Hello,
I am from the San Francisco Bay Area and have just recently applied to UA. I was wondering how students from California feel about UA and if they like it or not, as well as how they feel they fit in.
Thanks!
http://oira.ua.edu/new/reports/5b9a6ebfd7005c7c3be281bc?Report%20Type[0][0]=Census%20Enrollment#/5b9a6ebfd7005c7c3be281bc/Table%20E10:%20Total%20Enrollment%20by%20State%20of%20Origin There are 1,156 Californians at UA FYI. Not a small bunch. Given the stereotypes about the South, I think it is remarkable that UA is able to attract this many Californians. Not surprising that UA is able to retain them though. I lived in LA for 9 years, and I can see why so many Californians come to love UA.
San Francisco to Alabama. This has the makings of a great blog like journal.
My D is a freshman from CA and absolutely loves Bama. With the large OOS student body there is lots of diversity and lots of opportunity to find your own fit. My D is socal, and her roommates are from San Francisco, Maryland, and Ohio - probably a pretty normal mix. Your welcome to send me a message with specific questions but my D could not be happier with UA.
I’d just like to point the obvious out and say that SF Bay Area is much bigger than just the 7 square miles of San Francisco. The immediate Bay Area is 9 counties and some pockets aren’t as liberal as others.
I know UA was a “no go” for my kid.
I would also point out, there are significant differences between Campus life in Tuscaloosa versus daily life in most other parts of Alabama.
If one were to be placed in the middle of campus to wander around, and did not have the benefit of reading student T shirts, it would be hard to place where the University was located. I would guess New Jersey or Illinois before Alabama.
That is not to say there are not great things about the state and nearby environs. I love the area! But based on student body and campus life … it is perhaps not so Alabama-ey as one would expect. None of my son’s suitemates are from Alabama. Few of his new aquaintences are either.
From what I’ve heard about the UA sorority life, from someone who lives in AL, is that there’s a caste system in place and that freshman women, at least some portion of them, hire like sorority consultants to help them improve their chances to get sorority bids or “better” sorority bids.
I definitely buy that @sushiritto, especially with the “some portion” qualifier. I am amazed at what lengths individuals will choose to go to in order to join certain organizations. That’s definitely not universal though, and probably doesn’t paint a real accurate picture.
Here’s the kicker:
Just like “most” UA students are from out of state (FACT: 60% come from outside Alabama), likewise “most” students are not involved in Greek life (FACT: 66% are not involved with a Fraternity or Sorority). Diversity of thought and experience is pretty cool to see at a University!
Roll Tide!
First, I think 33%, being part of Greek life at UA, is a large number. UVA, which has a reputation for a rubust Greek life, is 35%. Another example, just for reference and a university popular with prospective students here on CC, is UMich. Google states that 17% of student body at UMich is involved with Greek life.
Second, IME (not UA), some portion (that phrase again, sorry) of the 66% that are “not involved” with Greek life were actually not given bids (rejected) to Greek life and wanted to be part of the Greek life.
The AL resident I mentioned above, who has a college-aged daughter, that I spoke with said the UA sorority caste system and the hiring of consultants was a big negative for their family. This AL resident sent their D out of state for college. But, I have no idea about the fraternity-side of things.
At any rate, back to the OP, if UA is high on his/her list, then he/she should definitely schedule a visit for a first-hand look.
Thank you to everyone for your responses. I definitely will go visit Bama soon.
Just sayin’ , the fact that Greek Life exists at all hasn’t had an impact one way or the other on DP Jr. Most of the folks he hangs out with (all?) aren’t involved. The point i am really trying to get across is … based on my actual experience, I think the perception of Greek life, at UA specifically, is disproportioned to reality. In a big way. And I would hate to have someone not pursue what might be a great opportunity for the wrong reasons. If a person was not interested in Greek Life, I just can’t evaluate why they would care.
The benefit is that the stately Fraternity and Sorority buildings are neat looking, whether you are in to Greek life or not.
A sorority “caste” system? There are some people who think there are “tiers,” but no more so than on any campus. I would venture that only a very small number of students hire sorority “consultants.” Most sorority alumnae ridicule them. That info is available for free, if the student will just do a little looking for it. Having a consultant would, if known, probably get you released during recruitment rather than giving you an edge.
Although Greeks are a very important part of the University of Alabama, the fact remains that they’re still a minority.
I have two points. One, is that neither you or DP Jr. are female. And females have different perspectives and experiences than males, anywhere, including UA. Two, AFAIK, neither you or DP Jr. are from San Francisco or the SF Bay Area. And speaking from actual experience, living here may be very different than other areas of the country, including UA.
There are stately fraternities and sororities on campuses all over the country, that is not specific to UA.
Ok so what is different about UA and California? The 1156 number of CA residents at UA surprises me but perhaps the campus is attracting CA residents because it has the large amount of out of state students and that mean lots of different people?
Demographics may be different from what you would find at a California public university.
Pell grant % = 18% (lower than all California publics except CPSLO)
White % = 78% (higher than all California publics)
Black % = 10% (higher than all California publics except CSUDH and CSUEB)
Latino % = 5% (lower than all California publics)
Asian % = 1% (lower than all California publics)
Whether any of this is plus or minus or neutral depends on the OP.
Not defensive. I think you are right, and far more objective than us parents of current UA students in this sub forum about Alabama.
I believe the University will be sending the thousand plus CA students home as soon as possible. Including the daughter of @my2caligirls and her associated roommates. Sorry @my2caligirls ! Alabama is no place for Californians!
Thank you, yes, I always try to be objective. I appreciate the compliment.
But I’m so sorry. I must have missed the ToS section where it states that parents of prospective students are not allowed to post their due diligence on colleges from the last (Class of 2018) admissions cycle. And also a parent with another kid nearing a future admissions cycle.
Can you please identify the post where I wrote that “Alabama is no place for Californians”? Also, CA is a big place. My section of “the woods” as well as the OP’s too, is just the SF Bay Area.
I am female, and while 30% of girls on my college campus were in sororities, at the time I had zero interest in joining, and it had little to no impact on anything for me. Some friends were in them some were not, no big deal. I can see someone who is desperate to join one being disappointed in not getting selected, but when we toured UA, we met quite a few honors and engineering students who were not involved in Greek life. My kid is interested in Blount Scholars,. As long as you find like minded people on campus, who cares if it is Greek or not?
@sushiritto , as before, thanks for your perspective and opinion. I don’t think you have broken any TOS .
Why is the racial breakdown so much more important to mention than the ideological diversity on a campus? My hunch is that you will find more ideological diversity at UA than at many, more elite schools.