UA versus AU – Best School for Assimilating Out-of-state Students

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
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<p>I will be applying to both Alabama and Auburn for Fall 2011 from Massachusetts. I am interested in learning which school does a better job of integrating/assimilating out-of-state students, particularly students from northern states. I’m not interested in a debate over who has the best football team, USN&WR ranking, honors program, law/medical school admissions rate, dorms, food, etc. </p>

<p>I do want to know about school culture for OOS students and which school would be a better fit for a kid from the north who would likely be coming to the school not knowing a single person.</p>

<p>Thank you for any insights you can share.</p>

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<p>Both have about the same percentage of OOS students. </p>

<p>However, since Bama has a larger Honors College and many kids in honors are from OOS, I would say that gives Bama an edge. </p>

<p>Bama also has a big edge in honors housing - a lot more honors Super Suite beds (2000+ vs 298). Auburn is setting itself for a PR nightmare when all those honors kids find out they won’t be in honors Super Suites housing next year - no matter how early they re-contract. Auburn has to promise those beds to incoming National scholars and top honors students.</p>

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<p>First, why are you interested in coming to the state of Alabama? Not saying it’s a bad thing, just curious. We could help you better if we knew.</p>

<p>As for my opinion, I went to Alabama from a state that’s adjacent (Tennessee) and I did not like it all, and from the looks of it they’re pretty bad at assimilating OOS students that don’t fit the rich Southern stereotype from my experience and my friends’ as well. That said, I can’t say Auburn is any better, it might even be worse, but I can’t really speak to that, as I didn’t go there.</p>

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<p>^^^

</p>

<p>Really? You mean OOS students like Sea_tide, who came to Alabama from the state of Washington not knowing a soul, and who has written frequently and eloquently on CC about his successful assimilation at UA? </p>

<p>Read his many posts on the subject and you’ll see a clearly articulated rebuttal to the assertion quoted above, as well as an object lesson in 1) the power of a positive attitude; and 2) the effect of taking responsibility for the outcome you desire.</p>

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<p>Well said malanai.</p>

<p>I attended Bama back in the early 90’s and I didn’t experience anything like what ABR is talking about. I was born in Philly and grew up in NJ, two areas about as far from the southern stereotype as there can possibly be. I made friends easy, I assimilated to the culture with no problem, and I loved my time there. So much so that my son will be attending Bama in the fall.</p>

<p>I get the feeling that ABR had an issue with the greek system at UA. That’s the only area where I’ve ever heard that complaint thrown out. But even then it’s usually an argument within the greek system about Old Row vs New Row. The University is only 20% greek however. I can’t imagine any independent having a problem meeting people and making friends.</p>

<p>As for auburn. If you like cows then that’s the school for you. Otherwise THEY SUCK :-)</p>

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<p>^^^

</p>

<p>But how do you really feel NJBama? Come on, now, open up. You can trust us. Let it all out, lol. :)</p>

<p>I have a feeling the Bama-Auburn rivalry makes Cal-Stanfurd (yes, that’s spelled correctly) pale in comparison.</p>

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<p>College is often what you make of it. </p>

<p>If you’re the type to get involved, have a pleasant expression on your face, then you will make friends…on any campus.</p>

<p>If you’re the type who expects everyone else to make the first move, and you have your head in the clouds, then you’ll have difficulty wherever you go.</p>

<p>OOS kids seem to do best (on any campus) when they immediately take advantage of what a school offers during the days/weeks before freshmen year starts. Doing Outdoor Action or Alabama Action and taking part in the various activities of WOW week (week of welcome) are all going to be the icebreakers that you’ll need to fit in. There is also a big welcome party for the OOS kids.</p>

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<p>Riggo: Like Sea_tide, my son is an out of state student (Virginia), and he certainly does not have a Southern accept, thanks to his very Yankee parents (New York). He would understand your concern about assimilating. He, too, did not know anyone when he got to Alabama. </p>

<p>My son had three suite mates – all from Alabama. They were very nice young men who made him feel very welcome. The first day he was on campus, one of his roommates and his girlfriend took him to lunch. Another took him to Target for some items. He always had someone to have lunch or dinner with. He did Alabama Action, which is golden for the OOS student. It gives you an instant group of friends, which, when you are not from Alabama, you want and need. Through Alabama Action, he met people from California to Texas to Ohio. BTW, he met his girlfriend, who is from Texas, through the program, too. They knew each other only a week or so when she contracted swine flu. He and one of his roommates went to the store for her, getting her food and fluids as she recovered.</p>

<p>There are many kids at Alabama whose roots are elsewhere (M2CK’s sons are from California). My son’s suite mate, who has been kind enough to work on the current honors housing situation, is originally from Miami. A funny thing happened when my son got to Alabama. He was a Facebook friend with a girl from a high school where we once lived. They had never met. Three weeks into school, they did – in the Ferg for coffee. Two OOS kids who live 90 minutes apart … and they meet in Alabama. </p>

<p>My best advice to you is to come down and see the school. Walk the campus. If you will be in honors, set up a meeting at the honors college with Dr. Sharpe or Jami Gates, who handles recruiting. Sit in on some classes. </p>

<p>Oh, and take a tour. If you do it through the honors college, you just might get my son as your guide (he is an honors college ambassador).</p>

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<p>I had a rommmate from Ocean City, New Jersey, and he loved UA and Tuscaloosa. I also have a friend from Mass. who graduated from UA, and its MBA program. He is a very successful banker, and is still involved with UA as an alum. </p>

<p>Although Auburn has a slightly higher percentage of OOS students, it is mainly due to its proximity to Atlanta (1.5 hours away from Auburn vs. 3.25 hours from Tuscaloosa). But given that UA is the better known state school, I am willing to bet that UA has a much higher percentage of OOS students from the North and the West. </p>

<p>As others have stated, UA has a much larger Honors Program, which attracts a significant and ever increasing number of very bright OOS students. After all, UA has a much higher number of National Merit Scholars each year than Auburn. Finally, traditionally, UA has had the rep for being the more “progressive” and diverse campus than AU. Though Tuscaloosa is not a large town, it is at least twice as big as Auburn and has a larger metro area. UA also has a better rep for its arts and culture, including a local symphony, a local theater, and the superior music and theatre programs at UA. With that said, you should visit each campus and visit with a lot of the students on each campus.</p>

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<p>Hi Riggo! My D will be a freshman in the fall. We currently live in TN, but we are NJ natives (D lived there through 5th grade.) She originally had both Auburn & UA on her application list. We have dear friends who are Auburn alum (and took us to Homecoming at Auburn) and D has a couple of friends who are going to Auburn in the fall. Since I don’t have Crimson blood running through my veins, I don’t have anything bad to say about Auburn. It is less convenient for us to get there (an additional 1 1/2 hrs driving time) and D liked the UA campus better. She ended up not applying to Auburn partially because she fell in love with UA the first time she set her feet on campus.</p>

<p>Both schools show a great deal of Southern hospitality, and have fantastic packages for high achieving students. You’ll really have to visit both campuses to see which one feels better to you.
Good luck!</p>

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<p>Riggo, like the others here I’m speaking form personal experience, and as a disclaimer I’ve only seen either campus one time. My d & I visited both Auburn & Ua - albeit at different phases of the school year. We toured Auburn during the summer,and it had many things going for it not the least of which was the food at the Auburn hotel which I’ve mentioned in other posts.<br>
We visited Bama this April while classes were in session, so perhaps it isn’t fair to say that it seemed the more vibrant campus. However, after spending time on both campuses I must say that we came away with an overall better impression of the University of Alabama. At Bama we felt welcomed and wanted. At Auburn we felt like we were being shuffled though the system. The Auburn tour was hurried and a bit too, well - laid back. The guy who led our group was telling frat party stories - which is fine to a point, but none of it related to what we wanted to know about the school. At Alabama they asked us what WE wanted to see and hear about. Everyone from the staff to the student workers were polite and professional and put us at ease. Plus, the campus had newer, bigger, better facilities and for lack of a better term it was very user friendly.<br>
I would certainly advise you to make a point of visiting both campuses if you are seriously considering the big move to Alabama. In the end, it all comes down to how a place feels to YOU.
Good luck!</p>

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<p>Though Tuscaloosa is not a large town, it is at least twice as big as Auburn and has a larger metro area.</p>

<p>Yes…Tuscaloosa is actually a good-sized town with a population of about 100,000 people. The city of Auburn has about half as many people.</p>

<p>UA also has a better rep for its arts and culture, including a local symphony, a local theater, and the superior music and theatre programs at UA.</p>

<p>True. and T-town will soon be completely its Outdoor Amphitheater which will be another venue for entertainment. It is being built next to the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk.</p>

<p>[Tuscaloosa</a> Amphitheater : Home](<a href=“http://www.tuscaloosaamphitheater.com/]Tuscaloosa”>http://www.tuscaloosaamphitheater.com/)</p>

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<p>First off, congratulations on considering both UA and AU. I assume that you will visit both schools, but if you weren’t already planning on doing so, I highly recommend it. It provides one of best possible insights on how you will enjoy the school and also give your parents an idea of what your life on campus will be like. I do caution that you could have a bad visit for some reason (weather, students on break, etc) or a too good to be true experience (you find out that you won a GA Lottery jackpot after visiting a campus). On your visits, see what you want to see even if it’s not on the official tour and have fun. If anything, you got to see a different part of the country.</p>

<p>I have not yet visited or attended Auburn University so I cannot comment from personal experience on OOS assimilation. I know that many OOS students attend AU and know that a lot do enjoy their experience.</p>

<p>I consider myself well-assimilated to UA, but my definition of well-assimilated may be different from the next person’s. Based on my interests, personality, and desire to enjoy my college experience, I’ve been more than satisfied with my UA experience. This is not to say that they haven’t been times when I wasn’t having fun or wanted to go home, but such is inherent in any major change.</p>

<p>In my opinion, it is very easy to assimilate at UA if one makes the effort to do so and remains open-minded throughout the process. By altering Rick Steves’s “Europe Through the Back Door” travel philosophy (Google it) to suit my goals of assimilation into UA, I have been able to both accomplish my goal and learn a lot about myself in the process. The number one thing is to see yourself as a functioning part of the new culture. This does not mean that you have to give up all of your previous culture, you just need to live a combination of the two that suits you. Take advantage of Southern Hospitality and talk to people, not just students and not just freshmen. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and join clubs or go do things with new-found friends. Gain knowledge of the culture be it food, politics, popular interests, etc.). Alabama has a hugely important election coming up this November and the popular issues may be things that are relatively less-important in your state. Most of all, have fun in the process. You’re a college student!</p>

<p>As the poem goes, life won’t be a crystal staircase. There will be times when you just want to go home or at least rant about something to your family on your cell phone. Take everything in stride. I’ve met many great, interesting people by just showing up to events or talking to somebody while in line for something. I’m a member of social clubs, discussion groups, political clubs, and participate in a lot of random events and an OOS member is always valued and encouraged to join, you just have to show interest. It’s hard to assimilate by keeping to oneself, considering your culture superior to that of others, and not being open to change or different points of view. I still keep up with news from home and make comparisons between WA and AL, but I don’t do so to the exclusion of new experiences. I’ve considered the idea of becoming Greek, specifically Old Row, after encouragement from others, been involved with local political causes, and tried sweet tea, among many other Southern favorites and enjoyed doing so, even if I’m not 100% gung-ho about them.</p>

<p>Overall, it is very easy to assimilate at UA, provided that you make an effort to do so. I highly suggest doing Alabama Action or Outdoor Action if possible and also taking a Common Book Experience class.</p>

<p>Roll Tide!</p>

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<p>I highly suggest doing Alabama Action or Outdoor Action if possible and also taking a Common Book Experience class.</p>

<p>Bama has the advantage by having larger Honors programs…more classes, more choices, etc.</p>

<p>For an OOS student, in addition to the recommended courses above, I would also recommend signing up for the …</p>

<p>HONORS EXPLORATIONS (1 credit)
Honors Quest: Cultivating Academic Excellence
Navigating through multiple opportunities provided by the University can be both exciting and challenging. Through a combination of discussions facilitated by leading professors and UA administrators and small group meetings, students will gain the insight and skills needed to maximize their college experience. The small group meetings will be led by UA student leaders who will serve as peer mentors. Designed to be a launching pad for the college years, this class will meet twice a week for the first eight weeks of the semester only.</p>

<p>One day a week they meet with a prof and one day a week they meet with their Peer Mentor. When they meet with their Peer Mentors in groups of 15 (I think), they often meet at a more fun venue…like a cafe, or pizza place, or ??? Each group of 15 has 2 Peer Mentors. </p>

<p>The Peer Mentors also plan fun things to do on weekends. This is especially helpful for the OOS kids who are still making a circle of friends. </p>

<p>Having the much larger Honors College allows Bama to have an honors staff that is large enough to think of the many various needs of new students. Dr. Oneil and Dr. Morgan (maybe because they are women and likely mothers) are especially good at considering what these kids need in the non-academic sense to help them adjust to college life. I don’t mean to sound sexist, but being women they can look at these kids’ needs in a different way.</p>

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<p>

Yes, definitely. I actually chuckled a little bit when you said that Sea</em>Tide is “eloquent” and assimilated. I know Sea-Tide personally, and I don’t want to lay personal attacks against him, but you clearly and obviously do not know him. </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Yes, because if I have a positive attitude, that can change everything, right? No. I came into Alabama with a great attitude, and after a while I was greatly disappointed. Maybe I am a negative nancy–doubt it though. Maybe I just see it for what it is.</p>

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<p>And exactly what is it?</p>

<p>It’s a state school with 25,000 + students. If you can’t find a place to fit in then I think the problem is yours and not the school’s.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Claiming that you don’t want to lay personal attacks on an individual while simultaneously disparaging him in the very same sentence fools nobody. It speaks for itself. </p>

<p>Actually, I never said Sea<em>tide is eloquent. I said he’s written eloquently on this subject. And, lo and behold, there’s yet another example of it in post #13 on page 1 of this thread! Reading it doesn’t require that I know Sea</em>tide (though you know nothing about what I do or do not know about him). Like your statement above, it speaks for itself. </p>

<p>It strikes a false and ironic note for me when an individual who characterizes himself as having been unassimilated after a year at UA would have us believe that a person who is content with his assimilation at the same school is somehow unfortunate and deluded.</p>

<p>

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<p>Of course a positive attitude cannot change everything, but then again that’s not what I said or implied. Nor was my comment about the object lesson directed at you, ABR1190. In actuality I couldn’t agree more with your assertion that you see the University of Alabama for what it is: it’s just not the school for you. </p>

<p>Best of luck at UTC and God bless you.</p>

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<p>Don’t have a dog in this fight, but no place is ever going to fit anybody and everybody.</p>

<p>Is there a breakdown of the freshman classes by state/country of origin on the admissions website?</p>

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<p>^^^</p>

<p>Very true…But there are also some kids that have problems fitting in no matter where they go. Those kids transfer and find out that they’re no happier at their new location. </p>

<p>I can see if a student who is going to - say - a small quiet school and desires more activities, that student will likely be happier at a different school that has more going on (or vice versa). </p>

<p>I have a neighbor whose child went to Auburn and complained, complained, complained. But when I heard the actual complaints, I knew that it wasn’t Auburn that was the problem. The complaints were silly and grossly exaggerated. Many of the complaints were common to ALL colleges (which a young student with limited college experience might not realize.) That child is now at Indiana and is still complaining and wants to transfer again. The parents are frustrated because they believed their child when she was complaining about Auburn, but now they realize that the problem is their child, not any particular school. She’s now likely just going to live at home and commute to UAH. </p>

<p>Every school is going to have some policies/regulations/profs/students that you won’t like. That is life. No school is perfect. No job is perfect. Life isn’t perfect.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://oira.ua.edu/factbook/2009-2010/2009p22.pdf[/url]”>http://oira.ua.edu/factbook/2009-2010/2009p22.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://oira.ua.edu/factbook/2009-2010/2009p21.pdf[/url]”>http://oira.ua.edu/factbook/2009-2010/2009p21.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://oira.ua.edu/factbook/2009-2010/2009p55.pdf[/url]”>http://oira.ua.edu/factbook/2009-2010/2009p55.pdf&lt;/a&gt; scroll to bottom of this one</p>

<p><a href=“http://oira.ua.edu/factbook/2009-2010/2009p42.pdf[/url]”>http://oira.ua.edu/factbook/2009-2010/2009p42.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;