<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>