I would say after visiting and deciding for sure to coming to UA, to have a few short quips, or just smile and say something sweet. Months before graduating, maybe even saying something non-committal “We are not sure yet”. Once you go to BAMA Bound, well then you can say “I have a great schedule and really like…”
In college football, there is a lot of ‘BAMA envy’. Again, we are gracious. And hopefully winning another National Football Title next Monday.
UA and the State of Alabama (with business growth and much success in attracting more business; plus a very strong base of federal government jobs and contract work) has a lot going for it.
I sat with a table of fellow Aggies last night, planning our local Muster. I am the only one that went to TAMU for a graduate degree, and the only one not from TX. The younger Aggies (all in their 20’s) all said they didn’t expect to like or want to stay in AL, but they really like our area (N AL). Another parent’s son just graduated from UA and will be working in DFW area - one of his classmates already worked for this corporation and put in a good recommendation for him; he interviewed for the job at UA.
I have a friend who teaches there and I know somebody else who is uber smart, made it to an on-campus visit, but didn’t get the academic position in the end. So based on a small sample of 2, I can attest to the high quality of at least some of the professors.
I asked my friend about how Bama’s generosity to high-achieving OOS students had affected campus life. She had nothing but positive things to say. The regional diversity that Bama now possesses in its student population is good for both Alabama born-and-bred students as well as the OOS students. She has been very happy there and has encountered very smart students who are now applying to and getting accepted at good graduate schools.
While I have no direct personal experience with the campus, I firmly believe that racking up that much debt at an OOS public university when you can either go to Bama or to a very good in-state university (ASU), both of which have strong honors programs, amounts to sheer lunacy.
In the end, who would be assuming the debt - you or the naysayers?
Good luck and congratulations on your academic achievements.
I cannot fathom taking on that much debt for UG. Yikes! $200,000 that they expect you to pay back. Have you run an amortization schedule to see what those payments will look like? Your young adulthood would be controlled by your debt.
As far as their perceptions, they are simply wrong. UA has students across the spectrum including high performing, competitive-for-top-schools students. For example, UA has consistently had Goldwater Scholarship winners for the past several yrs since the focus has been on recruiting top students. For example, read this article from 2006 about Goldwater Scholars. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_M._Goldwater_Scholarship
On a personal level, my son is a current sophomore at Bama. He could have attended top schools with similar levels of debt that you are discussing. Bama was the obvious #1 choice b/c he could graduate debt-free with a great education.
I know a young person who will soon be graduating with about $140k in debt. He really has no idea of what he’s facing. Paying $1000+ a month will get old REALLY fast.
For those considering engineering, I thought the following was pretty informative/impressive. For the freshman class entering UA in 2015, Engineering undergrad ACT scores were 28-33 for 25th-75th percentiles. In 2005, the range was 22-28. So in 10 years, the college of engineering students are at an entirely different level than they were previously.
@BamCon You may want to show this to your UA skeptics. This is pretty enlightening. According to the same source above (ASEE) and in order of midpoint between 25-75th percentiles for 2015 Engineering Freshman Class ACT scores for a number of random schools:
I don’t mean this to sound as harsh as it will in black and white, but the OP really just has to worry about what his custodial parent thinks (his father). His dad is on-board with Bama and he’s the one who is financially sound. The other parent is just “noise” at this point…doesn’t have the means to co-sign loans, and probably doesn’t even realize a co-signer is necessary. Once the other parent is told, “dad isn’t co-signing loans, so you’d have to qualify and co-sign every year or directly pay,” she’d probably stop the noise, unless this is just a means to indirectly harass the more-affluent custodial parent. Sometimes in divorced families, the lesser-affluent parent tries to “stir the pot,” by pushing the child into pricier choices to force the other parent to spend money. It can be just a passive-aggressive game.
If I were the OP, I’d just smile and nod at the other parent and her family, and if they press for a better response, the OP should hold his hand out and ask them to write a check.
Oh, gosh, NO. Don’t go into debt for undergrad when you have such a great no-debt option. It’s time to grow up and say no. No one else has the place to tell YOU to go into debt. The thought of a kid going into 5 or 6 figure debt for undergrad makes me queasy. My husband and I have dealt with 6 figure debt for grad/professional school, and let me assure you that even with a high income, it is not insignificant. If we’d had debt from undergrad, we would not have had the options we have had for grad school, business investments, etc, and we certainly would have not had the good lifestyle we’ve had.
If someone else is paying the bills or taking on the debt for their own, then, OK, they have a place at the table. But, if the cost/debt is on you, then you have to be a grown up and make your own decision, and tell them clearly that is the case. It’s your future, your debt, and your decision. Unless they are willing to put the money in your account ahead of time, I’d not take anyone’s instructions on this! If they don’t have the money to give you ahead of time, then coming up with it along the way might be dicey, and they also might have a change of heart or change of circumstances along the way. Get used to disagreeing with other adults . . . this happens, lol, . … it’s OK. Be pleasant, be nice, but be firm. Don’t screw over your future.
I have people like this in my extended family. That snobby attitude really conceals deep insecurity about their ability to earn and keep money; so they have to front with prestige names and objects to try and cover up for the fact that they are not financially smart or secure.
The people in my circle who are smart about money never discount Alabama. btw.
As for convincing the non-custodial half of your family? If they have no legal say in where you go, don’t talk to them at all about this subject. Talking to people who are bad with money about money is never a good conversation.
You’ll discover as you mature that this is a good way to stay happy with people like that-stick to talking about the weather and how such and such’s surgery went and isn’t that a nice purse…
We are from the midwest, and my first thought when my D applied to Alabama was “Seriously?”. That said, she found the out of state merit scholarships and indicated interest in Honors College, so we agreed. Once she submitted, I began researching Alabama via several different channels. I am glad I did - I am impressed with what I found out compared to my initial bias against Alabama. I particularly value the community service programs like Alabama Action. She was pleased to receive her acceptance to Alabama and the Honors College, along with a meaningful scholarship. While she hasn’t made her decision yet, Alabama is still on her list.
Even though you may still attend with your custodial side’s support, encourage the non-custodial side to look at what Alabama has to offer. They may be pleasantly surprised!
Update on our visit for DD (from Midwest) that is accepted into Engineering Honors with full tuition scholarship (if she keeps her grades up while she is there…ha?). This was our first (and probably only) visit to UA before DD makes college choice,
Met with:
Assistant Professor in Engineering department
Engineering Student (Junior) for lunch and tour of Engineering campus
Honors College
Orientation Tour
Friend/acquaintance who is also from Midwest and and is freshman with high stats in Honors college and joined a sorority
Stayed at a hotel off campus and had dinner downtown Tuscaloosa at DePalma’s which I would recommend for a mid-priced Italian dinner.
The tour and weekend were quite impressive and UA is definitely in consideration at this point. Going back to some of her other choices before deciding but she liked the “vibe” at UA and felt wanted. I think she was particularly impressed by the engineering campus/quad.
Campus
The campus is beautiful with a lot of red brick buildings that all blend well together (even the newer ones) and is more manageable in size than I expected. It felt like a mid-sized school to me. We had no issue walking from the engineering campus to south side of stadium in a reasonable amount of time. They have put a lot of money into the campus recently and it is evident. There was also a good sense of school spirit.
Engineering
The engineering campus is very impressive with new labs, its own dining hall and library, etc. Engineering admin building is a bit dated but it will be renovated soon. This was our first tour of an engineering department specifically at any of the colleges DD is considering so we don’t have anything to compare it to at this point but it was quite impressive. Student had great things to say including his involvement in engineering clubs and studying abroad (which I thought might be difficult to do in engineering but he said they had classes that fit with his academic plan). Professor we were supposed to meet with was tied up but assistant professor we met with seemed like a good guy that my DD would be happy to be in his class.
Honors
Honors college session went further in making her feel wanted and nice that they provide volunteer and social activities outside of class for her to meet other honors students.
Dorms
Suite dorms are very nice and would be great to facilitate in-room studying but you would probably need to be a bit more proactive to meet people vs. traditional dorm setting.
Miscellaneous
Friend/acquaintance said she is enjoying her time at UA and is happy with her choice. She was drawn by the money but very happy there.
The fraternities and sororities are very impressive looking. They are massive and very upscale (at least from the outside). DD would likely want to join a sorority if she attended.
Downtown Tuscaloosa has a number of nice restaurants and shops. Not sure how often the students go there but for a parent visit there were lots of good choices.
Seems like a lot of students have cars as there are a number of parking garages on or near campus (but they also do a good job of making the parking garages look really nice/blend in with red brick facades, etc.).
Seems like most students just live on campus freshman year. Maybe that’s why the campus felt mid-sized as there must be a decent amount of off-campus living in apartments, etc. We saw some of that on SW side near stadium. Not sure where most people live off-campus.
Not sure if DD will choose UA but it is definitely in the mix at this point!
@Big10grad Thanks for the update, it is good to hear that your UA visit was a success. Just FYI, freshmen students are required to live on campus. There are tons of off-campus housing options for upperclassmen, that are very close to campus (practically on campus) like East Edge, or those that are a short walk or shuttle ride away,
