<p>How do you determine before your child attends if a school will be a good match for the student and personality? Other than size, what can you look for. A campus visit seems at best just a glimpse.</p>
<p>@piroud321 some students know they want to stay fairly close to home while some want to spread their wings.</p>
<p>Sometimes schools that offer good merit to a student may be a good place because they really want your student; however sometimes a student may not be satisfied at a place where it is not offering enough for them despite the merit $$$.</p>
<p>Multiple college visits, talking to other families you know. It depends if your student knows what they want to study or not (if getting scholarship money, want to be able to take advantage of that money for 4 years, even with a change in major).</p>
<p>Will the student work hard at college? Does the school offer resources for success? Will your student make friends and enjoy the campus and other students? </p>
<p>Can the student ‘finish in four’? </p>
<p>How mature is the student? Does the student make good choices? Will the student get the academic benefit of what the school offers or is the rush of independence too much for them?</p>
<p>Review the US News and World Report Best Colleges to look ‘on paper’ about general facts - and try to ferret out your students’ feelings. Then you can search more via the WWW and individual college info.</p>
<p>A coworker told me that sometimes you can tell by watching the kid at the tour. Their shoulders relax, and they seem to feel at home. But I think the more usual case is that the answer evolves over time. </p>
<p>As for the original financial concern, if you know the money would come from the kid’s inheritance or money for luxury car(s)/boat(s)/vacation home(s), then going full-pay at the elite private likely makes more sense. If that money is coming from your retirement/rainy day funds or loans, then a cheaper option makes far more sense.</p>
<p>I think we need to be more specific about which UA is being discussed, AZ or AL?</p>
<p>My son has a HS classmate at CU-Boulder. VERY driven, full-pay, OOS student.</p>
<p>People also need to distinguish between ‘full academic/tuition scholarship’ and ‘full ride’. Not many get ‘full ride’ while many get ‘full academic scholarship’ or ‘full tuition scholarship’ - within each school’s definition, usually 8 semesters. Some NMS have some generous merit features at various schools - can see which schools have the most MNS and what these schools offer.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.ua.edu”>www.ua.edu</a> is the University of Alabama. University of Arizona (Tuscon) is <a href=“http://www.arizona.edu”>www.arizona.edu</a></p>
<p>However most people spending any time on CC will realize we are talking about the school in AL.</p>
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<p>Actually, the OP wrote the following back on p. 1 (post #4):</p>
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<p>Thus, I think many of the original commenters were referring to Arizona not Alabama. The University of Arizona uses “UA” as does Alabama.“UA” means different things to different people, much as with “USC.” I grew up on the East Coast and “USC” = University of Southern California. Many on CC read University of South Carolina when they see that abbreviation, which I why I think it’s important to be clear which schools we’re referring to in a general (not college-specific) forum. </p>