Hi. I’m currently deciding between UA and UGA and I think my heart’s set on UA. But my family concern is of discrimination against Asians at UA. I’m a male of Korean descent. I’ve read dozens of posts and forums about how it is not racist in UA and such but I can’t be too sure. I know that the population of Asians at UA is low, even if that is not including international students. I also know that there’s only subtle racism present at UA, according to the other posts that I have read. But I just need that boost of reassurance. Also I would like to hear from current students of their experiences at UA concerning discrimination against Asians, or just any discrimination in general.
One tiny bit of a question. Is Greek predominant in the student life at UA? I’m not too interested in joining a fraternity, I barely even know what they are or the purpose. But according to my sister (credibility is questionable), not being part of a fraternity at UA is basically being a loser (all from her, not me). Any insights to that?
50% of UA is from out of state. So it is not that “southern” as people think it is.
I am an Asian, and trust me, no one has ever called me names.
Racism is everywhere in the world. So…
my mother was also concerned about it,but after convincing her with the facts about UA, she changed her mind. Now she isn’t worried a bit
Our school is 34000 undergraduate size school, and there are lots of students who do NOT engage in Greek activity. No one calls you loser because you are not in a fraternity.(Maybe some hard party school like W&L, but…) Almost all people I know are NOT in sorority/fraternities, and they are just fine. Also, it is very common for non-greek student to befriend with greek-students, and vice versa
University life, like life in general, there is tendency to believe YOUR group is THE one worth joining. Those in Greek life probably think they are the best and can’t picture being at UA without those activities and friends – just like those heavily involved in Million Dollar Band, or on a sport team, or in Blount, or working for Crimson & White or being on an Engineering team. Be yourself. Be confident. Enjoy what you choose to do and you will be happy at UA or UGA.
My out-of-state son isn’t Greek and has a close friend (an Alabamian) who’s Asian-American who didn’t go Greek either. I don’t think you need to worry if everything else about the school feels like a good fit. Greek participation is somewhat dependent on academic major. Many engineers, for example, aren’t involved in Greek life. I’m guessing UGA probably has similar issues anyway, so go with your heart.
My Chinese American son is finishing up his first year at UA and has had no issues with discrimination. He’s also Greek and enjoys it. If you don’t go around looking for discrimination, you will find little or none at UA. It’s what you make of it to make it enjoyable. Try new things and explore. Good luck.
The large majority of asians seem like they are actually from Asia (mostly China) and not asian-american. Some of them drive pretty cool cars like Aston Martins and AMG Mercedes.
Lots of Asian kids are straight from home country. Not many of them spend significant amount of time like I did.
They also tend to hang out with each other(it’s not just limited to Asians, but all foreign students)…so you better not isolate yourself when you come here
@pbflam16, one of the cool things that Bama offers is their Honors Academy which is sort of a pre-college program for high school juniors. For the very reasonable price of $350 you basically spend a week at UA as a guest of the Honors College. (The fee covers room, board and meals for the entire week and students will stay in one of the dorms - even free transportation to and from Birmingham airport). My son is a Texas high school junior and he was just accepted into the program. We are using this experience as basically a chance to get a preview as to whether Bama might be a good fit culturally. I think that this might be an option for you to consider if you want to get a feel as whether Bama could be a good fit for you.