University of Arizona Top Questions

What do you consider the worst thing about your school? Why?

Perla

The University of Arizona is full of many doors with surprises that diminish small problems. There are exceptional professors, but not very often you get one who is not at the standard of the education offered in the university. Not many, but some new professors lack experience in education. Some students do tend to get homesick; but as the their transition sets in, they progress. So many amazing moments and opportunities make up for the losses.

Theresa

The size.

Anissa

The campus is small in relation to the amount of students. It gets difficult to get around the school during the day because there are so many people, not only walking, but also biking, skating, and driving all over campus.

Nicholas

The price of books.

Jamie

I am just beginning my educational career at the University of Arizona, there fore I do not feel that I can accurately answer this question.

bao

The worst thing about my school is the parking. I refuse to pay $500.00 a semester for good parking spots. I know thousands of students attend the University of Arizona but I just wish they had a better system to handle parking. Instead of paying for parking I chose to go with free parking which took some luck to find. There are obvious free parking spots very far away from the school but I got lucky and found a spot not many people know about. However it still took me twenty minutes to walk to school from my car.

Ann Marie

The school provided opportunities for clinical rotations, but because of our lack of training we were only able to be exposed to superficial health care. There was no way to get a full sense of the nitty gritty things a nurse does day in and day out. I wish the school had provided a way for us to really understand what we were getting into in the real world of a nurse.

Danielle

The only downside to the University of Arizona might be the size. Not only is our campus very large and the buildings are vastly spread apart but we also have a large student population. It is because our campus is big that it does involve exercise like walking, biking, or skateboarding to class. Sometimes class sizes are undesirably big, but I find that in those classes, there are more teachers and teachers assistants.

Alexandra

Each year's rising cost of tuition is a huge problem for both in- and out-of-state students. Competition for scholarships is high, and merit and pell grants can only cover so much of the cost of tuition and associated fees. College degrees are becoming essential requirements for tomorrow's job market, but also becoming too difficult to pay for. A worthwhile education mustn't be given up because of the cost, and the cost of education needs to become more reasonable in order to refocus the emphasis on learning rather than the challenge of paying for it.

Ryan

The worst thing about my school is how expensive the out-of-state tuition is. The university does offer a great education, but the tuition makes the decision for some out-of-state scholars have two think twice about continuing their education unfortunately.

Melissa

The Greek system completly dominates the social scene on campus. For a student that isn't in the Greek System it's hard for find a group of dependable friends.

Amy

In my opinion, the worst thing about the University of Arizona is that there are no cafeterias in the residence halls. Going out to eat for every single meal is sometimes inconvenient, and eventually students can get sick of the food because they eat at the same restaraunts every day. However, the main street of our campus, "University," has many additional restaurants that students can choose from, and the campus also provides students with great meal plans!

Ian

A lot of the dorms are not very good. Either they are really poor buildings with very bad facilities or there are nicer looking dorms that have a terrible reputation as a party dorm where ambulances are called nightly to take care of people who are dying of alcohol poisoning. Though, by next year, the new dorms will have been finished so maybe that will be better.

Aureana

I feel that one of the worst things about The University of Arizona is the fact that there are not enough places on campus to go and eat after you have tried all of the options. Another is the fact that the winter and summer session courses come out about 3 to 6 weeks before the sessions even start. This can be frustrating because we are unable to plan ahead enough for Spring Session for example. The Spring Session courses come out before the winter session does.

Michael

The worst thing for me about attending this school has been the lack of information about financial aid and the processing of financial aid. The financial aid provided to students such as myself should be something that is adjusted as tuition increases arise. I have gone from my full tuition being covered my first semester to have to take out loans for thousands of dollars. If you are able to keep up your GPA as required by the scholarship you should be rewarded. Financial aid coverage should not change just because tuition cost increases.

Rachel

The worst thing about the University of Arizona would have to be the lack of assisstance. Through the registration process, waiting on responses to calls, returning calls and having it go straight to voicemail, hearing about lectures or after school opportunities after it's too late to attend or participate. Also, the University of Arizona has a lot to offer academically, but I find their minor selection very minimal. Students looking to attend this school are looking for the best degree, and even though most majors require a minor, the choices are bleak.

Shane

As with any Univeristy there are things that people may not like. As for the Univeristy of Arizona the worst thing about it is the location. The univeristy is located in the southern part of Arizona in the city of Tucson. During the summer temperatures can get into the 110's, for some this may be unbearable, however it is possible to adapt to the weather. Also the weather has been known to change suddenly. At one moment it could be sunny then minutes later it coule be pooring rain.

Valerie

Most of the students are from wealthy families and have different life style choices then I do (drinking, sex, fashion). I have never thought that there was a substantial difference in the people from the west coast (California) and the east coast (Boston & NJ). However now I have seen the difference and it is difficult to keep up with this lifestyle many students have here. It seems that they don't work, care about partying and how they look more than an education.

Tayler

The worst thing about the University of Arizona, is the consistent increase of yearly dues. Tuition increased by three percent in one year. I am paying for college completely on my own and it frustrates me knowing that I will be approximatley 80,000 dollars in debt the minute I graduate. I wish there was a way the university could offer more finacial aid to some .

Ivdan

Some of the academic advisors could be a little more helpful with transfering/new students.

Gresa

The worst thing about the University of Arizona, in my opinion, would be the over priced food. There is not very much variety when it comes to on campus dining options, and for the amount of food you get, it is very expensive. If you compare food items sold on campus with the same ones sold in restaurants or grocery stores off campus, you will notice that on average the food sold on campus is about three times as expensive!

Nicole

This is a large research university and as such must accommodate a substantial amount of students, professors and consequently, agendas. While I feel the school does an excellent job fortifying its integrity as an educational institution, the economic condition of the state and country is inducing many unnecessary (and hopefully temporary) setbacks as far as financial affordability and teacher to student ratio. The sad consequences of budget cuts to education have an arching effect through the institution, though this is most likely true throughout the nation.

Breanna

I wish there were more fun classes such as a culinary class.

Helen

The worst thing about my school is their location; it is located in an old city so there is not much to do. A lot of stores or restaurants are spread apart so it is hard for me to buy necessities. Even if I have a car, I would have to drive a long distance to buy the things and I find that a hassle. UofA is the best thing in Tucson, but once people enter this school, it is not as nice as they would hope.

Kirstin

The worst thing about my school is the inevitable diverstiy amongst teaching methods. I cannot guarantee that all our professors teach the same, have the same beliefs, say more outrageous things that other professors, and so on. But there are professors here that students will remember for a long time because of their greatness. Unfortunately, some teachers will be remembered also for their detrimental behavior in the classroom.

Gaege

A great deal of the students here are quite pretentious. This can deter newer students from attempting to interact with the student body or get involved with clubs and/or greek life.

Jonathan

Its hard to answer what the worst thing about Arizona is. There are so many positive things that happen at UA that outweigh the negatives. In my opinion, the worst thing about Arizona is the lack of assistance in finding a major. Entering college as an architecture major isn't easy, and when I decided it wasn't for me, the lack of support and assistance in settling on a new major was frightening. While it is a personal decision, the alienation I felt was disappointingly incongruous with the rest of my experience at the University of Arizona.

Maxemilio

While new innovations in technology are moving forward, the advisory staff seem to be moving backward. Sometimes you have to go through as many as 5 offices before you find the counseling you need, each office more bearocratic than the next.

Shira

I think that the worse thing about my school is the cost of tuition and additional fees. I know a lot of individuals, including myself, that are having an issue paying for school. Because of this problem, students are forced to drop out and financially struggle.

Briana

I think that it can appear to be at times a judgemental environment. When we see people expressing their opinions there is a lot of hostility at the school. There are often things going on at the campus that can be too intrusive and impositional in my opinion. Often there are religious extremists (daily) proclaiming the evil of humans and how we need to give it all to God, it is almost made me question my own faith. Academic advising is also not up to standards. I didn't know Gen Ed avisors existed util my senior year.

Brandon

Opportunities are more often marked by an availability of options than by the lack thereof. At the University of Arizona, the issues posed by a plethora of routes to success creates a problem. WIth over 400 clubs and organizations with the possibility of expansion on a student's whim, selecting among these activities has been by far one of the most difficult things I have had to do. Do I advocate with the Buddhists for Peace? Stand up against genocide in Sudan with STAND? Alleviate and placate children in hospitals with Muracles? In any case, sometimes more options is worse.

Luchie

I would consider the housing availability around campus to be the worst thing about my school. Personally, I prefer to live near campus for convenience. However, the prices aren't exactly affordable for most college students. I also believe that the prices are much too high for what the apartments and houses are really worth. There aren't very many decent looking places around and most of them are old and run-down looking.

Katrina

The worst thing about my school is the cost. Due to the economy tuition rises every year and this year its $4500 for me this semester.

Joseph

The most difficult thing to get used to for me here was the heat. Just getting from one class to the next can drench you in sweat so you have to be sure and stay hydrated. People will always say that the heat here is a dry heat and it's true but that means that you can lose a lot of body fluids without even realizing it.

Andres

Although the University of Arizona has numerous positive qualities to it there is a certain characteristic, or more like a lack of a characteristic that bothers me. My school lacks school spirit in the same way that Arizona State University lacks an academic reputation. Maybe I have been spoiled coming from Texas where the state schools all overachieve in every possible thing and thus have a high level of school spirit. But when I show up to a football game and the stands are not even close to being filled up ten minutes before kickoff, that is a problem.

Sarah

huge class sizes for gen-eds

Mirely

The university has probelsm with what should be its priority and the faculty try to take on more then they can handle. More students when many classes are already over capacity and there isn't enough resources to properly support them. We have so many money problems because they decided to use the little money we have on things like sports and the gym instead of improving the education they offer and paying teachers more. Many programs have had to cut out resources to accomodate a loss of budget money meanwhile the sports department is getting bigger.

Ashton

The University of Arizona, though a relatively good academic institution, is what can be termed a "party school." Though this is not necessarily a bad thing for everyone, sororities and fraternities [and those who join them] are very prominent on campus and the impact is felt within lectures, classes, and the student body. It is because sororities and fraternities that a certain type of individuals/events are attracted to the university. Though I dislike this atmosphere, others may enjoy it.

Ashley

The weather. It gets really hot. during the summer and really cold during the winter.

Renee

I could not say negative things about the U of A because I have only had good ones. In the pas as well as in the present I have encounter with a great staff. I am very happy to be part of this University.

Ariel

Something that really bothers me about UA is how unorganized and poor communication is on campus. There have been many times when I would find out about an interesting event or a charge in policy only after it was too late to be part of it or I had wanted a lot of time on something. Some of the school's systems, like registering for classes, is also really difficult some times.

Brittany

The amount of students can be a little overwhelming at times. That is the only down-side to my amazing school.

Kevin

There is a large population of "jocks" that can often have the meathead mentality. These guys can get pretty agressive at social gatherings where alcohol is involved, so watch out! and try not to step on any toes.

Chelsea

The class sizes, my first semester I took a class with 1,200 students in it and it was hard to pay attention because of all the distractions such as cell phones and people talking to each other. Also it is hard for a professor to connect with that many students.

Britt

With how much I enjoy the University of Arizona, I find it hard to point out something that I would find as a flaw. Availability in classrooms could be raised, however, it is nothing too be alarmed about. The tuition for student that are out of state are seen as high which is increasing the need for scholarships for students, such as myself, to be able to excel in a school with such an amazing educational reputation such as this university.

Wei

I would say its kind of dead since the surrounds of the school is not livly at all other than with in the school itself and when break hits, it is like a ghost town a bit.

Sylvia

The only thing I would slightly change is the size of the classes. It was a big shock when I first came but as a student you slowly get used to it.

Andrea

We do not have much diversity st my school. Most of the people that attend this university are caucasian.

Sara

The worst thing is that signing up for classes can be really frustrating sometimes.

Layne

I think the worst thing about my school is that some of the buildings are very old and run-down. Also, Tucson is not the most ideal location for a school as it is not the safest city and the roads are in bad condition.