<ol>
<li><p>What do you like most about the University of Alabama?</p></li>
<li><p>What do you dislike about the University of Alabama?</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>The Football Team</li>
<li>It’s student body is rather sub-par.</li>
</ol>
<p>Woeishe, </p>
<p>Do you attend UA? Given that UA is among the top ten public schools with the highest number of National Merit Scholars, I am not sure that you know what you are talking about.</p>
<p>As an alum, it would have to be the beauty of the campus, the Honors Program, and the faculty who helped me to be a critical thinker.</p>
<p>woeishe is a high school junior, who hopes to apply to Stanford, Yale and Harvard (maybe)
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/963571-high-school-class-2013-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/963571-high-school-class-2013-a.html</a>. Weight her posts on this forum accordingly.</p>
<p>Back to the subject at hand – as an alumna, who even as a member of a “subpar student body” got into Yale Law School – and as a parent of an entering National Merit Scholar freshman:</p>
<p>Favorite things: The incredible, dedicated faculty – who go out of their way to help students find opportunities from the moment they step on campus; the Honors College; the Quad in the fall and spring; football weekends; the School of Music (and especially the University Singers); the huge academic merit scholarships; and the vibrant student life on campus.</p>
<p>Least favorite things: The heat in August, the puddles on the Quad in the rain; the reputation the school has among the uninformed.</p>
<p>I am the parent of a prospective student who will apply to Bama in 2 days. My favorite thing about UA, from what I’ve seen so far, is how student-centric it appears to be. There are lots of other things (honors college, beautiful campus, well maintained facilities, outstanding dorms, nice weather), but the focus on and opportunities for students are why it’s at the top of my list for D. My least favorite thing is the distance from our home.</p>
<p>And woeishe, I am hopeful that the “sub-par” student body at Alabama has a better grasp of the possessive than you do. So that you don’t get it wrong when you’re writing those Ivy League essays, “its” student body, rather than “it’s,” is the correct usage.</p>
<p>^^^
I have trouble with that also,
Just remember “it’s” always means “it is” or “it has” and nothing else.</p>
<p>Woeishe does not attend Bama and has never attended Bama. Woishe is a high school student looking at colleges…and prefers elite colleges. I don’t know if s/he’s fully visited the school…such as meeting with profs, etc. S/He lives in northern Alabama.</p>
<p>S/He is very wrong about the student body and I can prove it. :)</p>
<p>The word “sub-par” connotes something that is “below average”. *Deriving from the term in golf “par” meaning average, and sub meaning below. * </p>
<p>However, Woeishe seems to be wrongly using the student bodies of top schools as the definition of “par”…That’s not true because those schools only accept the creme of the crop. The creme is not Par…because that would be a crazy definition. Woeishe has an ACT 32, which at some schools would render him as being sub-par.</p>
<p>First of all, if Bama’s student body were “sub-par” it would not enjoy a #79 ranking which is tied with American University, Baylor University, and Michigan State.</p>
<p>Secondly, it’s not fair to use the stats of top privates, since they’re not given the same purpose to educate and they don’t provide the same wide range of majors (some of which won’t require or even expect high test scores. Do you need high-test scores to be a fabulous dancer, actor, or artist???)</p>
<p>UAlabama Test Scores
Middle 50% of First-Year Students
SAT Critical Reading: 490 - 620
SAT Math: 500 - 620
SAT Writing: 480 - 600
ACT Composite: 22 - 29 </p>
<p>Well, let’s look at what other respectable schools have for their stats.</p>
<p>Since Bama does NOT super-score, it’s more telling to look at the ACT scores for comparison</p>
<p>Mich State</p>
<p>SAT Critical Reading: 450 - 610
SAT Math: 530 - 670
SAT Writing: 460 - 600
ACT Composite: 23 - 28 </p>
<p>Florida State University</p>
<p>SAT Critical Reading: 550 - 640 47%
SAT Math: 560 - 650 47%
SAT Writing: 550 - 630 47%
ACT Composite: 24 - 28 </p>
<p>University of Colorado- Boulder</p>
<p>Test Scores
SAT Critical Reading: 530 - 630
SAT Math: 540 - 660
SAT Writing: - -<br>
**ACT Composite: 23 - 28 **</p>
<p>U Delaware</p>
<p>SAT Critical Reading: 540 - 640
SAT Math: 550 - 660
SAT Writing: 540 - 650<br>
ACT Composite: 24 - 29 </p>
<p>UMass-Amherst</p>
<p>SAT Critical Reading: 520 - 620
SAT Math: 540 - 640
SAT Writing: - -<br>
**ACT Composite: 23 - 28 **</p>
<p>Indiana University</p>
<p>SAT Critical Reading: 520 - 630<br>
SAT Math: 540 - 650
SAT Writing: - -<br>
ACT Composite: 24 - 29 </p>
<p>I could list many, many more.</p>
<p>I highly doubt that Woeishe is going around saying that the student bodies of these schools are “sub-par.” But, if s/he’s going to use his own unique (and wrong) definition of what “par” means, then I guess s/he’d better start doing so.</p>
<p>Now…back to the OP’s question… :)</p>
<p>I believe there is a past thread about this subject…I’ll see if I can find it. :)</p>
<p>What impressed me about UA was the high level of maintenance.
Having graduated from a college where lab equipment frequently didn’t work,
Heating and air conditioning were always on the fritz, UA was a refreshing change.</p>
<p>We self toured several colleges, saw college dorms with graffiti, broken windows, dorm dumpsters overflowing with beer cans, and saw lots of issues like crumbling sidewalks that I take as symptoms of budget problems. We spent a total of 6 days walking around UA and never saw thing like that. I know it’s a minor point, but I see it as a symbol (symptom?) of what is going on in the classrooms as well. </p>
<p>I also heard students yell out ‘Roll Tide’ on several random occasions, that were answered by a chorus of ‘Roll Tide’ - I never witnessed anything similar at any other campus. </p>
<p>On UA’s campus every other kid had on something with a UA logo, at OSU every third kid had on a logo from some other university.</p>
<p>What I did not like…having never been a student there, I’m really not coming up with anything.</p>
<p>packalldwy: M2CK is correct. There are previous threads that address the exact questions you ask. Also, there are threads that posters have asked to compare Bama to another college that they were considering. The most recent was the U. of Michigan vs "Bama thread. In these threads, you will find alums, students and parents of students giving their opinions on the University from lots of differing viewpoints, experiences and perspectives. It may be worthwhile to peruse this forum and go back to the archives. Lots of great info here!</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/1091623-what-some-best-things-about-university-alabama.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/1091623-what-some-best-things-about-university-alabama.html</a></p>
<p>There’s another thread, I think, where people post what they like and what they’d like to see changed/added or something like that.</p>
<p>edited to add…</p>
<p>Found it…</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/1047909-budget-things-you-would-change.html?highlight=change[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/1047909-budget-things-you-would-change.html?highlight=change</a></p>
<p>@woeishe – that would be “its student body.” No apostrophe when it’s “its” possessive. ;)</p>
<p>Just channeling my Inner Schoolmarm here…</p>
<p>Diane</p>
<p>LOL, beth’s mom, I just saw that you beat me to it. :)</p>