@parishlove is absolute correct on this. For the past several years a majority of the freshman class has been from out of state. A lot of very talented Texas kids from affluent areas are squeezed out of their college of choice by that state’s 10 percent rule. A lot comefrom Georgia, because that stat’s Hope Scholarship has made admission to UGA really tough (the 25-75 percentiles on ACT are 27-31 and the average ACT is 29).
In addition, there have always been a bunch of Ole Miss students from Memphis and the rest of Tennessee, southeast Missouri, and Louisiana. What’s different to day is that they are coming from all over. I will say that two or three of the very top fraternities or sororities recruit overwhelmingly from Mississippi and Memphis. The “local” alumni base helps keep these groups very strong. But it’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out with all of the very smart and often wealthy OOS students that are pouring in.
I will share an interesting if mostly unrelated story. In the late 1930s an Italian by the name of John Farese from Boston attended the Ole Miss law school. According to the stories I’ve always heard, as graduation neared he lamented to one or more of his professors that he would never get a job in Boston because at that time few of them would hire an Italian. He was advised to find a Mississippi county without an attorney and hang out his shingle. He found such a rural county and became quite successful; In 1952 he and his wife became the first American couple to both serve in a state legislature at the same time. His progeny are now considered among the best criminal lawyers in the Southeast.
I only share this because it shows how attracting OOS students can benefit the state as a whole. I know a number of OOS students who have stayed in Mississippi or used their connections to great advantage… The family has this family history on their law firm website, and it’s worth reading. The link is below; I hope some of you will enjoy reading it. (And yes, if a student has a problem with the law, they are among the three or four firms one should call).