Anonymous
Post 09/24/2025 07:28     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
Anonymous wrote:Seriously why are people looking or choosing OOS Alabama? It’s one of the lowest ranked schools and keeps declining. What am I missing?


It’s the full ride. My sample size is one but I know one kid who went there. Hated it and transferred to William and Mary after a year.
Anonymous
Post 09/24/2025 07:09     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don't have a dog in the fight re Alabama but with how much it gets boosted I would have thought it would be higher since also this board is also very literal and serious around rankings. My state's flagship is ranked much better than Alabama apparently but also WAY below other flagships that get maligned here all the time.

It's money. Those maligned schools don't give automatic merit so it's dumb to pay full freight OOS, but the people on this board going to Bama likely have either the NMF scholarship or the presidential scholarship, which ends up making it a good deal.

Bama also likely has more NMFs than your state flagship due to the above generous merit


That makes sense regarding the automatic merit. However, if it is good enough academically for these high stats kids...doesn't that also mean these other schools are also good enough? And then that calls into question the idea that these rankings are entirely valid and objective? And that the amount of energy put into trying to get your child into the T10, T20, T50, or T100 school is not as critical as people think?
Anonymous
Post 09/24/2025 04:29     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It's a crap school, but it's notorious for Sorority Rush. In case you didn't know, that's a HUGE deal for a certain type of southern family whose goal in life is to get their daughters and sons married to other kids of well-to-do families of the south who are in sororities and fraternities in those types of institutions. They're the state politicians, business owners and company managers of the South, and their world is encompassed within those boundaries. The rest of the world does not exist. All blonde, all white, all Barbie, of course. Brunettes tolerated, POC need not apply.



Except they aren’t. Maybe a state politician and maybe somebody that owns some piddly business…but most of the folks with real money send their kids to the same top schools OOS as people everywhere.

There was a recent article about how some of the Bama sorority girls became famous online and earned some bucks as influencers. Nearly all mentioned how “great it was to not have to take any loans” and graduate debt free.


Not really. In the south, flagships are considered equal to private. I’m sure Bama parents own more successful businesses and have better political careers than you lol
Anonymous
Post 09/24/2025 00:53     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Seriously why are people looking or choosing OOS Alabama? It’s one of the lowest ranked schools and keeps declining. What am I missing?


Money. My DS's friend chose it over Virginia Tech for Engineering. He's OOS for both, Alabama gave him $28K per year, VT gave him nothing.


There are probably 20 other schools ranked much higher that would have provided $$$s to bring the COA lower than Alabama (based on the above, this means the kid is paying $30k out of pocket).

It’s fine if there were other things bf s the kid wanted, but apparently didn’t do his homework on what other schools would offer.

Name them and the scholarships than would make them cheaper, please.
Anonymous
Post 09/24/2025 00:50     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
Anonymous wrote:I don't have a dog in the fight re Alabama but with how much it gets boosted I would have thought it would be higher since also this board is also very literal and serious around rankings. My state's flagship is ranked much better than Alabama apparently but also WAY below other flagships that get maligned here all the time.

It's money. Those maligned schools don't give automatic merit so it's dumb to pay full freight OOS, but the people on this board going to Bama likely have either the NMF scholarship or the presidential scholarship, which ends up making it a good deal.

Bama also likely has more NMFs than your state flagship due to the above generous merit
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2025 23:24     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
i know a kid who went there for engineering. got full tuition scholarship. graduated with hnrs and went on to a great job.

school is what you make of it!
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2025 23:04     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Seriously why are people looking or choosing OOS Alabama? It’s one of the lowest ranked schools and keeps declining. What am I missing?


Money. My DS's friend chose it over Virginia Tech for Engineering. He's OOS for both, Alabama gave him $28K per year, VT gave him nothing.


There are probably 20 other schools ranked much higher that would have provided $$$s to bring the COA lower than Alabama (based on the above, this means the kid is paying $30k out of pocket).

It’s fine if there were other things bf s the kid wanted, but apparently didn’t do his homework on what other schools would offer.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2025 22:55     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Seriously why are people looking or choosing OOS Alabama? It’s one of the lowest ranked schools and keeps declining. What am I missing?


Money. My DS's friend chose it over Virginia Tech for Engineering. He's OOS for both, Alabama gave him $28K per year, VT gave him nothing.


Smart kid.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2025 22:54     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
Anonymous wrote:Seriously why are people looking or choosing OOS Alabama? It’s one of the lowest ranked schools and keeps declining. What am I missing?


Why does this matter to you? If it isn’t the school for you, just don’t go.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2025 22:52     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
My high stats kid briefly entertained the idea of applying just to get the $$ offer. But, in the end, they didn't apply b/c it wasn't the type of place where they could actually see themselves going. They needed to try for a dream school and Bama wasn't it.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2025 22:48     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
Anonymous wrote:Seriously why are people looking or choosing OOS Alabama? It’s one of the lowest ranked schools and keeps declining. What am I missing?


Money. My DS's friend chose it over Virginia Tech for Engineering. He's OOS for both, Alabama gave him $28K per year, VT gave him nothing.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2025 22:41     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It's a crap school, but it's notorious for Sorority Rush. In case you didn't know, that's a HUGE deal for a certain type of southern family whose goal in life is to get their daughters and sons married to other kids of well-to-do families of the south who are in sororities and fraternities in those types of institutions. They're the state politicians, business owners and company managers of the South, and their world is encompassed within those boundaries. The rest of the world does not exist. All blonde, all white, all Barbie, of course. Brunettes tolerated, POC need not apply.



Except they aren’t. Maybe a state politician and maybe somebody that owns some piddly business…but most of the folks with real money send their kids to the same top schools OOS as people everywhere.

There was a recent article about how some of the Bama sorority girls became famous online and earned some bucks as influencers. Nearly all mentioned how “great it was to not have to take any loans” and graduate debt free.


Most of the family money was spent generations ago but they still get social capital from their last name. They’ll go on to marry lawyers who work at their dad’s firm.


Not too different from some in the NE.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2025 22:41     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I live in Texas and there are lots of people going to Bama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Arkansas, etc., when they don't get into UT because they want that type of school. Sometimes their stats get them into UGA or Auburn.


There are lots of people from CA and TX going everywhere.

Those two states are in the top 5 feeder states to nearly every top 20 school.


Well, obviously because they have a largest population. My point is that Bama and the like are attractive to certain students looking for big state rah rah schools.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2025 22:21     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It's a crap school, but it's notorious for Sorority Rush. In case you didn't know, that's a HUGE deal for a certain type of southern family whose goal in life is to get their daughters and sons married to other kids of well-to-do families of the south who are in sororities and fraternities in those types of institutions. They're the state politicians, business owners and company managers of the South, and their world is encompassed within those boundaries. The rest of the world does not exist. All blonde, all white, all Barbie, of course. Brunettes tolerated, POC need not apply.



Except they aren’t. Maybe a state politician and maybe somebody that owns some piddly business…but most of the folks with real money send their kids to the same top schools OOS as people everywhere.

There was a recent article about how some of the Bama sorority girls became famous online and earned some bucks as influencers. Nearly all mentioned how “great it was to not have to take any loans” and graduate debt free.


Most of the family money was spent generations ago but they still get social capital from their last name. They’ll go on to marry lawyers who work at their dad’s firm.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2025 22:17     Subject: Why Bama ? It is ranked 170 and keeps dropping
I understand they’ve got a hell of a football team down there. Might even be competitive against Vanderbilt this year.