UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

ARIZONA is next o my list, the univeristy, not state. Currently, my sister is attending this school and she loves it! Im going to start with their downfalls first though. So obviously the school is in Arizona, a VERY hot state. From about June to October, it is very hot but after that the weather is pretty nice. Another thing that isn't so great is the city it's in. Tuscon is very boring, but the whole town is about the university. Something that may confuse people is the school's motto. The motto is "bear down" which seems odd because their mascot is a wild cat. Bear down does have meaning behind t though, a football player was dying and he told his teammates to bear down. The words just stuck.

The University of Arizona is a great college. The school has a lot of spirit and the athletics are good sometimes. The zonazoo(the student section) looks like the red sea at football games.Two years ago, their football team did very well but last year they did pretty bad. Basketball there is consistent. Ever since Lute Olson (who is personally know) started to coach there, they started winning.... a lot! When he retired,a few coaches came in and out until Sean Miller joined the wild cats. He made Derrick Williams a star and helped him get to the NBA by his sophomore year. The team is doing very well right now.

Sometimes I feel like i'm at the beach when i'm on the campus because there are palm trees everywhere! The student union is amazing! It's huge and has everything you could ever need. There is a wide variety of clothes to choose from so your school wear can be very diverse. Also on their campus is their football stadium. Just last year they added a HUGE screen. It's as big as their basketball court! If your looking for a big school with lots of school spirit and parties, then this is the school for you!

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES

UCLA is another great school and they actually have a good mascot... a bruin(bear)! One great reason to go here is its location. It is in the heart of Westwood. There are tons of great places to eat, like Diddy Reese and California Pizza Kitchen. There are plenty of places down there to keep you occupied. Also, the weather is great. It's never over 90 degrees and it never snows, how much better can it get?

Their athletics are up and down. As you probably know, their football stinks. As you also probably know, their basketball is really good because of John Wooden. He is a legend that will NEVER be forgotten.

There are a few downfalls of course. First, there is not much racial diversity. It is mainly filled with Asians. Second, it is extremely difficult to get in. The average GPA for the freshman class is a 4.3. Also, the school isn't supposed to be private, but recently they made their business program private. So you now have to pay to major in business. 

THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

The University of Washington is next on my list. Two of my grandparents and my dad have attended this school. A husky is a good mascot. Huskies work as a team to pull dog sleds. They are smart and work together.

U of W has a lot of things going for them. First, their school colors go really well together and are unique. Not many school have purple or gold as a color. Second, the university is pretty close to Seattle, a really cool city. Third, their campus is beautiful. It is filled with cherry blossoms and has a view of the ocean from their football stadium.

Right now, their basketball team is looking really good. Last year, they won the PAC-12 tournament and are currently number one. So, if you are looking for a school with good athletics, this school is defintely has some.

STANFORD

The next PAC 12 school on the list is Stanford. First off, if they are the Stanford cardinals, then why is their mascot a tree? If you go to any game there, you will see a dancing tree. I thought cardinals were birds. I mean, i know cardinals live in trees, but still.

(Update) Their mascot is the color cardinal, not the bird. I would still rather see a "cardinal" guy dancing than a tree.


Stanford is great school though. Most of their athletics do well, you have to have a high GPA and be a well-rounded person to get in (not that you shouldn't already be one), and the campus is amazing! It's nice to know that the people playing on their teams have worked hard to get great grades and aren't just there because of their skills.I've stayed in their dorms many summers  to go to basketball camp and I could not get over how beautiful the campus was, even though the dorms I stayed in were crap. Also, their student store is huge, so there are plenty of clothes or other items to choose from, which is a huge plus for anyone with school pride.


They really do need to be more unique though with their sporting outfits. Their football and basketball jerseys are so boring. The only thing that is remotely interesting on their football jerseys are the stickers they put on their helmets. The uniforms might not be unique, but their marching band is. I don't know if that's a good thing because they make themselves look kind of like idiots, dressing in random costumes. 

I guess it doesn't really matter. They can do whatever they want. They are the lucky few who actually got into the school.

THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

The first college that I will look at is the University of Oregon. I have a few questions to start with. Number one, who thought of the duck as a mascot? Last time I remember, ducks just swim in a pond. What is so fierce about that? 

My second question is why in the world are their colors green and yellow? My high school colors are the same and I can't stand it. These colors do NOT go together. In my opinion, the school has been trying to hide the yellow. On some of their football jerseys, there isn't even yellow on them. One thing is for sure, if I go to this school, I will never wear anything that is mostly yellow.

But, there are many pluses about Oregon. They are very unique; their basketball court is so creative (looks like forest), their football jerseys are very interesting, and the football gloves make the letter "O" when you put them together. Also, the university has great school spirit and the campus is gorgeous. 

When I visited the campus, I fell in love with it. From the start, you are surrounded with trees and there's not a dead one in sight. Something about being surrounded by trees makes you refreshed, or healthy. I don't really know, but it's a nice feeling. Even though you are surrounded by nature, you still feel like you are on a college campus. 

When you need to ask people for directions around the school, everyone is very friendly. I feel less judged when I'm there because not everyone there is dressing to impress. Also, if you are looking for a nice place to eat dinner,
there's a really yummy Italian restaurant with fantastic cheesecake. To add to all of this, there is a beautiful beach just twenty minutes away.