<p>Hi, so I am currently living in northern california and I have been living here for the past 6 years and now I am itching to get out. My dream school is University of Alabama because they have everything on my list (big school, amazing speech team, solid biology program and its in the south) </p>
<p>But my parents are totally against me leaving the state. One of their main reasons is they think it will be more expensive than the UC schools, but they aren’t taking into consideration the scholarships I can receive at U of Alabama, only the tuition they see on Google. </p>
<p>They also don’t think I am ready to be away from them, but since I was about 10 I have always said I will go as far away as I need to. You all don’t really know me so I guess you cant vouch for my maturity but I like to think of myself as an adult and yet I’m not being allowed to make any type of adult decisions. </p>
<p>I’ve lived outside of California and I honestly know that it is not the place for me. In the UC system you’re just a number and I don’t know if its any different in other places but that’s not what I want for my education </p>
<p>I don’t know how to help them see where I’m coming from. My mom always says she wants this to be my decision but every time I try and bring something up about Bama she shuts it down. My parents are really the only people who think I won’t be able to succeed somewhere that isnt in California and it’s frustrating because they should be the ones who support me the most. I’m not a bad kid. I have a 3.8 GPA, I work 15 hours a week, I’m president of my speech team and I’ve never been in trouble. I don’t know how else to prove to them that I won’t move away and completely screw everything up. I don’t know what else to do because I know I won’t be happy anywhere else besides in Tuscaloosa. </p>
<p>Sorry this was long, but this has really been weighing on me and I needed to get it off my chest. (I’m also a little nervous because I submitted my application to Bama last week and now I’m just anxiously awaiting a response.</p>
<p>Hi! I love seeing posts from fellow Californians on here. I can’t say I know how to deal with your exact situation, but I would be happy to answer any questions you or they may have about Bama. I am a current freshman so I went through the same thing last year! Please don’t hesitate to send me a message if you want to talk.</p>
<p>Encourage your mom to join CC and to post her concerns either here or in the Parents forum and we will give her our honest opinions. </p>
<p>My son had no intentions of going far away to school, but at my request, he applied to Alabama because I was so impressed by everything I read about the school, the merit scholarships, and all the terrific out-of-state students. Some come for the scholarships; others are full pay, but they’re all part of what makes UA such a vibrant, exciting place to spend four years. The combination of “Southern hospitality” (it’s for real and genuinely heartfelt) and a diverse student body is pretty irresistible for the right student.</p>
<p>In our case, Bama was a “safety” application, but for many, many like you it is their first and only choice. After visiting all the schools that accepted him, including some pretty selective private schools, my son chose Bama and is a very happy freshman there.</p>
<p>UA has a wonderful and supportive Parents Program to help keep families stay connected, and it works. I’ve never seen a group of parents so supportive of each other and all the university’s students. My California-born son was raised in PA and had never spent any extended time in the South, but he’s acclimated really well to both the climate and the customs. The distance is really only a factor when it’s time to move in or out or if your folks are the type who want to visit a lot, but many CA families do it. One of my son’s roommates is from northern CA.</p>
<p>Once you have enough posts (10?), feel free to PM me or any of the regular posters on here with any specific questions. You sound like just the type of student who would thrive at UA. Best wishes to you and Roll Tide!</p>
<p>Have you taken the SAT/ACT yet? If you know that you qualify for one of the larger scholarships, then your area might have a regional recruiter that can speak with your parents and ensure them that the scholarship is guaranteed and what the approximate remaining costs will be? In what region of the state are you located? Some areas have recruiting events that you might be able to convince your parents to attend to get informed without the expenses of the trip to visit campus. Sometimes we as parents are taught to be skeptical and learn that ‘if it seems to be too good to be true, it probably is’. I have to admit I was one of those parents that had my doubt my son was really going to get 100% of his tutition covered until I saw it in print a few times. :)</p>
<p>It’s great that you have a high GPA. Keep up the good work. What is your ACT and/or SAT scores? Are they high enough to qualify for a full tuition scholarship? Check out the UA’s Out of State scholarship page to see if you qualify. </p>
<p>Then work out the costs for UA versus your local college. Present those financial facts to your parents and see if that helps them change their minds. There is a thread on this forum (started by me) with a link to the UA Viewbook. This is a good starting point for you and your parents to learn about The University of Alabama.</p>
<p>I will definitely ask her to look on here. On my SAT I got a 1090 on math and reading and then on the ACT I got a 23. I took the ACT again 2 weeks ago and now I’m just waiting for those results. The scholarship I’m counting on is the one for the Alabama Forensics Council. I’ve heard that everyone on that team receives either half of full tuition. I have been competing for the past four years and have been very successful in the activity. My high school coach (who was a college national champion and also coaches his own college team) is convinced that I will be a perfect candidate for the Alabama team, so that is how I plan on paying for bama since my test scores are not the best. </p>
<p>I can understand their concern if they are looking at the full tuition cost of UA and thinking that they will have to pay airfares etc on top. If you can get the Alabama Forensics Council scholarship however they might be willing to take another look. One of the posters on this thread, Edjumacation , got one of these debate scholarships and you might want to PM him to ask about the process of applying and what it is like to be on the team. I think you’ll need 10 posts before you can send a PM.</p>
<p>Yes, the Forensics team has fabulous scholarships so do try for those. There is a student that posts here that got one after his audition last winter. </p>
<p>Not sure where he was born and raised but I believe his family now lives in the Memphis area. Seem to remember that from a few posts he had while considering Bama…</p>
<p>Since some merit aid isn’t predictable, costs are hard to know unless you apply. Then, when you have the actual costs of the schools you are accepted to, you and your parents can sit down and discuss them. While your mom may be concerned about the sticker price of Alabama, having the actual cost to discuss will eliminate speculation. </p>
<p>I can understand parents being concerned about their child travelling far from home. Your mom may be concerned about how to get you there, will you be able to come home on holidays, and how often she will see you. </p>
<p>You and your mom are at odds about the possibility of Alabama, but it isn’t a real one until you apply and you have until spring of senior year to decide. An application isn’t a definite commitment. It opens the door to a possibility. One suggestion is to ask your mom to allow you to apply and see what the resulting costs are. Also apply to the other colleges you are interested in, and those that she is interested in. Sometimes a college application list is a bit of yours, theirs and ours. If you consider her choices, perhaps she would be willing to consider yours.</p>
<p>Throughout the year, continue to learn as much as you can about the colleges on your list. Keep mom in the loop. Ask her how you can make the distance easier if you do attend UA- agree to skype, text, on a regular visit, save money to fly home to visit. By listening to her concerns, you might come up with ways to work with them. </p>
<p>Cost is a reality. By spring you will have the actual costs in front of you. If the cost of UA is indeed more affordable, your mom will see that, and if not, you know you will have tried and what the outcome is. Hopefully your mom will agree to you applying and seeing how this turns out. </p>
<p>My DS is a junior majoring in EE. We lived in Sacramento county until this summer. DS loves Bama and has some unbeliveable experiences. He was on the hovercraft team, traveled to Peru with Bama team that installed solar panels, got a job on campus working in a research lab and that was in his first year! </p>