Which would you consider a better school overall? My daughter has out of state scholarships for both. From Texas, but not interested in Texas schools. Thinking engineering or business. Discuss pros and cons of each school.
Alabama
Alabama will have more out-of-state students. Bama campus is gorgeous too. I haven’t seen Arkansas so can’t say there! Perhaps visit both and see what you think, if you haven’t already.
Okay: Both are gorgeous! Visitied both: My daughter is up for almost full tuition plus at Arkansas possibly, but at Alabama she is at a little less than our state tuition. That is what is hard. She really liked Alabama and is a top choice, but Arkansas may offer her more money.
Deb…in your other threads…you were hoping to get the costs to your instate costs. Is Alabama more costly for her than Texas?
Right now…Alabama with engineering scholarship of 2500 would be about $3K below our state schools for my daughter. She is hoping she will get additional scholarships there maybe. We probably will not have an answer until all scholarships are processed. Just looking ahead at opinions…
Alabama gets you MAJOR RAH RAH with their successful Football program and incredible school spirit. Gorgeous campus. Lots of Bama supporters and large network of grads at major cities such as Atlanta, New Orleans, and of course Birmingham. As someone already mentioned, a lot more geographical diversity at Alabama which might be comforting for an OOS student. If the cost of attending Alabama is not an issue for you, my pick would be Alabama However, having close to a full ride at a major flagship such as Arkansas is nothing to sneeze about.
Something to keep in mind is that these scholarships have many requirements. Some would require you to have a 3.0 GPA. Engineering is a very challenging major and your student must be able to attain this otherwise, you are looking at full tuition in future years or be forced to transfer.
Both have excellent Honors Colleges although Engineering at Alabama is better and Arkansas Honors is better, as for Business it depends on the specialties I think (Arkansas’ is very well-funded, Alabama has STEM MBA).
One of my current issues with Alabama is if there’s a sexual assault - some Alabama people seem to be fine with sexual molestation of teen girls and that really bothers me, despite everything good about Alabama. I just can’t get over it. I have no idea if Arkansas would be better but there’s no proof it’s equally bad. I’m sure the campus is OK but I worry about the environment where such practices aren’t uniformly condemned. (For the record, it’s something several parents have brought up too).
Both would give her a great education. I’d go with the one that seems to be the best fit and price. My oldest is 2nd yr Chem E at AR and loves it. I can’t say enough good things about the engineering dept there. Hubby went there also and 25 years later some of the same professors are still there and still remember his name and where he ended up working. They really care about the students and want them to do well. Fayetteville is a beautiful town with lots of outdoor things for kids to do nearby. Our 2nd son is a junior and Alabama is on our list of schools for him to consider. I think it comes down to fit. I will say from where we are in Texas it is a windy mess of roads getting to AR and I think the straight interstate shot to AL would make this Mom worry less.
I know nothing about engineering, but I’ve seen it mentioned on this board that engineering schools have an accreditation they must meet. So, in that case, I would think a degree from either school would get her where she needs to be. Arkansas is closer to Texas. If that school offers her more money, I would seriously consider it to be less in debt and closer to home (especially if she wants to land in Texas). But I don’t think she could go wrong at Alabama either (it’s on my D’s list as well). I doubt either school is going to have the pressure of early admissions, so I would just keep visiting both until she finds her niche. I know people who went to Alabama and loved it. I know people who went to Arkansas and loved it.
Understand your dilemma. Had one just graduate from Arkansas. Her sister still looks for excuses to Fayetteville-they both loved the area. I am not going guarantee this number, but my daughter told me that 30% of the students in her class came from Texas. With the New Arkansan scholarship, they seem to be lobbying a lot in TX. No experience with the engineering school but good overall experience.
2 really loved her visit to Bama. Every interaction was positive.
How worried are you about distance? Would you be driving and how much visiting? Alabama was 9 hours for us and when we drove that, #2 realized how far 9 hours in the car really was. For her, that drive was too long for her first time away.
If Alabama is only $3K less than in-state Texas schools for engineering, and your daughter is accepted to TAMU and/or UT-Austin, your instate options are worth the extra money, especially considering the extra travel expenses.
Hi - We’re from Chicago and one of my sons is currently a Jr. in Engineering at Bama. Couldn’t get into Engineering at U. of I. and Purdue was 44K out-of-state. He’s on a full tuition scholarship at Alabama and no problems with maintaining it. Getting good advising at Bama can be tricky, but he learned to be really persistent. His freshman year was rough - culture shock mostly (“The south is different!”). His dorm (Paty, all-male) was also pretty disgusting. This Jan. he’s starting a co-op at an engineering firm in Houston. Bama has tons of engineering co-op opportunities with great companies like Chevron and Mercedes. Although my son likes football, he’s not into the Greek thing and was surprised by the amount of “rich kids” [his words] who attend Bama just for the party. Nevertheless, Bama is SO much cleaner and safer-feeling than big mid-western state schools, particularly U. of I. and Ohio State, where the pan-handlers, bums and non-students prowl around campus. Bama security has no qualms about kicking out anyone who looks shady. But I get your concerns about your daughter’s safety - from what I’ve seen when visiting, the riskiest places for college girls look like the off-campus house parties.