University of Alabama vs. University of Michigan

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
21

<p>The decision you’re facing is one that I, as well as many others who chose Bama, have faced. I considered, and was accepted to, some schools like Boston College and UW-Madison, but ended up turning them down for financial reasons and choosing Bama; two of my closest friends attending Bama were also accepted to Vanderbilt, and my roommate got into Harvard. I’m an incoming freshman too, so I can’t say that I know what it’s like actually attending school there, but I have been to Bama Bound, spoken with the directors of the honors college, and met a lot of my classmates, and all of that is enough to tell me that I’ve made the correct decision. I’ve certainly had my share of feeling as if UA is “beneath me,” and that is a perfectly normal, if not entirely justified, feeling. But despite all that, I think Bama really can offer the entire package to any type of student. The small honors classes and honors dorms will help you find your place among those who are similarly dedicated to academics, and yet you will still be able to get the fun and active social life that you mentioned in your original post. If you work hard for four years and find ways to make yourself stand out, you will have no problem getting into grad school or getting job offers when you graduate. It may even be easier coming from a school where you have the possibility of being at the top of your class, than at UMich where you’d be more likely to graduate in the middle of the pack.</p>

<p>You obviously need to consider things like how far away from home you want to be, climate, and, most importantly, cost. But stop worrying about prestige and what people think and whether UA is below you, because you will not have those concerns once you get there.</p>

22

<p>That’s the thing. I’d put UA’s top 20% of students up against any University in the country. </p>

<p>Is UA as strong as Michigan from top top bottom? Most certainly not. But some of the honors programs and the curriculum designed for the academic elite aren’t “beneath” anyone. </p>

<p>You’re not lowering yourself when the people sitting on either side of you are just as accomplished academically, if not more so, than you are.</p>

23

<p>I agree, NJ. It all comes down to who you choose to surround yourself with (and which classes you take, of course). I’ve already found more intelligent friends in my class at Bama than I ever did at the first-tier prep school I attended.</p>

24

<p>This topic doesn’t add up. How is somebody still deciding where to go in the fall in July? Hasn’t OP missed a bunch of deadlines by now? Why is the OP’s post count at 2 (starting a topic here and the UM forum)?</p>

25

<p>Good question feenotype. I figured he was talking about next year until re-reading his post. OP is obviously a ■■■■■. And of course applejack jumps right into the fray even though by all accounts he’s a Cornell student or parent of a Cornell student. Why he’s ■■■■■■■■ the Bama board is anyone’s guess. </p>

<p>Apparently there are a few elitists on CC that are butthurt over UA daring to compete for the best and the brightest. And more importantly having success in doing so.</p>

26

<p>I don’t know if he’s a ■■■■■ or not. </p>

<p>He may have double deposited. Some kids do that to give themselves more time. Some kids ask their schools for extension and his deadline may be approaching.</p>

<p>I did think it was odd that Applejack just jumped right in there as if he knew the post was coming. Applejack hadn’t posted on CC at all in nearly a month…and he happens to come to that Bama thread and post??? Odd.</p>

<p>That said, if the OP were a ■■■■■ trying to annoy Bama people, why post the same post in the Umich thread?</p>

27

<p>I’ve learned a lot from following this forum for a while and now I finally I see a posting where I think I can finally contribute. My D is from Michigan and will be a freshman in Fall 2012 and her top two college choices are UM and UA. I can understand OP’s position completely. The state of Michigan takes a lot of pride (and a bit of arrogance) in UM. UM’s strength lies in its brand. It is recognized and respected worldwide. NO ONE who applies is guaranteed to get in. They use what they like to call a ‘holistic’ approach to admissions. They factor in grades, test scores, diversity, etc….to determine who gets in. UA is more straightforward and fair – you get the grades and the scores and you are in. For this reason, acceptance to UM carries some kind of allure. My analogy is this: UA is the pretty girl who smiles at you and you now she likes you. But why would she like you? Is something wrong with her? Maybe she’ll date anyone. UM is the pretty stuck up girl who ignores you completely. Wow, she must be something special. I wish I could date her. If she would just go out with me…Anyway, I digress. I work at a large company and work with a lot of UM grads. Each one of these people had awesome internship opportunities while in school and had multiple job offers from across the country. I went to a smaller school and although I work at the same place, my path was rockier and took more time and effort. That is what a UM degree buys you. I don’t have any UA experience (yet), but my D discovered UA at a college fair. After researching UA, we looked at each other and said, “is this too good to be true?” Slowly, Auburn left the list, then Vanderbilt, then Duke. People here in M ask her all the time, “are you crazy?” Yep, she says…”crazy like a fox!” Her first choice is UA because of the millions of reasons I’ve seen on this forum and any more. My advice to OP is to stop talking with other people. They don’t get it. Trust your instincts. ROLL TIDE!!!</p>

28

<p>I don’t want to overstate this, but UA’s acceptance rate for last Fall was only 53.6%. It is expected to be even lower for this Fall. For a major Southern state university, that is very solid selectivity. This proves UA will not accept just anyone.</p>

29

<p>I wasnt trying to offend anyone by thinking that i am above those students that attend Alabama? I meant it in a way to say that in terms of rankings it is much lower. However, i understand that they can sometimes be subjective. You have to understand, living in a place like Michigan, i get comments all the time like the one i made about lowering my standars. Obviously they have had an impact on me and have gotten me thinking. Honestly if the two schools were equal rankings wise i would choose bama over uofm any day. Its just that people up here keep telling me its a dumb decision. Again im sorry for the “ignorant” comment and my intentions were not to make me sound stuck up or anything.</p>

30

<p>And as momtocollegekids said, i did double deposit. I had completely made up my mind that i was attending the University of Alabama until the tornadoes hit tuscaloosa. I know they didnt hit the campus, but it was still pretty close. Michigan became my backup (i wasnt planning on making my decision until i went down for orientation to see for myself) and now i have so many people trying to give me advice that i feel confused now. My parents would be able to pay for Michigan, but they just said it would be a struggle since i have an older brother in college too.</p>

31

<p>Sorry i didnt see some peoples questions until now. I am planning on majoring in either math or doing some sort of premed track with a major in chemistry (or possibly biology). Those are my two interests at the moment. I would not be a commuter at umich. id be living in a dorm. i already got my housing assignment…room and board was ~9400+ per year.</p>

32

<p>The first thing I ask people when they start to suggest that I made a dumb decision to attend UA is if they have ever visited the southern US. There are people who won’t go to Michigan because they perceive it to be exactly like Detroit or refuse to visit Las Vegas because it has gambling. What biases their opinions is a fear of the unknown. The University of Michigan is a great school, but if you lived in a different state, people would probably be encouraging you to attend that state’s or a nearby state’s flagship university.</p>

<p>Concerning tornadoes and other natural disasters, they will happen sometime, somewhere. It is a fact of life. The university I’m at this summer has a large notice posted on my door warning me that I am in a region of strong geological activity and to be prepared for earthquakes. I heed this warning, but my life isn’t really affected by what is a fact of life. I will tell you that UA treated its students, faculty, and staff wonderfully after the tornado. As much as Auburn likes to publicize their family culture, I will say without hesitation that UA has an even stronger family culture. </p>

<p>Remember that you could major in underwater basket weaving and still be able to meet the premed requirements. As a premed, what you want the most is a high GPA, high MCATs, and little to no undergrad debt. I’m sure that you could accomplish this at either school, but will your parents still have the money to help pay for medical school?</p>

<p>For the most part, it is your decision to attend either Alabama or Michigan. Your parents appear to be willing to pay for either, but would probably like the cost savings of attending Alabama despite the fact that it is 500+ miles away.</p>

<p>Again concerning the rankings, take them with a grain of salt. From what I’ve read, you have Alabama ranked higher than Michigan and that’s what matters the most. I know all about using rankings to attract students to a school and have mentioned them myself when talking with prospective students. While it works with many people, a ranking says nothing about how a student will enjoy a specific university.</p>

<p>You may very well find people in your hometown who will be impressed that you decided to attend UA. After making my decision, I found out that many of my dad’s coworkers are from Alabama and were overjoyed upon hearing my decision. Earlier this week, I was crossing the street and somebody leaned out of their car to yell Roll Tide! Do I still get people who say I should have attended my state flagship or another high ranking school? Of course I do, but they become very quiet when I ask them about the status of their check to pay for the 20% increase in tuition and a possible 5th year because I couldn’t get into certain required courses if I attended that school.</p>

<p>Roll Tide!</p>

33

<p>That was a very mature post BuB2011 and I appreciate you setting the record straight.</p>

<p>All of us from the north have heard similar comments from schoolmates, friends, and even family when we told them we were going to UA. I guess I’m just a little more sensitive to them than I should be because I’ve been hearing them for so long and I know they aren’t accurate.</p>

<p>I hope you choose UA. But good luck in whatever you decide. As I said before you really can’t go wrong either way.</p>

34

<p>

</p>

<p>Huh? I guess this is how conspiracy theories start. Yeah… this thread showed up in the list on the main page so I clicked on it out of curiosity. Pretty sure the OP is legit and that you’re just being a little sensitive.</p>

35

<p>

Well, this is clearly a sore subject for you based on your extenuating life experience mentioned above, so I’m not going to push it. I don’t have a dog in this fight, either toward Michigan or Alabama. I just noticed everybody attacking the OP for articulating the obvious: that Michigan has a stronger reputation than Alabama.</p>

<p>Anytime school B, with a global reputation lower than school A, is being discussed, the default responses are always the same on here, no matter the schools:
- you can get a great education at school B,
- the top 20% of school B can hold their own with anyone at any school
- my cousin’s sister went to school B and now has a great job
- prestige is overrated</p>

<p>All true and valid points, as I can attest having studied at both the highest levels and lowest of academia. Nevertheless, while his terminology about lowering standards was in poor taste, a high school senior shouldn’t be reprimanded for weighing all the pros and cons. The relative prestige of each institution in consideration (and its capacity to potentially make things easier after graduation) is one factor amongst all the other issues of financing, field of study, party culture, etc…</p>

36

<p>*Its just that people up here keep telling me its a dumb decision. *</p>

<p>I understand. </p>

<p>But, frankly, once you’re away at school, not only will the comments pretty much cease, but you will be able to voice a more experienced point of view.</p>

<p>My H is a Big 10 grad and I’m a UC grad, we’ve gone to “good schools.” We have been VERY impressed by the academics that our kids have received. My H often told my older son (who just graduated from Bama) that my son was being taught concepts that he didn’t learn until grad school. My younger son, a ChemE major/pre-med is learning so much and doing so well, that I’m confident that he’ll do well on his MCAT next spring and get accepted to med school. </p>

<p>*was attending the University of Alabama until the tornadoes hit Tuscaloosa. *</p>

<p>The tornadoes that hit T-town were a once in a half-century occurrence. The likelihood of something like that happening again anytime soon is minute. </p>

<p>I’m from California, and it gets major earthquakes. If a major earthquake occurred near a college that I was going to attend, I wouldn’t change my mind because the odds of another one happening again in the same spot in the near future would be low. </p>

<p>I am planning on majoring in either math or doing some sort of premed track with a major in chemistry (or possibly biology).</p>

<p>Ahh…well that’s even more of a reason to choose Bama. Bama has a very high acceptance rate to med school…probably higher than UMich does. Bama’s acceptance rate for students who have a 3.6+ GPA and a 29+ MCAT is about 85%…and the percent is HIGHER for those who are out of state! These stats are for American MD med schools…not DO or Caribbean. </p>

<p>Bama is one of the few publics that does Committee Letters. Usually only the pricey privates do Committee Letters because they are labor intensive and expensive to do.<br>
This is one one of the reasons Bama has such a high med school admit rate. </p>

<p>UMIch does NOT do Committee Letters. I would guess that the MD admit rate for UMich students applying to med school is about 50-60%…which is typical for a state flagship. UCLA and Cal are around 50%. </p>

<p>Also…the application process for med school is very expensive… We’ve been told to budget about $8-10k for this process for apps, supplementals, and last-minute plane costs for med school interviews and more travel for “second looks”. If your parents’ budget will be tight, it will be hard to afford that process. </p>

<p>And…I don’t know if you’re interested in doing a study-abroad or doing any of those “Doctors without Borders” trips that pre-med students do (my son did one in Nicaragua), but by going to a school that doesn’t cost your parents as much money, will mean that they can afford those extra costs. </p>

<p>That said, if you do a semester abroad, Bama lets you use $10,000 of tuition scholarship towards your study abroad costs. :)</p>

<p>Here’s the link to Bama’s Pre-Health Advising…you should sign up to be on the listserve to get updates and info.
[The</a> University of Alabama Health Professions Advising Website](<a href=“http://premed.ua.edu/]The”>http://premed.ua.edu/)</p>

<p>If you go to Bama, will your parents be more likely to help you with med school costs?</p>

<p>Believe me, once you’re in med school, those people who questioned your decision to go to Bama will have learned a lesson. </p>

<p>It’s hard to be a leader, but it makes you stronger. :)</p>

37

<p>I’m not going to sit here and tell you what school to go to as they both represent outstanding choices and, as NJ said, you can’t go wrong either way. I AM going to say that you need to take a hard look at what you are writing. You are potentially letting your friends and some guidebook pick YOUR school. Your friends and the guidebooks have their own biases, have likely never visited both the respective schools, and are not in the best position to truly know what is best for you. I am also going to say that you need to take a hard look at the state of the MIchigan economy and how that may affect things like university funding down the road and compare that situation with UA, which has made over a billion dollars in infrastructure improvements in the last few years. What direction are the two schools going and what will be the prestige levels four years out, ten years out, and longer? I certainly can’t answer those questions, but UA’s “prestige” trend line in recent years is accelerating rapidly. </p>

<p>Everyone has their own biases, including myself and the others on the UA and UM Boards. Listen, but in the end, YOU need to pick YOUR school.</p>

38

<p>You are potentially letting your friends and some guidebook pick YOUR school. Your friends and the guidebooks have their own biases, have likely never visited both the respective schools, and are not in the best position to truly know what is best for you. I am also going to say that you need to take a hard look at the state of the MIchigan economy and how that may affect things like university funding down the road and compare that situation with UA, which has made over a billion dollars in infrastructure improvements in the last few years.</p>

<p>MaBama makes some great points. </p>

<p>I don’t know why others pressure people into a school that will be difficult for the family to afford. They aren’t going to have to “live” under the pressures the family will face when various unexpected expenses occur…and they DO occur…about every few months. One of our A/C units (we have zone cooling) broke this week…the cost will be $7k to replace (Ugh). We had to buy another car 2 months ago (Ugh). We know that next year we have son’s med school apps and stuff to pay for. Ugh! No one else is going to step up and pay those costs. </p>

<p>Believe me, over 4 years of college, a family is going to have 8 or more unexpected expenses that are going to cost a good deal of money. Who knows what those unexpected costs will be…a pricey medical prescription that insurance won’t cover most of the costs (my H has one that costs us $400 per month), a major car repair, a car replacement, a major appliance replacement, a major home repair, major dental work, …who knows…but every family faces these things at least twice a year. Even a death in the extended family can cause a serious expense. When my dad died last year, I had to pay nearly 1000 to fly at the last minute. </p>

<p>Recently, an Emory-bound student posted that his parents had to spend their “family contribution” on some unexpected major expense…so now they don’t have “their share” to put towards Emory. This kid turned down a free ride to UFlorida, because his family said that they could stretch the budget to pay their “EFC”…and now they can’t… No one should operate that close to budget when there are cheaper alternatives that can do the job. </p>

<p>*My parents would be able to pay for Michigan, but they just said it would be a struggle since i have an older brother in college too. *</p>

<p>if it really will be a struggle for your family, and dealing with a couple of major unexpected expenses every year could become a serious issue, then to me that choice is simple.</p>

39

<p>Leaving money out of the conversation for a moment,
There is something else that is very important to consider.
Compare the responses on you post on the UM forum and the UA forum. UM, few responses and no passion; UA - long passionate essays extolling the virtues of a Public University, with a kind of emotion usually reserved for Sunday services.</p>

<p>The University of Alabama is a rapidly rising star, it is moving up in all the ratings every year. The investment and scholarship at UA is astonishing in a time of cutbacks and austerity. Your education is an investment in the future, and UA’s future is bright, and the students and faculty there recognize this. The spirit and energy at UA is palatable.</p>

<p>Michigan is facing budget shortfalls and UM’s budget is being slashed.
Michigan’s population is shrinking and it’s employment base is eroding.
Michigan’s attitude is downbeat to say the least, UM picks up on that vibe.</p>

<p>UA has a very optimistic attitude, that is evident on this forum and on campus.
With the investments UA is making in in buildings, professors and high caliber students, The value of a degree from UA will increase over time as ratings catch up with the great things happening there.</p>

<p>Your education can be at a school that is invested in the future, with an optimistic and very positive vibe; that is actively recruiting America’s best and brightest (students and Professors). Or you can attend a school that is grimly trying to hang on to it’s past glory’s as its economic base erodes away beneath it.</p>

<p>Past or future?</p>

<p>Your call</p>

40

<p>I love that phrase, “with emotion usually reserved for Sunday services”. lol I love it. I can feel it!</p>