Our Story
Arizona State University is one of the largest universities in the country, with over 79,000 students across four main campuses, several national and international satellite campuses, as well as its massive online university program.
According to University Statistics, over 31% of all students go to a college that is not in their home state. This comes from a multitude of factors, such as wanting independence, seeking a new environment, and having a chance to meet a more diverse student body.
ASU is hailed nationally as being the #1 in innovation, which refers to the resources ASU pours into its school and its student population. There are many appeals to ASU, from its over 800 degree programs to its location in bright and sunny Arizona, that encourage people from all across the valley, the country, and even the world to attend ASU.
“Growing up, I used to come to Arizona to visit family and friends and from there I really fell in love with the environment,” first-year journalism student Larisa May from Beaver, Pennsylvania stated. “After researching Arizona, I found out about ASU and their journalism program, which seemed like it would provide a lot of great opportunities for me. ASU was the only school I applied to.”
While there is a significant amount of people who go to college out of state, nearly 70% of students nationwide will choose to stay in-state due to financial or convenience factors.
Students who come from Arizona are able to get the best of both worlds. In-state students get the chance to reap the benefits of ASU’s various degree programs at a cost that is much more efficient compared to being an out-of-state student.
“I mostly looked at in-state options because I didn’t feel quite ready to leave home yet.” Fatima Gabir, a first-year journalism student stated. “And now that I’ve chosen ASU, I feel like I’ve made a lot of really important connections and have formed a genuine community with my peers.”
Students from out-of-state are often drawn to specific programs. The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, for example, is one of the top twenty journalism schools in the country. From its partnership with PBS to its accolades such as having the #1 college radio station to its several diverse professional programs and internship opportunities, there are many different features which encourage students from all over the world to attend.
“The Cronkite School has given me so many opportunities and I’ve met so many wonderful people since coming.” May said. “Being part of Blaze Radio, the State Press newspaper, and The Chic Daily has given me a chance to be really involved and fall in love with the culture at ASU.”
Additionally, there is a large international population at ASU, with international students making over 16% of the Tempe campus, which is a little over 13,000 students. Students come from 158 different countries, with China, India, and Saudi Arabia being some of the most popular home countries for international students.
The inspiration behind this project was our team, who all have diverse backgrounds geographically. Abby Bessinger hails from the concrete jungle that is New York, Charley Vicario from a small beach town in South New Jersey, Anthony Scarmack from a farm town in Ohio, and Shiaira Bradley from in-state, only thirty minutes away in Avondale.
All of us had our own reasons for choosing Arizona State University, with the common ground being the Cronkite school. However, after discussing, all of our diverse backgrounds sparked an interest in seeing whether or not other ASU students had the same reasoning.
While there are many people who say they’ve been drawn to the state due to a specific program or the nature of Arizona, there have been quite a few students, both in-state and out-of-state, who have chosen ASU for a variety of other reasons.
“ASU was the perfect middle ground for me,” Lex Weber, a first-year journalism student, stated. “It’s close enough to home that it’s easy to go back and visit my family but far enough that I can develop my own independence. ASU also gave me the best value, financially, compared to other universities.”
In addition to ASU’s vast student programs that draw people to the state, there are many opportunities to get involved in student life, with hundreds of clubs and organizations, sports leagues, and fraternities and sororities. All of these organizations serve as ways to allow in-state, out-of-state, and international students form communities. Living on-campus in dorms or close to campus in many student-marketed apartments also gives students a chance to thrive in the diverse community.
“I was worried about having to seek out and find more LGBTQ+ people but then I just accidentally stumbled upon such a warm and welcoming community,” Weber said. “I didn’t come from as diverse of a place and wasn’t expecting such a diverse community but it’s pretty great that I’ve found people who get me.”