I attended ASU for my last 2 years after transferring in from the University of New Mexico. This place has grown on me. Like many at first, I found it impersonal and very superficial. It takes time to find your niche, but once I found it, I was set. I joined the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law fraternity (I had been Greek at UNM previously) and found that group of people to be awesome. But the size and the superficiality actually grew on me.
There is a ton to do around campus and you should take advantage of it. While Dos Gringos has been forced to move and Long Wongs and The Timber Wolf have now closed, I know you can still find a great place to eat or drink on Mill or nearby.
Does it have a rep as a party school? Yeah ... but you make what you want out of a university. But trust me, every time I tell a new acquaintance where I went to school, invariably the reaction is "Damn, you must've had fun in college." My response is invariably "Hell yeah I did!"
Do we have some nationally recognized programs? Yep ... not at the level of Princeton or Yale, but we have them. I found all of my professors approachable and very willing to help you out with questions about, applications and letters of recommendation for grad school.
Parking sucked but I loved my time there nonetheless. I still find it amazing that even here on Yelp, trolls from UA will post. Go Devils!