11k is good for Indiana. Years ago, they were more generous. I don’t think they need to be now. Their stock has been rising. Especially, Kelly.
Based on the website 11k is the most they give OOS, but there is also a selective scholarship application that can get you more, but that requires more essays etc… I have been telling DS he needs to work on it and see what happens.
@BigPapiofthree, I think @Chardo is from New York State, but I can’t recall what part. I live in suburban Philadelphia and my kid has been very happy at Alabama. He has many friends from all around the state of Alabama and all around the country. There’s a very large contingent from Illinois and he has several friends from Chicago.
Temple’s Presidential scholarship is very comparable to Alabama’s. My son had no interest in Temple, but one of his best friends is there on scholarship. It is urban, and there are a lot of commuters, but it’s quite different from what it was like when I was in college and much harder to get admitted to.
Thanks Lucie. Temple as you described(and I heard) is not what my S wants in a college experience…
I’m from Long Island, NY. The biggest cultural difference at Alabama is that people are incredibly nice. More than half the students are from outside Alabama, so it’s not as different as you think. Lots of kids from outside the south. DS has lived with guys from Rhode Island (Jewish, btw) and Arizona, and girlfriends from Las Vegas (also Jewish) and New Jersey.
Chardo, that is an encouraging report
Thanks for all the help. In addition, I was introduced through a friend to someone who has a son who is a freshman at Alabama. Observant Jews and their son is absolutely loving it. We are from Northern NJ so not a lot of students in this area head that way but my son may lead the charge. the scholarship money is hard to pass up and what I have read about Alabama on this board is really encouraging.
I would add that unless things have changed in the past few years at Alabama for Jews who would prefer to join a fraternity without Jewish affiliation that is not possible. There are lots of welcoming wonderful activities for Jews on campus but there are still a percentage who choose not to socialize with Jews. For those who grew up in communities without overt bias and overt displays of Christianity it may feel uncomfortable.
@dcplanner, this is College Confidential. If you’ve witnessed overt discrimination at the University of Alabama, I would hope you’d name names. If there is “still a percentage who choose not to socialize with Jews,” I’d like to know who they are.
Individuals by name? The Greek organizations require recommendations from past members as a tool for screening there may be a few individuals who have gotten through the system at UA but as a whole the majority do not admit Jews beyond a token 1 or 2. Holiday and prayer traditions are played up during Rush to emphasize the role of Christianity within the group to discourage the devout. This is extremely common in the South but amongst our Reform Temple friends the worst have been UA and UGA. There is no way to prove these groups discriminate but the outcome speaks volumes.
@dcplanner my son is a junior at Alabama and as far as I know, he has never experienced anything remotely like you’re describing. He chose not to rush a fraternity because he is much too busy with his schoolwork, but he has multiple Jewish friends who pledged “regular” fraternities (not Jewish ones). There are definitely some Old Row, extremely Southern fraternities that a Jewish kid (or any kid from the North, for that matter) has little chance of getting into, but it is not the norm for many of the fraternities as I understand it. And my son has certainly never experienced people not wanting to socialize with him because he’s Jewish. In any event, I think it is extremely misleading to imply that kids will not be able to join non-Jewish-affiliated fraternities at Alabama if they’re Jewish. It’s simply not true.
I’m just relating the experiences of friends children who perhaps were looking into the wrong groups. It doesn’t help that Rush is before school even starts so kids don’t get a chance to know the reputations of various groups before they are thrown into it. I wonder how the Jewish kids feel living in a house with a Christmas tree and Christian prayers before meals though? My kids would not feel comfortable though I’m guessing some are fine and those are the type of kids who are accepted.
Not a fan of rush prior to the start of freshman year! It takes time to meet prople, make friends, get the lay of the land and develop a sense of where you might fit in a Greek orgnization. Personally, I strongly prefer schools that do not allow freshman to rush until the spring semester.
Rush (both sorority and fraternity) can be difficult for kids at Big Greek schools who are there from out of state. There are Jewish kids at UA who pledge frats other than ZBT but I am guessing most are from in state and there just aren’t that many Jews in Alabama (and a percentage of those leave the state for school.) Frat rush is a bit different than sorority rush as so much happens in the summer so that out of state kids have a disadvantage I think. So while the perception may be about being Jewish, the reality may be just not being connected in the right way. (And that applies to lots more kids than just Jewish ones.)
We are from Atlanta and there are scores of Jewish kids from metro Atlanta and they seem very happy. While the kids may have grown up in ATL, a great many of those kids have parents from other parts of the country and aren’t particularly southern. The kids thrive.
I do think that if your kid wants to be immersed in a population that is primarily Jewish – Jewish kids in every class or club for example, the SEC schools (with the exception perhaps of Florida and Vanderbilt) aren’t great choices.
I agree that the structure of rush at Alabama makes it really hard for out of state kids, Jewish or not. My second son is very interested in Greek life, and I am very happy that his first choice is Miami of Ohio, which has rush in the spring.
Nice story about Jewish life at Bama from Alabama Public Radio: http://apr.org/post/jewish-life-southern-college-town
Dreading next year’s thanksgiving.
My DD is a senior in HS and this might be our last Thanksgiving together for a number of years. Ever since the combined Thanksgiving/Hanukkah of 2 or 3 years ago we have served latkes at Thanksgiving. This is at my DD request, but we all prefer them to mashed potatoes.
Hopefully she won’t be to far away for college and will come home for Thanksgiving next year.
She would have to be awfully far away to not come home for Thanksgiving! Most campuses are ghost towns this weekend. My older son worked for the football team and they always had a game that wknd - so he has not been home for Thanksgiving since hs, but that’s pretty unusual.
Brandeis University in Waltham, MA
I am hoping this can become an active thread again for the B Jewish student. I need help!! My son is a junior and it’s time to seriously start college shopping. His GPA is probably about a 3.2 and his ACT score is a 34. He’s a math and science kid and is thinking business, engineering or Computer science. His school does not weight grades or offer AP classes. His curriculum is the most challenging offered at a college prep private school. ( His grades are due to lack of doing homework, not because they are too challenging. I really think he’ll mature in college though) He’s open to location, doesn’t know if he wants city or not but does NOT think he wants to be in the middle of nowhere. It’s the midsize with a Jewish population that’s so difficult to find. ( Definitely not small- more than about 5,000) He is open to public and private but I think private would be better. Any thoughts? He has great activities, work experience and volunteering; If he only had the grades…