S/O U of Alabama

[Anonymous]

Just looking at their website, Dd could qualify for a near full ride. She wants a bigger school too, so it's tempting to go this route. Any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

There is an old thread on this. We faced the same question. For Nat'l Merit Semifinalists, Alabama (and Oklahoma) offer extremely generous packages. Basically, everything is free for 5 years including grad school and they even pay the students a stipend. That is why Alabama and Oklahoma have the greatest number of NMSFs - everything is free and it is guaranteed. The higher ranked schools do not guarantee anything for NMSFs, although it may be a factor for merit aid, and, of course, the top 25 schools don't give any merit aid, only need-based.

We're facing the same question again with our next child.

I think the answer depends on what the major will be, what the long-term plan is, and whether the school will be a good fit culturally.

The more technical the field of study, the less the prestige matters. So, for pre-med for example, it makes sense to go to Alabama or Oklahoma for free and save the money for med school tuition. For a philosophy major who wants to be a professor, it might make more sense to go to a more elite institution.

Both Alabama and Oklahoma have a big Greek scene and a big football culture, etc. But, both also have an Honors Program where the more academically inclined will find cohorts.

It is a tough decision.

[Anonymous]

Why not? It's not a bad school, has a huge alumni network and major name recognition, and if she wants a big school she'll have a great time. On a full ride? If she likes it, I wouldn't bat an eye.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just looking at their website, Dd could qualify for a near full ride. She wants a bigger school too, so it's tempting to go this route. Any thoughts?

We had the same discussion with our three kids (all NMF) but decided against it for various reasons - probably the same reasons as yours.

[Anonymous]

I know 2 kids from this area who went there in the last couple of years and transferred after 1 year (one left after one semester). One of them even got into one of the best sororities (sometimes that's an issue for OOS kids - they can't get into the top frats and sororities because their parents didn't go to Alabama) but still found it too parochial. She also isn't the brightest student and got straight As quite easily. So that's a sample of 2 -but those are the only 2 I know who went there recently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know 2 kids from this area who went there in the last couple of years and transferred after 1 year (one left after one semester). One of them even got into one of the best sororities (sometimes that's an issue for OOS kids - they can't get into the top frats and sororities because their parents didn't go to Alabama) but still found it too parochial. She also isn't the brightest student and got straight As quite easily. So that's a sample of 2 -but those are the only 2 I know who went there recently.

Kind of random and irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know 2 kids from this area who went there in the last couple of years and transferred after 1 year (one left after one semester). One of them even got into one of the best sororities (sometimes that's an issue for OOS kids - they can't get into the top frats and sororities because their parents didn't go to Alabama) but still found it too parochial. She also isn't the brightest student and got straight As quite easily. So that's a sample of 2 -but those are the only 2 I know who went there recently.

Kind of random and irrelevant.

Not really. Two kids from the DC area went and both found it too parochial and not challenging enough academically so they left. It's a relevant anecdote.

[Anonymous]

DH and I went to UA in the early 2000s on full rides and I'm very glad I chose it over expensive private I was also considering. It is REALLY nice to start your adult life with no debt. DH and I both found it academically challenging. I got a lot of encouragement from professors because I was smart and hard working, much more that I would have at a more elite school. I went on to get my Ph.D in a STEM field from a prestigious school and I have a rewarding career, good salary, etc. (Similarly for DH). Campus culture is dominated by the Greek system, which I hated, and football. But there are plenty of smart kids in the honors program and Blount programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know 2 kids from this area who went there in the last couple of years and transferred after 1 year (one left after one semester). One of them even got into one of the best sororities (sometimes that's an issue for OOS kids - they can't get into the top frats and sororities because their parents didn't go to Alabama) but still found it too parochial. She also isn't the brightest student and got straight As quite easily. So that's a sample of 2 -but those are the only 2 I know who went there recently.

Kind of random and irrelevant.

Not really. Two kids from the DC area went and both found it too parochial and not challenging enough academically so they left. It's a relevant anecdote.

OK, well four kids from the DC went and are enjoying themselves, both academically and socially. So they stayed. That's just as relevant, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know 2 kids from this area who went there in the last couple of years and transferred after 1 year (one left after one semester). One of them even got into one of the best sororities (sometimes that's an issue for OOS kids - they can't get into the top frats and sororities because their parents didn't go to Alabama) but still found it too parochial. She also isn't the brightest student and got straight As quite easily. So that's a sample of 2 -but those are the only 2 I know who went there recently.

Kind of random and irrelevant.

Not really. Two kids from the DC area went and both found it too parochial and not challenging enough academically so they left. It's a relevant anecdote.

OK, well four kids from the DC went and are enjoying themselves, both academically and socially. So they stayed. That's just as relevant, I guess.

Well, it might be more helpful if you said what they liked about it to compare with this story that points out two things that could be a deal breaker.

[Anonymous]

My friend who teaches at the University of Montevallo (the small public liberal arts college in Alabama) says that U of A's honors college is probably as good an education as you can get anywhere.

And before DCUMers start to pile on about whether an Alabama prof knows quality education, be aware that the job market is so tight that excellent teachers and researchers work at all kinds of universities and colleges all over the country.

[Anonymous]

I wonder how many boys in this area after seeing the sorority video will throw in applications here. Could be the new 'hot' school.

[Anonymous]

I was surprised at some of the institutions on the national merit fullride list.

University of Kentucky - do they really need to attract kids with it?

University of Nebraska

University of Arizona

[Anonymous]

My kids turned down Bama and Oki's offers. While offers were excellent, those schools were out of their comfort zone.

[Anonymous]

The best choice is to come out of college without debt.

Most people will pay $100K+ for a "better" sweatshirt, but in the end it does not really matter.