the midwest why would they want to stay after graduation? Iowa is getting older and grayer, upwardly mobile young people tend to move out and never come back. Arizona is more attractive to long people for obvious reason as backed up by migration patterns as well. This doesn't seem to be a hard decision. Unless you live in Iowa and want in state tuition, but again, OP is short on the details.

Many Americans go to college in places (like New Haven, or Durham, or Ann Arbor, or St Louis, or Rochester) that they have no intention of settling down in once their four years of undergrad are done. Why is this chain turning into a debate about the merits (or implications) of migrating in perpetuity to Arizona vs Iowa -- not the topic -- as opposed to the relative merits of attending these two (quite distinct) universities? One suspects that because DCUM readership doesn't know much specifically about either of these two schools, it's filling the void with assertions about where the weather is nicer and where they personally would prefer to live.

Except it is relevant because people who attend Arizona so frequently pick it for the weather and little else. Given that, they also tend to be people who couldn't get into any decent school in California, which includes a whole lot of Californians. This brings down the quality of classes. But the area is an interesting change of pace, and the campus is gorgeous. Can't speak to it, but I'd guess that's not how people choose Iowa, which may be a good thing.

I'm from suburban Chicago. Iowa is like THE school of choice for Chicago area kids who didn't get into UIUC (or Wisconsin or Michigan) but still want the big state school experience. No, obviously they're not choosing it for the weather but football, drinking, Greek life, parties? Yes. It's definitely A Thing. not a bad school, but suggesting that it's some bastion of intellectualism compared to Arizona is pretty disingenuous.

+1. The only kids I know around here who applied to U Arizona and U Iowa could not get into their state flagships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The OP doesn't say where they live at all, I didn't assume they are even currently in the midwest. So if not even from the midwest why would they want to stay after graduation? Iowa is getting older and grayer, upwardly mobile young people tend to move out and never come back. Arizona is more attractive to long people for obvious reason as backed up by migration patterns as well. This doesn't seem to be a hard decision. Unless you live in Iowa and want in state tuition, but again, OP is short on the details.

Many Americans go to college in places (like New Haven, or Durham, or Ann Arbor, or St Louis, or Rochester) that they have no intention of settling down in once their four years of undergrad are done. Why is this chain turning into a debate about the merits (or implications) of migrating in perpetuity to Arizona vs Iowa -- not the topic -- as opposed to the relative merits of attending these two (quite distinct) universities? One suspects that because DCUM readership doesn't know much specifically about either of these two schools, it's filling the void with assertions about where the weather is nicer and where they personally would prefer to live.

Except it is relevant because people who attend Arizona so frequently pick it for the weather and little else. Given that, they also tend to be people who couldn't get into any decent school in California, which includes a whole lot of Californians. This brings down the quality of classes. But the area is an interesting change of pace, and the campus is gorgeous. Can't speak to it, but I'd guess that's not how people choose Iowa, which may be a good thing.

I'm from suburban Chicago. Iowa is like THE school of choice for Chicago area kids who didn't get into UIUC (or Wisconsin or Michigan) but still want the big state school experience. No, obviously they're not choosing it for the weather but football, drinking, Greek life, parties? Yes. It's definitely A Thing. not a bad school, but suggesting that it's some bastion of intellectualism compared to Arizona is pretty disingenuous.

Okay, so they’re equally bad, I only no Arizona, honest mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The OP doesn't say where they live at all, I didn't assume they are even currently in the midwest. So if not even from the midwest why would they want to stay after graduation? Iowa is getting older and grayer, upwardly mobile young people tend to move out and never come back. Arizona is more attractive to long people for obvious reason as backed up by migration patterns as well. This doesn't seem to be a hard decision. Unless you live in Iowa and want in state tuition, but again, OP is short on the details.

Many Americans go to college in places (like New Haven, or Durham, or Ann Arbor, or St Louis, or Rochester) that they have no intention of settling down in once their four years of undergrad are done. Why is this chain turning into a debate about the merits (or implications) of migrating in perpetuity to Arizona vs Iowa -- not the topic -- as opposed to the relative merits of attending these two (quite distinct) universities? One suspects that because DCUM readership doesn't know much specifically about either of these two schools, it's filling the void with assertions about where the weather is nicer and where they personally would prefer to live.

Except it is relevant because people who attend Arizona so frequently pick it for the weather and little else. Given that, they also tend to be people who couldn't get into any decent school in California, which includes a whole lot of Californians. This brings down the quality of classes. But the area is an interesting change of pace, and the campus is gorgeous. Can't speak to it, but I'd guess that's not how people choose Iowa, which may be a good thing.

I'm from suburban Chicago. Iowa is like THE school of choice for Chicago area kids who didn't get into UIUC (or Wisconsin or Michigan) but still want the big state school experience. No, obviously they're not choosing it for the weather but football, drinking, Greek life, parties? Yes. It's definitely A Thing. not a bad school, but suggesting that it's some bastion of intellectualism compared to Arizona is pretty disingenuous.

Okay, so they’re equally bad, I only no Arizona, honest mistake.

*know

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Because the profiles of these schools are pretty similar. So, how to differentiate? Climate, social scene, networks, demographics, etc. If it was so obvious OP wouldn't have posed the question. Plus OP didn't provide much information so people are filling in the blanks.

I'm guessing repeatedly telling OP that the climate is warmer in AZ than in Iowa isn't imparting any information s/he didn't have already.

If people don't actually know much about the two schools themselves (FWIW, they're actually not that similar, unless you consider all 50 state flagships to be pretty similar) they probably should resist the temptation to make the discussion about their general stereotypes about those two states.

Frankly, I think what's most telling is that the self-identified UA alums commenting here have basically commented about the city of Tucson and its climate and not about the actual educational experience of UA.

Educational experience at U of A is that of an average state school...most kids don't care, but that makes it easier to excel and stand out if you are one of the few that do. If you can get in-state tuition, it's a good value, like most state schools. It's known as less of a party school than ASU, but that's not a big distinction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The OP doesn't say where they live at all, I didn't assume they are even currently in the midwest. So if not even from the midwest why would they want to stay after graduation? Iowa is getting older and grayer, upwardly mobile young people tend to move out and never come back. Arizona is more attractive to long people for obvious reason as backed up by migration patterns as well. This doesn't seem to be a hard decision. Unless you live in Iowa and want in state tuition, but again, OP is short on the details.

Many Americans go to college in places (like New Haven, or Durham, or Ann Arbor, or St Louis, or Rochester) that they have no intention of settling down in once their four years of undergrad are done. Why is this chain turning into a debate about the merits (or implications) of migrating in perpetuity to Arizona vs Iowa -- not the topic -- as opposed to the relative merits of attending these two (quite distinct) universities? One suspects that because DCUM readership doesn't know much specifically about either of these two schools, it's filling the void with assertions about where the weather is nicer and where they personally would prefer to live.

Except it is relevant because people who attend Arizona so frequently pick it for the weather and little else. Given that, they also tend to be people who couldn't get into any decent school in California, which includes a whole lot of Californians. This brings down the quality of classes. But the area is an interesting change of pace, and the campus is gorgeous. Can't speak to it, but I'd guess that's not how people choose Iowa, which may be a good thing.

I'm from suburban Chicago. Iowa is like THE school of choice for Chicago area kids who didn't get into UIUC (or Wisconsin or Michigan) but still want the big state school experience. No, obviously they're not choosing it for the weather but football, drinking, Greek life, parties? Yes. It's definitely A Thing. not a bad school, but suggesting that it's some bastion of intellectualism compared to Arizona is pretty disingenuous.

On the other hand there’s also nothing particularly intellectual about the rankings-driven, obsessive behavior of DCUM posters. It’s driven by extreme insecurity about a potential loss of status, yet produces no obvious benefits to society.