Congratulations on being accepted into the UA. It’s a truly amazing place to learn with a diverse community and beautiful geography.
The down side? Occasionally, probably when you’re at home in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving, you’ll be chatting with your great uncle or whomever, and he’ll say, “You’re at the University of Arizona? Isn’t that a party school?”
Sigh.
Yes, the UA is frequently ranked among the most party-hardy universities in the nation. (At least we’re not No. 1 anymore?) However, here are some other facts to put that ranking into perspective:
The list goes on and on. If you don’t have time to explain all of this to your relative, consider embracing the ranking. Attending a top party school really just means you work harder, and thus, play harder, than students at other universities.
In all seriousness, our status as a party school can be a sore subject for some, but the entire discussion belies a deeper insecurity that all students (and even former students) nationwide can have about where they go to college.
University is a major decision, one in which you are about to invest a lot of time, energy and money. Everyone wants to feel that they have made the right choice about where they attend, and for some the best way to do that is to put others’ choices down.
But rest assured, college is absolutely what you make of it, and the hardest-working student at a community college is still investing more wisely than the laziest student at an Ivy League institution.
The UA is no different. Students who come here only to party will do that and not much else. Students who come here to have fun, but also to learn, to grow in both intelligence and wisdom—they will absolutely walk away better for their investment.
As mentioned before, this is a diverse community, which is probably the university’s greatest strength. Students here are uniquely positioned to gain perspective on many different walks of life, whether that be from the members of the local Tohono O’odham tribe, from our large Spanish-speaking population, from our kick-ass Women’s Resource Center, or from countless other groups on and off campus.
After studying at the UA, you’ll be prepared not only to tackle a job in your chosen career field, but to serve as a global citizen, making the world a better place as you succeed in it.
So, if anyone back home or anywhere else tries to give you a hard time about your choice of university, be sure to educate them on the truth of the matter.
