Is 'Bama the school less conservative and more progressive than 'Bama the state?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
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My D, who would be instantly eligible for OOO full tuition at 'Bama and almost surely the Honors College, has stated that she refuses to consider attending college “in any state that once flew the Confederate flag.”

It’s easy for 17-year-olds to make these sweeping statements (especially coming from one of the most liberal high schools in our city) … but in general does 'Bama have a more progressive, more diverse character than the rest of the state? It’s got a major that would be a lock-and-key fit with what she’s interested in right now, with plenty of room to change course if her interests evolve.

What about the city of Tuscaloosa, is it large and vibrant enough to attract a student who’s most strongly interested in an big-city campus experience? How about access to Birmingham by car? Thanks in advance.

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I’m going to say a sweeping ‘yes’ to everything you’ve asked, but progressiveness and diversity are often highly subjective, and how they are measured is different for different people. The best way to find all of this out for yourself is to visit the campus.

Within just a few minutes she will either fall in love or have serious reservations - it will probably be that black/white for her (no pun, truly) - people have said this over and over. You should be able to feel at home and comfortable within just 15-20 minutes of arriving, IF this is the college for you. Don’t let the money cloud the issue - if it is not a good fit, no amount of money will be able to compensate for a poor fit, and she should look elsewhere. I will add, tho, that attending a ‘different’ college (such as UA appears to be for her at this moment) WILL take some getting used to. It’s all here, with opportunity galore, but college is ultimately what she makes of it and what things she will avail herself of…so if she is not a very open person, this might not work out, regardless of how progressive UA is or is not perceived to be.

Birmingham is an hour’s drive away (straight shot on 1 major hiway)…but there is no reason to go there, IMO, unless you want to visit some of the historical places or there’s a pretty cool ziplining park and more restaurants and stores. Everything a student needs is in a very vibrant Tuscaloosa. The (new) food choices that people on CC keep listing are amazing. The town and school elevates itself to a whole different level during a home football game.

UA does a fantastic job of offering a plethora of service-based learning opportunities (many through the Honors College). Any person would find these enjoyable and well worth their time, but I think they especially soothe a socially conscious, liberal-minded soul.

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Thanks @aeromom ! Very helpful. Lovely cat, by the way … a Bengal?

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First note that the freshmen class composition has steadily increased to almost 64% of Out of State Students. Many students are from states that are considered liberal, As a matter of fact "In the 2014 freshman class, the largest in UA’s history, there are 2,474 Alabama residents and 4,382 out-of-state students (including military and international.) That is quite a mix of freshmen students. Also note, that many professors are from OOS.

The University of Alabama has done much to overcome it’s history and past. Are there changes still to be made? of course, but as we can see in the nationwide news, there are still changes to be made everywhere.

Yes, of course, 17 year olds often have strong opinions, often based on nothing more than a feeling, and not on facts. If you want to get her interested in The University of Alabama, then I think your best shot is to go for a campus visit and meet some of the staff, faculty and students. It might also help to have her read some of the positive posts on CC here about student accomplishments and opportunities. Start by exploring UA’s website and taking the online virtual tour.

I think it is appropriate to note, that on today, “Our Independence Day” we were once under the flag of another country, and yet, we do not hold animosity towards Great Britain or disparage its’ citizenry. Although, many states once flew the Confederate Flag, and our nation had to fight a civil war, we are now a United States of America. Therefore, to disregard those states and their current citizenry simply on the basis of history is in opposition to what our nation stands for. In my opinion, we must always strive to embrace change for the better, and I sincerely believe that is the one of the primary goals of The University of Alabama. UA has been steadily striving towards change which positively affects the university, the state and the nation. They are educating some of the best and brightest students, who are, and will impact the nation’s future.

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@ohiovalley16 YES. A thousand times YES.

When I was first looking at colleges, I had an attitude not at all unlike your daughter’s. Not particularly because I was judgemental about the South, but more because I am a queer incredibly liberal Democrat born and raised in LA! I mean this was about self-preservation, haha! Plus, I knew that I wanted college to be a time for intellectual growth from being surrounded by diverse people.

I applied to UA and the CBH research program for a financial safety. I never expected to like it…AT ALL. When I mentioned the schools I was applying to or accepted at, I always left it till the end, when I would add “Alabama…” in a hushed, almost ashamed tone. I didn’t want to get in an argument with someome about how I of all people could possibly be considering going THERE.

When I was on the way to the airport with my mom for the CBH interview weekend (I was only convinced to even get this far because it would be free) I was actually dreading going. I didn’t even want to spend a weekend with those people! (Yes that is actually what I called them.) But once I was there, I fell in love with the people there, who came from all around the country and who had several debates about politics and science while I was there. Unlike a small Northeast LAC, like Kenyon or Smith, both of which I also loved and was accepted to, here the political spectrum ranged from Tea Party to Libertarian to Moderate to Democrat to me. (Am I the most liberal in CBH? Yeah, probably, but everyone is incredibly respectful and the discussions are WONDERFUL.)

I mainly discuss CBH because that is what led me to this change in perspective and it is my main social group. However there are other groups like the Alabama College Democrats (which is FANTASTIC and has great social events…am I biased because I’m on the social committee?), the Feminist Alliance (not in it but I’ve heard good things), SPECTRUM, the Roosevelt Institute, Mallet, Blount, and a few environmental and humanitarian aid groups.

Tuscaloosa itself is probably more conservative than campus, but it truly is a college town. Its congressional district is the one blue haven in this honestly red state (props to our fantastic Congresswoman Terri Sewell!). However I would ask your daughter to rethink the vision of Alabama that’s portrayed in the media today. 30% of Alabamans voted Democratic in the last midterm elections. The state has come so far in the last 50 years, and yet of course news coverage prefers to focus on the people who fight change rather than those who are making it every day. My friend Colin has been performing same-sex marriages at the Courthouse ever since the recent SCOTUS decisipn. UA has more African-American students tham any other university in America (someone please correct me if this has changed) and lots of international students. I am surrounded by more true diversity of thought and ethnicity than I ever was in my “diverse” suburb of Los Angeles.

If your daughter chose to rush a sorority, she would likely experience much more of a traditional Southern college feel. However, if she came with an open mind about finding her place, gaining an understanding of the South and the diversity within it, and excitement about all the programs and clubs Alabama offers, I have no doubt she could make Tuscaloosa her second home as I have.

I was the first person from my high school to ever go to UA and this year after hearing how happy I am we have two more coming! This is truly a school on the rise.

I would love to speak with your daughter about my experiences and her concerns, if she is willing. I would also be happy to show her around if you are able to come visit. Good luck to her and Roll Tide! (No, my decision had NOTHING to do with foptball.) :slight_smile:

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Wow @springy179 , that’s awesome and incredibly generous of you. We have 4 other school visits scheduled for July and we’ll let those play out, but will message you when/if this idea gets legs and we can do the 12-hour round trip. With all the enthusiasm expressed here just in the 2 hours since I posted, I don’t see how we can pass up giving it a chance. Thanks!

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I have two sons that attend UA. We are from the Chicago-Milwaukee area and my sons are definitely comfortable in Tuscaloosa. I agree with almost everything posted above, except I would not categorize UA as a big city campus experience. To me, Tuscaloosa has more of a suburb feeling to it, or a small city atmosphere. If she is looking for a big city feeling, she would definitely have to go to a school in a big city - New York, Chicago, Boston, St. Louis, Minneapolis etc. But I second (third, fourth…) the advice for her to come visit the University of Alabama with an open mind and see if it is what she is looking for. Good luck and roll tide.

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For a snapshot of the school’s diversity, take a look at the 2015 Avanti Team pictures. The Avantis are the student ambassadors who work the Bama Bound orientations each summer.

http://orientation.ua.edu/avanti/team.php

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she refuses to consider attending college “in any state that once flew the Confederate flag.”


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Ha! Well, I hope she’s consistent and excludes all states that also did racist things. I wonder what state would be left?

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Too funny @mom2collegekids , you’ve got that right.

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Everyone who actually flew the confederate flag as a national symbol is dead. That was 150 years ago. That is meaningless now, just a lot of media hype to sell advertisements to the political-correctness fanatics.

UA as a school is politically neutral. It’s a big state school, there are people from all over the spectrum, with the highest concentration at the center.

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FWIW: There were many confederate flag support posts and actual posts of the confederate flag on the UA Class of 2019 Facebook page over this past week.

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Again, student posts, young people who have not yet engaged with the world and have strong (usually unsupported) opinions, just like the OP’s daughter.

While some people view the flag as politically incorrect, others view it as an historical artifact, still others are neutral in their opinion. Alabama’s governor has removed the flag from the capiitol. In my opinion, that speaks volumes.

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But there was also a lot of flack for posting support of the confederate flag on the page. Good heated discussions, which is what college should be all about. :slight_smile:

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^^^That’s good to hear, I agree a good debate is a thing of beauty.

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I have never owned that flag. But after learning censored history, I now see the flag in a different light. By the way, most don’t realize it, but there were five Union states with slaves. And Lincoln did not attack the South to free slaves. That only came later (and he never freed one Northern slave) as a ploy to keep Britain from supporting the South. In fact, Lincoln, in his inaugural address, called for slavery to remain forever legal in the South as long as it did not secede. Slavery was only one motive for secession. And gee, it wasn’t Confederate troops that almost completely destroyed our beloved UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA campus but Union troops. The vast majority of CSA soldiers were not slave holders. They were fighting to protect their homes and families. Tolerance people. Diversity of thought people.

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Fyi: before the South seceded, it was paying around 80 % of all federal revenue, despite being much less populous and less wealthy. The tariff was a major motive for secession. Also, if there has been genocide of the Native Americans, slavery, and many innocents killed by our military even today, all under our beloved US flag, does that mean our US flag should be repudiated? Be consistent people.

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^ I like that term “diversity of thought”, because it isn’t usually how the word diversity is used.

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Many high stat students visit UA’s campus because their parents say ‘we have to check this school out, because economically, it is offering a lot of merit’ - and the students have many pre-conceived notion set aside.

There is a Saturday honors invitational, and many OOS families line up honors/departmental visits on Friday, and attend the Saturday program. This is very well done - however it is after application and honors application deadlines, in Jan I believe.

Do not need to visit all schools first - can apply to ones that are easy (15 min on computer for UA); however certain honors programs like Computer Based Honors and University Fellows are very competitive and require an interview - so the interview visit may be the opportunity to visit campus a first time.

UA also has an overall visit day on certain Mondays during the school year - so there is a full day of general info and more specific. I would then schedule Tuesday for honors/departmental visiting.

Because we are in-state and UA was DD’s choice school for many years (she is a member of their marching band as an engineering student - which is quite common; a lot of great musicians major in other things) we went to a lot of programs and learned things on each visit. She also did the HS summer week SITE to determine what area in engineering she was most interested in (and she determined civil eng).

H and I are originally from WI. College students IMHO tend to be more open to diversity of ideas, and UA has a very diverse student population (draws OOS students from outside of the region; has more incoming OOS students than in-state). AL has a lot of higher ed opportunities - AU is almost a flagship school with Pharmacy and Vet schools there.

Have to examine what is going on now on campus now with students and the climate.

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Bama sure feels much less conservative and southern than any other Alabama state school, and as an INTERNATIONAL and non-white student, I have to say UA’s vibe is pretty warm to foreign students as well