Bama vs. MSU vs. Ole Miss

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
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<p>I sure hope this isn’t a sore subject! I know very, very little about colleges in the south. I do know that there can be a huge rivalry between colleges that are somewhat geographically close. So, please … no offense intended by this question! I know next to NOTHING about any of these 3 colleges. We’ve perused the websites, and that’s about it – aside from one summer visit to Bama.</p>

<p>My hs senior son and I LOVED Bama. We intended to visit all 3 of the colleges on the same visit, but my work got in the way. So, we’ve only been to Bama.</p>

<p>All 3 of these colleges offer huge NMF scholarships. All 3 offer mechanical engineering degrees. All 3 have lots of fans on CC.</p>

<p>Can anybody put a “compare & contrast” in a nutshell for us?</p>

<p>My son is interested in a great honors program, a very good engineering program, and the ability to play in a good orchestra as a non-major.</p>

<p>Any takers? (I’m holding my breath … where I live, people are extremely loyal to one particular school or another and seem to take offense at comparison attempts. If this is a touchy subject, please don’t rake me over the coals or give me unhelpful, angry answers! I’m trying to be good!) :)</p>

<p>FYI – I’m going to post this in the other two forums as well.</p>

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<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I’ve toured MSU within the last 12 months. It’s been a looooong time since I’ve been to Old Miss, so I don’t have any current info about Ole Miss.</p>

<p>MSU is a good school with a fine engineering program and a good vet school. </p>

<p>One concern is that it doesn’t seem to have as many kids from any distance like Bama does. It has about 20% OOS students, but they don’t post the state by state breakdown. </p>

<p>I know that they have a good number of Alabama and Tennessee kids because MSU’s scholarships are more generous for a bit lower stats. My kids’ high school sends about 7 kids to MSU every year. </p>

<p>I just looked at their scholarship page and it looks like they’ve taken off their ACT req’ts for assured scholarships. So, maybe their scholarships are different for this next year and are competitive now. Not sure.</p>

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<p>Thanks, mom2collegekids!
Did either of your kids have both Bama and MSU on their college lists? If so, what put them over the edge for Bama?</p>

<p>As you know, we visited Bama on your recommendation, and loved it. Would you likewise recommend a visit to MSU?</p>

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<p>While traveling with the Alabama academic team last spring, my son got the chance to see MSU. He thought the campus was gorgeous (he called it a mini Alabama in a lot of ways). He suggested that his kid brother go see it when he does his college shopping in three years.</p>

<p>As for Mississippi, the tailgating is just unreal, my friend, whose entire family went there, said.</p>

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<p>MSU is a much smaller school and has a good price even for out of staters. The engineering school has an excellent reputation in the south, and it is well known for its meteorology program. Although we never got a chance to visit, I thought it might be a good choice for my son as far as population size. We have friends there who absolutely love it. Extremely generous with scholarships. One downside is the need for a car. No public transportation. Definitely not in an urban setting, either, if you’re looking for city life. But the town of Starkville is supposed to be charming.</p>

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<p>I’ll try to be nice as well, but if those are your only 3 schools and all else being equal I think Alabama is a clear choice.</p>

<p>Alabama has been very aggressively upgrading their academics over the last few years via incredible deals that they are offering Merit Scholars both InState and OOS. It;s always hard to get direct comparison since reputations tend to lag the actual improvements by several years, but I’ll throw a few ranking at you. I’m sure the formatting will be messed up, but hopefully enough will come through.</p>

<p>USNWR 2011 UA — OleMiss — MSU</p>

<p>National Univ #79 – 143 – 151
ACT Mid50% 21/28 - 20/26 – 20/27
Top10%HS 43% – 26% – 27%
Engineering #98 – 156 — 98 </p>

<p>Alabama has jumped about 15 spots in the National University ranking over the last few years. Their actual graduation rate is +7% higher than the expected graduation rate indicating a combination that the school is recruiting much better students than their ranking would suggest plus is supporting those students during school very well. MSU is +1% and Ole Miss at +4%.</p>

<p>Alumni giving rates are 31% for UA vs 12-13% for MSU/Ole Miss.</p>

<p>It’s been so long since I’ve been to either Mississippi campus I won’t even pretend to compare.</p>

<p>The Alabama Music Department has always been pretty good, but I’m not sure about the policy for the symphony on non music majors. </p>

<p>I also hesitate to mention the other big school in the State, but Auburn has very similar numbers to UA, but their overall engineering program has always been perceived as bit better (National @ 85, but currently #56 for Engineering) though specific programs may vary. I have quite a few friends/friendly rivals who grad. from Auburn and have always thought it would be a fun place to go to school, but VERY different personality than living in Tuscaloosa. </p>

<p>OTOH, WE WON"T mention the large Red Elephant in the room on the non academic side of the comparisons with any of those schools.</p>

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<p>My S has both 'bama and I think Ole Miss on his list but only because he spent a month at Ole Miss over the summer. I’ve only been to both schools once and it was in June, so take what I say with a huge grain of salt. I don’t know the relative size of the schools off of the top of my head but Ole Miss seems a lot smaller. Positives about Ole Miss- Honors college has a good reputation; was just voted “the college that is doing the most right” or something like that by some authors of some new book (sorry I can’t remember the particulars but it was linked off some post on CC); some unique and highly regarded programs like the Chinese program and the Croft institute; decent number of international students- S.America is well represented which adds a real international flavor; lots of school spirit; Oxford is a great little college town; and a beautiful campus. The dorm S stayed in Deaton (you can see it in the movie the Blindside) was very nice for a regular dorm. He wants to visit when classes are in session.<br>
For us the word smaller comes up when comparing to 'bama. - smaller honors college, smaller town, smaller football stadium :wink: .<br>
'bama just kind of knocked us out and took us by surprise, all the opportunities, the dorms, the campus & Tuscaloosa. We are from the NE and found both campuses very welcoming. I am not saying bigger is better, but it just makes it a better fit for S- his #1 school for a long time was NYU, so…</p>

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<p>MSU *Definitely not in an urban setting, either, if you’re looking for city life. But the town of Starkville is supposed to be charming. *</p>

<p>Very true…cute small town, but not much to do off campus. But does have a fab BBQ restaurant/dive there. I would eat there any day of the week! </p>

<p>In truth…Bama just has more to offer. The school has more, Tuscaloosa has more. </p>

<p>Speaking of Tuscaloosa…the city is undergoing some massive changes to coincide with Bama’s growth and increased status. Renovations, new construction, new roads, new restaurants, new hotels, …</p>

<p>The Riverwalk is very inviting. I’m looking forward to the completion of the new outdoor amphitheater. </p>

<p>The city and the university certainly are in this together…a joint effort to make sure that the city is just as appealing as the college.</p>

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<p>We just returned from visiting all three schools: (We are from Ohio)</p>

<p>First we started at Bama; DS had not seen the campus and DD is a second year student.
DD loves Bama she has had so many fabulous experiences and opportunities at UA! Son was quick to join in. We also brought another family to tour with us and they also loved the campus as well. DS is unsure of course of study so Bama with all its offferings could be a good match. (being brief since you have toured & loved Bama!)</p>

<p>Next we stopped at Starkville just to walk around campus (no official tour). The buildings seemed clean, ate in food court at student union. Asked at info desk for info…no one could help. Asked again and we did get a map. Seemed like the original Ag/tech school for the state. The campus was a bit spread out. DD went to a football game last year and thought it was clean and had nice dorms; only draw back was the COW BELLS at the football game!!</p>

<p>On to Ole Miss and I would not suggest a OOS prospective student taking that drive at night…very rural! Anyway we finally arrived stayed at a lovely Inn on campus and had a official tour, info session and residental life tour. </p>

<p>Ole Miss is beautiful, much smaller around 13,000 students. The incoming freshman class will be around 3,500. It has some interesting programs, Croft etc. They seem to be building and renovating (which is a good sign) . They were founded as a liberal arts college.</p>

<p>The program I think you would find most interesting would be the manufacturing plant they are building on campus. Sponsored by Toyota it will enable an engineering student to upstart and put into production a product. It sounded all encompassing ie: the accounting students would do the accounting. Just seemed like such a cool concept. Again the building is just going up!!</p>

<p>Spoke to some students who loved Ole Miss and they directed us to the square in town. Which is where the students hang out, restaurants, bars & shops…very quaint!</p>

<p>Both of our touring students liked Bama and Ole Miss.</p>

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<p>It’s funny that 13,000 seems small. So many of S’s classmates go to LACs in the NE with 2500-5000 students, I can’t imagine what that must be like particularly in a small town.</p>

<p>We drove from Memphis to Tuscaloosa and arrived at 4 am at the Capstone; I wouldn’t recommend that either, but it worked out well. GPS brought us to Ole Miss via some smaller roads so I know what you mean about being rural. </p>

<p>The other thing for my S, the honors college is smaller and more difficult to get into and stay in as well. I think you need to maintain a 3.5. Which shouldn’t be a problem, but if you have a problem doing it in hs you never know.</p>

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<p>Thanks, all. I’ve learned a lot here. </p>

<p>First. A riverwalk in Tuscaloosa? Cool! We totally missed that while visiting.</p>

<p>The Other Stuff. It seems like most of you have pretty much likewise heard, or experienced, that both Mississippi schools have good stuff to offer, in terms of charm, and programs, and community.</p>

<p>I agree that it’s a concern when most of the kids are in-state kids, as at MSU. I did not know that. That’s not something my son really wants. So, that’s an important distinction. Smaller size, gorgeous campus, engineering program, and generous scholarships are big plusses, though.</p>

<p>Believe it or not (now you’re REALLY gonna want to let me have it!), my kids are not into football. So, tailgating, big red elephants, and the like are neither here nor there for us. (Resist the urge to lash out for our indiscretion.) :)</p>

<p>Have heard GREAT things about the Honors College, Chinese Language program, and Croft Institute at Ole Miss. We like the bit about the international flavor (diversity), school spirit, and charming town. The Toyota manufacturing plant sounds super cool and unique. Never heard of it – will have to look that up. Maybe Ole Miss will warrant a visit. (How handy for us, omama, that you happened to have recently visited all 3!)</p>

<p>We’re not really worried about the smaller honors college at Ole Miss. We’re pretty sure he has the stats for any honors college. Likewise, prospect60, those aren’t my son’s only 3 schools. It’s just that we’ve heard good things about them, and he wants to have a really well-rounded list. He wants a couple of good safeties with large assured NMF scholarships and the opportunity for a totally free ride, but he’s also open to “surprises,” which Bama certainly was. It originally came on our radar because of the great scholarships (along with engineering and music). But after we visited, it went to the top of the list (spots 1-3, depending on which day you ask him). He loved it that much. We never, ever would have looked towards Alabama if it hadn’t been for those scholarships. No offense to anybody. It’s an awesome school! It just totally was not on the radar – that whole REGION was not on the radar, for some reason. And everybody must admit: Bama is just not on the tips of people’s tongues when they’re talking about our nation’s top engineering schools. So, it just never came up. Until our focus on great scholarships.</p>

<p>Anyway, thanks so much for all your feedback. We’d love to hear more!</p>

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<p>SimpleLife: no need to apologize about the lack of love for football. D2 is the same way but I’m still hoping she’ll consider UA when her time comes; she’s staying in D1s dorm next weekend and I’m trying to keep my mouth shut & not turn her off by blabbing on about it too much ;)</p>

<p>and remember there are only 7 football weekends out of 32 weeks of time on campus.</p>

<p>P.S. thanks for the info on Ole Miss & MSU. D2 is just starting to consider places and we’re going to do a road trip next summer. May add some Mississippi schools to our stops!</p>

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<p>^Funny. The guilt one has when dismissing football amongst major football fans. :o</p>

<p>That’s such a good idea–having D2 spend the weekend in D1’s dorm! Was that hard to work out? Not that I have a kid at Bama. But I do have one at another school that is on S2’s list. Silly me. I just never thought of it! And S1 has a single room, too. S2 could just spread out a sleeping bag, and voila!</p>

<p>Glad you’re learning a lot on this thread, too!</p>

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<p>It’s nothing like the San Antonio Riverwalk at all through, if that was what you were thinking of. It’s really just a park that runs along the length of the Warrior River.</p>

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<p>SL: I mentioned it in passing to D1 and she jumped on it. She’s got her own BR in a suite so I don’t think there’s any need to ask permissions; D2s pretty low maintenance. The girls spoke yesterday & I mentioned to D2 that her sister was excited about her staying over; she agreed. I think that D1 might be missing D2 a little more than she expected ;)</p>

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<p>*Believe it or not (now you’re REALLY gonna want to let me have it!), my kids are not into football. So, tailgating, big red elephants, and the like are neither here nor there for us. *</p>

<p>LOL… I totally get that. Both my kids went to a small high school that didn’t have football until THIS year. So, my older son wasn’t “into” football at ALL when he first went to Bama. </p>

<p>But…the Crimson Tide has this magnetic personality that seems to draw in the most reluctant students. :slight_smile: My older son quickly became a loyal fan. </p>

<p>As for the Riverwalk…it’s not like the amazing one in San Antonio. It’s an attractive park-like setting with walkways along the river. However, I’m hearing that T-town is planning on developing more along the river. The outdoor amphitheater will be done soon, restaurants and a Farmers Market, etc, will follow. </p>

<p>The Riverwalk is nice to walk, bike, etc. It’s right north of campus, so students can walk or bike to it. </p>

<p>Here’s some pics of the Riverwalk and new amphitheater</p>

<p>[Photos</a> of Tuscaloosa - Images of Tuscaloosa, United States of America - VirtualTourist.com](<a href=“http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/2d929e/]Photos”>http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/2d929e/)</p>

<p>[Tuscaloosa</a> Amphitheater : Home<a href=“click%20on%20photos”>/url</a></p>

<p>Visit Tuscaloosa link…
[url=&lt;a href=“http://www.tcvb.org/directory/?page=browse&category=17]Tuscaloosa”&gt;http://www.tcvb.org/directory/?page=browse&category=17]Tuscaloosa</a> Alabama :: Things To Do ::](<a href=“http://www.tuscaloosaamphitheater.com/]Tuscaloosa”>http://www.tuscaloosaamphitheater.com/)</p>

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<p>^Yeah, I wasn’t actually picturing a riverwalk like that in San Antonio. I was picturing one much like the picture you linked. Gorgeous! And, in my family’s case, much preferred to the type in San Antonio. More natural. Not commercial. Beautiful!</p>

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<p>I was visiting with family in Mississippi this weekend. They described State as a more spread out campus, with rolling hills. Ole Miss is more compact. Excited to hear that Ole Miss is growing their engineering school, like Bama is.</p>

<p>For those coming from OOS, I do not know how easy it is to fly to a nearby city to go to State or Ole Miss. Maybe fly in to Jackson? I do know that it is very easy to get to Bama by plane. Birmingham is a short rental car drive from the airport, something that definitely appealed to us and put it ahead of Auburn when it came down to a choice between the two. I know Atlanta is supposed to be not far from Auburn, but it did not seem to be as “easy” a drive.</p>

<p>For OOS families like ourselves, ease of getting our child home in case of an emergency, or just plain homesick, was a big factor in both his and our choice of college.</p>

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<p>Memphis airport is an hour or so from Ole Miss so that is convenient. Lots of flights into Memphis from everywhere.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the info on the Memphis airport. Birmingham is a Southwest hub, so you can get some pretty cheap flights, but good to know Memphis is so close to Ole Miss.</p>