When someone thinks of Arizona State University, they often think of the Tempe Campus and a large…read moreschool experience. What they may not realize is that while that experience is great for many people, yet others may be looking for a different experience. The ASU West Valley Campus is much smaller than the Tempe Campus yet it's a community where every student has the potential to feel connected with resources and to know many students, staff, and faculty by name just as many faculty and staff can really get to know their students well. It's growing at a fast pace and has transferred over the last decade from a commuter campus to a residential campus with more than 1100 bed spaces in two residence halls and one on-campus apartment complex. The ASU West Valley Campus just turned 40 years old, and in my opinion, it is the most beautiful campus of the many ASU campuses as it includes fountains, gardens, artwork, and so much more. In fact, I've heard before that it was designed in the image of Oxford. It attracts not only students from other campus who choose to take classes at the West Valley Campus but community members to come onto campus for the many special events that are open to the community. Recently, the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences spearheaded a wonderful event open to students, staff, faculty, and community members called the Winter Wonderland, bringing a winter festival experience to the ASU West Valley Campus as more than 1500 people attended. As the campus continues to grow and expand as a part of the West Valley Forward initiative, the number of buildings on campus continue to increase. In addition to academic buildings like SANDS and CLCC, a new building will open soon. There is a University Center (UCB) with many ASU student services represented inside along with the Barrett (Honors College) office, the Sun Devil Campus Store, a Multicultural Communities of Excellence space, Cafe West, offices for student organizations such as the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and the Programming and Activities Board (PAB), an art space, various other spaces available to reserve both large and small, a future student space, and more. There is the Fletcher Library with its own Starbucks, the three residential communities, Changemaker Central, a marketplace with Jamba Juice, an academic building with faculty offices (FAB), an ASU Police station, facilities offices, a lecture building, the Kiva Auditorium, the Herberger Youth Scholars Academy building, a thriving field space, and a beautiful three-story Sun Devil Fitness Center. Needless to say, there is something for everyone on the ASU West Valley Campus. At the West Valley Campus, every student can drive their own experience as they engage in the events and resources on-campus while attending classes, getting an on-campus job, landing an internship or full-time job, joining clubs and organizations, attending many free events and activities, and so much more. The Dean of Students Office and the many student services offices at ASU West Valley are always there for students, and it's easy to find your way towards graduation and your future when taking advantage of these resources. I look forward to seeing the continued growth on this beautiful campus in the coming years!

I graduated High school a year early and started at my local community college at age 16. I started…read moreat a major corporation at age 17 for a few days until they realized they had changed their rules to age 18 so I waited a few months until my birthday and then began working. In the meantime I completed my associates degree at my local community college. We had a UOP down the street from work so I started there for a BS in business. I was given a position they considered as working out of classification meaning I should have a degree, but still allowed me to have the position with full pay since I was attending college. The hiring manager sat me aside and told me to drop UOP and transfer to ASU. I was really young and he wanted to help me out. I was kind of like everyone's kid there. He said if I wanted my degree to mean more and wanted to be taken seriously, then I should make the move. I was happy to oblige as back then we didn't have computers at home, and after attending classes in the evening at UOP I then had to meet with classmates in person for group projects several days a week which was wearing me thin. Working in north Phoenix and spending most of my time at work I decided to attend ASU West. Their main campus was too far with all the hours I was already putting in. I was able to complete my MBA with a minor in Business Communication with ease. I sure wish we had online classes back in the day, though the cost for tuition has increased a lot since the 90s so it was worth the brick and mortar experience. Our company paid for most of my tuition with an annual education allowance so I mainly just had to cover my books. I didn't feel I missed out on the large college social campus experience, as I didn't feel at home in that environment. I recommend talking with job fair recruiters on their thoughts based on what direction you are heading for your career. If you are getting into the medical field make sure to find out what the requirements are for the state your planning on work in so you do not waste your time heading a direction that doesn't meet their requirements. Talking with anyone at any age still thinking about college, think of it as an investment. Not just a character building investment but a financial one as well. Are you going to be able to earn the money you put into your education? I seen a lot of older individuals going back and choosing paths that do not have many opportunities, or they will not be able to get the financial investment back in income to cover the years of schooling they paid for. Just something to think about. Over all this school looks good on my resume, their class sizes were small, the counselors were very helpful and knowledgeable, and for me the location was perfect. I liked the smaller campus like my community college.

Beautiful school. Life changing…read more Very helpful very awesome. Learning a lot. 10 credits so far

They do not allow public access to their outdoor track except on rare instance.. unless you are a…read moreprivate organizatio. Oh yeah, they may cancel that agreement on little or no notice. Same sh*t over COVID too. Educational programs were lacking 10 years back, had to drive past them to go to Glendale. I don't know probably lazy dean and administration .

Great School!!!! I…read morespent my junior and senior year at Benedictine and can honestly say that the Benedictine administration do not want students go to school just to receive a diploma and collect the $$$. It is a great college for those who apply themselves. Even though I'm not catholic I had a great time learning about theology and values. I found that the morals of the campus help set the bar for a better learning environment. The part I liked most were the small classes and the teacher to student interaction. The most students I ever had in one of my classes was 31 students! I had some really great teachers that invested their time and talent into helping me decide where I wanted to focus my education and career path. Teachers like Prof Laurin, Perry, Tole, Raul and Kirkham. With this knowledge I was able to open my own business and am already able to say that my business would not be capable of growing so fast and smoothly had I not had such a great experience at Benedictine.

From the owner: A Catholic University in the Benedictine Tradition, founded in 1887.read more

Fun party w jungle theme tonight for alumni, guests, students. It's fun jungle decorations, DJ w…read moredancers, henna artists, face painting. I'm impressed the eateries at student union use bamboo sustainable utensils! ASU has so much spirit, I always enjoy events here on Tempe campus !

GORGEOUS CAMPUS w/ MODERN EDGE! ASU almost felt like it was too good to be true when my family and…read moreI drove through it. This is the definition of a college city, the Tempe Campus is HUGE. There's tons of housing, education facilities, and sports venues. Some of them are by the Town Lake! All of the buildings looked fresh and inviting. I visited during the off-season (winter break) and people were still roaming the campus enjoying the many amenities and eateries nearby (or should I say inside?). It seems like ASU is the heartbeat of Downtown Tempe, I never felt overwhelmed, I just felt this warm, scholastic pride for Tempe's esteemed campus. I definitely want to visit Mullet Arena soon to see some Sun Devils hockey!

I graduated from GCU yesterday! As an online student, I found the portal easy to use and my…read moreexperience in the College of Education was very positive. I received strong support throughout my journey; from onboarding with Vince to student teaching with Professor Volpe. Even now, I'm continuing to get help with my credential, resume writing, and access to alumni benefits. The only improvements I'd suggest are reducing some of the fees for online students and providing more consistency in academic counselors throughout the program.

Grand Canyon University has been a great experience for me, especially as a working mother. The…read moreclasses are structured in a way that makes them easy to follow and manageable, even with a busy schedule. I never feel overwhelmed, and the layout of the courses makes it easier to stay organized and confident in my progress. What really sets this experience apart is the support system. Dr. Jessica Whiteside has been amazing throughout my journey. She consistently checks in, offers encouragement, and makes sure I feel supported every step of the way. It's rare to have someone who genuinely cares about your success and takes the time to recognize your efforts. Because of both the program structure and the support from staff like Dr. Whiteside, I've been able to stay motivated and continue pushing forward. I would definitely recommend Grand Canyon University to anyone looking for a flexible and supportive learning environment.

Advisor pushed my 17 year old into going from Wisconsin, with massive pre existing life and death…read morehealth conditions, lied to her about insurance transferring. I am pretty angry. If anything happens to my kid because you wanted enrollment, I am suing. This school is awful.

I worked hard toward my degree, but once I was at the point of working toward my clinical license,…read morepracticum course, and internship, I had NO help whatsoever, although I was told repeatedly they would. I could not secure a practicum overseer or any clinical setting where I could complete an internship after completing coursework for over four years. In the end, it ended up getting me nowhere and my life's work I thought I would have suffered for it. All I am left with are student loans. This school, as it appears, is not accredited for the coursework in clinical counseling they offer.

My daughter is wrapping up her freshman year as a pre-nursing student at ASU's downtown Phoenix…read morecampus. In summary, ASU has been awesome! She chose ASU over other universities because of (1) "direct admission" into ASU's nursing program; (2) admission to ASU's Barrett Honors College, reportedly the gold standard of honors colleges; (3) great merit-based scholarships that ASU automatically offered to her; (4) a great reputation in the world of nursing, with clinical opportunities at Mayo's Phoenix hospital and Phoenix Children's Hospital. As a Barrett student, my daughter lives on the 14th floor ("penthouse") of Gordon Commons in a good-sized two-person room with a private bathroom. (Her boyfriend is in the Best dorm on the Tempe campus. It's not nearly as nice.) She likes the dorm food and the ability to use dorm food credits at nearby eateries, e.g., Chick-Fil-A. She sometimes takes the shuttle to the Tempe campus and pays extra to eat at the Barrett dorm there. Reportedly, the Barrett food is epic. For her pre-nursing classes, she has found she is more college-ready than her classmates. On team projects, she often must correct classmates' mistakes. She enjoys her Barrett class, where she finds a higher caliber of student and an engaging professor. She's now beginning some of her special research obligations as a Barrett student. As a "direct admit" nursing student, my daughter must earn a GPA of 3.5 or higher each semester. Last semester, she got a 4.0 with several "A+" grades. This semester is also going well, but she is taking a challenging anatomy class along with pre-med and other pre-health professions students. Apparently, it is a weed-out class. She is on the border between an A and B; all her friends are in the D-range. Fun fact: the students are already working with cadavers. A random fact: ASU will open its brand new medical school in 2026. As is the case everywhere, a lot of students prefer partying to studying, but the downtown Phoenix students tend to be more serious and have fewer distractions. Some students prefer the quieter downtown atmosphere; others prefer the busier Tempe campus. Next year, my daughter will be living in her sorority house in Tempe and taking the shuttle to downtown for half of her classes. It's a 20-minute ride. ASU does remarkable outreach to parents and enthusiastically encourages family involvement in many aspects of the university. (By contrast, our other daughter attends a University of California school, which does NO family outreach.) So, I have volunteered for several roles, e.g., ASU Family Ambassador. The ASU website offers family access and tons of information and resources. This feature is being upgraded as I write this. Also, several Facebook groups offer a plethora of helpful information and support. My favorite is ASU Moms. Typical situation: a student has a medical emergency; parents can't immediately fly to Phoenix; a local mom helps out as if it were her own kid. At the outset of the college application process, ASU was not on our radar. However, it did spectacular marketing and really grabbed our attention. Plus, its rolling admissions gave our daughters the comfort of knowing they had at least one solid option. Whereas many universities are inexplicably turning down incredible applicants who show strong promise of future success (including our daughters), ASU seems eager to recruit and reward all these über-qualified, frustrated, overlooked kids. I think this is a great strategy: I believe ASU will ultimately make the University of California schools seem exceedingly average. No university is perfect, but overall, I heartily recommend ASU.

When someone thinks of Arizona State University, they often think of the Tempe Campus and a large…read moreschool experience. What they may not realize is that while that experience is great for many people, yet others may be looking for a different experience. The ASU Downtown Phoenix Campus is smaller than the Tempe Campus yet it's a community where every student has the potential to feel connected with resources and it is still large enough (as ASU's second largest campus) that there is always something happening. It's growing as a campus and has transformed quickly from a commuter campus (when it first opened) to a residential campus with nearly 2,000 bed spaces in two residence halls. Opened for classes in 2006, the ASU Downtown Phoenix Campus has hit many milestones over the last several years. For instance, in April 2023, the Taylor Place residence hall was renamed Gordon Commons in honor of former Mayor Phil Gordon. This campus meshes well with the Downtown Phoenix area as they share streets, parks, and nearby restaurants and stores. In fact, ASU is actively involved in monthly stakeholder meetings with the Downtown Phoenix Inc. (DPI). It helps Downtown stakeholders in knowing what's going on at ASU while it helps ASU to know what's going on around the Downtown Phoenix area. For instance, ASU students and staff enjoy participating in First Fridays while DPI is involved in ASU Welcome Week events. As the campus continues to grow and become more engrained in the Downtown Phoenix culture every year, the number of buildings on campus continue to increase. In addition to academic buildings such as those of Cronkite, Thunderbird, and the Beus Center for Law and Society, there are student services available in University Center and Student Center at the Post Office. There are also classrooms within the Mercado Center and Arizona Center and even the Fusion on First residence hall and 850 PBC. Within Gordon Commons (another residence hall) is a Starbucks, Chick-fil-a, other restaurants, a Multicultural Communities of Excellence space, a dining hall, and marketplace. There is also some interesting art on campus such as the "Her Secret is Patience" sculpture above the Civic Space Park. There is also a beautiful Sun Devil Fitness Center with a roof-top pool. Needless to say, there is something for everyone on the ASU Downtown Phoenix Campus. At the Downtown Phoenix Campus, every student can drive their own experience as they engage in the events and resources on-campus while attending classes, getting an on-campus job, landing an internship or full-time job, joining clubs and organizations, attending many free events and activities, and so much more. The Dean of Students Office (in the Post Office) and the many student services offices at ASU Downtown Phoenix are always there for students, and it's easy to find your way towards graduation and your future when taking advantage of these resources. I look forward to seeing what comes next on such an engaging campus such as the ASU Downtown Phoenix Campus in the coming years!