<p>While we had been going through Tuscaloosa for years on the way to my mother’s childhood home, we had never visited the U of A campus until last March. We did not have a formal tour only walked through and shopped at the Publix. After grocery shopping, we walked down the strip to get ice cream. A student at a stoplight rolled down the car window and gave the “Roll Tide!” My DD was hooked. She was looking for warm weather, honors college, big time football and school spirit. The scholarship program sealed the deal.</p>
<p>Roll Tide</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I learned UA from reading CC and was overjoyed to find a school that made scholarship decisions based on objective criteria. Holistic admissions/decision criteria have generally not worked in my favor.</p>
<p>Amen, SEA-tide! Don’t get me started on that “holistic” nonsense. As Andrew Ferguson put it, “holistic” is code for “completely subjective.” LOL!!</p>
<p>DAD2ILD – Wake Forest is practically in our backyard. We can’t stand that campus, either. It’s depressing. Can’t put my finger on why. It’s just depressing.</p>
<p>Came across this thread from Naviance as UA is one of my son’s top choices. My daughter is currently a junior and decided on UA over UGA and Virginia Tech for several reasons including the beautiful campus, the small school feel, school spirit, Greek life and affordability (as compared to both public & private schools in the NE).</p>
<p>One of the major reasons for the increased (northeast or yankee if you prefer) OOS enrollment is that Dr Witt is from CT and graduated from Fairfield Prep. He has dramatically increased the recruiting efforts in this area ranging from presence at college fairs to individual alums hosting recruiting events. The New York Alumni Association has also become much stronger and our proximity to the city has built that as well.</p>
<p>From NJ:</p>
<p>UA was on parent’s list starting in the sophmore year, based on scholarships. i was keeping track of the high academic/merit scholarship schools. UA was never on my dd’s list – i think because it was so high on her parent’s list. junior year, UA was at recruiting events and the first event, we confirmed the scholarship – dd still unimpressed. then in the summer before senior year, she was at a recruiting event, sans parents – recruiter was amazing and she finally took an interest – strictly as a back-up.</p>
<p>Senior applications went out, there was one school she wanted to attend – Tulane. We visited, she loved it, it was this or bust.</p>
<p>Due to finances, husband and i kept pushing UA. The more we pushed, the more she did not like it. Because of the allure of Tulane, she only applied to Tulane, UA, Rutgers and a few Ivies. </p>
<p>Husband and I were sweating it out – we knew she would have Presidential and Engineering at UA and that notification came in first. We new at least there was a place we could afford – thank god. Then Tulane came in with the $22K per year. </p>
<p>We went to Capstone Scholars – at my insistance – dd had no interest. 16-hour car ride, hit university drive at about 4:45 pm on a fine january friday – the weather is warm, the quad is filled with kids playing frisbee, people jogging, playing with dogs, etc. – DD sits up straight, smiles and declares – this is where I am going. She was so excited by the shear beauty of the campus, the total college feel, the quad, the energy – I never saw her so excited, it was wonderful. </p>
<p>The following day we went to the capstone event, the description of all of the opportunities, the comparisons to other top schools, the honors college, honnors housing, exciting classes, went on a tour, met wonderful people – it was amazing.</p>
<p>We got back to the hotel that evening and she told us to go online right away, pay the housing deposit, this is it. Tulane is out UA is in. Parents do the happy dance. There has been no looking back at all. She is having a wonderful first year. Has made amazing friends. Learned so much and is really enjoying herself. RTR :)</p>
<p>@Lady D</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You mean something besides this:</p>
<p>2011-2012 COA $56,236 </p>
<p>???
;-)</p>
<p>^ I-yi-yi!!!</p>
<p>Yep, that must be it. LOL!</p>
<p>I work with three Wake Forest grads. Two of them loved it, one hated it. The one who hated it is an African-American woman from a disadvantaged background. In her experience, the class consciousness was almost worse than the racism. Girls made fun of her because her bedsheets didn’t have a high enough thread count to suit their tastes. (Not making this up.) Even the other URM kids came from wealthy, snooty backgrounds.</p>
<p>This gal is a math/science wonk who now works as a graphic designer. (She programs a lot of Flash animation, so she still kind of uses her math skills!) Anyway, she tells me she learned more in a summer physics class at UNC Charlotte than she did in her Wake Forest physics class, where the prof’s English was unintelligible. </p>
<p>I dunno why I don’t like the campus. It has some pretty buildings. But it seems to just sprawl. We go to Sunday Mass there (at Davis Chapel) sometimes; the kids like to go there for Mass because they like being around a lot of other kids their age. In fact, older son is going to a little Lenten program there tonight. It’s OK, I guess…just kind of nondescript as a campus, IMHO.</p>
<p>And that tuition? Yipes!!!</p>
<p>CTFamily,
We are from Fairfield. S will be a freshman at Bama in the fall. I knew Dr. Witt was from Trumbull, but it was interesting to hear that he went to Fairfield Prep when we went to the recruiting event in Greenwich. I think there are a at least 4-5 kids from Fairfield County that are going to be freshmen, and those are only the ones I know about.</p>
<p>* I think there are a at least 4-5 kids from Fairfield County that are going to be freshmen, and those are only the ones I know about. *</p>
<p>Really. Good. Were they at the Bama and Dr. Witt recruitment night?</p>
<p>I believe 3 of them were. Dr. Witt also spoke at Fairfield Prep and there may be 1 or 2 boys attending from Prep as well, not sure. Fairfield County is like 10 towns, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few more.</p>
<p>I am an OOS high school senior (Connecticut) and I’ll be heading down to Tuscaloosa in the Fall. In the early stages of my college search, I was set on some of the elite Northeast schools (read: Ivies/NESCACS). I got mail from all ends of the country- something I actually enjoyed at first because I took time to read most of it and learned a lot about schools I never would have thought of. Eventually, I expanded my search; partially as a result of the financial times, and partially because it began to dawn on me that there were many many qualified students in this country and I could not expect to get in to every college I applied to. </p>
<p>I remember distinctly one piece of mail I received from UA: it was a DVD about the Honors Program that I watched on my computer. I came away impressed, so I hopped on the internet to do some research. I was initially lured in by the academic merit money that is so hard to come by at private schools up here, and I’m also a football player/fanatic so needless to say I was attracted to the tradition and campus life UA had to offer. UA was officially on my list.</p>
<p>As time went on I continued to receive mail and I continued to do research. My dad was out of work due to the economy so the merit scholarships looked better and better everyday. Shortly after I applied to UA, they informed me that I was accepted and they offered me the Presidential (full tuition) scholarship which I was very grateful for. I visited with my mom in February and I loved it so much…the campus, the polite people, everything. Greg Wagner also set us up with a full itinerary of activities for our visit: meetings with Honors College people, Economics (my major) people, pre-Law people, students, the whole 9 yards. We even got to visit lacrosse practice and go to the Auburn-Alabama basketball game (Bama won at the buzzer by 1 point!) </p>
<p>I was very impressed with the entire process and the genuine enthusiasm that was shown to me at all stages of our visit. As the acceptance/rejection letters came in from late March to early April, Alabama became my clear-cut #1 and I enrolled in the Honors College a few weeks ago. I’ll be playing lacrosse for the Tide next year, which I am very excited about. I do get some funny looks when I tell people I’m going to Alabama, but once I told my friends all that UA has to offer some were kicking themselves for not looking beyond the Northeast and expanding their options. I can’t wait to get on campus and I couldn’t be happier with the great balance of acdemics, athletics, and campus life that UA offers…I’m convinced that it will be an ideal college experience.</p>
<p>What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing.</p>
<p>I don’t know if you know this…but pay close attention to your Crimson email next month and closely follow the directions to buy football tickets. They are $5 for students for each home game. </p>
<p>However, for frosh, they are sold in sets of 3 games or 4 games. Altho frosh can only buy one set, don’t worry, you’ll have opportunities to get tix for the “other” home games. Usually, frosh who are interested in going to every home football game can get tix to all of them.</p>
<p>Tickets for other sporting events are free for students.</p>
<p>it’s a good idea to try to get the same set as friends/roomies.</p>
<p>Anyway…do not miss out on the sign up times for football tix. I can’t remember if it’s a 2 step process for frosh or not. But, either way…if purchase time is…7 am CST, then be at a computer at 7 am CST (which is 8am EST, right?)</p>
<p>Welcome to UA, RTR860.</p>
<p>Roll Tide!!</p>
<p>RTR860: Yea!! Another Northeasterner heads South. You will love it!
Roll Tide!</p>
<p>My oldest brother attended Bama, so I’ve been a Bama fan to some degree since I can remember. However, that really didn’t factor into my decision, and I was a hair’s width from committing to Mississippi State up until I got the email about Computer-Based Honors. The CBH visit made me totally reconsider my infatuation with MSU and what UA was offering. Essentially I realized that what I really want from college is no debt, good football, the ability to do research, and the SEC atmosphere. I realized that UA, especially now that I’m in CBH, is perfect for all of that. The chance to attend such an up-and-coming powerhouse (in more ways that one), for next to nothing is just too good to turn down. Not to mention that I can attend alllll the home games and the Iron Bowl for free (thank you Million Dollar Band!).</p>
<p>You might be the first person I’ve ever heard that was infatuated with Mississippi State. I’d accuse you of having beer googles on but Starkville is dry :-)</p>
<p>You made the right choice in the end. Roll Tide!!</p>
<p>Miss St is nice, but Bama just offers a lot more. And, certainly the city of T-town offers a lot more. I also believe that Bama has a lot more students from outside the region.</p>
<p>Hi, i know i am a little late responding to this thread, however, i just recently committed to UA. I double deposited because i was at first unsure about where i truly wanted to go, but after careful consideration i have chosen bama 
upon visiting campus this past Feb., i fell in love. The campus was absolutely beautiful. Back home it was snowing 10in, but in Tuscaloosa it was in the 80s. Weather was a huge deciding factor because these MI winters are becoming almost unbearable. All of my family lives in the south, so i dont believe there will be a huge culture shock for me. i knew it would be fun and i LOVE sport. The people down at bama are also extremely friendly. in a school of 25000+, they still find a way to make you feel important, whether through random unexpected phone calls or constant emails from those who genuinely care about your future. The generous scholarship package from UA sealed the deal though. Full tuition, housing, study abroad/research $$, laptop, and stipend could not be beat! Below i have listed the other schools i turned down when making my final decision to attend UA.</p>
<p>*Duke University-Did not receive my FA package until after May 1 deadline, but the online calculator estimator determined it would be ~30,000 EFC/yr
*University of Michigan-Ann Arbor [Honors Program]-$10,000/yr scholarship (COA for in-state~24,000/yr)
*Spelman College [Honors College]- Full tuition scholarship
*University of Pittsburgh [Honors College]- 10,000/yr scholarship (which would only waive my out-of-state cost)
*Auburn University [Honors College]- scholarship package very similar to that of UA, but i did not like the overall atmosphere there that much
*Princeton University-waitlisted but should hear back within next few days. Although if accepted and their FA is anything like Duke then i will not be attending, even though it has been my daddys dream for me since i was 2 
lol</p>
<p>BuB2011: Welcome to UA and I believe (based on my son’s experiences) that you have made a great educational and financial choice. If you are planning on Grad School, think of all the money you will have saved and can apply to your future studies.</p>
<p>Roll Tide!!</p>