<p>I am currently a high school senior in California and I am in the process of deciding which college I attend next year. I am interested in Engineering and my weighted high school GPA is 4.1. From all of my admissions, I have narrowed it down to the University of Washington in Seattle and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Washington has been my first choice for a while but Alabama has slipped onto my radar after offering me a scholarship. I have visited Washington and really like the campus and the atmosphere. The only problem is the price. The total cost of attendance for an out-of-state student like myself is 46,000 dollars per year with the help of a 20,000 dollar/year loan. :(</p>
<p>This brings me to the University of Alabama. I am visiting the campus soon and I HOPE that I want to go there because they have offered me a generous scholarship. The scholarship was offered to me because of my ACT score and specific major that I am interested in and it covers the cost of tuition for four years. The total cost of attendance with this scholarship will be a mere 7,000 dollars compared to the 46,000 dollars for Washington. If I attend Washington, I would have to take a hefty amount of student loans and I would rather not start my career with over 80,000 dollars in debt. </p>
<p>The only thing that is keeping me from going to Washington is the money. The main worry that I have about Alabama is that it is known to be a party school. I know that one may argue that every school is a party school but Alabama seems to be the place for Greek-life oriented guys who like to party. I want the opportunity to get to know students like me who want to be successful and not just party and I believe that the Washington will provide me with a better opportunity for that. I am a guy who is very concentrated on his studies and future but still want to have some fun while not going over the top. I have also been admitted into the Honors College at Alabama hoping that it would place me in a more studious environment and a better chance to succeed in my career.</p>
<p>I have a few points/questions that I would like an opinion on...
1. Is a more prestigious university worth the 40,000 dollar/year difference?
2. Is it worth it to deny admission from your first choice school in order to save over 80,000 dollars from loans?
3. If you can give me any feedback on the University of Alabama that either confirms or goes against my concerns, that would be much appreciated.
4. If you were/are in a situation similar to mine or know of someone else who was/is, your advice would also be much appreciated. </p>
<p>My main concern with Alabama is the fact that I might not like being surrounded by people who aren’t going to college for the education per say. I just don’t want to go to a college where I don’t fit in. </p>
<p>Wait until you see Alabama to decide, but I would not say that the Honors College there is any less prestigious than Washington non-honors. While it does have a reputation of being fratty, only a small percentage of the student body is Greek. But, if you don’t like football…</p>
<p>Also, the South is not for everyone, so take some time to decide when you visit how you feel about it. I can’t really compare it to Washington, as I have never been to the West Coast and only looked at schools in the South and Mid-Atlantic. For what it’s worth, I am still undecided about whether to accept a full ride plus stipends to Alabama or to go elsewhere (Miami, Richmond, South Carolina, or, I hope, Vanderbilt).</p>
Is a more prestigious university worth the 40,000 dollar/year difference?
Answer: not in my opinion… unless we are talking about Harvard or MIT or Stanford, etc…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is it worth it to deny admission from your first choice school in order to save over 80,000 dollars from loans?
Answer: Yes</p></li>
<li><p>If you can give me any feedback on the University of Alabama that either confirms or goes against my concerns, that would be much appreciated.
Answer: Yes, U.Alabama is something of a “party school” but probably not much more so than most state universities, including U.Washington. I lived in Seattle for many years, and know for a fact that UW students love a good party. PLUS, being in both engineering and honors at 'Bama will probably result in most of your friends not being partiers.</p></li>
<li><p>If you were/are in a situation similar to mine or know of someone else who was/is, your advice would also be much appreciated.
Answer: I went to a state university with a party atmosphere, and majored in engineering. Parties never caused me any problems, and it was easy to avoid them.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>People will love you in Alabama… because you will give them the high compliment of coming all the way across America to attend their university. Seriously, you will validate their own decision.</p>
<p>Start practicing saying “ya’ll”… which is a contraction of the two words “you all.” Second only to William Faulkner, “ya’ll” is the greatest contribution to language to come out of the South. I mean, what is the point of having the word “you” be both singular and plural? Southerners fixed that problem… right quick.</p>
<p>I do like football so that would not be a problem. It is mainly just the change of environment from California to Alabama and the change from my rigorous high school to a “not so prestigious” college that parties all the time that is easy to get in to. Thank you for all of your help.</p>
<p>Also…is weather something that I should worry about. I love the overcast, rainy, cold weather that can be found in Seattle. I’m afraid that I might suffer in the extreme heat and humidity. Is this something that I should base my decision on or be worried about?</p>
<p>I’m from California and been to both Seattle and Tuscaloosa (Seattle twice, Tuscaloosa three times). In response to your questions:
If you have to take on $80,000 in debt, no. </p>
<p>
Yes. If you wanted to pay your loans back in ten years, you’d have to pay at least $924/month. Keep in mind that you’ll also need to pay for rent, utilities, furniture, food, transportation, possibly health care, saving for disasters/ retirement/ any unexpected life events, and general entertainment. </p>
<p>
2/3 students are not in greek life, and even the ones that are do study. In fact, some of the most successful engineering majors at my school are in fraternities and sororities. Also remember that most students at big state schools are not spending M-Sun constantly buzzed. Even the most party hardy students only go out after 11pm or so Thursdays through Saturdays. Plus engineering students generally don’t drink nearly as much as say, communications majors. </p>
<p>I completely agree with the post by NROTCgrad. Frankly, I think you should have picked other options such as your flagship state university;however, given these options, I would take Alabama and never look back. By the way, It may surprise you to know that Alabama is in the top 5 schools where National Merit Scholars enroll. Thus, You will find many smart , capable people if you look for it. I would NEVER, EVER take 80K in debt for anywhere especially if I had a choice to go to a place like Alabama for almost free. Take this advice from a CPA who has seen a lot of people saddled with college debt. It never is fun or easy to pay back. Thus, I have rarely , if ever, met someone who was happy with incurring substantial debt for their college choice.</p>
<p>U of Washington is not necessarily known outside the region to be especially “rigorous” or “prestigious,” so I think the differences to the outside world are much smaller than you imagine. If you are in the honors college at Alabama you will be surrounded by other smart kids from around the country who have been lured there by the entire package (merit money, academics, research/internship opportunities, and so on).</p>
<p>The UA forum is very active on this site. You should take a look at it.</p>
<p>Wait… Did you say you like the overcast weather? Well to each his own I guess. Anyways that is kinda something that hopefully you can get a feel for by visiting. If you feel that you would absolutely HATE Alabama then you would be in quite a sticky situation, but again, you would get a feel for this by visiting.</p>
<p>Washington is too expensive, because $80,000 in debt is a bad idea.</p>
<p>You have no other affordable choices, like UCs and CSUs? Alabama should be perfectly fine for engineering, though.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The ones in engineering who stay there after the first year (anywhere) will be committed to their education, because it is rather difficult to stay in engineering without being committed to one’s education. (Also, the honors program students are likely to be more committed to their education on average than others.)</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about weather. Say you were debating between Harvard and another school, you wouldn’t let the nasty, windy winters of the Northeast stop you from coming to Harvard, would you? </p>
<p>Don’t make any decisions until you visit 'Bama. Look into job prospects and average starting salaries for graduates for both schools. If UW engineers are making significantly more money after graduation than 'Bama engineers, then the $80K debt would pay itself off sooner. </p>
<p>Alabama is a very fine school with a diverse student body, you will definitely not feel out of place and will be able to find your own group. I intend on actually transferring to there from my current university in the Fall. I fell in love with it when I went to visit friends there and wish I had known about it when I was deciding where to go. There will be a lot of students there intently focused on their education, including myself. I had a 4.00 unweighted GPA and a 34 ACT, you’ll be able to find similar people to you there.</p>
<p>Actually, the students at 'Bama are, in fact, going for the education… not football, nor drinking. Generally, they study reasonably hard. I know several people who went to the University of Alabama.</p>
<p>Also when you are looking at average salaries, look at where people get jobs. It costs significantly more money to live in Washington than Alabama for example.</p>
<p>Regarding the weather… unless you plan to attend during the summer, the weather in Alabama will normally be not much warmer than in California, except in September and in May. From December through March, the weather will normally be as cool in Alabama as in Seattle.</p>
<p>First…I don’t understand why so many students here are averse to the idea of going to a “party school”, especially a large public research university that is very well-reputed (like Alabama). If you don’t like going to parties, just don’t go. You won’t be the only student there who doesn’t like parties. Also, why can’t students who like to party also be very serious about their futures and want to be successful? Your best friend may party Thursday through Sunday but be a straight-A student who interned at a top engineering firm in his summers.</p>
<p>People have stereotypes about Greek life. I did, too, before I started working with Greek students. They’re the same as every other student - some joined the Greek scene because they wanted a four-year party, but most joined because they wanted to have a unique kind of college experience with close bonds and a variety of activities. But there are a lot of serious, dedicated, ambitious Greek students. I’m pretty sure that the Greek GPA at UA is higher than the university’s overall average GPA.</p>
<p>Alabama is no more a “party school” than any other large state university, including UW. You’ll find just as many partiers and non partiers at both schools. Also, UW and UA have roughly the same acceptance rate (55% and 57% respectively) so Alabama is not, technically, easier to get into than UW. So both places would be about the same transition from your private high school.</p>
<p>Anyway</p>
<ol>
<li>No.</li>
<li>Yes, not to mention that you’ll probably be unable to get those loans, unless your parents are willing to cosign for you.</li>
<li>See above. UA is an excellent university. It’s also pretty well-known for engineering.</li>
<li>I was. I had a choice between a mid-ranked LAC (Spelman College) and Emory. The mid-ranked LAC gave me a full scholarship and Emory gave me virtually no aid. I chose the mid-ranked LAC. I had a blast (I was one of those work hard/play hard kids), graduated with honors, and am about to finish an Ivy League PhD program.</li>
</ol>
<p>Acceptance rate is not that reliable of an indicator. Washington does have a somewhat stronger frosh pool, indicating that its applicant and admit pools are likely stronger.</p>
<p>Still, Washington is not hugely higher in incoming frosh characteristics. Also, incoming frosh characteristics and admission selectivity may vary by division or major at each school, which is not captured by the overall numbers.</p>
<p>Not that it matters. Washington is too expensive at $80,000 of debt.</p>