Im a high school junior and I’m looking at multiple SEC schools. Ole Miss, Auburn and Bama. I am from North Carolina so my worry is how many students come from out of state for these schools? I know bama is huge like 50% out of state which is great. but I really enjoy the small college town atmosphere of Auburn and Ole Miss. Would being from out of state limit my experiences at Auburn?
Thanks
I am an Auburn graduate. Almost 40% of students at Auburn are from out of state. Most are southerners, but I knew several students from New Jersey plus a couple from Ohio, for example, and they all fit in just fine. I see no reason why being out of state would limit anybody at Auburn. Being from North Carolina practically makes you a native.
You’ll be fine. North Carolina is just like Georgia, just like Alabama. My sons friends are from Virginia, Texas, and Alabama.
Yeah, it’s about 40% out of state, but in person it feels like a lot more. Alabama draws more out-of-state students partially because they offer better scholarships for out-of-staters than Auburn does. Plus, Auburn has less of an overwhelmingly “Southern” culture than Alabama does. It won’t limit you at all.
@irlandaise - you said it has less of a southern culture than Alabama does? Could you elaborate on that please? The southern culture of Bama and Ole Miss are two of things that attracted me to these schools in the first place. In my mind the pros of Auburn over Bama is the setting and it is a little smaller. I am really not a city person and I know that Tuscalusa isnt exactly a city, but it is still a significantly larger town that Auburn, am I correct? Also any info on greek life would be great too. Thanks so much!
@ntk131998 Sure - it’s definitely a Southern school, no way around that. I felt that it was more diverse in terms of background, political leanings, religion, etc than Alabama (I never toured Ole Miss). It’s less of a culture shock for someone like me, who isn’t Southern-born or raised. I’ve visited Alabama and Auburn for different reasons over the past couple years at least a dozen times each, and it always strikes me that Alabama is a little more homogeneous than Auburn. If that’s your thing - that’s great. Alabama does have statistically more out-of-staters anyway. I definitely prefer Auburn over Tuscaloosa. Big cities have their benefits, and I do like them, but I never felt there was much of an appeal to Tuscaloosa, which is a bigger, but not big, city. Plus, Auburn is closer to Atlanta, which is a benefit to me. Can’t tell you a lot about Greek life, since I’m not rushing or really talk to people that rush (GDI, ya know), but I could probably try to answer specifics. Are you a guy or girl? What aspects of Southern culture is it that you’re interested in?
I was out of state when I attended Auburn many years ago. It was not unusual then and I had friends, sorority sisters and roommates from: Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, New York, Texas, West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, etc. - you get the picture. Everyone got along just fine - even those Jersey girls were able to mix with the southern belles 
This may sound like a silly question but for out of state students, how do you get to the airport to travel home for breaks etc? Are there buses etc that take students to the airport? My D is considering Auburn and this is one of my worries of her being so far from home. Logistics of travel are concerning. Can anyone tell me what most kids do?
Travel is actually pretty easy. Fly in/out of Atlanta (cheaper and more convenient than either Birmingham or Montgomery). Shuttle bus from Hartsfield-Jackson Airport(ATL) to/from Auburn (Auburn Hotel or Village Dorms) runs every two hours or so. Takes about 1:40 (makes a few stops). Groom Transportation $38. Takes reservations. Express85 used to also run an airport shuttle but stopped in January. Don’t forget Georgia is on eastern time and Alabama on central time.
We live in NJ and son went to Auburn. Transportation was never an issue. We always used the Atlanta airport which is a very easy drive to/from Auburn. He never had a problem getting a ride to the airport but the shuttle was always our backup plan. With Auburn and ATL both right on I-85, his friends who were heading that direction were always happy to make a quick stop at the airport. I didn’t know Express85 stopped service, but we’ve used Groome for other routes and they are good and reliable.
We are from Massachusetts and have kids at Auburn and Clemson. Getting to the airport at Auburn is MUCH easier. It seems Auburn is a “hidden gem” for kids from the North looking for a Southern college experience. War Eagle!