<p>So we are Michigan residents and have a daughter at U of M and a son who will be a freshman at Michigan State in the fall. Our 3rd child who just took the ACT, tested high enough this year as a Sophomore to get 4 years of paid tuition at University of Alabama providing they continue on with their scholarship program for high achievers. Not really sure what to do and any thoughts would be appreciated. He is thinking he wants to be a History professor, but we all know how that can change with time. We also have a 4th child, so more tuition....seems like it never ends.
Thoughts??</p>
<p>We live in Michigan, too. My son attends Alabama and my daughter will be attending MSU in 2014. </p>
<p>What school does your son want to attend? Has he had the chance to visit Alabama? Can you afford to send him to U of M without significant loans (especially if grad school is in the cards)?</p>
<p>My son never wanted to attend U of M, but was considering Michigan State or Michigan Tech. He received the full tuition scholarship from Alabama and, after one visit, knew that was where he wanted to go. He loves it there and has no regrets. </p>
<p>If my son really had wanted to go to U of M - we could have afforded to send him there and would have encouraged it, since it is a great school (with the bonus of in-state tuition).</p>
<p>I think your son needs to visit Alabama. It may not be the right fit for him (or he might love it, as my son does). You wouldn’t want him unhappy and so far away from home.</p>
<p>You’re fortunate to have such great options for your son and congratulations to him on his scholarship!</p>
<p>Alabama is a terrible school. If he gets into Michigan with in-state tuition nobody should be able to pay him to go to Bama.</p>
<p>^ No it is not. Alabama is on par with schools like Michigan State. A full ride (or even full tuition) from there should definitely be considered. </p>
<p>I would encourage your son to visit Michigan, but if he doesn’t like it, then he should look at other options. Alabama is a legitimate one.</p>
<p>Hah. At least state is a big ten school. People around the country mock the academics at schools like Bama, Ole Miss, Auburn, etc. for good reason. The kids at those schools, for the most part, are not there for a serious education and the schools aren’t equipped to provide an educationally excellent college experience. Bama is not on par with any big ten schools save maybe Nebraska.</p>
<p>While I agree that Alabama is not on par with Michigan, it is not “a terrible school” either. For a family with four kids, saving as much as possible on education may not be a luxury but a necessity. If a good university (and Alabama is good) offers a student a full scholarship while Michigan ends up costing over $100k over four years to attend, then saving that $100k by going to the other university makes perfectly good sense. It makes all the more sense if one has limited funds and a younger child’s college education to worry about.</p>
<p>This said, if one can afford Michigan without too much hardship, or if the cost of attending Michigan is only slightly higher than the cost of attending Alabama because Michigan gives a generous aid or scholarship package, Michigan makes much better sense than Alabama, particularly for one interested in a career in academe. Along with Consulting and Banking, academe has to be one of the most “elitist” professions. If two students with equal qualifications and ability apply to a PhD program, the one with the undergraduate degree from the “better” school will have the advantage.</p>
<p>We have visited U of Alabama. He would be happy at both.</p>
<p>“No it is not. Alabama is on par with schools like Michigan State.”</p>
<p>That makes it a terrible school.</p>
<p>Thanks Alexandre for your advice, I really respect your opinion.
U of M has been very generous with aid, whereas Michigan State gives out aid in the form of parental loans so I have to factor in 4 years of my son at Michigan State.
U of M is of course the better school and would be much closer, which is what makes this decision extremely difficult.</p>
<p>Was this his idea? Make sure HE is pushing it, and it’s not coming from you to save money. Students will make-the-best-of-things, and work very hard to prove THEIR decision was the right one ~ good luck.</p>
<p>Snugapug we obviously looked at U of Bama because of his grades and testing scores. With 4 kids and a middle to above middle class income, the money part is always part of the equation. Our kids are not given free rein to go wherever they please regardless of cost. Like I said before, I believe he would be happy and fit in at either school. Having a child at Michigan State with their stingy aid packages for the next 4 years throws a wrench into the works.</p>
<p>“Was this his idea? Make sure HE is pushing it, and it’s not coming from you to save money.”</p>
<p>I never understand why people would ever say things like this. Unless the kid is selling to soul to the devil (also known as intend to work in high finance/MBB/silicon valley tech), where the career/earnings trajectory is high, money should ALWAYS be in the equation. </p>
<p>The fact that OP’s kid wants to be a history professor put him out of this bracket. Not only will he have to go to grad school, the earnings is minimal until he makes full professor, then it becomes marginally decent (90-100k). There are too many “communication” majors graduating 100k in debt and wonder why they can’t make ends meet.</p>
<p>Bama offers great scholarships to out of state students with high ACT scores. He is not interested in MSU at all and from what I’ve heard they are also stingy handing out scholarships. It’s U of M or U of A at this point. I don’t think he minds the idea at all of going out of state for school. He will keep retaking the ACT and would like to end up with a 35 as a top score. He did score 35 on both writing and reading so not at all undoable being that he is so close already. U of M may give a nice scholarship too so I guess we will have to see how it all shakes out.</p>
<p>He is very familiar with U of M with his sister being there Pat1120.</p>
<p>“Was this his idea?”</p>
<p>yes money can be part of the equation BUT is it just because he is the third child? And NOW the money has run out? Does birth-order get to decide? Parents often don’t know the huge resentment they cause -and problems between siblings - when the parents don’t plan (and yes I know sometimes unplanned events occur. I am not responding to the OP as much as responding to subsequent comments)</p>
<p>These kind of questions are a little unusual. </p>
<p>The question is what kind of student and what kind of person is he. For someone very ambitious, Michigan offers a lot more than Alabama, and can provide great opportunities to interact with top professors and top students. For someone rather passive, I think it’s likely not to matter, and the free tuition is great. </p>
<p>Nobody here can answer questions about your kid.</p>
<p>“If a good university (and Alabama is good) offers a student a full scholarship while Michigan ends up costing over $100k over four years to attend.”</p>
<p>The scholarship to Alabama is for tuition only. The tuition cost of attending Michigan for four years as an instate student is no where near 100K.</p>
<p>ClassicRockerDad, Alabama and Michigan are not peer institutions. The only reason why a student should choose Alabama over Michigan is if there is a large difference in cost of attendance and money is a concern for that student’s family. Should Michigan not be a “good fit” for non-financial reasons, the alternative would not…should not be Alabama. For example, for a student who needs a much smaller campus setup, a very good LAC would make better sense. For a student who really seeks a very urban environment, a school like Columbia or Georgetown may make better sense. Etc…</p>
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<p>Agreed to a point. </p>
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<p>There is a a large difference in the cost of attendance and money is a concern. </p>
<p>Assuming that Michigan is more expensive, whether paying more for Michigan is worthwhile on the face of it depends on whether the student is likely to make use of the advantages that Michigan affords. If he’s just going to go to class, drink and watch football, Alabama is pretty good for that too. If he’s really driven to excel, than Michigan is more likely to lead to better opportunities.</p>
<p>You guys all give too many schools too much credit. If he ever wants to have options outside of the deep south for the rest of his life he shouldn’t go to Alabama. There are plenty of other options if it’s not gonna be Michigan. You shouldn’t travel way out of state to get a degree that’s not respected across the country unless you’re set on staying in that region for some reason.</p>