<p>What is the timeframe for new rec center?</p>
<p>Mom2collegek </p>
<p>Yes I’m in Huntsville. I love it. Kinda out of place if you aren’t in the military or an engineer. But always in place if you love great food!</p>
<p>Yes…we love Huntsville. H works in Cummings Research Park.</p>
<p>omama,</p>
<p>I’m a he, and we are from SE Ohio
We can thank our state legislature for the OSU transfer policy-
it was their doing, in an effort to be more inclusive, the satellite campus’s offer a backdoor admission to OSU. It’s not a transfer its a “campus-change” …
And the satellites are open admission.</p>
<p>Yes I know about the satellite transfer guarantee. But this year 15 kids from my Ds class of 2009 transfered to OSU not one of them from a branch campus. Some had great stats some not so much!</p>
<p>What I like about Alabama is the school seems to know that students come from different academic and economic backgrounds and they want everyone to succeed. </p>
<p>They also embrace the fact that the more educated everyone in the state is eventually it will benefit the state.</p>
<p>Ohio also has much diversity across the state. And while they do have a few scholarships for those folks, many are turned down. I just wish they did it a bit differently. By the way for a FYI my D did not apply to OSU; but we did tour and her best friend is a rising senior at OSU!</p>
<p>Again we have been nothing but happy with our experience at the University of Alabama!</p>
<p>We’ve lived in the sunny South (NC) for over 21 years, but I’m originally from Boston. Don’t miss the NE one bit. Love, love, love the South. My Yankee relatives can keep the snow and cold with my compliments, LOL. :D</p>
<p>omama, I can relate. Our state schools are very stingy with merit aid, and that’s a big sore point for me. I love NC, but I am p*ssed at the UNC system right now, I must confess.</p>
<p>A month or two ago UNC-Chapel Hill sent us a survey asking why DS was not enrolling. (He’d been admitted for Fall 2011.) We told 'em, in essence (but not in these words, LOL): “Because you tightwads didn’t give us any merit aid, bozos!” At the end of the survey they asked if we’d reconsider if they automatically gave $5K merit aid to admittees who had certain stats or were NMFs. We said, “Yes.” Duhhh!</p>
<p>Some months ago, when I suggested (at the UNC forum) that the UNC system’s stinginess WRT merit aid could eventually bite 'em in the butt and lead to a “brain drain” of sorts, I was told (essentially) that I was a clueless idiot. Now it turns out that I was right. UNC would not have expressed concern about being turned down by NMFs – and they certainly would not have put out those feelers re $5K scholarships – if they were feeling absolutely NO adverse effect from their stingy merit-aid policies. </p>
<p>A state system so stuck up that it refuses to consider more generous merit-aid policies is doing its state a disservice. Although Wake and Mecklenburg County residents may disagree, I remain convinced that our state is not completely overrun with kid geniuses. We need to take steps to retain talent, or we will lose talent. It’s as simple as that. </p>
<p>(And yes, I know that we have a budget crisis yahda-yahda. So do other states, including Alabama. If UA can keep extending generous merit aid, despite the state’s budget crisis, then so can UNC. It’s a matter of setting priorities. UNC has a ginormous endowment. They could be more generous with merit aid if they wanted to be. Their “feeler” re the $5K scholarship shows this.)</p>
<p>Sorry for getting off on that rant, and I know I will get accused of “not letting it go,” blahblah. But I’m sorry…I think it’s absurd that a high-achieving NMF has to go OOS to get merit aid from a state university.</p>
<p>We are VERY happy with Alabama and thrilled that our son will be going there. It has worked out for the best, for sure. But we will always have a jaundiced view re our own state’s university system, thanks to our recent experience. Son #2 will not even bother applying to 90% of the schools his older brother wasted all that time and energy on. It’ll be Bama all the way. One goes where one is truly wanted! (And by “wanted,” I mean: “Say it with dollars!”)</p>
<p>OK, end of rant. Getting off soapbox now. LOL!</p>
<p>Diane</p>
<p>Lady Di – same story here in Texas. Not a single one of the NMF at my daughter’s school are going to the University of Texas. One chose an Ivy – the others choose schools that offer generous merit aid for NMFs. Texas has all but eliminated merit money of any kind-- and the result is that fewer and fewer top students, at least at my daughter’s school, are choosing UT.</p>
<p>I totally agree with you paying4collegex4!!! D’s school was the same way. UT just wants to run the top kids out. Their loss, UA’s gain!!</p>
<p>UT, like a lot of schools is attempting to rig their system to get the desired input so to speak.
Current TX system is top X% of graduating class w/o ACT/SAT scores
That’s causing problems; good HS students transferring to bad Hs’s, many more UT students in remedial courses, less students in STEM majors etc.,</p>
<p>NMF’s are overwhelming Asian and Caucasian - So much so that they started the “The National Achievement Scholarship Program” “an academic competition to provide recognition for outstanding Black American high school students” So using the NMF as a scholarship criteria has been dropped by some states to ‘achieve a more equitable outcome’</p>
<p><a href=“http://dnawars.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2009/06/18/are-blacks-stupid/[/url]”>http://dnawars.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2009/06/18/are-blacks-stupid/</a></p>
<p>Shamrock and Paying: I was told that UNC is “a bargain” (per Kiplinger’s), so why not just suck it up and pay, considering what a great school and great opportunity it was? (Total COA is about $19K-$20K per year.) I was tempted to invite the folks who told me this to pay the $80K total bill for me…then I’d be happy to take advantage of the “bargain,” LOL.</p>
<p>Oh well. All’s well that ends well. DS is really psyched for Bama; he has registered for his classes and ordered (and received) his textbooks. It turned out for the best. ROLL TIDE!</p>
<p>I agree on the problems caused by the lack of merit aid, especially at UT. It will be their loss. We are another Texas family proud to go to UA. In fact, offers of full rides at two other Universities in Texas didn’t even tempt our son. He fell in love with UA and every time we return to T-town you can see his excitement…and he’s a quiet guy. </p>
<p>As parents we went from you want to go where? Alabama? What about the Ivy League offers? The state school offers? Why in the heck would you want Alabama? … to proudly saying Roll Tide 
We are amazed at their possibilities.</p>
<p>Sorry to change the subject from my original post, but i was wondering about greek life. I definitely would want to join a fraternity if i went to Bama. I read the “pros and cons of greek life” forum and still had one question. Being an OOS student, is there any way to either do the pre-rush or is there a chance of getting into a “good” frat during regular rush?</p>
<p>Your best bet would be to do like another posters OOS son did. Sign up for formal rush so the fraternities get your info. But instead of waiting on them to contact you, you need to be assertive and contact them. Email, facebook, telephone, etc etc.</p>
<p>Ask to speak to the rush chairman and tell him what your plans are. You’ll probably get invited to lunch or an informal rush party over the spring and during your Bama Bound session. I don’t know how far away you are but a visit or two to campus during this time in addition to your BB session would help.</p>
<p>If the above doesn’t garner you a bid then go through formal rush and see what happens. You can still get a bid from a good fraternity during formal rush. It’s just there are less open spots as many of the “good” fraternities have filled up most of their class by then.</p>
<p>Remember that a “good” fraternity to one person will be lousy to another. You just need to find a house that you like and you’re comfortable with. Other people’s opinions don’t really matter as long as you’re happy with your choice.</p>
<p>Another option that we’ve talked about on here is to wait until either spring or fall of your sophomore year. This will give you a chance to get to know different members of each house and them a chance to know you. If you’re looking to get into an “Old Row” house, then waiting until the fall of your sophomore year would be your best bet.</p>