“I think Alabama’s at least the clear choice on lifestyle for njk1999, based on what I know of both schools and what she’s said.”
It goes without saying that the OP feels a close attachment to Alabama than she does to Michigan. In her case, she should go to Alabama.
“But I’m actually pretty comfortable saying that I’ll bet most people who have spent years in both places would give Alabama the edge.”
How many people do you know have spent years in both places? 10? 100? 1,000? And how many of those spent their undergraduate years in Ann Arbor and their graduate studies in Tuscaloosa? It makes a big difference. People develop an irrational attachment to their undergraduate years.
“Tuscaloosa’s kind of a hidden paradise, like some Elvish city in Lord of the Rings that’s grown around a forest, complete with its own idyllic river next to campus.”
Some would call Ann Arbor a hidden paradise. You obviously value nature and weather a great deal. From that point of view, Alabama may indeed have the edge. But there is a lot more to a city than the weather and landscape. One element you cannot discount is your natural attachment to Alabama as a result of your having spent your undergraduate years there. I am guilty of that too where Ann Arbor is concerned. That being said, Ann Arbor is usually rated among the top 2 or 3 college towns in the country for a good reason. Tuscaloosa may well be overlooked, but I do not think that impartial observers would agree overwhelmingly that it is a clearer choice on lifestyle. Same goes for campus life.
@AlbionGirl thanks for sharing the Vimeo link. Looks like a gorgeous campus and one I’m curious to see. Hmmm, maybe DS2 will consider it. I hear they have free tuition for certain test scores/GPA
“Tuscaloosa may well be overlooked, but I do not think that impartial observers would agree overwhelmingly that it is a clearer choice on lifestyle. Same goes for campus life.”
My original statement, that Alabama was the clear choice on lifestyle, was actually referring to the OP’s choice, not the choice of some generic student. I don’t think that applicants in general should start out with the assumption that Alabama’s clearly better for lifestyle. I’d want to know more about the details of any person before making a recommendation like that.
I’ve allowed myself to be drawn into a more general debate, but I regret it, because my goal all along has been to give advice specifically to the creator of this thread. Whether any school is a better lifestyle choice than any other school depends heavily on the preferences of the person choosing them. So I think we’ve been talking past each other a bit.
@njk1999 you should definitely give them the details if the new offer isn’t competitive enough.
The OP was mostly concerned with a comparison of the Greek systems at both schools. It seemed that her concerns were mostly affiliated with social interactions.
Update: Alabama told me at first they’d let me know by noon today about an updated award, but some ghost FAFSA correction occurred so they need until WEDNESDAY to process it. For Alabama I need to confirm roommates and all that by Monday so now I’m really lost because who knows how much it could end up to be? For all I know they’ll hit me with a loan and nothing else. This is getting super tough.
@nkk1998 did you tell Alabama the Michigan award amount? I would still wait to see what they offer…that’s important. I wouldn’t worry about the deadline to pick a roommate. That’s still early anyway. Even if you do choose a roommate for Alabama it’s not a commitment until you pay the tuition deposit to the school. When do you need to let Michigan know?
Michigan needs the enrollment deposit paid by May 1. So I kind of have to go in blind. & I let them know Michigan ended up cheaper than Alabama but not the exact number. The financial aid office is closed until Monday anyhow so there’s nothing I can do.
I hope you get an answer on Monday. For now, you may want to come up with a number yourself so that you can make a quick decision if the new package is available on Monday.
The difference in attending costs are not that great. If you have your heart set on Alabama, just go there. That you are still debating whether you should attend Alabama over Michigan for 2,000 dollars more per year, tells me you are not completely sold on the former. What if Alabama ends up costing exactly the same amount as Michigan. Will that be the deciding factor? It seems that you feel that for you to justify attending Alabama, 'Bama would have to be significantly cheaper than Michigan. Do you think that will happen at this late stage?
Michigan Spring Graduation is today. Watch it. This might give you some more insight of what you will be missing if you don’t attend school in Ann Arbor.
I feel like that is exactly my issue, as a “smart” student my whole life I feel like it should be the obvious choice to go to the best school I can go to, but I fell in love with Alabama way too early in the game so now that it comes down to it I’m irrationally leaning towards Alabama. That’s why I’m praying for it to cheaper so I can justify it to myself haha. Oh jeez this is so rough because I know I’ll have fun and do well either way I just don’t know if I’m selling myself short by following my heart
^^^^I knew you were exactly thinking that wayYou njk1999. That’s why I wanted you to watch the graduation ceremony. It just ended, but they will have it recorded in its entirety and you’ll be able to watch it. You are correct, you will love either school you attend, so that will not be a problem. But be honest with yourself, when you are completed with your undergraduate degree, which diploma do you want to be looking at the rest of your life? Which one is going to open more doors for you? Which one will be held in higher esteem? Which one will have the strongest alumni connections? Now is the time to think with your head. There are thousands of students who applied to Michigan, most with very good to excellent stats, who were not admitted.
@njk1999 I’m not sure how all the timing stuff works. I suspect that neither Michigan nor Alabama will be sticklers about these “deadlines” if it’ll get you to choose them.
I would let Alabama know the exact numbers of your Michigan offer. In fact, it would be best to tell them now, instead of waiting until you see their new offer. If the new Alabama offer just has extra loans, that’d be weak, and I’d probably go for Michigan at that point. But I doubt they’ll just offer you some loans; that doesn’t sound like them.
Give Alabama the chance to compete for you and see how much they want you. And if you choose Michigan, choose it because you think you’ll like it more, not because you think other people will like it more.
The prestige game is one of the lamest games there is. I’ve been around academia long enough to have seen plenty of people who play it, and I don’t envy their lives. They’re always looking for the next hoop to jump through to impress the next person they want to impress. If you want to wow people at cocktail parties you can always go to Yale, Harvard, or Stanford for law school. If you go to law school or grad school most people don’t care much about your undergrad; many faculty don’t even list their undergrad degree in their bios if they have a couple others.
@njk1999 are you still seriously considering the MBA option at Alabama? Even if the cost is close and you can end up with two degrees with all the credit you’re entering college with, Alabama might be worth it. Prestige is nice but not the end all be all for undergrad. Graduate degree, if pursued, matters more than undergrad IMO
Ultimately it is the person, not the place, that determines how well you do. OP, if you are concerned about the University of Alabama holding you back, read through the Bama Brags thread on the UA forum and judge for yourself. These are top students like yourself who have made the most of their opportunities. Obviously not every student at UA will be as successful as the ones that post there, but that is also true of students at Michigan.
Having said that, you are fortunate in having two such great choices in front of you. Michigan is a fine school too and I’m confident you will be successful whatever decision you make.
@rjkofnovi if you’ve been following the OP thread, she is considering law school. Alabama has an option for her to get two degrees within her four year undergrad given her credits entering. Not bashing Michigan, as it seems you are either student or alumnus, but giving OP all factors to weigh. I don’t have any affiliation with either school…just giving my advice based on value because after being in the working world for many years I know it’s the individual and what they do with their college career not necessarily the ‘prestige’ of the undergrad. As someone who has screened resumes for interviews, I’ll admit the name of school will catch my eye but it’s ultimately the person’s experience and accomplishments that give him or her the edge for the job. And isn’t it what this College craziness is all about? It’s preparing one to be a productive and engaged person for their employer while doing meaningful work. There is also that factor for which there is no price you can name, and that’s the fit factor. If it feels right and the FA and career opportunities are there, that makes for a powerful combination you can’t deny.
Also, should OP pursue the MBA option, there is the opportunity for summer internships so should she decide not to attend law school (at least right away) she has the possibility of employment right after graduation.