<p>She is most likely NM finalist. I like the price of Bama & the honors program sounds great. She prefers small/elite LACs (Middlebury, Grinnell, Amherst, etc.). Reasons she opposes Alabama: too big, not intellectual enough, lacks diversity (1% Asian population), too southern (conservative, etc.), prefers schools without a large Greek presence. </p>
<p>Can I talk her into Alabama?</p>
<p>Don’t try to talk her into Bama. If things don’t work out that could lead to issues in the future. I would suggest that you talk her into visiting Bama and the Honors College. They will work with you to set up the visit and speak with faculty in areas that interest her.</p>
<p>When we visited, the campus the dorms and the people spoke for themselves and put up a pretty good case. It went from somewhere my son visited because dad wanted him to to a strong contender. If you get her to campus and she still isn’t interested at least you know that you tried and it just isn’t for her.</p>
<p>I couldn’t talk my NMF older son “into” Bama. He had many of the same objections that your child has. However, a visit to Bama, a meeting with the honors college and Dr. Sharpe sold my son on the school. He graduated from Bama last May with a degree in Mathematics and will begin his PhD at a Top 20 school in August…all on full paid assistantship. His entire BS to PhD will have cost us less than about $10k total. lol</p>
<p>The school is not “conservative”. It may be more “conservative” than some NE schools, but that’s because those schools are completely left-tilted, without any sense of balance. </p>
<p>Bama is more “middle of the road” with some kids on the left, some on the right…and many around the middle. The profs at Bama are more left-leaning, with some in the “middle”…but mostly left-leaning. This is largely because the profs are from the major universities from all over the country. </p>
<p>That said, the school was Obama Land during the Election of 2008. </p>
<p>My younger son also didn’t think he wanted to go to Bama …and loudly announced that in our home after our older son decided that he wanted to go. LOL However, when younger son came to Bama’s campus, he didn’t want to apply ANYWHERE else. (But, I still made him apply to about 6 other schools.)</p>
<p>**
not intellectual enough,**</p>
<p>People often wrongly think that “high stats students” are somehow evenly spread out amongst all majors at various schools. THEY ARE NOT (except maybe at ivies/elites). At most schools (including Bama), those with high scores are largely found in about 10-12 majors…engineering, math, physics, bio, chem, finance, econ, business, the Classics, and a few others. This is essentially true for most schools…the high stats kids are largely found in STEM majors, the B-school, and the more challenging Humanities. </p>
<p>If your child has a serious major, she will have other smart kids in her classes.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter that some kids in some easy majors across campus have lower test scores. That doesn’t affect an academic-minded student in any way. Those kids may be majoring in something that is so right-brained that a test score has no significance. How does it affect STEM students that some Fine Arts majors or a Performance Majors may have modest scores. It doesn’t affect them at all except in a positive way when they get to enjoy one of their performances or their artwork. </p>
<p>She prefers small/elite LACs (Middlebury, Grinnell, Amherst, etc.). </p>
<p>those are very fine schools. 
But, if you don’t have much “determined need,” you’ll be paying full or near full freight. </p>
<p>Get your D on Bama’s campus!</p>
<p>If you decide to visit Bama, this is what you need to do…</p>
<p>set up a campus tour time online…try for the early morning one.
[Campus</a> Visits - Undergraduate Admissions - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://gobama.ua.edu/visits/]Campus”>Visit)</p>
<p>send an email to Allison Verhine in the Honors College </p>
<p>In the email, include:</p>
<p>tour time and date
student name & contact info
test scores and GPA
(if a likely NMF, indicate so)
intended major and career
interest in Computer Based Honors program and/or University Fellows Program (if desired)
Also, include any thing else that interests you about the school…such as touring the new Science and Engineering Complex and Shelby Hall. </p>
<p>Allison will arrange the rest of the day…meeting with dept heads, honors faculty, touring honors dorms, etc.</p>
<p>Allison Verhine
Coordinator
269 Nott Hall
205-348-5534
<a href=“mailto:allison.verhine@ua.edu”>allison.verhine@ua.edu</a></p>
<p>I totally agree with MemphisGuy. Alabama was my first choice for my daughter from the minute we walked onto campus. But she hates being told what to do so I tried to stay very neutral between her 3 choices (Georgia Tech and UNC were the other two). Our first visit was kind of just a “drop in” and on the second visit we did an individual day in the Honors College, visiting with professors in her major, a triathlon club member, etc. I never had to say a word – Dr. Sharpe and the other UHC folks were so much more welcoming and encouraging than the staff at the other campuses we visited that she made the final decision on her own. One practical thing we did, though, was to create a spreadsheet comparing finances between the three. Since she will not tap into our college savings for her undergraduate degree, her options for graduate school and study abroad became much more wide open. Good luck with the journey!</p>
<p>Plan a visit, do the honors private tour, concentrate on having fun, good dining, shopping etc., Don’t push it, UA sells it’s self very well. But if she doesn’t like it — it’s a bad idea to put here where she hates it.</p>
<p>I agree with all the above suggesting that you just plan a visit and see if it sells itself to your child as it has to so many of the other participants here. Alabama wasn’t on the top of my son’s list until we visited, then it moved up fast. Our experience so far has been tremendous, with the people in the Honors College and the CBHP program going the extra mile in response to our son taking the initiative towards his academic goals.</p>
<p>My D is a freshman. Is spring of her sophomore year the appropriate time to visit?</p>
<p>My d very reluctantly put U of A on her list. It was the only state school, it was the only really large school. (All the other were either small or medium (less than 10K)). SHe was very sure she wanted to go to a liberal arts college. But she applied to U of A because she thought the honors program looked interesting and because she knew she could have a single room in a suite. After her acceptances starting coming in, one by one the smaller schools disappointed her. Then in late March, she visited Alabama, still reluctantly. She really liked it- although she also sort of liked the other school she visited in Al (a LAC). So she is going to UofA although she isn’t a football fan and doesn’t really like large groups of people. She decided that the full tuition scholarship was a real plus and the courses seemed very interesting. She also has decided that the dumb Southerner jokes reflect more on the joke teller than any given Southerner.</p>
<p>313carolyn,
Visiting local universities to establish a ‘base line’ is a good idea early on.
If you are traveling near a interesting university make it a point to do
a little tour together. Getting expectations in line with reality comes from time spent on campus(s). Junior yr is when it gets serious</p>
<p>Just wanted to add that there will be high stat students in your more LA majors at UA. Out of the 14 NMF in D’s graduating class this year, 6 will be going to UA. Of those 6, 2 will pursue fine art degrees (D in Studio Art and another in music performance) and at least 2 in the English and Humanities. So while a majority of high scoring kids may be in the “harder” majors, the other schools/majors will have smart kids. They are showing just how smart they are by getting a great education at a great price! :)</p>
<p>mb- I assumed my S would only be interested in small LACs since he came from a small prep school. We started with a tour in Mass- artsly small, LAC; elite LAC; and state flagship. The small schools kind of looked depressing.</p>
<p>Then we did a tour of CA schools. That went very well and S got into a couple of those great schools. Very expensive however.</p>
<p>We visited Bama because of the scholarships and a good friend grew up in Tuscaloosa and said we absolutely should visit. S told me “there was no way” but agreed to visit anyway. It took about an hour for him to do a 360.</p>
<p>The other practical issue is we have promised him that we would be happy to help with med school, grad school or biz school since he has earned such a large scholarship. (I am sure I will be stressing about that in 4 years, but happily).</p>
<p>There are some really smart students at Bama in the honors college. They have a couple of hundred presidential scholars SAT 2200+/ACT 32+, a couple of hundred NMFs and other high achievers. So, look at it this way- there is more than an entire freshman class of an elite LAC as this group of elite Bama freshman. And for the most part they are in the same places, Honors Dorm, majors etc.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great info. I think I’ll schedule a visit. I know it’s better to visit during the school year, but we can’t go in the fall, due to her sport. Will we miss anything big by going in the summer?</p>
<p>^^^
Just everything</p>
<p>My DD is a NMF headed to Bama in the fall who turned down very generous offers at a couple of small liberal arts schools that were her dream schools. She also started out her search wanting diversity, and a small liberal arts school with that “cozy” feel in classes. She investigated not just the academics but the social scene at all the campuses. Alabama ended up having all she wanted: a true college experience with a lot of school spirit, students from all walks of life and various countries, small honors classes, a first class English program, and people who recognized her when she came from Texas for a final visit to Alabama before she made up her mind. And…they have a cool saying with Roll Tide that she can reply to when her brother says Hook 'Em!</p>
<p>We visited Alabama on a big visit day. Son did not like any of the big visit stuff. However, the last two things we did were visit dorms and visit an honors program rep. When we visited the beautiful dorms, students who were hosting an open house there were very friendly and welcoming and gave him tips on navigating the school early in the school year “The buses are crazy the first week of school - just avoid them then!” And the honors program rep mentioned (Alison Verhine) was as sweet as can be and knew a lot of other students from out of state there for honors. She treated my son as if he were already a college student. So, anyway, those two bits of “personal touch” were enough to make him say “I will apply to Alabama.” It is not his top choice but he can see himself there. (He loves college football.)</p>
<p>I myself am not sure about Alabama. The Greek system seems a bit too strong for my taste, and the campus seems too big. If Alabama is still in contention when the acceptances come back, we’ll visit again, I’m sure. Son is not an NMF but his ACT score yields free tuition. Free tuition is good. :)</p>
<p>I’ll echo and confirm what’s been said here. UA sells itself VERY WELL. All of the NMF candidates have similar stories, and have opted to come to UA for their own personal reasons, but UA and what it provides (beyond the wonderful merit packages) has both lured those students to campus and convinced them to stay and thrive. We stopped through t-town on our trip to the southeast to visit Wake Forest, UNC, Duke and William and Mary. T-town was first, and the rest of the 4 day trip, everything was compared to UA. My D was accepted to all her schools and had similar merit offers to some of them, but in the end she chose UA over her other 2 favorites Rice and William & Mary. She’s very practical and pragmatic, and the benefit of the full-ride package was weighed heavily, but in reality the “decision” was based more on the people she met (future students and staff) and her acceptance into CBH program. Once accepted to that, she could not have been swayed. The “process” is a long one, and the day-1 targets (the schools perceived that they “should” apply to), as with us, often change, but in the end the best school will be the one that feels right. UA does a good job of getting you to that point. Enjoy your process and Roll Tide!</p>
<p>My D is a freshman. Is spring of her sophomore year the appropriate time to visit?</p>
<p>If your D feels ready to start visiting colleges, then yes. Some kids don’t get a real interest in the whole “college process” til junior year.</p>
<p>==================================================</p>
<p>The Greek system seems a bit too strong for my taste, and the campus seems too big.</p>
<p>I’d like to address those two concerns. :)</p>
<p>The Greek system is whatever a student wants it to be. If a student wants to participate, then he/she does. Many Greeks end up living on the south side of campus to be near the Greek houses. Frankly, Greek systems and Div I sports tend to go “hand and hand”. When you find one, you often find the other. </p>
<p>If a student does not want to participate in the Greek system, there are many alternatives…clubs, associations, community service projects, etc. My non-Greek kids always lived on the north side of campus because they and many of their friends weren’t Greek. The honors dorms are on the north side of campus. It’s very quiet on that side of campus…away from all things Greek. lol</p>
<p>As for the campus size. Yes, in acreage it is bountiful in land…about 1000 acres with an additional 300 acres from last year’s Bryce purchase. Space is a good thing! Lots of green space, trees, lakes, etc. I try to visualize what schools like UCLA must be like on a typical school day with 27,000 undergrads on 400 acres…or worse…UTexas with 38,000 undergrads on 400 acres…YIKES!!</p>
<p>The Bama campus is very thoughtfully laid out with many “gen ed” classes clustered in buildings near the Quad. Courses related to one’s major are in buildings that are largely clustered together. For instance, the buildings for the STEM majors are mostly clustered in the upper right and east side of campus. These clustering of buildings by type eliminates a lot of criss-crossing around campus.</p>
<p>Dorms and the Dining Venues are mostly on the periphery…with some smaller dining venues near the Quad. Other support buildings are also on the periphery. This also helps “shrink” the size of the campus. For the times that you want to go to a building that is further away, you can take the Crimson Ride, bike, or walk. Bama has a free bike borrowing system.</p>
<p>My sons have been in Riverside West, Lakeside, and Ridgecrest South. They were/are Math and Engineering majors (one just graduated). Nearly all (if not all) of their classes have been on the upper half of campus. If students were - say - education majors - then many/most of their classes would be on the west side of campus. </p>
<p>And, of course, belonging to the Honors College also further shrinks a campus. It helps provide that smaller campus within a larger campus feel. </p>
<p><a href=“He%20loves%20college%20football.”>I</a>*</p>
<p>if you like Div I ranked football, then a big school is often a given.</p>
<br>
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<p>One of the biggest warnings I would give is the heat. I can’t tell where you currently live but the south gets VERY hot and humid in July and August. This could be a turn-off for some. The good side of the equation is that the fall and winter tends to be much nicer than the north.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t skip the summer visit for that reason, but it is best to know so you can set realistic expectations before getting there.</p>
<p>The Southern Spring and Fall are absolutely gorgeous and blissful seasons. Nothing like it, and I have lived in California.</p>
<p>^^^^</p>
<p>Ahhhh…the South in the Spring and Fall…nothing like it. And, I am a Southern Californian.</p>
<p>Most winter days aren’t bad either…even when it’s cold, it can be “blue skies and fluffy white clouds.”</p>
<p>*They have a couple of hundred presidential scholars SAT 2200+/ACT 32+, a couple of hundred NMFs and other high achievers. *</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Actually, Bama has about 1800 Presidential Scholars…and about 550 National Scholars. I don’t know what the number of UA Scholars are…but certainly a good number of them as well. :)</p>
<p>Bama enrolls about 500 frosh with Presidential scholarships each year…and about 150 NMF and NA scholars every year.</p>
<p>*Will we miss anything big by going in the summer? *</p>
<p>When is your D busy with her sport? When in the summer could she visit? </p>
<p>While it’s always better to visit during the school year, many are happy to visit during the summer as well.</p>