<p>On the other hand, I did go ahead and pay the enrollment deposit. 
</p>
<p>Good strategy, I think @pdbauer1959ā! My son had no desire to go so far away to school either, but in the end, he had to do it to get what he wanted at a price we could afford. </p>
<p>Keep in mind, too, that ND, WashU and NU have admission rates below 20% IIRC. Thereās no guarantee, no matter how fantastic a candidate your DS is, that heāll get into all three. So, itās great to have one school heās happy with already in hand as you go through the rest of the process. You essentially donāt have to apply to any safeties beyond your flagship, which is a great place to be in. </p>
<p>And if you donāt have any issues with making the deposit to UA now, itās definitely the way to go and will alleviate a lot of potential stress with regard to housing in the future!</p>
<p>I just wanted to post again now that Iāve spent a month on campus, and because several people have messaged me about the other schools I got into. Iām currently a freshman in the CBH program looking to major in math with minors in Spanish and biology. I am also completing pre-med requirements with the hope of doing an MD/PhD. </p>
<p>I applied to 12 schools, but in the end the main schools I got into were UChicago, Dartmouth, University of Southern California (with half tuition), Kenyon (with half tuition), and Smith (with half tuition STRIDE research program). In the end I chose Alabama because of the people I met during the CBH Finalistsā Weekend and research opportunities. I talk about this in more detail in my previous post. </p>
<p>I just wanted to give an update, post-decision, to give some perspective for people who may wonder what itās like to choose Alabama after so many more ācompetitiveā offers. </p>
<p>I have been completely surprised by the diversity of students on campus, both from all over the country and around the world. This was one of the things I really liked about UChicago and Dartmouth, and I worried that I wouldnāt have that here. Nope! It turns out that the scholarships that are so attractive to us are also responsible for bringing many international students here as well. I have already made friends from Brazil and England. </p>
<p>I have also loved many of my professors, and have found that even my larger introductory lecture classes are fun with a great lecturer. My biggest class has turned out to be my favorite! </p>
<p>Another worry I had was about finding like-minded people in the South, since I identify as queer and am a Democrat. I have had no trouble in this area either, and have already found a wonderful group of friends. Alabama is such a big school that there really are groups for everyone. </p>
<p>Please let me know if you have any more questions! I would especially love to talk to you if you are considering Math or are looking into the CBH program. </p>
<p>Even tho we have <like> buttons nowā¦I just wanted to add how nice it is for a student to come back on and provide an update such as springy179 did. Roll Tide!</like></p>
<p>springy179, It is wonderful to read your update. Iām so glad that you are still happy with your decision. I have a son who is in the middle of applying to the CBH program. I would love to hear a little more about what your day to day requirements for CBH look like. How much time to you spend specifically with this program?</p>
<p>Thank you again for coming back to share your experiences with us!</p>
<p>I have been a lurker of the CC boards and now that my daughter has been accepted into UA, I would like to post info that hopefully is helpful for those deciding on whether to attend UA. To get back to āwhat schools did your child pass on to attend Bamaā: my son was admitted to UCLA, U So Cal, Vanderbilt, UNC, etc, but was drawn to UA because of their generous scholarships, the caliber of the academic/honors courses, the friendliness of the students and staff, marching band/football, school spirit, etc. Initially, it was difficult for him to choose a school (he was offered a couple of full ride/full tuition scholarships and was even a Robertsonās finalist at UNC/Duke). I asked him before school started this year, if he was happy with his decision. He said, if he knew back then what he knows now about UA, he would have just applied to UA and been done. He is SO happy attending UA!!</p>
<p>Welcome to the lurking party, Amster!</p>
<p>My D hasnāt been accepted anywhere else yet but I am pretty confident that if she gets into UVA she will pass it up and UofA is high on her list. </p>
My son visited about 10 schools. Just about all of them were in the south. When it came time to apply, he kept it simple and only applied to two colleges - TCU and UA. TCU offered him their Deanās Scholarship which is about half of tuition. However, before he received their offer, he had already decided on UA. He is a National Merit Finalist with a 33 ACT and a 4.43 GPA. He didnāt pass on TCU. TCU missed out on a great student. ROLL TIDE!!!
People on this thread worry about missed prestige if their son or daughter attends UA. I would like to share that the love their son or daughter feels for the campus when they visit, the people, the spirit, not to mention the eventual, inevitable, and usually passionate embrace of Bama football----does not end after graduation. Having graduated in the early 80s and living in Boston, I can tell you, year in and year out, I have enjoyed the prestige of being a Bama alumni as I joyously watch my alma mater continually vie for the National Championship. Not only do you get a wonderful bargain education at UA that can certainly hold its own in the workplace, but come every fall, Bama love makes many weekends much sweeter. Thirty years later and 1200 miles away, I can tell you I still get value from UA. Roll Tide!
@knowstuff, so great to hear from another happy Bama alumnus! Howās the weather in Boston? Just kidding!
Tuscaloosa was a āwinter wonderlandā yesterday with that beautiful dusting of snow they got. My son had a great time celebrating a āsnow dayā once the snow finally arrived last evening. Bear Bryant looks really good with a little snow on his bronze houndstooth hat!
And just so you know, I believe this thread was originally started to celebrate the choosing of UA over other, more āprestigious,ā schools, not to āworry about missed prestige.ā As has been your experience, I donāt think many of our kids have any regrets about their decision to attend Bama. My freshman son is having the time of his life at his āsafetyā school. Heās doing well taking challenging classes, already has three interviews for possible co-ops, and is making friends from all over the country. All for half the price of our state flagship.
Roll Tide, stay warm, and please come back again! 
Our daughter is a HS senior, and just decided to attend UA after our visit! We had visited so MANY schools in the past two yearsā¦she tried to be really selective when applying just to conserve time and effort, and chose to apply to eight schools, most of which had an unusual major she was looking for (she has since changed her plan regarding that major), and all had possibility of merit scholarships. She was accepted to DePaul (half tuition merit scholarship), U of Oklahoma (NMF scholarship is generous), U of Mississippi (NMF scholarship) and Bellarmine (regional, small U instate, half tuition merit scholarship), and was awaiting word on 3 private colleges (all had possibility of tuition scholarships), but the awesome NMF scholarship (tuition plus stipend) plus the wonderful choice of majors, ability to double major, lots of AP credit, honors college and best suite style housing possibilities, the professionalism of the people we met, the friendly students, and beautiful campus (really stunning!!!) were all so impressive that she has made her choice. We are all very happy with her choice.
Well, I think many on CC are obsessed over prestige, that is not most of the world.
DS hasnāt definitely decided, but UA is #1 right now. So far, everyone who finds out he may be going to UA are VERY impressed, and respond w/ Roll Tide! In an area where Penn State rules.
That was our experience as well, @laraleiā. Many of my neighbors are Penn State grads and/or have kids who are current students or alumni, and while they were excited when my son was considering Penn State, they all totally got why he chose Bama, especially when we told them about the scholarships he was offered. (They all love PSU, but it is NOT inexpensive for Pennsylvanians.)
Even at my sonās private HS, where the vast majority of students head for elite schools (mainly private) after graduation, he never got a negative reaction to his choice of Alabamaāon the contrary, most people thought it was great he was willing to think āoutside the boxā and save his old parents some money.
laralie, obviously people who send their kids to UA get it, however, we did have to justify why we sent our 2nd son to UA. I remember meeting a friend the summer after his first year and she stated that āI still donāt understand why he went to Alabamaā with a shaking head. A fantastic public school where my son will graduate with two majors and a graduate degree in 4 years without DEBT - what canāt she understand?
Good luck to your son wherever he decides is the best place for him.
" A fantastic public school where my son will graduate with two majors and a graduate degree in 4 years without DEBT - what canāt she understand?" - Good question.
DS declined offers from Washington & Lee, Emory, Rhodes, U. of Richmond, Miami, Florida, Baylor ,SMU & Texas A & M-all with merit scholarship money ( to name a few, and yes, I think he overdid it as well) to attend Alabama and join the Freshman CBHP and is very happy (as is his Mom and I) that he didā¦Roll Tide!
Passed W&L? Wow, BAMA must have been very appealing to him. Roll tide!
^^paul^^ā¦I liked the historic feel of W&L, but he thought it a little too small and the āfitā at Alabama, as well as the students he met at CBHP too good to pass up. Looking forward to his time at Alabamaā¦maybe heāll meet up with you up there, what are you majoring in? Roll Tide!
Chem. E. by the way I am already here. Itās my first semester though 