<p>another great thing about UA - the parents! I’m sure we must have the most active board here on CC. Not many of us who wouldn’t do college all over again if we could all Roll Tide!</p>
<p>RobD - Thanks for the info. Wow, that’s really early! Son’s HS transcript office doesn’t open until August 17. HS just switched to sending transcripts online through Naviance. It would be great if they are sent as soon as he requests them so that he doesn’t have to wait until the end of August. </p>
<p>M2CK - I agree, CA girls are not “chopped liver.” My husband did notice that most of the kids looked like they were in better physical shape than a lot of the kids at the Big 10 schools (DD is a freshman at one, she’s an athlete and in great shape). It must be the better weather and abundance of sunshine in the South, it gets people outside. :)</p>
<p>AL34- Absolutely! The parents on this forum top all of the other forums on CC. If it’s a reflection on the school, and I think it is, then I understand why DS loved his visit.</p>
<p>lovemykids, the students are in great shape because of the fabulous Rec center at UA! I hope they got to check it out because it is overwhelmingly cool - just another great amenity at Bama.
SO glad to hear your S liked what he found in Tuscaloosa, but then again we all knew he would!</p>
<p>Lovemykids: I know every school runs differently, but could your S request his transcripts to be sent at the end of his junior year? The guidance office is usually open for at least a week after graduation & his junior year transcript would be finalized at that point.</p>
<p>RobD- It’s certainly worth asking. Fortunately my son and I both have a great relationship with his counselor so I’m sure he’d be willing to write his recommendation early rather than late. </p>
<p>My DD had her essays and applications ready to go by the end of July and as soon as the HS transcript office opened she made her requests. She had her first acceptance by mid September and it made her senior year so much better. </p>
<p>HS didn’t use Naviance to send transcripts two years ago so hopefully your suggestion will work for DS!</p>
<p>timeflew - I watched the DVD that DS brought home from University Days and it profiled the recreation center. It is awesome. </p>
<p>Makes me want to go back to college!</p>
<p>*Makes me want to go back to college! *</p>
<p>Seriously, when my H and I and our kids were eating at The Strip this weekend, and we had just walked thru the campus, I said to my kids…“You sure are lucky to get to go to a school like this.” </p>
<p>I think they will always fondly remember their years at Bama.</p>
<p>Lovemykids: unless I’m not remembering correctly, you don’t need a counselor recommendation with the regular application. Just test scores, a transcript & the application. It’s pretty quick & easy.</p>
<p>I don’t think a counselor rec is needed, however, usually the counselors include a School Profile with every transcript so that a college can see what the school offers.</p>
<p>The thing I like best about UA is the school spirit. It is amazing to be walking down the street in a totally different part of the country and hear people shout Roll Tide! Out of all schools in the nation, Alabama trails only Texas in terms of licensed merchandise sold per year. When you consider that Longhorns merchandise can be found in just about every sports store, that is saying something about the pride and dedication of the UA family.</p>
<p>I also enjoy the fact that UA is willing to innovate and is fast becoming one of the top public universities in the nation. </p>
<p>UA has a reputation on CC of being the school that gives big scholarships to top students. While this is certainly true, there is also the perception that this is because UA is some low quality hick school in Alabama. This latter perception cannot be more wrong. UA is a high quality institution that actively cares about the success and quality of life of its students. I really do feel like the sky’s the limit for any student who comes to UA and desires to succeed.</p>
<p>UA was the first school I applied and was accepted to. I sometimes wonder why I applied anywhere else. When I’m having a bad day, I remember how lucky I am to wake up in my palace of dorm room, walk to my challenging classes across the beautiful campus while the bells are ringing and squirrels are scurrying about, and eat lunch with national champion football players and cheerleaders. To top it all off, all of my AP and dual enrollment credits were accepted and I have an excellent scholarship that allows me to attend college without worrying if I will be able to afford another semester.</p>
<p>I will readily admit that attending UA has been the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m proud to wear crimson and enjoy having Big Al jokingly take my UA baseball cap away from me. It gives me even more reason to wear my houndstooth fedora.</p>
<p>As the great Paul Bear Bryant once said, I ain’t nothin’ but a winner. As Nick Saban said in Pasadena, this is just the beginning: the process begins here. Roll Tide everyone.</p>
<p>*Out of all schools in the nation, Alabama trails only Texas in terms of licensed merchandise sold per year. When you consider that Longhorns merchandise can be found in just about every sports store, that is saying something about the pride and dedication of the UA family.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>And…when you consider that the state of Alabama has less than 5M people, while Texas has nearly 25M people, that’s really saying something.</p>
<p>What an awesome thread! </p>
<p>SEA_tide, you are so right about the common CC perception that UA is a low-quality hick school which buys NMFs because it cannot otherwise compete with better schools. (I keep wanting to respond, “Well, yeah, if you buy enough NMFs, then you are a better school.” LOL!)</p>
<p>Even my colleagues can’t believe we’re considering Bama – and especially considering turning down UNC for Bama. Here in NC, UNC almost has a cult following; it is practiclly worshipped. How dare we prefer Bama? :o :o (Well, duh, maybe because we can actually afford it. Ya think?)</p>
<p>I can’t wait to visit!</p>
<p>*you are so right about the common CC perception that UA is a low-quality hick school which buys NMFs because it cannot otherwise compete with better schools. (I keep wanting to respond, “Well, yeah, if you buy enough NMFs, then you are a better school.” LOL!)</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>First of all, Bama was not starting as some “hick school”…that assumption was wrong from the beginning. As a matter of fact, for a long time, Bama had a bit of a reputation of being a “rich kid’s” school consisting of many kids who had gone to private K-12. </p>
<p>Frankly, any residential school cannot really be a “hick school” simply because families have to have a certain amount of money in order to send their kids there. </p>
<p>When you combine the numbers of NMFs, Presidential Scholars, and UA Scholars, you have a number of kids. And, these kids have the stats that you’ll find at the best schools. </p>
<p>Some people don’t understand the short-term and long-term strategies for improving a school.</p>
<p>You have to have strong stats kids on campus so that you can attract the best profs. It’s much easier to hire the best profs when the profs know that they will be teaching students with strong stats. </p>
<p>And, once you have high stats kids and the best profs on campus, you’re more likely going to get the big research grants that are awarded.</p>
<p>And the entire strategy improves the school and it’s ranking.</p>
<p>^^^Nothing succeeds like success.</p>
<p>Roll Tide</p>
<p>Sent from my PC36100 using CC App</p>
<p>*When you combine the numbers of NMFs, Presidential Scholars, and UA Scholars, you have a number of kids. And, these kids have the stats that you’ll find at the best schools.
*</p>
<p>LOL…brilliant…LOL…</p>
<p>I meant to write “you have thousands of kids with strong stats.”</p>
<p>Thank you, mom2ck! I was recently told, at another CC thread which shall be nameless, that an honors college with only a few hundred kids could not compare with the entire UNC student body, which is apparently stacked end to end with junior geniuses.</p>
<p>Well, DS spoke last night with one of those rising Bama freshman NMF / Honors kids…and, if this brilliant kid is representative of Bama Honors, then all I can say is…Bama Honors is more than impressive enough for us!</p>
<p>Well, I just signed up our youngest kid (high school jr) for the SAT test today. As for the schools the scores will be sent to (since he is not sure where he was applying) . . .we put down: UCLA, UCSD, UCI – and Univ of Alabama. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t mind Michael following in Kari’s footsteps and getting a Presidential scholarship to Bama.</p>
<p>^ LOL!
I know we can’t control where our kids go to school for the most part, but I just had DS2 take a tour and interview with the trombone prof. at UA school of music… never too early to prime the pump :)</p>
<p>BTW - we were very VERY impressed at the level of competition to get admitted, the grad students in the program have some top-notch credentials. Just what we were hoping for.</p>
<p>Back at the UNC thread…I’ve been slandered, libeled…I’ve heard words I never heard in the Bible. LOL! Oh well, here in NC, UNC is a freaking cult, so I guess I can understand why some folks would fail to grasp how an in-stater could possibly even remotely prefer UA with a full-ride over UNC with NO merit aid. To cite another pop-music reference from yesteryear, it’s only natural to “be true to your school like you would to your girl.” This does not, however, excuse the snotty sarcasm and outright insults that have been directed at me by alleged adults who should know better. (All of which I have endured with saint-like patience, of course. 
:D)</p>
<p>I was thinking about all this the past few days, and I’ve reached the conclusion that UA’s objectivity is one of its principal appeals.</p>
<p>UNC prides itself on its “holistic” approach, both in its admissions criteria and in its criteria for awarding scholarships. I have come to realize that, for some schools at least, “holistic” is a code-word for “subjective and arbitrary.” </p>
<p>UNC considers itself a “public Ivy.” It would like us all to believe that, like the real Ivies, it is so besieged by high-stats kids that it must employ non-academic criteria (e.g., looking for oodles of ECs) in making its decisions, both WRT admission and WRT scholarship consideration.</p>
<p>But this is ridiculous. Many high-stats kids opt NOT to enroll in UNC, for various reasons; which means UNC is not exactly beating 'em off with a stick. Moreover, its SAT averages are not at Ivy level. They’re perfectly fine, but they’re not setting the world on fire. </p>
<p>DS was admitted to UNC, but so far there has not been one scintilla of a hint of merit aid. Apparently, despite his stats and NMF status, he does not fit some arbitrary, subjective Profile du Jour. Meanwhile, the UNC defenders act as if I should be endlessly grateful for the awesome privilege of paying full freight to the almighty UNC. Such sillinesss seeks to perpetuate the UNC Public Ivy Mystique…but with less and less success nowadays. Judging by the numerous negative UNC reviews at students review dot com, fewer and fewer sensible people people are falling for the hype.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Dr. Whitt has eschewed such nonsense. His formula for awarding merit aid has nothing to do with arbitrary, subjective, oh-so-mysterious criteria. If you have the stats, you get the aid. Simple as that. Objective…straightforward. One knows where one is at. </p>
<p>Bravo to Dr. Whitt. May his tribe increase!</p>
<p>Diane</p>
<p>addendum to my last post: I must say that the snobbery and snootiness I’ve encountered at the UNC sub-forum have left a really bad taste in my mouth. I think CC posters should realize that, if they insult and berate people, the people in question will be less likely, not more likely, to be impressed by the posters’ pet school.</p>
<p>DS was always very iffy about UNC; I was the one who kind of pressured him into applying. He was more interested in UNC Asheville, for its bohemian vibe and mountain setting, and in Western Carolina, for its spectacular surroundings.</p>
<p>But, even for me, red flags kept popping up about UNC – especially WRT the huge classes, the relative lack of professor-student contact, and the ultra-leftist atmosphere. </p>
<p>When the UNC apologists started implying that we should kss the tarry clay for the privilege of paying $15-$20K/year (as opposed to ZERO) for UNC…that really put the lid on it. Good grief–are people that insulated from today’s economic realities? Kiplinger’s may insist that UNC is the nation’s top bargain. But, for most people with the simplest grasp of grammar-school arithmetic, FREE is the biggest bargain of all. And it’s pretty hard to turn it down – at least for us ordinary folks.</p>
<p>OK, enough about all that. Thanks for letting me vent and rant in this semi-off-topic way. Thank God I’m among friends here. :)</p>