Final Decision: Richmond vs. Alabama vs. Miami

College Search & Selection
1

<p>After touring colleges and thinking things through, I have narrowed my list to 3, Richmond, Alabama, and Miami. I know that I may be the first person in the world's history to be deciding between these exact three schools, but they all represent something that I want. If I get into Vanderbilt off the waitlist, I am most likely going there, though, as it kind of takes the best of all of the other three and mixes it into one school.</p>

<p>About each school:
Richmond: I loved the campus, college community, and programs in international business (they say it is #1 in the country). I like the city of Richmond, but it seems a little difficult to get there from the college. The sports are decent, but not like the major conference schools. But, I definitely did feel at home at Richmond. The campus food is also really good.</p>

<p>Alabama: As a NMF, I would receive all of the benefits that they offer to us. When I toured it, I felt that the campus was really nice, and, while big, had most things (even the football stadium!) right on the central quad. The honors college has a great reputation, and they have a ton of money. I really liked Tuscaloosa as well. Strangely, it reminded me of the area of Raleigh where my family is from. Of course, as I die-hard Conservative, I would be right at home in the Deep South. I still wonder if there is an academic trade-off to going to Alabama, though.</p>

<p>Miami: I do believe that weather should be a factor in college decisions, and you can't beat Miami's weather! Also, being in South Florida would provide me with ample opportunities for international business. The campus is also really good, although it looks very different from the other two. I love that sports and school spirit are so big there. One question that I have comes from my college counselor saying that I will be more academically challenged at Richmond and Alabama than at Miami. Is this accurate? Also, I am a finalist for the Singer Scholarship, which would also likely come with a Foote Fellowship, which would exempt me from taking any core requirements. One concern is that it seems a bit liberal (they talked a lot about Clinton and Obama coming to campus and only a little bit about Romney also coming).</p>

<p>Criteria:
Reputation- Richmond>Miami>Alabama
Rigor- Richmond>Alabama>Miami
Sports- Alabama>Miami>Richmond
Weather- Miami>Alabama>Richmond
Politics- Alabama>Richmond>Miami
Size- Miami>the other two
Area Surrounding Campus- Alabama>Miami>Richmond
City- Miami>Richmond>Alabama
Programs- Richmond>the other two
Campuses- Really nice at all three
Food- All three have great food to offer, with Richmond's being more focused to on-campus
Study Abroad- ample opportunities at all three, with Richmond perhaps the best
Dorms- Alabama>the other two
Girls- Very attractive at all three (I would be lying if I said that this did not matter)
School Spirit- Alabama>Miami>Richmond
Money- Alabama $0 (perhaps even a bit better), Miami $15K if I get the scholarship, up to $35K if I don't, Richmond $60K, but we have money
Distance from home-All three are sufficiently removed from home, but Richmond is the only one where I could get home without taking a plane. It is also closest to my family in NC.
Fun for non-drinkers- Richmond>the other two???, but every school is a "party school"</p>

<p>Can you all please help me with considering the pros and cons of all three schools?</p>

2

<p>Alabama versus Richmond (throwing Miami away since you like I are from the true South) - I think Alabama gives you the most for your dollar (which is zero) and has seriously hot coeds. Have you seen some of them on football game days? Seriously, two different but good choices. Richmond is a great town and only like 2.5 hours away - and DC is another 90 mins from there. But it and Alabama are so different</p>

3

<p>I would go with Richmond </p>

4

<p>If you really don’t have one school that is the calling to you, as two of mine did, go to Bama and ask your parents if something can be done so that the savings to them is shared with you. I’d give it all, but my kids insist they’d split it. with us. That would be a very nice nest egg at the end of 4 years giving you a lot of flexibility in what you want to do. </p>

<p>I like Richmond the best. My son’s close friend went there and had a marvelous 4 years there, loved every minute and got a great education, but my guess is that he would have gotten the same at most any school. IT’s all there at Alabama, you just have to look for it a bit more and seek it. Close friends of our had a son at Bama, and a twin at a school like Richmond, and the outcome was indistinguishable. For the money, it was a far better deal for Alabama and they paid for it, unlike you. But the differential was still great. </p>

5

<p>@dadinnc‌ </p>

<p>I am not actually from the South, but much of my family is and I am very comfortable there.</p>

<p>Anyway, I did not get the full scholarship at Miami, but I did get a bit more, bringing my total scholarship to just under 30K.</p>

6

<p>After much more thinking and discussing things, I will probably have to remove Richmond, as my parents do not see enough of a difference to justify their paying $250K over four years. But, I get the sense that if I get into Vanderbilt, they see enough prestige there for them to pay. Also, I have decided to add (even though it is never good to be adding schools on April 12) South Carolina to my list because it has some of what I want and is ranked #1 in the country in International Business. The main drawback is that, while I am a Capstone scholar and a direct admit into the IB program, I am, due to applying late, not in the honors college. I may go down to look next weekend, but it would feel weird to spend my 18th birthday looking at colleges!! And, I was hoping to commit within the next week or so, but I would really feel that I would be missing an opportunity not to take a look at the program at SC.</p>

7

<p>Send in the honors college application and see what happens. My son sent his in really late and still got into the honors program. Have you observed any classes at any of these schools? Observing a class may give you a better feel for the academics. </p>

8

<p>@diglass‌ </p>

<p>I will have to look and see if the application is still up. I applied a month after the APPLICATION deadline (but was able to be considered if “space was available”, but I still got into the Capstone program.</p>

<p>No, I have not yet visited any classes at these four schools. The only school where I did visit a class was Tulane, but I removed it (not because of the class at all). I do think that I can find my place at any of these schools.</p>