<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1487256-michigan-alabama.html#post15764168[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1487256-michigan-alabama.html#post15764168</a></p>
<p>Some of you may want to “weigh in”. :)</p>
<p>Thanks to those who’ve posted. Anyone else?</p>
<p>Consider it done.</p>
<p>I think we made our point. :)</p>
<p>I read it last night when it was only 1 page and I’m sure it is novel length by now.</p>
<p>Here is my thought… we have dealt with this for high school. Some of the kids/parents from the G/T middle school will diss the HS with the IB program due to the “demographics” or such. For some reason it is always the kids that are “all drama” and parents you know that will allow things to go on that most parents will not. I stopped trying to convince some of these people years ago. Heard the same rhetoric again this year with D2 in the 8th grade. To be flat out honest, I don’t want these people at the school. Why? They are the ones that would ruin it and bring it down. The kids there WANT to be THERE. They all get along and do very well academically as well as on the sports field and fine arts. The drama queens all go to another school and then you hear about all of the escapades that go on with them and thank heavens they didn’t go to the school you are at. So, let those that want to diss Alabama go on their merry way. They are the ones that could go there and probably get a great education but would constantly be picking at and looking for fault to do the whole, “I knew I should have gone to x school instead of at this rotten place”. </p>
<p>Just my .02 </p>
<p>ROLL TIDE :)</p>
<p>Well said, TXNewCollegeMom!!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone.</p>
<p>TxNewCollegeMom - You are absolutely right, and for the most part I have gotten over my need to “justify” Alabama to anyone. That particular poster on that thread really ****ed me off though. He is so condescending and obnoxious, and not just about Bama. </p>
<p>I know, smile and nod. :)</p>
<p>It is generally a total waste of time to try and respond to ■■■■■■.
^Lisa is right: get over trying to justify Alabama to anyone…if they don’t want to know about a good thing by doing their OWN research, so be it.</p>
<p>My S was asked in his internship interview why he chose UA. He told them that with aero eng’g, the coursework (because of ABET accreditation) by its very nature HAS to be the same between schools. UA has the oldest, continually accredited aero program in the country (UA, Georgia Tech, UofMinnesota, UofMichigan, UofWashington, and UofCincinnati all share this honor - all have been continuously accredited since October 1936). (for history buffs on this subject: <a href=“http://aem.eng.ua.edu/files/2011/07/history.pdf[/url]”>http://aem.eng.ua.edu/files/2011/07/history.pdf</a> )<br>
My S said he couldn’t justify paying extra for something he doesn’t need. Sure, there can be bells and whistles elsewhere, but why pay for something you don’t have to? </p>
<p>He also mentioned to the interviewers that he was looking forward to ‘making a name for UA’. [Malanai spoke of this on the other thread. The lasting ramifications of this wave of high stat, smart students, who have been brought in to improve UA over the past decade, will be felt for decades if not generations, to come, as these students start to give back (in myriad ways) to the school which has given them so much.] They hired him on the spot.</p>
<p>^^^^
My D’s original list her junior year before visiting any schools were in order:
Stanford
Pepperdine
UCLA
Duke
Alabama (safety) She has always just been a fan of Bama
Baylor (safety and only Texas school she even remotely considered)
Anything else that popped up on the radar</p>
<p>After a trip to the West Coast to visit those 3 schools it changed to:
Pepperdine
UCLA
Alabama
Baylor
anything else
Stanford (she just didn’t “click” there)
Duke (never visited as she feel out of love with the school)</p>
<p>After a visit to Bama her order of schools became:
Alabama
Pepperdine tied with
UCLA
Baylor</p>
<p>This is a kid that has been labeled “gifted and talented” since kindergarten. IB student in high school and colleges hounding her since her sophmore year. Baylor gave her a very handsome offer and they are STINGY! Stanford would not leave her alone. She ultimately decided that she really desires to attend UCLA for med school. Still wanted to do undergrad at UCLA but upon hearing the “extra $25K for out of state students for undergrad per year” she changed her mind on that. She knew a good thing when she saw it and decided to save the money and head to Bama for undergrad. </p>
<p>Afterall, she has already been offered to shadow a surgeon that is Chief of Staff at a very well known hospital in LA (California, not “Lower Alabama” 
) one summer. She did clinicals at the local hospital and they all talked to her about college and every single person has had nothing but a positive response about her decision to attend Bama. One friend does recruiting for a major telecom company and he has recruited from T-Town and thought highly of their grads. </p>
<p>As others have said over and over, the personal attention given to the students and prespective students at UA has been beyond what one would even remotely expect from a university. Especially the size of UA. </p>
<p>Sure, Michigan is a great school. I did not see one person that likes UA knocking the education one would gain from attending Mich. What I did see were parents and students givng some different situations that the OP should consider and then make their decision and go with the school that best fits THEM. My kid was deadset on heading West till after a trip South. She found the school that best fit HER and we are supporting that decision.</p>
<p>BTW, with the stats that OP has I would safely assume they plan on grad school. Afterall, I believe that is the course that most top college students intend to pursue nowadays. What was it the other day I saw a report that recent college grads with just a Bachelors were taking jobs that normally went to high school grads. How would you feel after spending $30-55k a year for 4 years to come out and only be able to get a job making barely over min wage. OUCH!!! Which is why so many are going on to post grad studies.</p>
<p>I just ran across another “bama bashing” thread for another school. Kinda sad that both parents and students feel the need to put down schools. </p>
<p>Sent from my DROID RAZR using CC</p>
<p>^^
where is that thread?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1475175[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1475175</a></p>
<p>Sent from my DROID RAZR using CC</p>
<p>Sure, Michigan is a great school. I did not see one person that likes UA knocking the education one would gain from attending Mich</p>
<p>Exactly. We weren’t bashing UMich at all.</p>
<p>There’s another one here…
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1488720-alabama-ucla-help-me-choose.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1488720-alabama-ucla-help-me-choose.html</a></p>
<p>rjk is getting kinda creeper-ish. Stalking the bama board. Guess if I really hated a school so much that I had no connection to and was bored…but then, too many fun things to do in life than worry about some </p>
<p>Again, most are congratulating the OP and just giving some things to think about for both schools. Both are great schools and UCLA is nothing to sneeze at by far. My own D would have loved to attend UCLA for undergrad. She ended up with Bama and is hoping to attend UCLA for med school.</p>
<p>Hmm, why do these posters only post in the OTHER schools forum and not here? Kind of weird if you ask me. Maybe they already love Alabama and just need to find out more on the other school?</p>
<p>Yes, there are some “usual suspects” that love to appear to discourage people from coming to Bama. I think they fear that Bama has become too uppity and needs to stay on the plantation.</p>
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<p>Pay them no mind. They are but mosquitoes on an elephant’s hide. Puny, blood thirsty, and altogether ineffectual. Roll Tide. :)</p>
<p>Jealousy is often the sweetest compliment.</p>
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<p>They’re not on the other school’s forum, they’re on the College Search forum. I’m sure that’s why M2CK is linking the threads here - many people who frequent a particular college’s board (and especially those with kids who are already in college) don’t look at the College Search board and wouldn’t otherwise see the thread.</p>