<p>New to CC. I just received my acceptance to the University of Alabama along with the Presidential Scholarship and an Engineering Scholarship (planning on majoring in Computer Engineering!</p>
<p>I live in Tennessee, and honestly thought of Alabama as a safety school, but I am starting to seriously thinking about going there. One of the biggest problems I have with Alabama is its seemingly lack of diversity. Don’t get me wrong, they do have a substantial African American population, but Asians make up 1-2% of the student body.</p>
<p>One of my friends is Chinese American and his sister attends Alabama as a freshmen and she says she doesnt really like it. She says they treat her differently and its difficult to make friends when you are of a different background that isn’t prominent on campus. She is currently trying to transfer to Tennessee (Knoxville)</p>
<p>As a person of Indian origin and background, do you think I can ever fit in at Alabama? I don’t want to pretend that the stereotypes of Alabama are universal and always true but will I feel comfortable attending there? I plan on visiting sometime in December, but I just wanted to get some input.</p>
<p>Yes, it is low, but it’s not exactly that low. Alabama has a good number of int’l students from Asian countries and those students are not counted in that %. Only domestic students’ ethnic breakdown is counted.</p>
<p>for instance, there are 102 undergrads from China that made the Dean’s List last Spring. Those may not be huge numbers, but they aren’t included in the % reporting. don’t know how many didn’t make the Dean’s List.
There are also some kids from S.Korea. (there are siblings from Sweden…lol…Not Asian, but interesting fact).</p>
<p>The same with Hispanic numbers. Bama does recruit a number of students from South America. Those students aren’t counted either.</p>
<p>I’m sorry that your friend’s freshman sister isn’t adjusting well. This is just her first semester, so maybe some of it is just freshman adjustment and nothing to do with her being Chinese.</p>
<p>My DS works on campus as a research assistant under a Korean professor with a number of Korean graduate students. He is a miniority in the lab, however this has become his family on campus. </p>
<p>DS relates heavily to “Big Bang” with Sheldon and the gang. He and his friends are looking for a “Raj”. </p>
<p>I believe Bama isn’t for everyone, but with all the opportunities available there, it is what you make it.</p>
<p>The posse on my DD’s floor in RCE Honors has kids from Iran, Michigan, Mexico, Europe, Oregon, the East Coast, dark, middlin, pale, and even (gasp) a GINGER!!!</p>
<p>No issues. No problems</p>
<p>Btw, it’s coed and they all run in a pack. Very comfortable form of group housing in practice.</p>
<p>I’m a student here and I have never seen so many Asian girls paired with Asian males, and that’s saying something. If I was an Asian I wouldn’t go here just being honest. Not trying to sound negative or anything, but it’s weird to see Asians completely off to themselves and not involved in nightlife like it is here. In Birmingham and Atlanta Asians are involved in the nightlife and date interracially(a lot ). UAB is a better destination for Asians if you want to go to school in Alabama, Georgia even better(with Asians rising demographics in ATL)</p>
<p>but it’s weird to see Asians completely off to themselves and not involved in nightlife like it is here</p>
<p>those may be int’ls.</p>
<p>That said, you must not have been on very many college campuses. Unfortunately on many/most campuses, you’ll see Asian kids sitting together, Black kids sitting together, Muslim kids sitting together. Yes, there is some interaction, but often times, kids are sitting with their ethnic groups…even on campuses where the minority numbers are high…like California.</p>
<p>There is not much diversity at Alabama. You’re either southern, blonde and strictly in the greek system. A GDI who doesn’t party that often, or foreign. If you’re looking for a school that has a lot of diversity and people aren’t judgmental, honestly Alabama is not the place for you. In order to be happy at Alabama, you either have to be raised very southern (insane about football, pageant girls, very preppy boy) or just go there to get good grades and live in your dorm room. Since you’re from Tenn you may be brought up like that…I don’t know. But as for foreign and big diversity, there is none.</p>
<p>Getting back to the OP’s question… The OP will be in eng’g. Not meaning to stereotype, but the fact is that many Asian students choose STEM majors. Therefore even if the school itself doesn’t have large Asian numbers, there will Asian students in your classes.</p>
<p>I’ve posted this before but I know a first generation Japanese-American student from Hawaii who’s now a junior at Bama. She loves the school, fits in just fine, socializes, frequently appears on the President’s list, and does NOT feel discriminated against.</p>
<p>See, it can be, and is, done. At Alabama, no less. Despite the stereotype. Imagine that. :)</p>
<p>KD … so, since only 30% of student population is Greek, you’re indicating that a full 70% of the student population is out of touch from a social perspective with no possible way of finding a socially rich path through their college experience? As they say on ESPN, “COME ON MAN!” My D, a non-Greek, non-blonde, northerner, of jewish heritage, and previous apathetic sports fan, LOVES, LOVES, LOVES everything about Bama and the friends she’s made. She cannot imagine that she’s already 1/2 way through her 3rd year and will be leaving Bama in a year!</p>
<p>To OP … your college experience is what YOU make of it. If you look for the negativity, then you will surely find it … it exists everywhere. However, if you look to revel in, open yourself up, and live your college experience to the fullest making the personal choice to rise above the negative, then you will surely be happy and have a wonderful college experience!</p>
<p>Well, let’s look at one UA student organization’s level of diversity – the Million Dollar Band. Caucasians, African-Americans, Latinos, Hispanics, Asians, and Indians plus all the students of more than one race/ethnicity; Southerners, Northerners, and students from the Mid-west and Pacific coast. Protestants, Catholics, atheists, agnostics, Hindus and many other beliefs. Republican, Democrat, Libertarian. Gay, straight and bisexual. National Merit Finalists and those who barely made admissions standards. They eat together, party together, study together and enjoy life together. Of course, those are just the students my DD knows… :)</p>
<p>I understand that the people who disagree with my comment are likely big Alabama fans. You also seem to be parents of the students. Not actually walking the campus every day. Yeah Alabama is only made up of about 35% greek, but the reality of it is that they are everywhere. Greeks. And you will very much so feel like its 80% of campus in greek life. Especially if you are a female. There is a lot more diversity in the greek life this year and in past years which is fantastic. But as a student who walks campus every day here, you see very little diversity. YES, there is lots of race diversity, but as individuals and decisions, it all seems to be the same. UA breeds different type of people. Its just a southern thing. Those who aren’t from the south and do like it obviously have no problems conforming to their surroundings. Not saying that is a bad thing, but if you are someone that doesn’t want to/doesnt see themselves conforming to the “southern life” then Alabama may not be the place for them. I have actually spoken to more people that are unhappy here than happy…These are people who are out of state and come from a different life. These are the people that are the “unforeign” diversity. These people don’t like it because they don’t come from the southern way of life, and thats the truth. The south is very very different from the north and the west.</p>
<p>Why do you think the asians stick with each other, and the middle easterns stick with each other and the hispanics, and so on?! Because many of the students on campus aren’t as accepting. Especially in the Greek community. I know because I am apart of the Greek Community, and you also see it in the News. Frats and Sororities can be very prejudice. So I don’t blame foreigners for sticking with each other.</p>
<p>KD…Asians sticking together, Muslims sticking together and so forth happens on virtually ALL college campuses…even the most so-called liberal and open-minded and diverse campus.</p>
<p>You’re young. Once you’re older and have spent time on many other campuses across this nation, you’ll see the same thing happening over and over. There’s even a book written about the issue. And, Stanford Univ did research on it. </p>
<p>*YES, there is lots of race diversity, but as individuals and decisions, it all seems to be the same. *</p>
<p>you’re a first semester freshman who has been on Bama’s campus for a few months. You hardly could know what’s going on in the heads of the students there. lol</p>
<p>My son is a senior from as far out of state as you can get. He has found the opposite to be true and has never needed to “conform” to the southern way of life, as though there’s some singular way that Southerners live. It’s all about the company you seek and the company you keep.</p>
). UAB is a better destination for Asians if you want to go to school in Alabama, Georgia even better(with Asians rising demographics in ATL)</p>