<p>anyone out there looked at these schools- We were looking OOS and now my D wants to go instate- curious what folks from OOS think of these 2 schools- give me their opinions- she can go to Auburn with a full scholarship- doesn't want to go to Alabama</p>
<p>I am curious that since you are instate, what is the instate reputation of the two schools?</p>
<p>My daughter will attend Auburn in the fall. She fell in love with the school last year at a War Eagle Day and her love continued to grow with every communication she has had with Auburn admissions. I can’t speak of Alabama, as my daughter refused to look at the school after seeing Auburn. She felt it would be disloyal - don’t ask me, she is a kid. 
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<p>I know there are a number of posters on this forum whose kids are attending Alabama and they absolutely love the school.</p>
<p>Will she be able to study what she wants to study at Auburn?</p>
<p>Here is my take on both schools via folks already there- Alabama has the better “honors” program and is a good school. The greek Life is far more competitive at Alabama than Auburn- and It is hard to get in a sorority at Bama- at Auburn -only 30% participate and it’s very laid back- From all that I hear from my Auburn friends -Auburn is a better school academically with a much more laid back campus- I have always heard that- Not that alabam is a bad school - they are both very good schools- My daughter doesn’t want to go to Bama b/c most of her HS goes there - I will be thrilled if she ends up at Auburn especially financially- she can get a fulls cholarship there- we have been looking at OOS school and she would need lots of merit $ to go-
And BAMA has the BEST football team and fans in the world- I Love Alabama football and will not be able to cheer for Auburn-</p>
<p>Well, my husband and I are UF alumni - Go Gators! My husband had to learn to live with the fact that our daughter will be going to another SEC school, not UF, but Auburn offers far more merit aide than UF does. Anyway, I can understand your issue as university loyalties are strong, just make sure you keep speaking to your daughter if Auburn beats Alabama. :)</p>
<p>My daughter also likes that so many of her high classmates will be going to UF and at Auburn she will be forced to make new friends. </p>
<p>I do like reading about your instate perception of the two schools except for Auburn’s Honor’s college. Hopefully it has improved.</p>
<p>Thank you for sharing and I will keep reading this thread as other posters offer their advice. Good luck.</p>
<p>I’m from WA and attend Alabama. I agree that both schools would provide a great education for your D. I definitely understand not wanting college to be an extension of high school, but at either school it would be possible to meet new people and branch out of one’s hs’s clique. Alabama has over 28k students and while I do know people that went to the same schools, but few actually do much with people from their hs. I take it that your D would like to join a sorority. The percentage of Greek students at either school is comparable, but I would need to experience Greek life at Auburn to tell you which is more laid back. Personally, I think UA is laid back, but our benchmarks are probably different.</p>
<p>It appears that you would like your D to attend UA, but she’s looking more at Auburn. If you haven’t already, visit both schools and also see if she can spend the night with a current student at each school. To me, it’s your D’s and to a lesser degree, the family’s opinion of each school that counts more than the opinion of others. Yes, rankings are important, but sometimes we have to compromise to get what we like better.</p>
<p>I’m happy that you would be proud if your D went to Auburn (or UA for that matter). Would she be eligible for a scholarship at UA also? To look on the bright side, if she does attend Auburn, you can buy the “House Divided” merchandise. </p>
<p>Roll Tide to you and War Eagle (at least at the moment) to your D,
-SEA_tide</p>
<p>It is hard to get in a sorority at Bama- at Auburn -only 30% participate and it’s very laid back- From all that I hear from my Auburn friends -Auburn is a better school academically with a much more laid back campus- I have always heard that-</p>
<p>The % of greeks at both schools is about the same. It is not hard to get into a sorority at Bama. Nearly every girl who rushes pledges. Usually the few that don’t pledge, it’s because of their own choice.</p>
<p>As for academics…that is the “old rule of thumb”. Auburn used to be known for engineering, while Bama was known for its Business school and Liberal Arts majors. However, both schools have recently spent a lot of money on improving their weaker areas to make these distinctions much of a non-issue.</p>
<p>Auburn has recently added more housing, but it is still seriously lacking in honors housing and in housing in general. I was told that it has 160 honors super suites beds, while Bama has over 1000 honors super suites beds. So, if being in honors housing is desirable, then that might be a consideration.</p>
<p>Bama does have 4 well-developed honors programs and is hopefully adding a 5th one just for pre-health majors (pre-health, pre-vet, pre-dental, etc). </p>
<p>Both are great schools with fine traditions. Your D would be happy at either school. What is her likely major?</p>
<p>She should take the campus tour at both schools. After you set up at a tour at Bama, have Jami Gates arrange for honors tours and appts for her within her major and to tour the 6 honors residence halls. </p>
<p>I’m curious…why will your D be able to get a better scholarship at Auburn than at Bama? What are her stats?</p>
<p>I don’t know if scholarships at Auburn are any better than Bama- she just does not want to go to Bama- she made a 32/ACT and has a 3.4 UW- -Auburn rep was at the HS on Wednesday- one fo her good friends(senior) is going to Auburn so she now thinks that is where she is going- still don’t know- I realize the Auburn housing is nothing like Bama-
As far as sororities- It has always been known that rush is not as bad as Bama- meaning the degree of cutting girtls and having to know people to get in a certain one- I know this for a fact- iIt is alot of work done by the parents !! I was told that 2,000 went out for rush in 2009 and only 1,000 got a bid- I just looked at bid list from 2009 and there are 1120 that got in a sorority- I think that is one reason that she doesn’t want to go to Alabama - the brutal rush!!! Her likeley major- not sure possibly nursing/ biology/ minor spanish</p>
<p>I was told that 2,000 went out for rush in 2009 and only 1,000 got a bid-</p>
<p>You were given wrong info…</p>
<p>I’ll get you the correct info. :)</p>
<p>Here’s the straight scoop on Bama Sorority Rush of fall 2009…</p>
<p>Roughly 1400 girls went thru Rush. Nearly 1200 pledged. The ones who didn’t pledge mostly either decided to withdraw or “suicided” (meaning that they only wanted ONE particular sorority). Some girls go thru Rush just to meet new friends with no intention of pledging.</p>
<p>I have written many recs for my sorority at Bama, and every girl I’ve ever written a rec for has either pledged my sorority or another. None have been left with no choices.</p>
<p>BTW…quotas set for the 15 sororities is largely based on the number of girls who remain thru Rush. So, if by the end of the week, 1300 girls remain, the number is divided by 15 and that’s roughly the quota for each sorority.</p>
<p>hlsess: I went to Panhellenic Preview at the end of March and the stats they gave us for sorority rush were: 81% of girls who rushed got a bid; of those who didn’t get a bid (19%) the vast majority self selected out during the process and/or didn’t maximize their chances by going to the largest # of events that they could. Only 5% went through the process & didn’t get a bid, but the speakers said that most of those were due to low GPAs or other reasons that would make a sorority not want to offer them a bid (they didn’t expound about this, but I got the feeling that it might have been behavior/disciplinary issues.) Here’s the link to the ppt: <a href=“http://greeklife.ua.edu/docs/Preview%20Parent’s%20Session.ppt[/url]”>http://greeklife.ua.edu/docs/Preview%20Parent’s%20Session.ppt</a> </p>
<p>I will share with you that I heard some about some brutal legacy cuts at Auburn this past rush; girls who are friends of friends in tears not getting bids even though they were 3rd generation (fill in the sorority name here). I will say I have no dog in this fight since sororities are completely foreign to me and my D is on the fence as to whether she will rush or not come August. But I’m sure there are bad sorority stories at every school. And if my D does want to rush, it won’t be any extra work for me; she can figure out the rec part on her own just like she did for college apps :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the info- Now I do recall that Auburn rush was bad also - I have just always heard that not nearly as many go out or feel like they need to be in a sororoity at Auburn-I am just glad it isn’t me…</p>
<p>I’m having a similar problem. I was born and raised an Alabama fan. A hardcore Alabama fan I might add. I’m currently attending a college just taking my basics. I am thinking about being a pharmacist and Alabama doesn’t offer Pharmacy school; Auburn University does. I really want to go to Alabama because it has always been my dream. But if I am truly wanting to be a pharmacist I would hve to go to Auburn. I’m afraid if I went to Auburn I would not fit in and would not get into a sorority. Regardless I woul like to get a full “college experience”. If you were in my shoes what would you do? Change your major and go to Bama for something other than Pharmacy? Or go to Auburn and have to put up with “weagle weagle war eagle!!” (no offense auburn fans!) please help! I’m torn! :(</p>
<p>There are pre-pharm students at Bama and at UAB. You don’t have to go to a school with a pharmacy school in order to do pre-pharm.</p>
<p>I think the way it works is that you go to Bama or UAB for 3 years and then go to Auburn for pharm school. I believe that you take your PCAT between soph and junior year in August. </p>
<p>Here’s the pre-pharm req’ts at Bama…</p>
<p>Pre-Pharmacy Program</p>
<p>The College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Alabama offers prerequisite courses needed prior to admission to graduate programs in pharmacy. A student wanting to complete a doctoral degree in pharmacy in the minimum period of time should plan on transferring to a school of pharmacy after completing the required undergraduate courses, and he or she should begin the application process after the first or second year of undergraduate study. Some students apply for admission to a pharmacy program at a later stage, such as following the completion of an undergraduate degree, provided they have met appropriate admission requirements.</p>
<p>Registration in the freshman and sophomore years in the College of Arts and Sciences does not guarantee admission to the professional phase of a school of pharmacy. Enrollment in the professional phase is limited, and the student will be accepted in accord with his or her scholastic standing and aptitude for a career in pharmacy. Final selection of students is made by an admissions committee, and although there is no absolutely required grade point average, the accepted students in recent years have averaged approximately a 3.5 average on a 4.0 scale.</p>
<p>Because prerequisite courses vary considerably among pharmacy schools, and the requirements frequently change, the most prudent approach is to consult the Web sites of the pharmacy schools for the most recent required courses. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (aacp.org) maintains a database of pharmacy schools, and the health professions advisors can also assist students with choosing appropriate undergraduate courses.** Almost all pharmacy schools will require at a minimum:**</p>
<p>Courses Hours
CH 101 or CH 117 4
CH 102 or CH 118 4
CH 231 3
CH 232 3
CH 237 2
BSC 215 4
BSC 216 4
MATH 125 or MATH 145 4</p>
<p>(side note…You have to also take whatever pre-reqs are req’d for those courses if you don’t already have them. Also, the CH 117, 118, and Math 145 are the honors versions of the other mentioned courses. )</p>
<p>Additional undergraduate course requirements are determined by each pharmacy school. The pre-pharmacy program advisor is the primary advisor for students who enter the University as pre-pharmacy until they declare a specific major. After that and for other students who have an interest in pharmacy, the advisor is available as a secondary advisor to assist specifically with issues related to pre-pharmacy.</p>
<p>So, you can go to Bama…Roll Tide! :)</p>
<p>hlsess…if I remember correctly, your D hasn’t ever done the tour at Bama or visited the Honors College. At a minimum she should do that before making a decision. My son didn’t want to go to Bama either…until he toured and met with Dr. Sharpe at the honors college.</p>
<p>Ericakate08,</p>
<p>Alabama does offer a Pre-Pharmacy program. It’s possible to attend Alabama for your bachelor’s and then go to another university (not necessarily Auburn) for your pharmacy degree. As for your concerns about not being able to join a sorority and missing out on the “full college experience”, I beg to differ that participating in Greek life is essential to getting the most out of your college experience. You can still have a great, fulfilling time as an independent and I’d wager to bet that there are people who have a more fulfilling life as an independent than they would as a Greek. You can rush at either school and if you don’t get in, maybe Greek life isn’t for you. If I may ask, what makes you think that you won’t fit in at Auburn? I’m sure that even at Auburn, you will find a small number of Alabama fans. It is still possible to support both teams and either stay neutral at the Iron Bowl and/or find other Alabama fans to cheer with.</p>
<p>If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to visit CC’s Alabama and Auburn forums.</p>
<p>Interesting thread. Thanks to all that have contributed! Although the sorority issues aren’t an issue here (S2 ), any information we can get on Auburn beyond their website is helpful.
S2 is considering Auburn’s E-school. It’s the only oos school he’s looking at. I know the merit aid has changed, which is disappointing (and Alabama’s is more generous currently), but as it stands now he does qualify for aid that brings the cost = to our in state tuition. He is not interested in Alabama for some reason, and for a school that is 15hrs from home I’m not going to try to convince him of anything.
We have been unable to make the trip to visit the campus, but hope to. I know that housing is an issue, which concerns me. We do not know if he’ll be offered honors (GPA is well above, but the SAT was just shy). I have no idea how they proceed in offering honors to students like this, or if they ever do. Anyone have experience with honors offers that were not guaranteed via GPA & SAT/ACT combination? Does anyone know what plans are for housing, if any?
Any words offered on ‘Why Auburn?’.
Yes, I have posted this on the Auburn site. It is not as active as sites for 'Bama, VT, etc. so maybe someone will indulge me here ? Many thanks!
As these are pretty specific, if someone wants to reply and so do in the Auburn forum, please let me know to look there for a post. Also, a PM with any thoughts are appreciated. When you are several states away it is hard to determine the social and academic climate of a campus. Often even a 2 day visit doesn’t give you a clear view. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the input! I was considering Auburn because I could go through their prepharmacy program and then the Pharmacy school without having to relocate. I obviously need to tour both schools and get a better feel for both of them. I may consider going through Alabama’s Prepharmacy Program and then going to Samford (in Birmingham) for Pharmacy school. That might be the wiser choice for me. Also, if I decide to go to Auburn and realized Pharmacy wasn’t for me… Then I would probably transfer to Alabama. Because Pharmacy school was the only reason I considered Auburn. I’m trying to weigh the pro’s an con’s. And I love hearing yall’s input! It’s really refreshing to hear other people’s opinions. and SEA_tide: I feel like I wouldn’t fit in at Auburn because quite honestly I’ve heard from alot of people that Auburn is full of “snooty girls”. Which I’m sure not all of them are snooty and there’s snooty people everywhere. But I just feel I would be more comfortable at UA and plus I know people there.</p>
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<p>I have to be honest, if you’re concerned with what OOS folks think, there are going to be a lot of people in this country whose only impressions of Alabama and Auburn are going to be based on seeing their sports teams play. Therefore, I’d toss that aside, and focus on those schools and what YOU and your D think of them – not what OOS folks think. Good luck!</p>
<p>Our story is a little different but I thought I’d offer some of our experiences.</p>
<p>Son will be attending college fall 2010. He applied to 7 schools, 5 southern and 2 northern. He was accepted to 4, not accepted to one, deferred and then accepted to another, and waitlisted to one. Unfortunately, the “perfect” school was the one he was not accepted to, so we again hit the road and revisited each school (yes, we visited all schools before applying). He accepted admission to Auburn (we are out of state)</p>
<p>Housing: If you want to live on campus, it is imperative that you apply for on campus housing the minute you receive your acceptance to Auburn. Do not wait! If you wait, you stand a good chance of having to rent off campus. If you decide not to attend, you’ve only lost $200.00 but it’s well worth $200 for piece of mind, especially if you are out of state. The new housing complex call the Village is beautiful, whereas the Quad is in the heart of the campus. If you are not in honors, joining a learning community is an excellent way to ensure you will get on campus housing in the area you want (again, as long as you sign up immediately). The Village complex has about 1600 units. Some are for athletes, some for sororities and some for learning communities. So you can see, accommodating all these groups with only 1600 units is why it fills so fast, not to mention they are only two years old and everyone has a seperate bedroom!</p>
<p>The “main” area of the campus is very compact, which is fantastic. It gives the campus the close and comfortable feeling. The university is expanding, new buildings are being constructed and they are beautiful. The new recreation facility is underway as well as two new engineering buildings. Don’t be misled and think the campus is small just because it’s compact. The campus is huge; I believe they have a little more than 1800 acres. I recently read an article that listed top campuses. It stated that Auburn’s stadium holds around 85,000 and Ohio State (the second largest in the US) has about 1700 acres and their staduim holds about 105,000.</p>
<p>According to Auburn’s website, a 32 act score is definitely eligible for scholarships and honors. Here’s the link [Office</a> of University Scholarships - Home](<a href=“http://www.auburn.edu/scholarship/]Office”>Office of University Scholarships | Auburn University)</p>
<p>I would recommend that you spend some time on the website and then spend a day or two at the school. The website is really user friendly and you will love the school. Use “search” at the top of the page on the website. It uses “normal words” to bring up everything you could want to know. </p>
<p>I found the students and the employees to be super friendly. </p>
<p>Can you tell that I really like the university?</p>