<p>On paper, University of Alabama is a great fit for my HS junior daughter. My oldest son went to Vanderbilt, and he loved the South! He (and I) found the people so warm and friendly. But schools like Vandy, Duke, Wake and Elon attract lots of Northerners. My concern with Alabama is that my daughter might feel like a fish out of water, being a Northerner in a predominantly Southerner (Alabaman?) school. Thoughts?</p>
<p>This fall, only 56.5 % of the freshmen class was from Alabama. This percentage has been declining every year for about eight years now. So, she should have no trouble finding people from out of state. From my memory, the northern students loved UA! I had a NJ roommate and he ended up staying in Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>DS is from the midwest (Ill.), not a single issue. Don’t think we’ll ever be able to get him to come back home though :)</p>
<p>Oh MY!!! 43% are now from OOS!!!</p>
<p>I can’t wait to see the breakdown by states. That’s a significant increase from last year…which was about 35% from OOS. </p>
<p>Many kids are from the NE, Mid-Atlantic, the upper mid-west, and the west and have no problems at all…they love it. Last year they had kids from 49 states; I’m pretty sure they have kids from all 50 this year.</p>
<p>And…many instate kids are NOT from the south because the state has so many transplants. My kids are “instate” for Bama, but we’re not southerners. </p>
<p>We are Calif natives. I have 2 sons at Bama. </p>
<p>Let me tell you this…I have been in Calif for the past week. Last week, I went to a high school football game in Calif. The parents who have new high school grads in colleges in the northeast (Yale, MIT, Tufts) are complaining that their kids are upset that schools in the NE are unfriendly. LOL. However, those who sent their kids to schools in the south are all happy! One parent has one child in the south and one in the NE. She said the difference was very unsettling. The NE experience has been negative socially.</p>
<p>So…the “culture shock” seems to go the other way… LOL (no intent to diss the NE, just stating what westerners that I know are experiencing in the NE, but not in the south)</p>
<p>You need to read the article from the Penn State sportswriter who couldn’t believe how super friendly Alabama is to everyone…</p>
<p>[Commentary:</a> Southern hospitality is no joke at Alabama | PennLive.com](<a href=“http://blog.pennlive.com/davidjones/2010/09/commentary_southern_hospitalit.html]Commentary:”>Commentary: Southern hospitality is no joke at Alabama - pennlive.com)</p>
<p>here’s some snips…</p>
<p>*… All we could eventually talk about was how pleasant everyone was and what a great thing they have going here.</p>
<p>You can tell a lot about a team’s fans when they’re on top. Of course, all fans are happy when their team is kicking butt like Alabama’s has been lately, winning the national championship just last January and ranked No. 1 in the nation after Saturday night’s 24-3 defeat of the Lions…</p>
<p>But I can tell you this much about my first trip to Alabama and I think a lot of PSU fans who made this trip would agree: Very few people associated with any team project as much grace and love for the game of college football as these folks. They’re good people. And it’s plain to see in every detail they’ve etched into their domain. Visiting it and meeting them has been a gratifying experience.</p>
<p>Manners and common courtesy are endangered qualities in this country. We’re infected by living in the harsh environs of the East Coast, I suppose. The pace of everyday life is just different. The density of population tends to sap the civility out of everyone. And we probably wear our attitude on our sleeves like scrambled eggs on an officer’s cap. It’s fun to play the part of the hardcore Eastern urban cynic.</p>
<p>But when you see so many people offering smiles and good cheer as a matter of course, it’s a welcome change of pace. In the South, like the Great Plains, people are just nicer. Not in a cloying way, but because they were brought up thinking it’s the right thing to do.</p>
<p>Add in a football venue that manages to be at once warm and impressive and you have something special. Everywhere are fans eager to be social. Middle-aged husbands and wives curious about the visitor and proud to tell about their Crimson Tide memories. Coeds in crimson dresses, looking like they’re going out to a nice restaurant instead of a football game, smiling at their lucky boyfriends.
*</p>
<p>i wonder what people think of californians… are we friendly?</p>
<p>Yes…</p>
<p>When my SIL moved from the Midwest (Indiana) to NY to go to NYU and then moved to Orange County for work, she said that she had forgotten how friendly people could be. </p>
<p>However, I would say that the southern culture is even more friendly.</p>
<p>Can’t agree with M2CK enough. My S (who tends towards shyness) is a freshman at UA. When we’re lucky to get communications from him it’s terms like - “friendly, awsome, great time, meeting so many people…” Being from So CA we figured it would be a shock - well, it’s different, yes but positively so. I love seeing friends and asking how their kids are doing, I’m sad to say that many of them have concerns about the fact that their child is not as content as they thought they’d be. I think there’s more adjustment problems going to Northern CA than those that are at Southeast schools. Since on paper it looks good, next step is to head down for a looksee.</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you for your insights! You have definitely erased any doubts I had, and I am excited to visit UA with my daughter. She really wants to get out of New England- can’t say I blame her!</p>
<p>Son is a freshman at Bama from Hawaii. We had all the same concerns raised in this thread. I spoke to him today on the phone and mentioned that all the deans and college counselors at his high school are always asking me how he’s liking UA, since he’s the only student from his school matriculating there. </p>
<p>"What should I tell them? " I asked.</p>
<p>His response: “Super fun. Totally awesome.”</p>
<p>I also asked him about the academic rigor he’s experienced to date (he’s a National Merit scholar, taking 3 honors classes at present). He said it was every bit as tough as it should be and is quite satisfied with that aspect of his experience). As a parent, I couldn’t be more pleased with Bama. I know my son very well and he’s LOVING UA. </p>
<p>Roll Tide and no worries!</p>
<p>We are from Connecticut and Son is a freshman at Alabama. When we first started talking about visiting campus last fall people would say to me “Alabama? That’s in the south you know.” Like he couldn’t possibly get a good education and be happy there.
Well, he’s been there six weeks and we have had no complaints. Everyone is friendly, classes are small, and he seems perfectly content with his choice.</p>
<p>We are from NJ but we’ve lived in TN for the past 7 years. I can say without hesitation that people have been unfailingly friendly to my D, both during the admissions process and for the past few weeks that she’s been on campus as a freshman. She is also a NMF and I asked her about the rigor of classes and academic level of her fellow students; she said it was all at the right level and she didn’t feel that she was missing a thing by not choosing a “higher ranked” school.</p>
<p>Roll tide!</p>
<p>Alabama is in the South…thank goodness!</p>
<p>My son is so happy in Alabama. He has three great roommates. Loves the honor’s college and his classes. He says the people are all super friendly. He loves the beautiful campus and couldn’t be happier. His roommates are from Alabama, Texas and Illinois!</p>
<p>I know that it’s a common reaction to think that there will some kind of culture shock going to Alabama, but in reality, there isn’t.</p>
<p>I travel frequently between Alabama and California…the transitions are seamless. I don’t experience any shock going from one region to the other.</p>
<p>I’m from WA and am really glad that I chose to attend UA. As the others have said, people in Alabama are very friendly and welcoming. Sure the South isn’t exactly the same as New England and New England isn’t the same as the Midwest or Southern California. Once you realize that there will be some minor differences, you’ll be fine. I have always felt safe and welcome in Alabama. If anything, the fact that I’m attending UA has actually helped me meet a lot of interesting people both when I’m in Alabama and when I’m in other states. It’s pretty cool to be on vacation or just running errands in your hometown during school breaks and have people shout “Roll Tide” when they see that you’re wearing an Alabama t-shirt or have a UA sticker on your car.</p>
<p>As much as there are people who will look at you funny and possibly ask you why your daughter would want to attend school in the South of all places, there are many people that will be very proud and excited that your daughter is attending the University of Alabama.</p>
<p>Just curious - for those students that are NMF, would you have selected Alabama if there wasn’t such a great scholarship? Was money the overriding factor in your college decision? What schools did you turn down to go to Alabama? </p>
<p>I am from the upper midwest. People do question motives when you mention Alabama - and age old stereotypes about the university prevail (substandard academics, civil rights issues). From everything I have read, Alabama is a university on the rise with many great opportunities. Maybe the bias exists because this is Big 10 country - and it is football season!</p>
<p>I’m NMSF right now (still an HS senior), and I would say that the NMF scholarship does play a pretty big part in the decision. However, a lot of NM kids who look at other schools have a shot at major scholarships at those places too. For me though, Bama’s basically set in stone because I’ll need to pay my deposits to secure my housing before I even know if I get in anywhere else (namely Rhodes). Oh well. I know someone at Bama who’s an NMF and turned down Vandy and UNC. She’s in CBHP and is having an awesome time.</p>
<p>We’re also in-state though, so it’d be cheaper regardless of NM status.</p>
<p>*Just curious - for those students that are NMF, would you have selected Alabama if there wasn’t such a great scholarship? Was money the overriding factor in your college decision? What schools did you turn down to go to Alabama? *</p>
<p>That’s a difficult question to answer because many high stats scholarship students (NMF and Presidential) probably never would have visited Bama if the scholarship wasn’t offered…so the “selecting” option probably wouldn’t even be an issue. </p>
<p>I think it’s like a great coupon offer to a restaurant that you go to and end up really liking. You may not have considered going to that unknown restaurant if you didn’t have the coupon, but that doesn’t make any difference if once you’re there you love it. Right?</p>
<p>Also, without a scholarship, it can be difficult to select ANY out of state public simply because the higher cost is often much higher than what a person can get in their own state.</p>
<p>Bama is able to attract many high stats students from other states because with the Bama scholarships, attending Bama is less expensive than attending their own flagship. Also, some states - Texas for instance - make it difficult for high stats kids who don’t make top 8% of their school to have access to UT and TAMU.</p>
<p>The good news is that a Bama visit sells the school. 
The academics, the honors college, th campus, the facilities, the profs, the students, the dorms, the friendliness of everyone are the selling points.</p>
<p>Bugaboo2: I doubt my son would have selected Alabama if he had not been NM. We have several outstanding colleges and universities in Virginia. Perhaps he would have gone to William & Mary or Richmond, two schools that offered him admission if the money had been better. He chose not to apply to UVA or Virginia Tech, as he was not interested in either school. He also may have decided to sit on the waitlists at Harvard, Cornell or Duke.</p>
<p>In the end, he chose Alabama over Washington U., which gave him a nice package, but not as nice as Alabama’s. He is also in CBHP, UHP and IHP and loves the programs. Several of his CBHP friends turned down Duke, Rice, Georgetown, Rhodes and Texas A & M. Others rejected Ivies over Alabama.</p>
<p>Is there a bias against Alabama? Not from my son’s fellow classmates. They were so excited for him when they learned of his NM offer. Many will need to borrow $10,000 or more each year to attend an in-state school. In fact, they encouraged him to take the offer – if not from Alabama, then another school that loves NM kids. Since he gained admission there, five more students from his rural Virginia HS applied there. All were accepted. One seriously thought about going there – if he had gotten into CBHP. </p>
<p>The next person from his HS to attend Alabama will probably be his younger brother, who is just a freshman. He’s already seen the dorms and the rec center and gone to a football game. He loved it.</p>
<p>We’ve lived long in N and S California, the northeast and the south. The south is the most welcoming area we’ve experienced. People tend to easily break down that stranger vs “one of us” barrier.<br>
Some southerners are still noticeably quite conservative- politically, culturally and socially- and in terms of their sense of who belongs where. They can be proud of it and vocal about it. At times, this will come smack against our “blue-state,” mentality. But, in general, IMO, New Englanders are an open and tolerant sort and this serves us well in other regions. It would be interesting to see how minorities feel about the differences.</p>