The weather in Phoenix is almost always conducive for flight training. But, as someone who lives a little west of Kent State, I can't say the same for eastern Ohio. Be careful choosing a place where the weather might keep you from training or might prolong your training. The perceived cost advantage of Kent State might disappear quickly.

I've worked with two recent grads of the Kent State program. Both seemed like pretty good pilots. Neither was lacking in self confidence (almost to a fault).