We are OOS from the Midwest and daughter has applied to UA. Alabama first caught our attention because of the generous merit aid (she is eligible for the Presidential scholarship) and further research has placed the school near the top of her list. The problem is when well-meaning friends and family question where she is applying, they give us a shocked expression and then ask “WHY?!”
I know we should follow our instincts and not worry about what other people think, but it’s hard to not let that negativity lead to second-guessing. I’m wondering if others have had similar experiences.
It’s not just the Midwest. We live in Georgia and we get that question about DS17. A number of kids go to UA from our school and there are UA magnets on a lot of cars but some people still ask why? Why not UGA, Auburn or Xyz college? I just tell them about the merit aid and that since DS is not sure what he wants to major in UA would give him a lot of options.
Ask, “Can you keep a secret?” Then look around to see if anyone is listening, lean close to their ear, and in your loudest voice yell “ROLL DAMN TIDE!!!” :))
Or, you could just say “It was the best fit for us.” Yeah, that might be a better idea. ;))
In Florida, there really isn’t any stigma attached to attending UA or any SEC/ACC school (most being flagships). Lots of alumni from those schools are residents in Florida.
In most cases, if anyone ask, it’s because going OOS seems exotic and expensive. Most Florida kids stay in-state (lots of choices combine with low tuition rates and bright future scholarships).
We are in TX, and my DD17 has UA as her top choice. We have also had to deal with some family and friends questioning her choice. Ultimately, it is her choice and after touring campus, she is happy with it, and can see herself thriving there. The merit aid definitely put UA on the radar, but having a major she wants, at the right size and type of school with so many opportunities checks all the boxes for her!
As she has started wearing UA gear, she gets positive reinforcement from strangers. It’s definitely a conversation starter in Longhorn country!
So maybe they are well meaning but not very smart. I bet there are other equally good or better schools located in other regions that they also wouldn’t know too much about.
In general, people in the Midwest who ask that question know nothing or almost nothing about UA. (Heck, 3.5 yrs ago, I was asking the same question to my son, who brought up far-away Bama as a possible college destination.) Once I tell them about the fantastic opportunities there, about the large number of top high-stats students who are now attending UA from across the US (and beyond), about the great merit scholarships, about the super school spirit, about the unbelievable friendliness across that campus and around the area, about the mild winters, about the beautiful campus that is CONSTANTLY being upgraded with new buildings … they don’t wonder anymore! ROLL TIDE! (P.S. this subject comes up occasionally on our UA Parents Facebook pages; we actually have an arsenal of info stored in our files that can be used to help educate others on WHY!)
My son is at Bama from Indiana and I get that question often, but more often it’s questioning why he’d choose to go so far away when there are good schools closer to home than it is about any misconceptions about Bama or the south.
I just answer that he’s getting an engineering degree and we’re not paying a cent of tuition and after they pick their jaws up off the floor, they generally mumble something about how I should be really proud of him.
This is so funny for me. I went to the University of Pennsylvania back in 1982. At the time I received comments like “Why are you going all the way to Penn State?” or “Why are you going to the armpit of the Ivies?”
But Penn was on an upswing.
Now people say, “wow, you went to Penn?”
Based on what I see happening at Bama and on my son’s eperience there, the same thing will happen to all these Bama grads. It will start out with "Why are going there? and in few years it will be "Wow, you went to Bama?
@Salesboy I find it funny too. I went to Penn even before you in 1979 and I’d get the same comments back then. Now people say “boy you must have been really smart” is S 17 going there also. I wish but no way could we afford it now. I agree Bama’s rep is definitely on an upswing. And the scholarships take all the pressure off the college search. Knowing we have the Presidential and that S 17 has Bama as his first choice makes this year stress less.
Thank you to everyone for the replies! It’s nice to get some positive feedback instead of the blank stares and head shaking we’ve gotten thus far. I should have known not to allow the doubts to creep in. We plan to visit late fall or early winter if our daughter is accepted. I think she will love it!
UA has been called the “Ivy League School” in the south without the “stuffiness” - lol. And our kids won’t be $100,000 in the hole when they graduate and have great job. We are from Kansas.
I haven’t really faced any upturned noses. If anything, most men pause thinking how great it would be if their own football team could hold a candle to UA… So I would say jealousy is the most common reaction my son gets.
My son is still equally split between UA and Ole Miss. I am leaving the country for several months to allow him some time to think. Both are essentially zero cost options for us - which is simply amazing, For both schools, I simply thanks a very forward thinking administration trying to build regional academic centers of excellence.
So whether we Roll Tide or Hotty Toddy - son will be in great shape, debt free and proud of his education.
