<p>Whoa there, JL. You misunderstood my post, or I did not make it clear. I meant that it would be difficult to find New Yorkers or (other north east students) who would want to go to UAH, not the flagship school UA. Though I don’t think many New Yorkers end up even at UA, I am sure there are many more there than there areAlabamans, or the whole load of OOSers at all of the SUNYs. No question that UA is top Flagship university. I was not trying to say it was not. Sorry that I did not say things clearly and got the wrong idea across. My son would have picked UA over UB where he is any day if the same MT opportunities were there. I would put UA with the Penn State, UMD, U Michigan, Ohio State grouping that I mentioned. So you have me wrong, probably because of my awkward wording.</p>
<p>It’s UAH that I meant was not going to be a big draw, because it, like Toledo, or UB does not have the amenities of a major, well known, strong community, good all around university. Yes, the rankings and reputation (few people outside of area will know anything about UAH) are part of the reason, but it is also because of the type of school it is: lots of part time kids, large commuter population, few on campus dorms, many non traditional students. UA is a whole different story, and regardless of what the school is actually rated, it is considered a major university with major appeal and draw nationwide. I never intended to give any other such impression, I promise you. </p>
<p>I have often directed posters looking for full ride options to Momoftexas’s sthread on full ride scholerships. For those who want to leave home for college and have little or no payment options, that is one way to do it. The disadvantage of those schools, however, is that they are schools that often fall into the category of serving mainly commuter, local kids and it is not quite the college life some kids may be picturing when they say they want to go away to college. But UA is not a school that would appear on that list. ANyone getting a full ride from UA has to be waaaay up there in stats. It is not the sort of school that a lower than top rate student would have a chance for a full ride, unlike the schools on Momoftexas’s lists.</p>