OP, that was just an example. My family makes more than double that amount and I got over $30,000 in financial aid from an elite university. I was just trying to show you that if someone who makes $100,000 goes to Stanford for free, imagine how much aid is out there.
@calicash has a sibling in college and does seem to have gotten some kind of preferential pkg, so don’t compare to that unless you will also have a sibling in college.
No doubt you’ve already seen the article featured on Yahoo about the kid who turned down all of the Ivy Leagues, choosing Alabama instead, and the headline describes him as “brilliant” for doing so. I loved seeing that article, though what has been a nicely kept secret is not going to be so secret anymore.
As to the issue of always being concerned about prestige and the appearance of status, this is the best time in your life to free yourself of all of that. You will save yourself a lifetime of unnecessary added stress, free of the debt and constant consumption that always accompanies living your life for others’ approval. Just have to spend a little time listening to the Dave Ramsey show to hear the stories of doctors, dentists, and lawyers who find themselves financially broke because of the pressures within their social circles to keep up with the Dr Jones.
What are you going to do if you only receive job offers from a regular companies, and not ones with some degree of perceived prestige? Will you be too good to work those jobs?
Do what works best for you, and you alone. Of course, don’t show up at Alabama and then complain to everyone you meet how you could have gone somewhere better. The great students currently at Alabama deserve to be surrounded by other students who want to be there. Best of luck!
@mom2collegekids And that only accounted for an additional $6,000. So it’s no big deal.
I get the impression that mom2collegekids does not approve of anyone selecting a school to attend other than Alabama. There are a lot of good schools.
@chesteron yes I saw the article, I was curious though why the young man did not apply to any match schools, he surely could of gotten merit. It sounds like he applied to all reaches and then a safety (Alabama) and because he was not given financial aid at any of his reaches the only choice he was left with was Alabama.
She is the most prolific poster in CC history. If you read her 67.000+ posts, you will find she often recommends other schools. Her advice tends to be much more informed and less biased than a lot of other CC members.
@ssjr16, the article doesn’t say he didn’t apply to any match schools; it doesn’t say one way or the other. And it doesn’t say he didn’t get any financial aid, just that the aid he was offered still left his family with a significant EFC that was going to increase after his sister graduated from college.
Once he was accepted into University Fellows, it sounds like his safety school became a real contender and in the end he determined what UA was offering was a better (or good enough) offer.
We need a thumbs-down button on CC sometimes…
OP, the fellow we are all talking about from Memphis certainly is ‘smart enough’ to look at all the angles. As another said, once he was accepted into UA Fellows program, the other schools fell off. I have also talked to Computer Based Honors Program students/parents, that getting into that program had them choose UA. That young fellow, if he continues to achieve academically and in all the other areas, will continue to have a very bright future - he will continue to have doors open for him.
If someone wants to go to a flagship school that has wonderful honors programs, etc - UA is very attractive. Some students are looking for a different experience and explore different options. I have a DD at UA, and a DD at UAB - both are a great fit for each. It is not that we don’t know about other schools either - H and I both attended small private colleges, and I took a couple of courses at University of Houston (pre-reqs while we lived there) before we moved to College Station and I got my MBA from TAMU. I got a second Master’s at a Univ in AL (not UA or UAB). I worked with college students for 3.5 years in cooperative education.
Trying to graduate from UG debt free or with low debt is a very good goal. Cost/benefit analysis and getting your education w/o straining the budget.
I find it funny that @Calicash says $6,000/year reduction in college costs due to sibling is ‘no big deal’. It is a big deal to me, and we have a 6 figure household income.
With all the OOS students, UA is getting a network of alum throughout the country. That can be helpful in one’s future. I doubt that UA will ever be considered a ‘weak’ school when it comes to football and athletic programs, based on the history and current status. Just makes being an alum fun too.
Good luck.
@SOSConcern You are misinterpreting my words. I’m saying that I would’ve received $6,000 less in aid and despite that, I still would’ve received more than $20,000. That’s all I’m saying. I’m not minimizing the cost. I’m trying the show the OP that the money is there.
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I get the impression that mom2collegekids does not approve of anyone selecting a school to attend other than Alabama. There are a lot of good schools.
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You could not be more wrong. You must be imagining things because I often recommend other schools…very often.
It’s more helpful to have an impression based on facts…it will get you much farther in life.
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I'm saying that I would've received $6,000 less in aid and despite that, I still would've received more than $20,000.
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there was some “funny math” that went on when figuring your aid. NU can do whatever if wants, but your situation has some oddness to it. As for the $6k less in aid, no one really knows until your sibling leaves school and NU recalculates. I should say that I will be shocked if there is only a $6k difference at that time, but since NU was unusually generous to you, who knows what they’ll do.
I’ve worked with a very good engineer from Lake Superior State, and a so-so engineer from the famous technical school in Mass. Same for Michigan Tech vs the eponymous Michigan university. Ole Miss vs UT Austin? Kent State, Akron, or some small college I’ve forgotten the name of vs a service academy? Same experiences. I should point out that I’ve also worked with some really good engineers from all of the schools I’ve mentioned.
The point is that for engineering I’ve not seen as much difference between schools as I have between individuals. Some people just should not be engineers or computer scientists regardless of what their diploma says.
That said, if someone wants to go a big name school as an undergrad, more power to them, but they should do it for the right reasons. Prestige is not a right reason. You like the department (on its own merits), the college has a balance between arts and sciences you like, there are study abroad possibilities - these seem like decent reasons. If you took all the labels off the BMW and made it look like a Kia, would you still love the way it drove? If so, then drive it in spite of the labels - but certainly not because of them. Education is far to important a thing to treat only as a commodity.
The internet makes it easy to stack up and rank schools with all sorts of numbers, but it’s really hard to make sure those numbers mean what we think they do. A BS or BA from a solid university, achieved without debt, is an astonishing prospect.
And yeah, an Alabama is on DD’s list.
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The point is that for engineering I’ve not seen as much difference between schools as I have between individuals.
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Right.
Some people just should not be engineers or computer scientists regardless of what their diploma says.
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This is so true.
I’ve said many times, each state has a vested interest in having many, many very good eng’g and CS programs because a smallish number of schools simply cannot supply this country with enough qualified engineers.
The state of Calif alone has over 25 very good eng’g programs…and that’s just ONE state. My own state has a low population, but it has at least 6 very good eng’g programs…because the state needs engineers!
@2016collegebound - really dude!
@mom2collegekids provides an invaluable service to a lot of people. I don’t always agree with her points or her analysis but I can always respect it.
If you’re dealing with a CC’er who read US News and World Report like it’s the Holy Bible, it’s one thing. Fortunately 99.9% of the world is not like this.
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@mom2collegekids …I don’t always agree with her points or her analysis but I can always respect it.
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@menefrega Hey, what is my H doing on CC? 
We have booked a flight to visit the campus next weekend after my finals are done. I would prefer to go right away as I heard the summers get very hot. A twist that just occurred is that I was informed by my high school that I can graduate a semester early. If I decide to do that would Alabama allow me to start a semester early? Or would it just make sense to work and then start in the fall.
I agree that you need to make a solid list of schools to apply to and see what offers you receive.
Great packages are completely relative to the family’s situation. The only perspective on the numbers that matters is yours and your mom’s.
Our ds received offers of $30,000 in merit scholarships from numerous schools, but those scholarship still left us on the hook for around $30,000. That amt is way beyond our ability to pay. He had another full ride offer. He had a couple that would have cost room and board.
Ds visited the physics depts at numerous schools, met with deans and undergrad advisors, sat in on classes, etc. His number one priority in selecting a school (Other than our being able to afford it) was access to undergrad research. He also wanted to attend a school that would accept all of his credits. (Our ds took up through numerous 300 level math and physics classes during high school.) He had attended SSP between his jr and sr yr and had been part of a research project at the university where he was dual enrolling. The dean at one top 30 university told him that his research experience at that point (as a high school student) exceeded what their undergrads did b/c that was the type of research their grad students did and undergrads worked for grad students. That knocked that school off his list!
Then ds was invited to join CBH. Once he was invited to join CBH, he stopped even thinking about other schools. When he went to the finalist weekend for CBH, he found himself surrounded by top-notch students. He knew he was amg peers.
He just finished his freshman yr and has absolutely zero regrets with choosing UA.
@ssjr16 Personally, I would not graduate HS early. This is just my opinion based on personal experience. You will miss many milestones such as Senior Prom and Graduation, just to mention a few. Why rush? Enjoy your senior year.
Best of luck in your future endeavors. You cannot pick a better university than The University of Alabama. Roll Tide!!