<p>first, sorry for posting the same comment multiple times! computer error…</p>
<p>“There are top schools that your parents would still accept, which you might find what you are looking for socially. For example, take a look at Duke, Lehigh or Cornell.”
The problem is that I don’t think I can get into these schools, plus the main issue as a transfer is scholarship. Transfer students are rarely awarded financial aid, which is another reason why Alabama seems to be my only transfer option. </p>
<p>And yes, I have heard many Texas students attend Alabama now. It would be nice if it was more diverse.</p>
<p>Well, my NC NMSF kid (who has already been admitted to several NC schools) is leaning heavily toward attending Bama.</p>
<p>I think it’s untrue that all employers will see on your resume is “State U” (with the implication that there’s something wrong with that). You write your resume, not your prospective bosses, and you simply put down: “The Honors College, The University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa.” IOW, you sell yourself. That’s the Art of the Resume. Best foot forward; never lie but always gild the lily, as long as you do so honestly and accurately!</p>
<p>Both DH and I did graduate work at Harvard (DH got his PhD at GSAS, which technically makes DS a primary legacy), yet our kids are not going that route for undergraduate. It’s simply not worth it, financially. There is NOTHING wrong with a strong honors college at a good state university – and, in many places, that actually cuts more ice with employers than an Ivy or top-LAC degree.</p>
<p>As someone pointed out in another thread, not all prospective employers are Wall Street investment bankers. In fact, the vast majoriy of prospective employers are neither on Wall Street nor in investment banking. 
In Alabama, many jobs go to to people with UA degrees – just as, here in NC, jobs are as likely to go to Chapel Hill or Appalachian grads as to OOS grads, no matter how prestigious the latter’s alma maters may be.</p>
<p>P.S. BTW, I’m a Yankee from Greater Boston, and I grew up worshipping Harvard and top Northeastern LACs like Amherst and Williams. Twenty-one years in NC have cured me of this. There really is a world beond the Northeast and its peculiar obsessions, I’ve discovered. :)</p>
<p>But how would a UA degree look if I am not planning on getting a job in Alabama? A UNC degree just seems to give off a better vibe, especially since it’s so difficult to attend out of state.</p>
<p>speaking as a left Coaster, I would view Alabama-Honors as superior to UNC regular. I’ll bet the SAT stats back that up, but I don’t know where to look for them.</p>
<p>“I think it’s untrue that all employers will see on your resume is “State U” (with the implication that there’s something wrong with that).” Yay Diane, good point! Informative seems to be driven by USNWR rankings as being the final word, which they aren’t! </p>
<p>Ranking colleges is like ranking breeds of dogs, totally ridiculous.
Use the rankings as guide, but not the final word!<br>
There are so many prestige driven people on CC, it isn’t about prestige, it is about fit.</p>
<p>
You mean how the prestige fits in the context of your resume?</p>