Hi. UA is tentatively on our list of target schools for my D17. I have heard wonderful things about several programs and I appreciate the openness to OOS students. We had a pretty decent chat with an admissions officer at a college fair a few months ago, but I am still a bit apprehensive about the unknown. We are in the Washington, DC area and I am curious about the experiences of AfrAm students at UA, especially those from the East Coast (or any other non-southern region). I attended a school that had a very tiny (3%) AA population and I thrived in spite of it, but I do not want that experience for my child. I have many friends who are still impacted by some of their more challenging experiences. UA seems to have good numbers, but I am concerned about the social climate. I would especially like to hear from parents or students of color, though I welcome any insight that any of the very enthusiastic UA parents/alums can provide!
About D17–Great kid (of course I’m biased!) with good (not amazing) grades, some honors, fluent in Spanish, LDs, plays cello, cheer, dance, drama, Girl Scouts, studied abroad, other ECs, intended major education (early childhood or elementary), passion for underserved kids. Loves big schools and will likely apply to Maryland, Georgia, Indiana (all very strong schools of Ed) Florida State, Purdue and a couple of other mid-size privates.
Thanks in advance for any insight or potential resources.
I really can’t provide much insight as my Bama student is white, but I will share that the newly elected student body president is AA. (http://www.al.com/news/tuscaloosa/index.ssf/2017/03/alabama_sga_president.html). Of course, in an ideal world the fact that he is AA wouldn’t be relevant, but we don’t live in an ideal world. The student body president elected in March 2015 was also AA, but didn’t have Machine backing. Also, the racial barrier in the traditionally white Greek system seems to have fallen, although more AA students participate in the NPHC fraternities and sororities.
Thanks so much for sharing. It’s definitely relevant, and that’s okay…Progress is not always as fast as we’d like.
I would like to get a picture of what the general vibe is like, especially for non-southerners. I went to grad school in Atlanta (born and raised in Indiana) and it was a huge culture shock for me, both good and not so great. I loved it and my daughter loves visiting. I am just unfamiliar with Alabama and wonder how East Coast/Northern (I never used that word before I moved to Georgia!) AA kids adjust.
So interesting about the Greek system…I am a very proud NPHC member and it would be a dream come true to have my daughter follow in my footsteps. But I’ve always had AA friends in IFC/Panhel organizations and it does seem to be diversifying even more.
Another thing I’ll add, regarding northerners at UA. There are a lot of them. IIRC, over 60% of the incoming freshmen this past year were from OOS. A number of those are from surrounding states and Texas, but there are significant numbers from Illinois, the northeast and California. I don’t think you’ll find culture shock. I had culture shock when I went from Philadelphia to UVa for school back in the day; my daughter had none when she went from the Chicago area to Bama. I don’t know if it’s different for students of color. My daughter’s roommate was AA, and was perfectly acclimated, but she was a southerner from Tennessee.
In fact, for three years in a row now, the freshmen class has been comprised of over 60% out of state students … and large numbers from FAR out of state.
This would be a fantastic question to post on “The University of Alabama Parent Group” Facebook page. I suggest you join the page and ask there, as all members either have or have had kids at the school -from all over the country. There are over 4000 parents on the page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/alabamaparents/
I’m Facebook friends with an African-American Lady from suburban Maryland outside of DC whose daughter is in her Junior year at UA. She constantly raves about the school. From what I see she posts, her daughter is having the time of her life. She is also a Greek, so that also is applicable to your situation. I hope that helps.
Non Southerner here. DS a sophomore there. Half black. My dad is AA. Zero issues so far for him. Military family and DS grew up mostly in Germany and Colorado also Florida, Belgium and a bit as a little one in Louisiana. We now live in DC area.
Thanks everyone! I appreciate the insight. I really like the enthusiasm of the UA parents I’ve encountered. We will keep it on the list and try to make it for a visit next fall. Thanks again!
DeltaMom2019, UA has one of the highest enrollments of Black students and highest numbers of Black faculty of any state flagship in the nation. Is life perfect at UA? No, but if we looked at controversial media reports, would anyone expect UA to have such a high percentage of Blacks? Alabama has many schools, including many traditionally Black schools, so it is not like they have no alternatives.
@Atlanta68 Thanks for the insight. Coming from an undergrad experience of 3% AA, I definitely value a more representative ratio of 10% or more (reflective of a national representation of about 12%-13%). Of course the South has significantly higher percentages of AA residents, so I would expect flagship state schools to reflect that. I believe Alabama is about 26% AA and the AA population at UA is about 11%. Not proportionate, but certainly not nearly as isolating as other state flagships. It’s definitely a plus.
That said, while my undergraduate institution had a relatively low AA percentage at the time I was there (late 80s), the first AA student graduated in 1895. Lots of challenges in our history, but I believe I had a very different experience than my peers who attended state institutions that did not accept AA students until a couple of decades before they got there. Thus my questions about the current culture for students of color, especially those who aren’t from the South.
I’ve heard wonderful things about the school from a variety of parents and students…we’ll look forward to visiting to see if it’s a potential fit for my D17.
@DeltaMom2019, I’m from the northeast and have several African-American FB friends (from all over the US) with children at UA. I would venture that their experiences vary as much as pretty much anybody’s, but all are upperclassmen or recent graduates now, and all seem to be doing very well from what I can tell.
A few of these families are pretty affluent, so I don’t think the out-of-state costs were an issue, and some others were academic scholarship recipients so their costs were relatively low, but I know it’s been a huge financial commitment for a few of the others, so keep that in mind, if cost is a concern.
My biggest recommendation to anybody considering Bama is to visit and see for yourself. And then compare the total costs to your other options. For most of us, cost is a bigger issue than we thought it would be when our kids were little, but if it’s affordable, and your DD feels it’s a fit after she visits, I think she will find UA a terrific place to go to school.
And if you want, feel free to PM me and I can try to put you in touch with a few of these parents. One is in Atlanta but originally from the upper Midwest, another is in Chicago, and I know a few in the DC area. I also know one in the South whose DD is an academic rock star who turned down a premier university in New England because of finances. She’s in grad school at UA now, I believe.
Checking in to see what your DD ended up deciding, @DeltaMom2019.
I thought of you this morning when one of the moms I referred to in #14 posted today on FB that her daughter was graduating in three years summa cum laude and headed to law school at Emory. I believe this family is from Atlanta, so not exactly “east coast,” but pretty cosmopolitan.
Whatever your DD decided, wishing her all the best!
@LucieTheLakie Thanks for thinking of me! My daughter has a couple of years before we have to make the decision…we are exploring schools to apply to. We are doing the southeastern tour next spring and my best friend wants to swing over to Bama during the trip, so we’ll see. Congrats to your friend’s daughter!
