<p>I was planning on applying to UA because I would qualify for the Presidential Scholarship if none of my other colleges pan out. By the way I’m not just applying because of the scholarship, I’m also applying because I don’t want to have to pay back loans. Also, it would be easier to just go to a school that would give me a full ride for tuition because I have 2 sisters who my parents pay full tuition for and my mom is currently getting her doctorate. And i don’t want to be the inconsiderate kid who makes them pay a ton for undergrad.</p>
<p>My parents are from Nigeria (1 of my sisters was born in Nigeria my other three sisters and I are first generation Americans). Moving on, my parents are being really difficult about my whole college process because my oldest sister decided to leave her OOS school and come back to an IN school. </p>
<p>So two days ago I was filling out my UA application and when I asked my dad for the application fee and he said I can’t apply anywhere farther than two hours away (keep in mind this is all because of my older sister everything was fine and dandy until she ruined it). I decided to ask my mom to pay my application fee and she said “we didn’t say you couldn’t go nearby it’s just that if you leave this general area then we won’t pay for it and your dad doesn’t want you going there [Alabama] because it’s RACIST.” </p>
<p>Here’s my question: Is U of Alabama racist?
The wouldn’t even know if it was racist because they have never been to Alabama.
They don’t know anything about the school just because they received their masters and doctorates in America they think they know what they are doing when it comes to my siblings applying to colleges (they do not). </p>
<p>And I know I probably sound like a brat but it just gets annoying when you spend high school working toward going to specific schools not in Indiana and then all of a sudden there’s a huge roadblock in the way that wasn’t there before. </p>
<p>@mom2collegekids I don’t think that is going to work he thinks I’m being “disrespectful” about the whole thing. I I can only see them visiting if I get accepted first. But I’m just irritated that they were fine with me going wherever last year but this year its a problem. I really just want to know if I should just use my debit card and pay the $40 application fee behind their backs so I won’t miss the opportunity later on. </p>
<p>There are racist people at every college/university. </p>
<p>Southern schools, because of their state’s history often get unfair media attention when students act stupid. If somebody does something racist in CA, NY, MN, etc, the media doesn’t really care. If it happens in AL, MS, GA, etc, the airwaves are saturated with it. </p>
<p>@texaspg
One is going to IUN (previously went to Hampton - we all told her not to go): I think that like $6000 or so
Hampton was like $30,000 and she left about 3 weeks after second semester started and my parents still had to pay for that semester (IDK if they are still paying it). </p>
<p>The other one is going to IUPUI-Indy she just told me it was 21K but she’s not sure (she actually wanted to go here)</p>
<p>It’s not that my parents can’t pay for me to go (they make 230-250K a year but they also pay for everything for the rest of their families in Nigeria) but they don’t want to make the same mistake twice.</p>
<p>I would definitely find someway to apply, just in case. They may change their minds, it’s possibly. </p>
<p>As others have said, a very large percentage of the students at UA are out of state, including myself. Some are from the West and Northeast and don’t know what to expect. I’m sure most have worried at one time or another that they wouldn’t fit in. If you can get your parents to visit and give UA a chance, I feel they would be pleasantly surprised. </p>
<p>@tola2015 I understand your situation…my parents(and I are both foreign students) were also like that and it took time to persuade them. </p>
<p>Tell them that EVERY PLACE has racists in the United States(and the world). I went to New York, where diversity is the strongest, and I saw racists over there. In fact, I saw more racism than I did in Oregon for 5 years.</p>
<p>Also, I have a friend who goes to Bama, and yes, she told me it’s overwhelmingly white, but so? There aren’t so many non- whites as white students but according to my friends, there are very few racism moments you are likely to spot. Because I had similar concerns that your parents had, my friend’s statement helped me get rid of the fear. Beside, this is college. You can’t be racist outright.</p>
<p>And like @texaspg said, half of the students are from other states because of great scholarship opportunities-which is one of my reasons I applied for the school-so your chance to see so-called “southern racism” is even lower. </p>
<p>I am not sure if there is another flagship that graduates more Black students than Alabama. If Bama isnt the #1 flagship, it is one of the top few. </p>
<p>I think that if Bama were racist, you wouldn’t see the Bama shirts, hats, etc, proudly worn by African Americans in Tuscaloosa and in the state. And, certainly there wouldn’t be a 12% enrollment of AA students at Bama. </p>
<p>Alabama is a state with a HISTORY, and a lot of that history isn’t pretty. But if you want to know what UA is today, you can’t look just to what it was 50 years ago. Do some reading - find out about the Alabama of 50 years ago, and learn how it’s evolved to where it is today. And then look at the programs now being undertaken by UA faculty and students to further improve conditions both locally and throughout the state. You can start with these:</p>