Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus — Attraction in Mesa

I was at the polytechnic campus for about two semesters. I greatly enjoyed my time there. The campus was small and felt like there was a connection between other students, staff, and faculty that is hard to find/form on a larger campus. The costs were low and I was able to save up money by being in on-campus housing. In fact, I paid under $500/month for some dated, yet quite comfortable housing during the summer. Unfortunately, it is not that cheap during the regular academic year. Though, it is still cheap relative to other places such as the Tempe campus. The Poly gym is super nice and quite available through the day. While there are times that you may have to wait for some stations, you can find that there are plenty of times that you won’t need to wait. If you are looking to live off-campus, you can find that parking is not terrible. You probably won’t need to walk more than 5 minutes from the cheaper lots to get to your building. Safety was never a concern for me. I walked around late at night and never feared about danger. Granted, I am a decently-sized man who had a more athletic build at the time so feel free to take my experience with a grain of salt. The worst thing I ever saw was a case of road rage between two people, but it technically was just off campus by the airport. There are plenty of blue lights that I could quickly get to if I needed it. However, the old family housing area (which I think is used for upper-division housing) just south of campus can be really sketchy. Poor lighting and boarded up houses are common there. Although, you wouldn’t need to go there unless you are living there. Lastly, having the Phoenix weather was nice (when it wasn’t too hot).

A big downside for me was the lack of rigorous coursework. The quality of the instruction wasn’t poor, but not at the level where I was well challenged. This issue was what led me to transfer elsewhere. Having taken classes at the Tempe campus as well, I did not observe any difference in academic quality between the two campuses.

For those who are living-on campus, not having a private vehicle makes living on the Poly campus much more isolating. Tempe has public transportation that makes car-free living less of a hassle. However, the Poly campus lacks the comprehensive coverage in that category. The most accessible offerings are the Poly-Tempe shuttle and a valley bus that takes you towards the Chandler area. The immediate walking area (

I had an on the phone advising appointment in order to add the wildlife certificate to my program. This appointment was one of the most pleasant phone calls I've ever received. It involved a very rushed process, interrogation techniques, badgering, and belittling the potential (me) student. I'm an adult and it's always the most wonderful thing to be talked to as if I've never drank alcohol legally, had a job, drive legally, and file my taxes. Imagine that I'm a big boy oops did I say boy, I meant that I'm a full grown man. Huh. I was also yelled at for not being able to find the email my advisor sent me. She said that she sent it to me and I should be more on top of stuff. Funny when she couldn't even tell me which email she sent it to. I have several emails you're going to have to be specific and do your research. Here's something you'll hear as an ASU student often, "DO YOUR RESEARCH". Even when you put in hours of research about your degree they still act like you don't know what you're talking about. I worked on a schedule plan for my degree which was the duration of three years. It was perfect. They even said that. Then shortly after saying that.... they said do your research. Ugh. I'm now going to attend U of A instead where they treated me like a person and not a dollar sign. Also U of A's advisors actually know what they're talking about because they have the same degree that you're going for. In case you didn't get the memo ASU, I'M A HUMAN AND I...

Update: Family Housing no longer is taking applications for married/family students.

After living on campus nearly four years, it is not my favorite place to live. The campus is pretty, and the classes are good, but the university is NOT family friendly, so it’s probably a good thing they no longer accept families.

Shady and unclear property ownership and too-close relationships between local religious organizations and the school’s housing department, along with rules enforced with no regard for their intent made it a pretty miserable experience.

Couple that with a grounds crew who would just randomly walk into your house without permission using their master key made it deeply unpleasant.

(Past review) The ASU Polytechnic campus is my favorite campus because of its calm vibes, yet vibrant ASU culture. The engineering programs are well planned. There is beautiful desert gardening throughout all the walkways. A diverse, fun, and friendly student population along with a very helpful and friendly staff make the campus feel neighborly. Being a non-traditional student and military veteran, I feel right at home here, without the stress of being in the midst of the city; but have all the amenities of America’s largest ground university, in one of America’s biggest cities. I really love ASU and the...