There are many different universities in the United States. From coast to coast, students line up each year to attend the college of their choice. Some of these colleges are large, while others are small. Some are private, while others are large, public, land-grant universities. The diversity of education shines through when one considers just how many options students currently have when they decide they want to go to college. Two of the nation’s prominent universities are found in the west. This essay will seek to compare Arizona State University and Idaho State University. Both are public universities, and while they have some similarities, which demonstrate that many universities carry the same essential purpose, they also have many differences which can help to explain why there is a major difference in student population from one university to the next.
One of the major differences between Idaho State University, which is located in Pocatello, Idaho, and Arizona State University, which is located in Tempe, Arizona, is the weather. Arizona has one of the driest, warmest climates in the entire country, and in fact, in the entire world. There, one will enjoy more days of sunshine than anywhere else in the country. During the summer, the temperatures can get extremely hot. It is routine to see the temperature over 100 degrees. Still, this is made less horrible by the fact that the temperature is accompanied by limited humidity. In some sense, there is some agreement between the two universities on this issue. Both schools can have an extreme climate at some points. Idaho State University has a cold climate. The university gets tremendous amounts of snow during the year. It gets extremely cold and wet weather, with temperatures sometimes crawling below zero during the coldest months. While both places can have extreme weather, the weather in Arizona is almost certainly easier to deal with. Many people would prefer to live in a place where they did not have to put up with slushy snow all the time, though this can be a matter of personal taste, as well. The difference in weather may explain why so many more people choose to go to school at Arizona State, as they would rather be able to lay out in a bathing suit rather than having to put on two or three layers of clothes just to walk to class.
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There is another way that individuals can compare and contrast different universities. Some are very expensive, while others are quite cheap. These different prices serve to give students many different options to choose from according to their own financial needs. Arizona State, some might argue, has become a product of the new government arrangement where students are able to go to college on government-provided loans. This can ultimately make college much more expensive, because students have the ability to pay the higher prices without having to go directly into their own pockets. While the cost of attendance at Arizona State can different depending upon each student’s needs and goals, it is more than $20,000 per year on average. Idaho State, on the other hand, costs a fraction of that amount. The location has something to do with the price. Ultimately, price is a function of demand, and demand for Idaho State is different than at Arizona State. The prices are also reflected in the way the campus appears. There are not many modern buildings at Idaho State, while there are plenty of modern buildings at Arizona State. Not only does the added cost attract most students, but it allows universities to build and build.
In addition, these two universities can be compared and contrasted on the basis of campus improvements. Arizona State has undergone tremendous campus improvements over the last few years. There, the campus has incredible buildings. Its dorms have also been restored, which is a major draw for the students there. In addition, the university has improved the transportation options for its students. With this in mind, it is easy to see why 75,000 students call Arizona State home. When one looks at the university in Pocatello, it is easy to see that the university has very old buildings. Some might look at this as a positive thing, as it might be said to add character to the university. Others look at it as a negative thing, especially considering the fact that Idaho State focuses so much on nuclear science and engineering. New buildings are almost necessary to effectively teach those subjects. Likewise, Arizona State has the facilities to accommodate very large classes for its students. Idaho State does not offer huge classes, mostly because it does not have the facilities to do so. The upside to this for Idaho State students is the fact that smaller classes tend to offer students a better learning environment. While Idaho State attempts to provide its students with a high-quality education despite its deficiencies in facilities, it does not have the capacity to match up with Arizona State in this regard.
Arizona State University and Idaho State University are very different places. While they are similar in their mission to offer quality education to students, they are different in a couple of critical ways. Arizona State has top-notch weather, while Idaho State has very cold weather. In addition, the high cost of Arizona State is in part because people are willing to go there. Likewise, when looking at these two universities, it is clear that Arizona State has made some critical improvements to facilities, while Idaho State has fallen behind to some extent in this regard.
- Arizona State University Website (N.d.). Retrieved from http://www.asu.edu/
