<p>Okay, I saw/read all of the posts talking about how UA is trying to lure more top students by giving excellent scholarships and based on this, my son applied and was accepted (Yipee!). </p>
<p>Anyway, is the Presidential scholarship automatic if you meet the ACT and GPA requirements and fill out the scholarship application? If so, does this mean that he will attend for only the cost of room & board (or, to put it another way - pay no tuition)?</p>
<p>Yes, that's my understanding after having a few online chats with admissions personnel. So he attends for the cost of room, board, books and incidental expenses.</p>
<p>Coldwind, I was looking at that Honors housing online today and, MAN! That is nice. D thought it looked like a hotel with the pool and all.</p>
<p>She's not sure about the Honors College, though. She didn't apply for it, but she did get invited to apply for University Fellows. Not sure if she will or not. Anyway, my point is, is the non-Honors housing also pretty nice?</p>
<p>Son is an OOS Freshman and recipient of the NMF and Presidential Scholarships in addition to the CBHP. My son is in Riverside North (Honors Housing) with the pool. He said, since August he has not seen many students use the pool which can be seen from his living room and bedroom windows. He does not spend much time in his dorm (due to athletics practice and other activities). He is in a 4BR/2 Bath Suite. All the suitemates (2 sophomores+ 1 other freshman) have had no problems. Son said he spends most of his time in his room either sleeping or doing homework.<br>
If you are from out of state and are seriously considering attending Bama, contact me privately. My son turned down ten other highly reguarded schools (Chicago, Carnegie Mellon, Vanderbilt, Emory, Case, Davidson, Wash U, ......) and is VERY pleased with his entire experience at Bama. In my opinion, an overnight visit during the academic year is critical for any school you/your hs senior are seriously considering. After my son's visit to Bama this past March, he "just knew" Bama was the right fit. Don't let published books, ratings or concerns of what "other" think sway you. Evaluate your college choice decision on YOUR OWN criteria. College is what YOU make of it. The sooner you decide, the sooner you can get back to enjoying your Senior Year with friends. (Be realistic, most of your HS classmates will not stay in contact with by the time you graduate from college - thats life.)</p>
<p>My son turned down Alabama's Honors College & offer of a Presidential Scholarship & University Fellows (he was selected as a member of the first group of University Fellows two years ago) to attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He had applied to both schools in late August, was accepted to Alabama with a Presidential Scholarship in late September, withdrew his ED supplement to Northwestern, decided against the three main service academies-where he had participated in their summer programs, refused to fill out a scholarship form sent by Vandy, ignored two Ivy invitations & an invitation to spend a weekend at a very prestigious LAC to attend Alabama (although he later changed his mind to attend a top program at Northwestern where he mistakenly thought that he had withdrawn his entire application & not just the ED supplement. So when Northwestern's acceptance came in late March, he/we were surprised & Alabama's Stipend for Univ. Fellows was less than expected, he went with his first choice. Easy for him & it has been a perfect match.). And he was a student at one of the top three boarding schools in the country. Still, he was rejected by his safety school, a very small LAC--which he disliked but to which I made him apply (lots of lessons learned here).
Alabama's campus is gorgeous & immaculately maintained.
My point in sharing this lengthy post, is that Alabama is worth a serious look as the resources for the Honors College are substantial & the campus facilities are as good as any in the nation overall. Note that several NMFs did not receive an University Fellows offer even though they interviewed & matriculated at Alabama.
P.S. Almost all of my son's friends--and he has many--turned down similiar scholarships (not Fellowships, however) offers from major flagship universities around the nation to attend Northwestern University.</p>
<p>My concern about the Honors College at Alabama is class size. How many students are there in the honors students only classes & how many honors students only classes are available? I am asking because another poster in the Alabama Honors College wrote that the typical honors class that was supposed to be fewer than 30 students now has more than 50 per class due to the surging popularity of the Honors College.</p>
<p>My daughter is deciding between Tulane, Brandeis, and Case Western. She is planning on med school and is a serious student. One of her concerns is the city of Tuscaloosa-What is it really like?</p>
<p>Tusacaloosa is a small college town; the students basically make the town. It is about 45 min to 1 hour away from Birmingham Airport.</p>
<p>Coldwind--with the economy in the state that it is right now, you can probably expect class size to edge up. Most people (esp in-state students) will look more closely at attending UA because of tuition costs/merit availability. I imagine the competition will become stiffer. Just hope UA pays attention to the numbers and does not try to over-admit.</p>
<p>It is worth a visit to the campus as previous posters have mentioned to see if the program is the right fit!</p>
<p>I believe pre-med is a solid program--son has several classmates on full rides there right now, with the idea being that they will have no undergrad debt when they graduate from med school.</p>
<p>deb09: For a student considering Bandeis, Tulane & Case Western, Alabama may not be the best choice other than for scholarship money being the common unifier among the four schools. P.S. I am having trouble picturing a nice Jewish girl from New Jersey at the Univ. of Alabama. Just the New Jersey part is troubling enough. My Cousin Vinnie. Although the University would love your daughter & offer her a substantial merit scholarship, it might be a case of unrequited love.</p>
<p>Coldwind--plenty of nice Jewish girls at UA. Come visit--not like the movie at all! I think most people are pleasantly surprised when they visit to discover that our state has outgrown the 60's era! It truly is a hidden gem in many eyes once they visit.</p>
<p>I have been to the University of Alabama several times & I love it. I am a Catholic, but am very familiar with New Jersey & with the schools listed by deb09. I have lived for decades in the Northeast US & decades in the Southeast US. Alabama is a fraternity/sorority, football haven. Alabama, I think, is trying to increase the Jewish student population. I find the differences among the universities of Georgia, Alabama, Missisippi & Arkansas to be fascinating. I am also familiar with LSU & South Carolina, Georgia Tech. I have visited Clemson, Florida & FSU as well as USA. You have to be familiar with folks from both New Jersey & Alabama to fully appreciate the humor in my post.</p>
<p>Yes, I am familiar with the humor. And, I guess that with UA's football program doing so well right now, the school will indeed gain some attention. Southern schools do cast a different light into a college education. We could not, however, convince our only son to attend UA, either! His offers were very similar to yours, he just would not apply. Southern boy wanted to experience Northern life. But, he is indeed happy where he is even with 8 inches of snow this week!</p>
<p>To be clear, I do not like any of the four mentioned schools other than Alabama; and I lived in New Orleans while my wife attended graduate school (next to Tulane) at Loyola. Of the Southern universities Alabama is my favorite, although I love Georgia, Arkansas & LSU.</p>
<p>Cold Wind: I'm curious, what personal connection do you have with the University of
Alabama? </p>
<p>Parents and curious students are seeking advice and feedback from others that have first hand knowledge of a particular school. I'm not trying to discredit your life experiences, however you were out of line when you assumed a nice Jewish girl would not fit in at Alabama. Your lack of judgement and then follow-up with bad humor ( "My Cousin Vinnie") doesn't sit well with me. Someones race or religious beliefs should not sway anyone away from ANY college. </p>
<p>BTW, I am a college educated mother of three (two in college), married to the same spouse for 26 years, attend a chrisitan church every week. I'll step down from my soap box now.</p>
<p>I think that you misunderstand. deb09: Just the fact that you referred to Tuscaloosa as a "city" indicates that Boston, Cleveland or New Orleans are much better suited for your daughter. And I think you can get a taste of "Southern Hospitality" elsewhere in this thread.</p>
<p>Like it or not (and I certainly don't want to hijack this thread) many people (even with humor intended) still believe that our state is alive and well in the 60's era. Oh, we can take the jokes, etc. but I wish we could get beyond what many across the rest of our nation perceive our state as far as its past reputation. Alabama has moved well beyond that era and those who choose to visit see it for the gem that it has indeed become. Therefore, it is very important, esp those potential students that are outside of the realm of "Southern" pay a visit to UA and the state. See for yourself first hand w/o relying on posters at CC before making any final decisions. And, for those students that quickly cross it off their list, those that do decide it is worth a college education will perhaps have a leg up so to speak in admissions!</p>
<p>But read posts #15 & #17 first. I am totally shocked! The above posts suggest an Alabama that was hoped to be long gone may still be alive. Unbelievable. Or it may just be a case of "Dumb and Dumber" (which was actually filmed in Georgia).</p>
<p>yes it is majorily christian but there a plenty of jews at bama?! i personally know a lot of jewish ppl there and going so im not assuming or anything.
check out the bama hillel (sp?) and theres some other club</p>
<p>just like campus crusade for christ, the hillel and that other jewish club i cant remember right now, are very big faith-based clubs on campus</p>