<p>I am a junior right now looking at multiple colleges in the like UGA, UA, UT, etc. The one thing I can't seem to stop worrying about is the transition from living in Michigan to going down South. I'm not concerned about the way I will accept it since I already live in an upscale preppy community so lets just say I know a few things about Lilly Pulitzer and Tory Butch, and I'm accustomed to seeing boys in pastel pants hahaha. The thing I'm scared of is that since I don't have that southern accent and I wasn't raised down there, will it be extremely hard to get to know people? Also will it be harder for me to get recruited into sororities because of me being from out of state?</p>
<p>UGA is a very preppy school and UA is semi-classy (in my opinion). You will definitely not have any problems fitting in down South. We love everybody! However, It will be a huge culture shock. People are extremely nice in the South, and everything social is revolved around food.
And as for Sororities, that shouldn’t be a problem. They won’t push you away because you aren’t from the South. Like I said, We love everybody. :)</p>
<p>When my Maine-raised son went down to UT for school, he was shocked at how friendly everybody was - “Mom, people actually come up to me and talk to me!” I don’t think you will have any problem!</p>
<p>Start now to find alumnae who will write recs & letters of support for you, as those will be either required or extremely helpful at the schools you mentioned. Don’t get your heart set on a particular sorority, as some will recruit largely from feeder high schools/camps. If you arrive prepared, have a high GPA, are personable and enthusiastic during rush, and keep an open mind, you’ll maximize your chances of finding a Greek home. GreekChat can be a helpful website, but don’t post anything that personally identifies you.</p>
<p>Many born & bred Southerners, especially those from big cities, no longer have accents, so you won’t necessarily stand out. Be friendly & look for opportunities to get to know people outside of class and Greek life. Dressing preppy won’t hurt. </p>
<p>UT is less “Southern” than UA and UGA. Austin has a more quirky feel IMHO.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about sororities at UA but I can tell you that my Michigan son has had no difficulty adjusting to UA. Interestingly, there are so many OOS students now that, in my opinion, it doesn’t have the strong southern vibe that you might expect (other than the ‘friendliness’ - UA has that in spades).</p>
<p>At Alabama, many/most kids do NOT have southern accents…at all. That’s for three reasons:</p>
<p>1) Many are from OOS…Calif, NY, Conn, Ill, NJ, etc (heck, you might hear too many Tri-state accents at Bama!)</p>
<p>2) Many of The Alabama or southern kids who are from good-sized cities and they’ve been influenced by TV</p>
<p>3) A number of Alabama instate kids do not have southern parents. </p>
<p>At Bama, the OOS girls do get sorority bids. If you want to know more about this, go to the Alabama forum. There’s an OOS Bama mom who knows just about everything about Greek and Bama.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/</a></p>
<p>My HS Senior is considering a few southern colleges - </p>
<p>The BIGGEST difference we have found is the food selection. My son loves the southern food; his sister (a semi-vegetarian, all natural foods, no frying) girl doesn’t think she could ever live there. Difficult to find the food selection she has access to in our area grocery stores.</p>
<p>Sororities - You will have to network ahead of time. I don’t know about the others, but the timing for Bama’s sororities astounded us – starts very early. So, be certain to follow the link Mom2CK gave above.</p>
<p>* It will be a huge culture shock. People are extremely nice in the South, and everything social is revolved around food. *</p>
<p>??? I guess it’s a huge shock to be around nice people who will offer you food. ??? </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I’m from Calif and it was not a huge culture shock when we moved to Alabama. Good-sized cities are getting to be pretty homogenous across the US. You’ll see many of the same stores and restaurants, along with some regional and local favs. People are from everywhere, so you’ll see a diversity of ethnic groups.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice. I really do love the idea of southern hospitality and it is so encouraging to hear that it really still does exist. I spend a lot of time in Florida but I feel like that doesn’t have the same southern vibe to it. I won’t have to worry about the food, I literally will eat and usually enjoy ANYTHING. I have a good grade point (3.85) at a rigorous private school so I’m hoping the sororities will like that. I have some people I will get recs from. Off the top of my head I know my aunt was a delta Zeta and my cousin was a tri delta, both were at schools on the west coast though. I know there’s other people too that I just can’t remember.</p>
<p>
Great typo :)</p>
<p>There are some differences between the northern and southern schools, but you sound open and flexible and welcoming. You will be fine. C’mon down. The weather’s fine!</p>
<p>Most of the top sororities will have many legacies who will get priority ceteris paribus. Be ready to compete. One fave pastime in Austin was watching the parade of rushees heading to the houses. Dressed to nines in 95 degrees.</p>
<p>Make sure you thoroughly research the school you want to attend. It sounds like you are already aware of the fashion culture. When you visit, play close attention to how the girls treat each other. Find girls that you can identify with, and observe how they interact with other students. I think you will be okay, but I know some others who were in for culture shock when they attended school in the south. One of them transferred back north immediately.</p>
<p>Sorry I know it’s Burch but the autocorrect on iPhone made it butch!!! Just noticed that. Once again thank you all for the advice, it really is helping out. Basically what I’m seeing is I will probably be okay if I keep an open mind.</p>
<p>Also I was wondering if Georgia or Tennessee have good out of state scholarships like Alabama does? I would say University of Florida too but I’m not sure I could even get into that school, let alone get some sort of scholarship.</p>
<p>Also I was wondering if Georgia or Tennessee have good out of state scholarships like Alabama does? I would say University of Florida too but I’m not sure I could even get into that school, let alone get some sort of scholarship.</p>
<p>No,</p>
<p>Those state schools rely heavily on HOPE and Bright Futures for their merit scholarships and they’re only for instate students. They aren’t generous to OOS students.</p>
<p>What are your stats? Test scores (SAT breakdown) and ACT</p>
<p>regardless of where you end up, if it’s in another region of the country there will be some differences. My relatives that have tried colleges in the NE were shocked by how unfriendly many people are.</p>
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<p>Depends where in Florida. The farther north you go, the farther south you get.</p>
<p>And the farther south you go in FL, the farther North it feels. We used to call Miami “Little New York”.</p>
<p>I’m about as northern as it gets, and I feel comfortable down south. Granted, I have only spent significant time in DC/Virginia/Atlanta/Mobile so I can’t speak for other parts. Really though, it’ll be okay. I speak with an accent like JFK’s and it wasn’t a big deal</p>
<p>I always go all the way down to naples so I guess I wouldn’t know about northern Florida. By any chance do you know if university of Miami or Florida state has a rep for having a good public relations/image management program? Also to whomever asked about my test scores…I got a 29 on my ACT the first time and I just took it again. If I don’t get a 30 this time I will take it again.</p>
<p>Take the SAT as well. Sometimes it’s easier to get the 1330 M+CR on the SAT since you really only have to practice two sections…and no science reasoning!</p>