cobaltburrito

Hi y'all, I'm looking at the University of Alabama as a safety to apply to this fall.

I'm planning on majoring in an engineering field(probably mechanical).

I'm curious as to whether or not I will receive much merit aid from the University.

Stats:
White Male, Out of State
3.96 unweighted GPA
35 ACT

Internet Nomad

You'll probably get the Presidential Scholarship which is full tuition in-state and out-of-state. If you're a National Merit Finalist you'll get tuition, housing, laptop, study abroad money, and a thousand dollars a year. You should also look into the Academic Elite Scholarship and the University Fellows program. Amazing but very competitive opportunities:

Undergraduate Scholarships - The University of Alabama

momof3boyz

" I'm looking at the University of Alabama as a safety to apply to this fall."

cobalt,
I hope to encourage you to reconsider how you classify or rank colleges on your list of "possible" schools. Having watched two sons approach the college selection process from completely different angles, my recent HS grad only considered the most highly reguarded schools in his field of study and schools with the toughest admission standards. His stats are similar to yours: white male, out of state, 4.0 unweighted GPA, 35 ACT, plus 8 AP grades (all 5's). Not only is he a NMF and at the top of his class (2/408), he is also a recruited athlete.

My son was offered more than $800,000 in merit scholarships from the 10 schools he appied to. This amount doesn't even include the number of offers from schools he had turned his nose at. I however took interest in the Alabama's Honors College. The financial benefits offered to NMF's could not be ignored. I asked my son to apply to Alabama. Why not, he had nothing to loose.

My son wanted to revisit Emory during Spring Break. We added Alabama to the trip (three hours west of Atlanta). Every contact from Alabama's staff was welcoming and the campus was beautiful! The facilities are well maintained (both new and older buildings). Most freshman are housed in newer dorms set up like apartments. Many get their own 10' x 10' bedroom with shared baths, kitchen and common room. My son spent the night in the dorm with an athlete in his sport. We met the coach, a professor and the Dean of the Honors College. Our 45 minute scheduled appointment with the Dean turned into a 1 1/2 hour visit. My son knows he is in control of his education plan at Alabama. If the existing class offerings don't offer a specific subject, the Dean will see to it that adjustments are made. Just after we left the Dean, my son's comment said it all. "I wish Dean Haley could be MY Grandpa!" He knew he would be happy at Alabama.

My point is, don't judge a school by it's name, rankings or the perceived reputation. You must visit and come to YOUR OWN conclusions. The name of the institution on your undergrad diploma does not carry as much weight as the Ivies use in their sales pitch.

vig180

Well I don't think cobalt meant for it to sound patronizing, but it was interesting for me to note a few years back when I went down for the Academic Elite scholarship interview how many of my fellow interviewees seemed to treat the whole business like a safety school and basically blew off the interview committee or sat silent the whole time. By treating the big scholarship application process like it was a "reach", I think I was able to make a good impression on them by showing I had done my homework and really wanted to be there. Sure UA itself may be a safety- and with the NMF scholarship a really good safety- but if you want to get into the honors programs there and win the Academic Elite scholarships, then you might want to take a bit more in-depth look. This advice also applies to all "safety" schools in general- many of them have incredible scholarship deals awarded to a few top students which are just as competitive, if not more so, than Harvard, Yale, etc.

I also agree with momof3boyz that UA really rolls out the red carpet for top students- all of my communication with them was wonderful and turning them down was one of the hardest things I've done. The NMF scholarship/presidential scholarship are great guarantees but the Academic Elite scholarships are perhaps the 2nd-best deal I've seen in the nation (besides the scholarship I eventually took, of course), and believe me, I looked everywhere. Plus UA has the great Computer-Based Honors Program and the Blount Undergraduate Initiative, both of which are very unique and ought to satisfy the intellectual curiosity of any student. In short, I definitely think UA is an excellent choice to apply to for any high-achieving student and they certainly have scholarships worthy of your consideration if you take the time to apply for them. Definitely get in touch with the people over at the honors college/admission office to get on their radar and get more info.

uaprophet

Alabama may be far from the prestige of an Ivy League or equivalent school, I believe that stems from the fact that we do not deny the average student. An Ivy League has nothing but scholars while we allow the average person to recieve a great education. Because we have every type of student, those who goof off effect our image. However, if you are a hard worker you will come out on top. Alabama truly does help any student who is truly out to accomplish great things. We are steadily improving our image daily and many of my professors know people in high places and can help you out.

Also, you have the credentials to possibly receive an Academic Elite Scholarship. I received the National Merit package which is wonderful but the Academic Elite surpasses even the superb National Merit package. To be able to graduate debt free and even make money off going to school helps as well (I was able to buy a new car through scholarship refunds).

Furthermore I am a chemical engineer major and my peers are receiving great job offers. So career opportunities are not lacking. Again, as long as you are doing your part to make the grade and do a little networking you will be fine.

You're 99% likely to get housed in the honors dorms which are a suite style dorm (as the person mentioned above). The newer dorms which are for all freshmen are suite style as well.

You should definitely look into the Computer Based Honors Program. It is an even smaller program within the honors program as they only accept about 40freshmen a year. Beginning your sophomore year you have to opportunity to do research with professors which can range from computational chemistry (which I did) to creating 3-d maps of the university or even looking at the sentencing practices of judges across several states for felonies. The small close knit 'family' of the CBHP can help you further access opportunities that might be more difficult.

Overall, if you decide to attend I'm sure you will be satisfied. I know I am having a blast and I can't wait to get back in mid-August.

jaf1991

So does that Presidential Scholarship cover the full cost of tuition for OOS, or just the difference between out-of-state and in-state?

uaprophet

It covers full tuition.

jaf1991

Thank you. That's how I was reading it but I wanted to make sure. That's a super deal. It makes Alabama and better buy for us than the University of Washington (our in-state school) even factoring in the travel expenses.