Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm having a hard time deciding between 4 colleges. Two of them I do want to go to and the other two are backups. I *want* to go to either University of Arizona or University of Washington.
I really want to *move* to WA state, but overall it seems UA actually does what I want to do in life. They work heavenly with NASA and work with planetary geology. I want to be a planetary geologist and do exactly what they are doing with HiRISE at UA but first, it is to my understanding that I must become a standard geologist. Reviews seem conflicting, but I did like this video. The biggest turn down for UA is that its in a desert. Reviews don't seem to avoid putting emphasis on that either.
I will be leaving VA anyway so I'm just looking to make the best of it. I hear Washington State University is a "party school", I've lived a sheltered life and do not want to just work work work all the time. I know college is for work but I'm 20 and I'd still like to experience SOME of the things 20 year olds do in life (which I have not really had the opportunity to do yet). I've looked at the reviews and also WSU seems to also be favored by many because of their geology department, small class sizes, large dorms and great parking and just seems like a smaller school which is good.
My other two choices are University of Washington and University of Virginia. Does anyone know which is a good school based on what my interests are? I am in a community college now getting my associate of science. I have no idea how I will be grade wise. I've only just began college and I did not have a great time in grade school (uninterested teachers and peers just killed my moral) but I am motivated this time and doing well so far in college.
Like I said I'm in VA so I have not had a chance to check any of these schools out personally for myself except UVA. I'm hoping someone in a similar situation can help me!
I applied to the University of Arizona and got accepted. Yes, it's a good college. But you might want to avoid it for now at least. The state of Arizona is having a lot of budget cuts, and the colleges are affected. There's no guarantee they will even keep your major. Some majors are getting cut, but it sounds like you might be safe since your department works with NASA. Plus tuition is rising like crazy, and you would be paying out of state. But like I said, it's a good college with a nice campus and I like the surrounding area too. It's just unfortunate that they're having so many problems right now.
Are you trying to get a Masters or a Bachelors? For Bachelors you can go essentially anywhere, but for planetary geology there isn't a whole lot out west AFAIK. I was looking at Brown and Temple for planetary geology before I decided to go the petroleum route. I would recommend avoiding state schools if at all possible, especially places like CA where all their funding is being lost because of budget cuts.
I think all of the states are having budget problems and that's certainly affecting the state colleges. UVA is not usually a "back-up" school unless you have a 4.0 GPA and really good SAT's. If you want good dorms and small classes then you might have a hard time finding that at a State U. There are some good links here to help you find the right college. https://www.city-data.com/forum/colle...tes-books.html I suggest collegedata to help you compare and find other colleges with your desired major.
You started off my talking about the U of Arizona and the U of Washington. Then you went on into greater detail about the U of A and Washington State U. Which is it?
I have been on the campuses of both U of A and U of W (pronounced 'U-Dub' in Seattle). Both are nice. I wouldn't discount Tucson as 'being in the desert'. There is plenty of vegetation, and four mountain ranges nearby.
I have a brother and sis-in-law who graduated from Washington State U (Wa-Zoo to the locals). Although it has a reputation as a party school (which U doesn't these days?), it is highly respected for its agriculture, engineering, and such.
You really won't go wrong taking any of the three choices. U of Virginia I cannot comment on since I have been east of the Mississippi River only once in my life.
I'm having a hard time deciding between 4 colleges. Two of them I do want to go to and the other two are backups. I *want* to go to either University of Arizona or University of Washington.
I really want to *move* to WA state, but overall it seems UA actually does what I want to do in life. They work heavenly with NASA and work with planetary geology. I want to be a planetary geologist and do exactly what they are doing with HiRISE at UA but first, it is to my understanding that I must become a standard geologist. Reviews seem conflicting, but I did like this video. The biggest turn down for UA is that its in a desert. Reviews don't seem to avoid putting emphasis on that either.
I will be leaving VA anyway so I'm just looking to make the best of it. I hear Washington State University is a "party school", I've lived a sheltered life and do not want to just work work work all the time. I know college is for work but I'm 20 and I'd still like to experience SOME of the things 20 year olds do in life (which I have not really had the opportunity to do yet). I've looked at the reviews and also WSU seems to also be favored by many because of their geology department, small class sizes, large dorms and great parking and just seems like a smaller school which is good.
My other two choices are University of Washington and University of Virginia. Does anyone know which is a good school based on what my interests are? I am in a community college now getting my associate of science. I have no idea how I will be grade wise. I've only just began college and I did not have a great time in grade school (uninterested teachers and peers just killed my moral) but I am motivated this time and doing well so far in college.
Like I said I'm in VA so I have not had a chance to check any of these schools out personally for myself except UVA. I'm hoping someone in a similar situation can help me!
Can't say much about the schools, but I did live in Tucson near the University for 5 years, and liked it. Many of my co-workers had went to U of A, and all had good things to say about the school.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.