Whats a good university town for a non-traditional student?
The OP was pretty clear — sound’s like s/he’s got specific programs already picked out. I am aware that “linguistics” is sometimes used to name applied TESOL/language pedagogy programs at the MA level, specifically contrasted with “rhetoric and composition” and “literature.” Anyway, for the OP: BOULDER if you have a choice and all other things are equal. It’s a relatively cosmopolitan and fast-growing place full of people your age and with lots to do. Tempe makes some sense too if you seek a large city. It’s a Phoenix suburb (I know someone is howling that I said that) and Phoenix is a big, big city with everything that entails. But it’s Phoenix, which in my view is a big, ugly, alienated city. ASU is a good school though, for many things. Kent, Ohio is an armpit. Rochester, Mich. I don’t know. It’s a Detroit suburb, and that could be cool, but dude, Detroit. You gotta know you love it. Everyone loves Boulder.
