Though why should AP credits matter if 'Bama gives more than a full-tutition scholarship already? AP wouldn’t save you on tuition costs (which are already 0).
Hearing other points of view is very helpful. We are working through this as a family - pros and cons of each school have been written out and discussed. Still gathering information and asking questions at the schools. We can stretch and do the full pay if we need to.
@StewyGriffin We have had some discussion and will continue those discussions until we have a resolution. He has been in touch with students from the different schools. I have a couple of questions to ask at the schools but we will sit down as a family again and reach a final conclusion. Sounds like we are approaching this in a similar fashion. And I do pray that we will reach the same conclusion.
^You can use the AP credits to take electives or higher level courses, I suppose. Or to graduate early, so you save on room & board.
@almostdonemom, it seems like your kid wants you to pay for a luxury good. What if you offerred him the choice between WashU vs. Case/UIUC+ money (possibly for something that he wants)? Life is about trade-offs, and between Case & UIUC, there is a decent amount of variety, so he has a choice.
For one thing it would give a kid more leeway in taking a less taxing schedule.
The big thing, however, is that by graduating early you can use the remaining scholarship money toward a masters at 'Bama.
DD and DW attended an admitted students event in our town tonight and the head of the aerospace dept talked. They said he did a great job. DD also ran into one of her former classmates whom she liked from the magnet schools who is going there as well. There may be hope yet 
For which school, TV4caster?
Oh, Bama also lets you use scholarship for study abroad so that might be another option for a kid with a lot of AP credits.
feels sad again that D is not picking Bama.
@PurpleTitan He called WUSTL today to ask them some questions and then we talked. During our discussion he told me that Case might just be the perfect compromise. He’s working through all the pros and cons of each school and getting closer to an answer. He realizes that every choice involves a trade off. I’m hoping he’ll get there on his own and that wherever he ends up he will be happy and make the most of the opportunities. It is so helpful to “talk it out” in this forum.
@twoinanddone 'Bama. If she goes there she would major in aerospace eng. At UVA she has no clue what she would study.
@scholarme Exactly. Between 3 and 9 credits at UVA and most likely 24-27 at 'Bama.
We are now sending child #3 through the process. If your situation had been my first child 7 yrs ago, I probably would have said yes to dipping into retirement (it would be a “dump” for me though as that would have taken it all). Had she gotten into the Ivies as so many who have 4.0s and perfect SAT scores want, at the time I probably would have done whatever it took. We all know it’s not a good idea. But at the time I probably would have.
However, she did not get into her beloved Ivies and ended up though at a very good school. Not a full ride, but with aid. And they had a strong dept in her major.
She is now working on her PhD (fully funded). Her second year she received an NSF grant that gave her a salary of about 12k more than her normal meager salary as a PhD student. She recently received a another very prestigious national award. I am not saying this to brag (ok, maybe a little;) but seriously, to make a point. She ended up loving the school she went to. Her undergraduate program allowed her to obtain a research grant and was published before she even started her graduate program.
Because of her great program in undergrad (her “safety” non-Ivy school) she was accepted to 4 different and nationally known schools for her PhD program and chose the school that had the top ranked program in her field.
All that to say is I really don’t think she could have done any better at the Ivies. It is most important to look at the program/major within the university.
It’s one of those “if I knew then what I know now” things. Looking back, if DD#1 got that free ride at a “very good school” ,she would have taken that free ride. It’s a tough one. Best of luck to you and you family!
This is our #3 too which is likely affects our point of view. Our other kids have done well. Both went to smaller schools, with merit money, and on to good graduate programs. Sounds like my oldest and your D had similar situations right down to the NSF funding. I will absolutely share your post with my son this weekend. These are things I know too, but there is a lot of emotion around the process. I do tell him wherever he goes he needs to be at the top - good gpa and to look at opportunities for research and internships because that matters. The best grad programs draw from more than the Ivies…Thanks for the good wishes.
Update: DD ended up asking me today to make the deposit to 'Bama instead of UVA. In the end she came around and decided the opportunities were more important than the prestige factor.
Congrats to your dd, @tv4caster My ds has loved every minute of his yr there. He just called a little while ago. He has finished his last final and has a major programming project to complete. I hope your dd is as happy at UA as our ds. He has zero regrets!
Congrats, @TV4caster!
Mine turned down several more “prestigious” schools for Bama Engineering last year and has no regrets whatsoever. He had a great first year (academically AND socially) and was offered a co-op that he will begin in two weeks. Prestige is nice, but I’ve found that in the South (where my son’s co-op is located), Bama engineering is plenty prestigious enough. (Never mind the help we got from other Bama families helping our son find housing on short notice. It was nothing short of astounding.) Roll Tide!