Alabama vs Temple vs Troy

College Search & Selection
1

After doing a lot of research on schools that offer generous merit scholarships, I think that these three schools seem to be the best fit for me! I was interested to see if anyone had any experience or additional information on these colleges, because I’m having a hard time determining which one(s) to apply to!

Based on my stats I would receive

  • Free tuition at Alabama
  • Free tuition + (2) $4,000 Stipends at Temple
  • Free tuition + room and board at Troy

I am interested in studying either biology or neuroscience and plan on going to medical school after.
Again, any experience or additional info on these scholarships/programs/colleges in general would really be appreciated!

2

I am nearly certain that you wouldn’t like Troy.

Do you know if the Temple awards will be offered for this fall’s application season? I don’t see that currently being offered. It may be offered, I just don’t see it. I can only find a scholarship listing for last year’s applicants.

3

If affordable, I’d probably opt for Alabama or Temple depending on which location/vibe you prefer.

4

You can apply to all of them and decide later.

5

If you are looking for a full ride, I would recommend Louisiana Tech over Troy.

Also look at Mississippi State. Their aid is not Automatic, but you would probably get a good package there.

6

@bobwallace Had Temple updated its merit for this year? I can’t find a current page with the assured full tuition merit for stats.

7

It looks like they are the same:

http://admissions.temple.edu/sites/admissions/files/uploads/15_16_ADM_Scholarship_APP_Final2.pdf

8

^^ Thanks …I couldn’t find the most recent link.

9

@mom2collegekids @happy1
Thank you guys so much for all your in put! Any reason why everyone is saying to avoid Troy?

@BobWallace
I have looked into Louisiana Tech, however the fact that it’s primarily a commuter campus is a turn off for me.
Are the Mississppi State academic scholarships automatic? It looks as if I’d get $18,000 there, is that per year or over four years?

10

My niece is starting her 3rd year at Troy, and my nephew is a freshman there. They love it. Niece is a nursing student, nephew will go for computer science/math. If your family needs a full ride school, you might want to at least consider it.

It is doubtful my S will want to be that far away from home when he goes to college in a few years, but I still have it in the back of my mind as a possibility. Again, FULL RIDE means a lot if you are aiming for Med School.

11

@mom2collegekids I would love to hear more of your knowledge of Troy. Can you describe your reservations about the school? I see that the academic admissions stats are a bit lower, is that what concerns you? Or have you been on campus and have first hand experiences that turned you off?

All I hear of Troy is from relatives who love the free full ride. This family has 5 kids, all close in age, they are very pleased to have a full ride option for their children. I would love to hear a more objective opinion.

12

Out of these three, I would take whichever school is the cheapest. You don’t want to take on any debt graduating from any of these schools.

13

If you want an urban environment, it’s hard to beat Temple; if you don’t, then you won’t like it. Philly is not only a lively, affordable city for young people (may I cap-lock AFFORDABLE?), but it is one of the world’s greatest medical hubs. Temple is in a very mixed neighborhood that intimidates people, however. If you prefer a more traditional campus setting, Alabama will undoubtedly be more to your liking. Temple does have D-1 basketball and football (they have games against Penn State and Notre Dame, or near-certain losses, this fall).

14

Have you visited UA and Troy? Have you considered UAB?

What state are you from?

15

@SOSConcern
I am from Michigan so I have not been able to visit any of these schools, which is making it very hard to decide just based on what I have seen on line. I have not looked indepth in UAB but I will check it out!

16

Have you also checked out the MI state schools? Any schools (public or private) where you would have affordable housing/relatives?

Get in enough applications/merit applications. Can travel perhaps during the school year to make a decision.

Should not choose a school w/o seeing unless it is a ‘one and only’.

Your decision could be a difference between being a good match or not very good. Being very happy and having challenges that are great for you/a very good fit is the goal - within your budget.

Honors College at UA is very good. I have a student at UA and UAB (both on scholarship). You really have to see Troy, UA, and UAB to make an informed decision. We know kids at Troy and they are happy there, but neither of my kids would be happy at Troy.

17

In state I will be applying to Grand Valley and U of M. Grand valley would be more affordable but U of M is such a fantastic school, and instate rates are not too high, it may be worth taking on some debt (if I’m accepted that is).

I really appreciate all the input, and I’m going to try to visit these schools at some point this school year!

18

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All I hear of Troy is from relatives who love the free full ride. This family has 5 kids, all close in age, they are very pleased to have a full ride option for their children. I would love to hear a more objective opinion.


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there is nothing “wrong” with the school itself. It’s truly in the middle of nowhere, not much to do off-campus, many kids go home on weekends, etc. It’s a fine option for those who live in the region…it draws heavily from that region of Alabama, and nearby areas of Georgia and Florida. It is very popular for those with musical interests, particularly those who have an interest in teaching music or leading school bands, but don’t have the stats for large merit elsewhere. It is also popular for future nursing students.

Yes, I’ve been to the Troy campus a few times. It is attractive, but again, in the middle of nowhere. I suspect it would be hard to participate in medically-related ECs or research there.


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see that the academic admissions stats are a bit lower, is that what concerns you? Or have you been on campus and have first hand experiences that turned you off? <<<<

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The Troy student body is far less strong than UA’s or even Temple’s. Troy’s upper quartile is an ACT is an ACT 27+. Bama’s upper quartile is a 32+ (so not a “bit” lower, a LOT lower), and Temple’s is an ACT 29+.

The issue would be the peers and the student body. The OP (Meghan) has an ACT 33. She’d be more likely be among peers in her premed and other academic classes.

I don’t see on Troy’s website that it has a premed advising office. I’m not surprised by this because it may not have enough premed/predental/etc students to justify a staff and office.

Contrast that to Alabama which has a well-established premed advising office and does write Committee Letters, which are very important for med school admissions. http://prehealth.ua.edu


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All I hear of Troy is from relatives who love the free full ride. This family has 5 kids, all close in age, they are very pleased to have a full ride option for their children.

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Certainly, for someone who has few/no other options to pay for college, going free or near-free to Troy is a fine solution. I have recommended Troy for those whose stats are lower, but need a huge merit award. For someone with 5 kids close in age needing huge merit, Troy can be their saving grace.

Where do your relatives live?

19

My comment was based on a quick search where it didn’t seem that Troy has a neuroscience department and the bio department seems to be mixed in with environmental studies. Certainly you should do more than my cursory research and if you find that Troy meets you academic needs then certainly consider it.

20

I really appreciate all the input guys thank you so much. A lot of this I did not know about until now so this is great. it’s definitely hard to learn about a school without visiting it, so hopefully I will have a chance to see these schools at some point.