<p>Hi fellow Bama enthusiasts! Here’s the deal; I am extremely passionate about the University of Alabama but I am an out of state student. I was accepted to the University of Michigan and my parents really want me to go there because of in state tuition and U of M is ranked as a top public university. When I toured U of M I just didn’t connect and I never got the feeling like “wow! this is where I belong!” The only thing I liked about U of M was the chubby squirrels and the “prestige” that goes along with it being ranked extremely high for public universities. I was able to convince my mom to tour Bama with me over spring break last month and to say I was astounded would be an understatement! The stunning campus with its riveting architecture, the intriguing location and warm sunny weather, the relaxed southern atmosphere, the exceptionally accommodating and amiable staff members, the ubiquitous top-notch campus facilities, and the frequent individual contact/outreach are just a few reasons why I absolutely love it there! I could go on forever but for the sake of brevity I shall refrain from doing so. Anyhow, I was recently informed that I will not be receiving any scholarship money from the University due to the extreme volume of highly qualified applicants. (I was utterly distraught when I heard this) </p>
<p>As the May 1st college decision deadline swiftly approaches, I need to have the big college talk with my parents. I believe I need to present a solid argument as to why they should spend a lot more in tuition for me to attend a university that is not academically up to par with U of M. Any help/input on that subject would be greatly appreciated! Also, if anyone has any suggestions about ways I can help reduce or chip away at the out of state difference I would love to hear ideas about that as well. I am not against working like a dog while I’m down there. </p>
<p>People think I’m crazy for even considering UA over U of M but I just laugh and say Roll Tide. It never crosses their minds that U of M isn’t for everybody. Thanks again crimson family!</p>
<p>Hi, happy to hear that you enjoyed your Bama visit. I’m curious, when did you apply and what were your stats? Bama has assured scholarships for stats for those who apply before Dec 1. Did you apply after that? If so, chances for scholarships are much lower.</p>
<p>If you applied before Dec 1 and you weren’t given a scholarship, then your test scores or GPA weren’t high enough. I know that Bama has a rep for being generous with scholarships, but the stats have to be high to get the award. </p>
<p>To be honest, most OOS students pay full freight (or close to full freight) because their stats aren’t high enough for merit (or much merit).</p>
<p>It’s hard to know what to say to your parents. We don’t know if paying OOS costs would be too much of a financial burden. If they can’t easily afford Alabama, then that’s a valid concern even if there weren’t a “prestige” issue.</p>
<p>If you really want to go to Alabama I would suggest that you offer to pay the difference in tuition costs. Summer jobs and part-time work during the school year could help you make your case. Since 'Bama isn’t “academically up to par”, you should have plenty of spare time, right?</p>
<p>I think Loring is kidding about the point that you’d have “plenty of spare time” if you went to Bama. </p>
<p>It seems, to me, that your parents think that Bama isn’t “up to par”, but that isn’t what you necessarily think. If I remember you from previous posts, you’re a bio major. That’s going to be challenging no matter which school you go to.</p>
<p>Loring does make a good point about offering to pay for some/all of the difference with earnings from a summer job.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be surprised. She’s instate. Publics tend to weight GPA more than test scores for admittance for instate students. If publics didn’t do that then their schools would mostly be filled with uppermiddle class students who tend to have higher test scores.</p>
<p>*I can help reduce or chip away at the out of state difference I would love to hear ideas about that as well. I am not against working like a dog while I’m down there. *</p>
<p>As mentioned above, you could work a lot over the summer. If you can’t find full time work, then maybe 2 part-time jobs.</p>
<p>You can also find work in Ttown, but be aware that you might need a car depending on where the job is. And, some jobs require that you work on game days, so if you want to attend home games, that may not be possible for certain kinds of jobs (like food service in Ttown). My kids worked as university tutors so their hours were Mon - Fri…no weekends. </p>
<p>Instate tuition at UMich is about $15k per year for lower division (and higher for upper divison). Is that right? So the cost difference for the first two years is about $7k?</p>
<p>Question which I posed a similar version of on another thread: If OP was to take a gap year and reapply next academic year, she/he would then be considered an incoming freshman and should, in theory, be eligible for automatic scholarships at that time. If OP was to take a gap year, could she/he retake the standardized tests during that time, would UA consider higher test scores achieved during a gap year? If so, and OP had a high enough GPA, the solution might be to take a gap year a find a job and also do extensive prepping for the SAT and ACT and try to raise the scores.</p>
<p>Personally, I am an EXCEPTIONALLY frugal person and even if I was financially able to pay full freight to send my son to a OOS school, there is no way I would have done so. There are so many other uses for that money later on, so I definitely understand the OP’s parents perspective. </p>
<p>I don’t agree that UA isn’t up to par, there are a lot of factors to consider in that statement… first you need to compare by major and not by school, as each major has different strengths… then on any campus you’re going to have good classes and bad classes… good profs and bad profs… </p>
<p>But also UM is a big school with lots of activities and opportunites and even though it may not seem like a good fit now, if OP does wind up there, I’m sure he/she will eventually find their niche. Back when I went to college my dad said he would only pay for me to go to an in state public school, so I picked the one I could tolerate and had never stepped foot on campus until I went for freshman orientation…I had never been to the town, never seen the campus… and yet had a great experience there. I think in this day and age we’re putting too much emphasis on ‘fit’ because a student going in with an open mind will be able to find their niche in a lot of different environments.</p>
<p>To the OP… sit down and LOOK at the cost differences… LOOK at the total over 4 years. If it was <em>your</em> money, is that how you’d want to spend it? Or would you rather have the money for grad school or to get a good start to your adult life - buy a car, have a down payment for a house? There is NO way my son could have convinced me…</p>
<p>OP, what is your family’s financial situation? If paying the extra cost for UA would be fairly painless for your family, then I think you could point out ways in which Bama was a better fit for you, the opportunity to experience a part of the country that’s new and different for you, and any other areas where you think UA surpasses Michigan - for YOU. You might also point out that ratings and reputation aren’t necessarily the most important factor in the education you’ll receive. However, if finances are an issue (and usually they are), I think it’s hard to justify passing up in-state tuition at the highly rated University of Michigan to go to an OOS flagship where the costs will be significantly higher.</p>
<p>OP - did you apply to any other in-state schools? There are other very good choices within the state of Michigan that will have a different ‘vibe’ than U of M. My son disliked U of M so much he didn’t bother to apply there (we are in-state). He did, however, apply to both Michigan Tech and Michigan State - and would have happily attended one of those schools had UA not come into the picture.</p>
<p>From a financial (and parental) perspective - my son would have never attended UA were it not for the large scholarship he earned - we simply could not afford to pay OOS tuition - which may be similar to your family’s situation. </p>
<p>My recommendation would be to take a closer look at some of the other in-state schools that are affordable for you. It may not be too late to apply, if you haven’t already.</p>
<p>(Actually, I, too, am surprised that OP got into U of M with a 25 ACT. I know many kids in-state that did not get in with 30+ ACT. OP likely had stellar EC’s/essays/LOR or some other hook.)</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback thus far. I think the annual difference in tuition will be around $9,000 and I still have to have the financial talk with my parents. I actually do have an extremely lucrative summer job though so I will be making around $7,000 to $10,000 which is the OOS difference right there. Only problem is my sister works at the same establishment and the money she makes goes towards in state tuition so according to my parents it won’t “count” but like I said I still have to have the financial talk. I was also accepted to Michigan State but if I have to go in state I would probably go to U of M.</p>
<p>Are you saying that your sister is contributing about $8k per year towards her college costs thru this summer job? </p>
<p>If so, that’s about half tuition at an instate Mich school. With two in college, your parents may not even be able to comfortably afford Bama if your sister is already contributing so much money towards her instate tuition. Does your sister also take out student loans?</p>
<p>A Stafford Direct loan would be $5500 for frosh year, but I don’t think that’s a great idea if you wouldn’t need to do that for UMich.</p>
<p>This thread reminds me of how important it is for us parents to have the financial talks with our kids PRIOR to their applying to colleges. Once kids get their hearts set on something, it is disappointing to have to tell them ‘no’, if finances are involved later on. It is hard to put a price tag on making the right college choice, because the right ‘fit’ can be perceived as priceless. Some families can afford to send their kids wherever they want…but many can not and need to compromise. So, any parents of HS Juniors reading this…take note!</p>
<p>It is a bit of a difference and if the OP’s parents are deadset on not paying the difference, I totally get that. If the OP can make the difference up and the parents allow that to go towards UA, then follow your dreams. If not, it’s just part of life of having to make concessions in order to get the the goal. College is just the path to get to the next step in life. </p>
<p>Aeromom, my D’s top 2 choices were Pepperdine and UCLA. We went and toured, bought the t-shirt, listened to the talk, etc. We told her that we would do the best we could for her to be able to attend the college that was the best fit if she got accepted. We are very fortunate in the financial area of life and know there is no chance in hades that we would qualify for a dime of aid. So the college of her dreams was not going to be out of reach. It was just one of those “be smart” speeches about how the money is spent. When she heard UCLA say, “for out of state students it is an additional $22k per year” she took fast note of that fact and changed course. Bama was 3rd on her list and she fell in love when we visited. She realized it was flat out crazy for us to spend over $100k in the next 4 years just for undergrad school. Her next goal is to attend UCLA for med school. Which is to say, OP, undergrad is just the next stepping stone in the course of your life. If you love UA and the school has a great program for post grad studies in your area then consider UM for undergrad and UA for the next step after UM.</p>