Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus - Mesa, Arizona

Sean Minnig

Arizona State University's Polytechnic Campus is a hidden gem. The campus has a relaxed, welcoming vibe with modern facilities and plenty of green spaces that make it a great place to study and hang out. The smaller class sizes mean you really get to know your professors and classmates, which makes for a more personalized learning experience.

There’s a strong sense of community here, and it’s easy to get involved in different activities and clubs. The campus is focused on hands-on learning, which is perfect if you like a more practical approach to your studies. Overall, it’s a great environment to learn, grow, and connect with others.

Chiara Palacios

like it because of the small population but 2024 has more students and less accommodation for parking. I paid 360 for a permit for the "orange lot" and then had to pay 6.25 to park in a red parking lot because they overfilled the orange parking lot and I suppose the red and green lots have a limit to who can park there. will they accommodate for the rising number of students with more parking?

Nico Cappabianca

Parking is terrible, most teachers don't care, it's in the middle of the desert away from everything, and I've been screwed over by ASU so many times it's ridiculous

Brooks Campbell

I went to school here 10 years ago. The campus has a nice smaller school feel while still having all of the resources of a large university.

L

The vending machines there charge you $6 for what is displayed as $2.75. As if tuition isn't already enough? Poor student just wants a nice cold sodi pop for an honest price.

Austin Brown

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 (<15 mins) surrounding the campus does not have much amenities due to the suburban planning. One last negative item I want to mention is that the Polytechnic campus does not offer the same level of opportunities as the Tempe campus. These opportunities can be in the form of classes, events, academic talks, research, student clubs and other items. While this may not be surprising given that Tempe is the main campus, it is something that you should consider. However, it is also important to mention that this imbalance is field-dependent. If you’re doing aviation, you’ll find that the aviation opportunities are at the Polytechnic campus. If your interested in more broader fields such as computing or engineering, you’ll probably want to head to the Tempe campus at times. Of course, you can take the shuttle to Tempe so that you can get to these opportunities. However, it will be much less accessible and potentially unavailable due to distance. For the last few items, I will mention things that were satisfactory. These items are not something that I would rave about, but don’t have too much to complain about: the dining hall, the library, the student union, and the events. In summary, the Polytechnic campus affords a more relaxed experience in a rather secluded area of a large city. You will likely have more intimate connections to others here due to the small population. You can also save on expenses by going to Poly. However, this does come at a price of available opportunities. Having a car will help with getting around the area nearby campus as public transportation may not fit your needs.

Administrator

Nice architecture

Nick Perez

Excellent open campus with beautiful scenery and architecture, friendly staff and splendid food.