Although I have never visited the campus, I have seen pictures and must say it is pretty stunning. I’m from Virginia and plan to visit sometime soon, but wanted to get opinions on what the campus/tuscaloosa is actually like. I’ve toured University of South Carolina and fell in love with it and was wondering if there are any similarities with it being that Alabama is my #2 school. Alabama is a bit of ways away from where I live, but I’m taking the high amount of OOS students in to consideration. I don’t know what attracts so many OOS students to the campus- is it the fantastic merit or something else? Thanks!
Great teachers, beautiful campus, winning football team and great scholarships (check out their website). I have never been to the University of Virginia but I have heard some people compare their architecture with UA (or at least I think that is the university they compare). The only way to see if its right for you is to visit. Make sure you visit when the school is in session to get the correct atmosphere.
^^ Completely agree with #1. My son fell totally in love with the beautiful campus when he visited (and it was even a “poor” time to visit - Dec. 19)! The merit scholarships are what first got our attention, and the campus visit sealed the deal (met with Honors dept, met with a couple of engineering professors, took the regular campus tour, explored on our own, talked to random students and staff members, etc.) Everything is so new-looking and well-kept…there’s ALWAYS work being done to build something new and to remodel older buildings. Roll Tide! (We are 9+ hrs away, so it was actually the last campus we visited in the first round.)
Milder weather in the south also helps many OOS students’ decision to attend UA. Altho there can be ice in the winter (and the south is largely unprepared to deal with it, compared to northern states - i.e., UA just shuts down completely in these instances until things warm up a few hours later), those 50 degree winters are pretty darn pleasant!
http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/tuscaloosa/alabama/united-states/usal0542
As I write this i’m leaving tuscaloosa. We had a scheduled tour today and yes, the campus and surrounding area is truly fantastic. If alabama’s your number two then you must tour the campus and see tuscaloosa.
Alabama is a quality university and yes the merit scholarships are a big draw nationally. There were many families on our tour and not one was in state, including us. We were told the oos percentage is 51%.
I genuinely hope my son chooses this university. He would be an engineering major and alabama has dumped millions into their engineering program. Believe me it shows.
The last percentage I recall seeing for Out of State freshmen was 63%
We are moving our DS to UA tomorrow. We are from the west coast. I agree with all of the above as well as the option of getting a masters in Engineering if he stays a fifth year & keeps his GPA up. The OOS scholarships truly are amazing, the abiliy to do coops, travel abroad, transfer AP credits ( my son is technically half way through his freshman year already) and earn a bachelors degree with no debt is what sold my son. Now add in the reigning SEC champions, it is the perfect school for my DS.
I think this video nicely captures the feel of the campus in the summer, just before students arrive back en masse: https://vimeo.com/68569451
Here’s a shorter one that appears to have been filmed in the fall, when the campus is busy:
https://vimeo.com/148360646
And the ever popular tour by drone: https://vimeo.com/104625184, https://vimeo.com/105797233
I totally agree with everything that everyone has posted. UCS is on my daughters list as well, but Bama is still number one. It is amazing to hear the things that we have heard from people when we mention UA. I have never heard one negative thing! You really need to see it to fully get a feel for the school and all that it has to offer!