The ASU Experience

The boys were off of school today for teacher in-service activities. So we drove down to Tempe for a scheduled tour of Arizona State University and their Engineering School. Wow! We were impressed! 

We arrived around 10:30am and walked around the north end of campus where the stadium and athletic facilities reside as well as many apartments and restaurants. We ate an early lunch at Rusty’s Tacos (yum). At 12:15pm we made our way to the ASU welcome center where we were given a presentation about ASU and met our walking-tour guide who took us to see all of the major campus features- Union, libraries, rec center, etc. The Tempe main campus is contained within a 1 mile x 1 mile square area with lots of modern buildings and palm trees. And surprisingly the campus has many lovely shady spots despite the 100+ dry heat! 

The dates from the date palms fall into bags and are harvested for use in the dining halls and sale at the campus farmers’ market. 

After our general tour, we were given a presentation by the Fulton Schools of Engineering . Both Zach and Ash received this fun t-shirt! 



Top 10 Things that impressed us: (not in any particular order) 

1) Z said “everything!”

2) The Engineering school is very contained within the university itself with a dorm and collaboration areas exclusive to engineering students. We met a professor who was interacting with students in the common areas. 

3) Engineering classrooms with tools lining the walls to foster creativity and collaboration on projects. 

4) Freshman engineers are encouraged to get involved right away in undergrad research, attend career fairs/internships, and attend conferences. 

5) Free laundry machine use in the engineering dorm. 

6) Free athletic event tickets for students. 

7) Free shirts and other swag for students at sporting events. (Tour guide said that he never had to purchase new clothes!) 

8) Microwave and refrigerator included in engineering dorm amenities. 

9) Over 1000 organizations/clubs available for students to join on campus - sixty of those within the engineering school alone. We saw the engineering club workspaces- way cool! 

10) Engineering has an accelerated program where one can choose to get a Masters Degree and graduate with both bachelor’s and masters degree in 5 years. 

Things that we did not like. 

1) The heat!

2) One has to purchase a housekeeping plan for one’s dorm room. 
3) Derek said that the spacing of the buildings felt really cramped and claustrophobic. I thought that the campus had a similar feel to my time at the University of Texas at Austin. 

Zach and Ash in front of Tooker House, the engineering dormitory complex. 

We are looking forward to our trip to the University of Arizona in Tucson this weekend for comparison!

After our campus adventures, we went to Organ Stop Pizza for dinner before driving north to Flagstaff. The restaurant is just like The Band Organ that Derek and I both enjoyed as kids growing up in South Bend. Both Zach and Ash were impressed! 

Thanks to Grandpa Randy and Grandma Peggy who took care of Snickers today while we were away. She is one pooped out pup!