<p>Interesting article in today's NYT -- it seems that states with 'declining' enrollments of kids are now recruiting OOS kids. The article mentions Alabama, Vermont and Maine, who have hired recruiters to attract kids from out of state. While the HS bubble is supposed to peak near the end of the decade, Alabama is trying to grow its campus, so it needs more apps....</p>
<p>Their football team needs to do better.</p>
<p>That, in of itself, would attract prospective applicants in the surrounding region.</p>
<p>Alabama is very appealing both $ and Honor's College .They have offered this year's val a full-ride and a laptop (and a stipend I think). She is now in a bidding war between Bama and Texas A+M</p>
<p>Bama is recruiting in states where solid applicants can't get into the flagship U....such as Texas, Fla, Ga, Calif......a buddy of mine went to a recent meeting with a Bama official and the chief reason as above is the fear of a lack of applicants...</p>
<p>The fact that its football team doing better having an affect on the number of applications is one of the several reasons that I'd never consider 'Bama. </p>
<p>I'm not wild about the political culture at TAMU but TAMU's academics are significantly stronger, imo.</p>
<p>Although any school gets a boost from a strong athletic program....even a Duke re: basketball.</p>
<p>Alabama has done an exceptional job in recruiting. I just got back from their Tier I interview weekend and received free gymnastics tickets, free hotel room, and reimbursement for travel along with a catered lunch. The people there are intelligent, incredibley enthusiastic, and eager to attract the top scholars in the nation. </p>
<p>When I visited for the first time, I had a custom schedule arranged that was added to after I got there when a professor in my area of interest volunteered to delay a trip to meet with me. They even provided escorts to walk with me to some of my appointments. </p>
<p>In addition to the standard honors program, Alabama also offers a unique computer-based honors program that allows for undergraduates to help publish research as well as an international honors program for students interested in studying abroad. The Blount Initiative Living-Learning has also attracted students interested in discussion and thinking as well. </p>
<p>Yes sports are big. So what? Even the gymnastics meet I attended had overflowing school spirit with a nearly packed house (in a 15,000 seat fieldhouse) complete with a pregame pep rally and fireworks as well as a championship team that had an average 3.5 GPA. </p>
<p>The people at Alabama have realized the importance of Academics and are focusing on bringing in the top scholars in the state and region. Over the past two years they have had 9 USA All-Academic team members. There will certainly be more this year. Think twice before dismissing it as just some Southern state school. (I'm out-of-state btw).</p>
<p>Bluebayou,</p>
<p>Thanks for posting this. It certainly clarifies why S got a ton of stuff from Alabama; it was one of only a handful of state schools sending him mail. It did make the place look pretty attractive.</p>
<p>I'd be less likely to dismiss Alabama as some Southern state school if its Greek system still weren't de facto segregated.</p>
<p>My S too has been recruited by Alabama, and it has replaced our state school and my alma matter as his strong safety. Our experience with the university has been excellent. I am impressed by the quality presented and the committment expressed. I was however very disappointed by the quality and bias of the New York Times article. While an interesting topic the writer reduced the south to characterizations dependant upon football, Nascar and political generalizations. Alabama is not just recruiting bodies to fill their empty seats, they are looking for the best & brightest and they are offering more than laptops, they are offering a quality education. One advantage they have over other schools seeking to increase enrollment is strong alumni support. According to U.S. News & World Report, the average alumni giving rate is 37%. As a result they are able to improve both the programs offered, such as the Blount Initiative, as well as new housing and recreational facilities. I hope Mr. Greg Winter "will remember, a southern man, don't him round anyhow."</p>