<p>Alabama:
PROS
Well-developed honors college
Attracts many National Merit Finalists
Football
Incredible School Spirit</p>
<p>CONS
Less-developed International Business Program (though all of the opportunities exist)
Prestige??</p>
<p>South Carolina:
PROS
International Business Program (direct-admit)
Hopefully the IBA Program (will hear about it soon)
Big Sports
Columbia</p>
<p>CONS:
Not in honors college due to applying late (though, I could get into it later)
Prestige???</p>
<p>Miami:
PROS
Located in an area that will give me opportunities for International Business
Big Sports
Weather
In honors program at a top-50 school</p>
<p>CONS
A bit liberal
Worth paying $30K for versus other options</p>
<p>Criteria:
Reputation- Miami>Alabama=SC (for International Business)
Rigor- Unsure
Sports- Alabama>SC>Miami
Weather- Miami>Alabama=SC
Politics- Alabama>SC>Miami
Size- Miami>the other two
Area Surrounding Campus- Alabama>SC>Miami
City- Miami>SC>Alabama
Balance between city and college- SC>Alabama>Miami
Programs- SC???
Campuses- Really nice at all three
Food- Happy with all three
Study Abroad- ample opportunities at all three
Dorms- Alabama>SC>Miami
Girls- Very attractive at all three (I would be lying if I said that this did not matter)
School Spirit- Alabama>SC>Miami
Money- Alabama $0 (perhaps even a bit better), SC $10K, Miami $31K,but we have money
$ offered to me by college or family- Alabama $16K, SC $10K, Miami $5K (I would be given that to go there)
Distance from home-All three are a flight from my home in PA, but SC is close to my family in Raleigh
Fun for non-drinkers- All should have enough events and stuff (SPORTS GAMES!!!)</p>
<p>I want to decide in the next two days or so, so any input would be great. An numerical adding of the criteria suggests that it is close between Alabama and South Carolina, but I am not sure that each category is equally important to me. But, should it be between those two?</p>
<p>SurvivorFan - In previous posts, you have indicated that you want ot study International Business and work in a Spanish speaking country. Therefore, I would recommend South Carolina since you are a direct admit to their International Business program and have applied to the IBA Cohort Program. </p>
<p>South Carolina has had the #1 ranked undergrad International Business program for the last 17 years. In addition, the grad school is also ranked #1 and has been ranked in the Top 3 for the last several years. The IB Faculty are #1 in research and well connected worldwide. The IB program at South Carolina is very selective and they will help you build your resume through study abroad, internships, etc. The IBA Cohort program is a great match for someone like you who wants to work in a Spanish speaking country after graduation. 20 students from South Carolina are selected annually to participate in the IBA Cohort Porgram. As part of the IBA Program, students spend a year studying at the Universidad de Chile and also study a year at South Carolina with 20 students from Chile.</p>
<p>Besides being ranked #1 for International Business, South Carolina also has a lot of the other things that you are looking for, great sports, great school spirit, beautiful campus etc.</p>
<p>Last of all, I believe that you can apply to transfer into their #1 ranked Honors College after one semester.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision, I think you will be happy at any of the schools listed.</p>
<p>@atlkaw6
Do you know how difficult it is to transfer into the Honors College? It would be better to know now how likely that would be than to get there and realize that it is almost impossible.</p>
<p>SF, a question best asked of the AO and the director of the Honors program. One or the other should be able to provide you with the statistics on Monday. </p>
<p>Depending on how difficult it is to transfer into the honors college, it seems like it will come down to the program (SC) versus the honors college (Bama). Should Miami still be there? As for the SEC schools, there are things I like better about both, but outside of academics/programs, I would give a slight edge to Bama, but SC has the IBA Program. I don’t know. </p>
<p>"and work in a Spanish speaking country.’’’</p>
<p>I don’t know enough about those other schools… </p>
<p>With that major, aren’t you required to do at least two study abroads at Bama? If so, I do know that Bama has some fabulous faculty-led Spanish study abroad programs. I also know that the Spanish profs are excellent and beloved. </p>
<p>I don’t know why you would rate Tuscaloosa below Columbia…I was in Columbia two summers ago and there is no way I would rate it above Ttown.</p>
<p>Maybe, it was that I saw more of Columbia than Tuscaloosa, but I liked the area right around campus better at Alabama. It is coming down to those two, and it is tough.</p>
<p>I called the SC Honors College and they said that I could not apply until after one year and that about 40% of students who apply will be accepted. I was accepted into the IBA Program, though. At Alabama, I am in the honors college, but the international business courses are less developed (but there is a larger NMF community). My head says that I should not turn down the IBA Program, but my heart says go with Alabama (I’m not 100% sure why, but it does). But, I am really splitting hairs between the two schools, as they are VERY similar. I probably should just pick one and stick with it.</p>
<p>SurvivorFan - Congratulations on being accepted into the IBA Cohort Program at USC! You have 2 great options. It is unfortunate that you will have to wait one year to apply to the SCHC. My son really likes the SCHC and was able to take 28 out of 34 credits through the Honors College.</p>
<p>How many classes can be Honors at UA per semester?</p>
<p>@atlkaw6
There is no limit to the number of honors courses. Will being in Capstone and IBA (along with being a NMF) help me in the SCHC admissions process? If I were in the Honors College for freshman year (which would allow me to live in honors dorms and have smaller class sizes for the biggest ones), I would pick South Carolina relatively easily. Likewise, were Alabama to have more of an IB program, I would pick it relatively easily.</p>
<p>"“Wouldn’t studying abroad at an actual Spanish university there be far superior to studying with professors and students sourced from Alabama?”"</p>
<p>That is certainly an offered option, and one that the student might do for one or both of the req’ts. I was just mentioning the faculty-led one because I happen to know that it is super popular and the prof who leads the group is a native of Spain, but he isnt the students’ prof for the classes…the profs are from the university in spain…and BTW…the students aren’t just from Alabama …and the students stay in the homes of host families and in dorms.</p>
<p>I think that if you do well academically, and I have no reason to believe that you would not, combined with being a NMF, a Capstone and in the IBA program would make you a strong candidate. I am sure that you would have been admitted to the Honors College had you applied before the deadline.</p>
<p>Please do not argue with what I put on what list, but these are my reasons to pick each school over the other:</p>
<p>Alabama-
Honors College
More NMF investment- larger top-tier
Higher overall national ranking
Much nicer dorms
Slightly better football team
More school spirit (I realize that SC has plenty- but I definitely heard more Roll Tides than Go '■■■■■ on my visits, maybe because Go '■■■■■ doesn’t sound great to say…)
Better area right around campus
Business school centrally located</p>
<p>South Carolina-
IBA Program (and all that goes with it)
Ranked #1 in International Business
Better overall city (being in a state capital of a red state is nice for a politically active Republican)
A reasonable drive from my grandparents
New business school opening fall 2014
More sports culture outside of football (Bama has no match for what USC baseball represents at least right now… unless the basketball team gets good)</p>
<p>No preference-
Weather (pretty much the exact same, average-wise, though I had better weather at Bama)
Politics (I am Conservative and strategically picked schools)
Campuses (love both)</p>
<p>Also, whichever school I choose, I am really excited for SEC football!!</p>
<p>Maybe, I should just sleep on it and hope that, come tomorrow morning, I have a clear frontrunner. Since CC is obsessed with money, UA costs nothing (actually, I will get a stipend), and USC costs $10K. My parents will actually pay me to choose either school, so money is a non-factor at this point.</p>
<p>Does anyone else have advice for which way I should go (given the reasons I gave in favor of both schools)? I do have a slight lean right now, but I am not going to say which way just yet.</p>