<p>Y’all made me spit diet coke all over my computer!!!</p>
<p>:) Well, if it wasn’t 'shine then don’t worry about it, sis.:)</p>
<p>You just have to laugh. Roll Tide!</p>
<p>I grew up in Mississippi and was stunned when I went to college in Virginia by someone asking me if I had ever seen a black person before. They didn’t believe me when I told them my hometown and high school is predominately black. Of course, this same person asked another time if we decorated magnolia trees for Christmas since “Christmas trees don’t grow down there”. </p>
<p>My son has grown up in VA but has been to thirty or so states, a dozen or so foreign countries and had exchange students from four countries live with him in our home. He is quite looking forward to the diversity that is the U of Alabama. Roll Tide.</p>
<p>Did somebody say moonshine 
</p>
<p>Diet Coke??? Why lordy bee, I’s thought everyones in thhh South drinks nothin but sweeeet tea. </p>
<p>Roll Tide</p>
<p>tjmom, I can not tell you how many times I have been asked if I have oil wells and ride horses. Mostly from people in California. Hollywood stereotypes crack me up. Now, in 2013 there are still people that believe all of these stereotypes. One has to wonder who exactly is not really aware of the world outside of their own area of the country. I mean seriously, do planes not take us anywhere we want to go. People in the South are very capable of buying a plane ticket and flying any place in the world. Many do!</p>
<p>Ok…true story…so DS and I go to Bama for the Ole Miss football game this year. We ate game day meal at DD’s boyfriend’s fraternity house, made our rounds to some tailgates and finished up our social calendar at a tailgate belonging to a certain banned for life CC poster from NJ who has very definite opinions on “the other” university in Alabama. As my son tells it the NJ native opens up his trench coat to expose mason jars of moonshine in pockets lining the inside of his coat!!! He insisted DS “try” some , which of course DS felt it was only polite to oblige his host. We had to scrape the poor child off the asphalt on sorority row!!! Now that’s what I call diversity!! The experiences at Alabama are diverse, fun, exciting and amazing!!! We love it (yep we are from OOS) and our DD couldn’t be happier!!! Once you visit I am sure you will adopt this feeling “The South…a place that will get in your blood and stay forever”.</p>
<p>OMG!!! ROTFL!!!<br>
We have a friend who makes shine. He has one called “Apple Pie”. Dear lord!!! Just a smell from the bottle will have one sniffing the ashpalt. Said person lives in a $$$$$ home in a “ritzy” part of town and drives some seriously nice cars. Diverse to say the least!</p>
<p>Well, I for one am thankful for all of you and the diversity you bring to the UA family. We are an OOS family also. Although I was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, for now I live in Georgia. I married a UGA grad of all things! It’s okay, he’s wearing crimson now.:)</p>
<p>I have to say that after the long and dreadful day I’ve had I REALLY appreciate the laughter y’all have brought into this dreary day.:)</p>
<p>Stay safe everyone and ROLL TIDE!</p>
<p>I wish NJ was here.:)</p>
<p>I miss NJ too! I wish he could be reincarnated (again).</p>
<p>^ That.</p>
<p>My OOS daughter has plenty of friends at UA who aren’t from the south, as well as those who are. Frankly, I couldn’t tell the difference when I met them. When my D decided to go to Alabama, knowing she would be in the south, she said she’d have to get nicer to fit in. That’s OK - we can all use more nice.</p>
<p>Beth’s mom- your saying that you couldn’t tell who was southern and who wasn’t reminded me of our trip to Bama last February. Every student we spoke to was so polite and I asked everyone where they were from. Many were from out of state, but I was so surprised by the ones whe were from Alabama as none of them had the strong southern accent I was expecting. People my age from there do, but I the kids didn’t. I wondered if it was the influence of TV. I love regional accents so it did make me a little sad.</p>
<p>thank you for the advice, i thought i sounded like a d-ass after reading this for asking if people from the west coast came, but really this helped.</p>
<p>Many were from out of state, but I was so surprised by the ones whe were from Alabama as none of them had the strong southern accent I was expecting. People my age from there do, but I the kids didn’t. I wondered if it was the influence of TV. I love regional accents so it did make me a little sad.</p>
<p>I do think it’s the influence of TV. When I first moved to Alabama, I met a young man who was born and raised in Birmingham. He had no accent at all. He said that his generation often didn’t have southern accents because of TV and living in a good-sized city.</p>
<p>For Fall 2012 there were more out-of-state first years than in-state.</p>
<p>[First-Time</a> Undergraduates by State of Origin: Fall 2012](<a href=“http://oira.ua.edu/d/webreports/enrollment2/Fall_2012/f18.html]First-Time”>http://oira.ua.edu/d/webreports/enrollment2/Fall_2012/f18.html)</p>
<p>My husband was born in Birmingham with family from Dothan. Lived in Dothan for a few years. He does not have much of an accent. When we travel I’m the one that most people catch an accent from.</p>
<p>…And, further to StAndrews’ pt, this link to give you total enrollment by state (not just Freshman):<br>
[Census</a> Enrollment Report: Fall 2012 | OIRA](<a href=“http://oira.ua.edu/d/webreports/enrollment2/Fall_2012/e10.html]Census”>http://oira.ua.edu/d/webreports/enrollment2/Fall_2012/e10.html)</p>
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<p>ebruin, I respect you for coming back on here after the ribbing you took. And here’s the good news: after absorbing all this good advice you’re now a smart-a$$. ;)</p>
<p>Welcome to 'Bama. I hope you get an opportunity to visit. Roll Tide.</p>
<p>Despite what many people think, many University of Alabama students who are from Alabama have actually traveled outside the state. They wear shoes, and their homes have electricity and running water.
Strange, but true.
;)</p>
<p>Oh, and tjmom - we do have our accents, but we rein them in when talking with strangers who might judge us harshly. OTOH…if you don’t hear an accent, you’re probably one of us!!</p>
<p>This thread kind of makes me smile now, as I had some of the same concerns early on when thinking about 'Bama for my S. Just visit, that is all you need to do, it is awesome. I have no concerns about geography other than the same ones you would have sending your kid anywhere far from home, logistics, travel costs etc. But not the fact that it is in the south…i loved being called m’am and having people smile and say hello…</p>