Hi Newbie!!!
The University of Arizona is a wonderful school!!! Of course I'm biased, but hey, you asked!
Seriously...
The campus is absolutely beautiful. It's big but not overwhelming.
All university buildings are made of red brick. I believe it's some sort of rule that any university building has to be 80% brick. I could be wrong, but something I've heard. It has sort of an Ivy league, East Coast feel with a touch of West Coast; palm trees, beautiful people, etc. It has a lot to offer as well. They just opened a new underground learning center geared for freshman that cost the university a whopping 20 million dollars. They've built a new bookstore that has anything and everything you could want as well as a new student union, I believe.
The Greek system is huge. Lauradav is pretty right on with rush numbers. I believe it to be the largest in the Pac-10.
As far as studies are concerned, especially for undergrads, opinions will be mixed. I've heard in the past that b/c the U of A is such a research focused school that little attention is paid to undergrads. However, the university is taking/has taken great strides to improve that stigma...the new underground learning center is an example of that. They do reach out to freshmans with great enthusiasm. I remember being in my dorm my freshman year and my advisor, who I had not yet met, calling me to make sure I was going to meet with her. I was pretty impressed with that, shocked, but impressed.
We have an excellent Psychology department. The grad program is very competitive. Also, our business school is one of the best in the country. I forget the ranking, but it's impressive. Especially our MIS department.
By the way, not only does the school have a tremendous amount of school spirit, the town of Tucson does as well. There is a fantastic support system for this school. It's a lot of fun. If you do apply to the U of A and end up coming here, you won't regret it.
Do what's in you heart!!!
