Engineering Programs with Generous Merit Aid for Women?

SOSConcern
Tue, 23 Jun 2015 16:49:50 +0000

I have knows students to say ‘I don’t want to go to XX’ and then within 15 minutes on campus change their mind! They may be clouded with an idea that one thing is really negative and that idea gets dis-spelled.

And each student impression is much different than others.

A lot of difference at UA between when your brother visited and the next generation,@eyemgh . Also a large campus is going to have diversity - and UA has a lot more diversity with so many OOS students (and OOS from non-southern states).

So perhaps @eyemgh son will like schools in his region and have something he is happy with. Maybe he fears how people think/behave in other areas that may or may not be really true.

I also know a OOS fellow that had zero interest in southern school (even though UA was a great fit for him on scholarship and his intended major - env’tal eng) - his dad graduated from AU and parents had lived at one time in B’ham (with some relatives in AL too). They didn’t ‘make’ him visit, or apply. So kid thought he was going to have a lot of options like Stanford (ACT was too low, but he believed he had a chance), yet it turns out only his state school safety admitted him for his major. So now he is going to a school where he can only go 2 years and then 3 at a few optional schools for env’tal eng - if he even finishes in his intended major (my bet is that he will finish a 4 year degree where he starts, changing his major). Parents allowed the kid to not have enough financial and academic safeties; I think they were all surprised that this boy didn’t get more options.

UAH has a relatively good student population - students that have ambition and academic aptitude. Getting large enough and developing enough of a campus to be less of a suitcase school.

For some, financial fit along with academic fit means making sure that they are looking at enough schools (and getting on campus before a final decision). Also, some parents don’t want themselves or their children saddled with unnecessary student loans when they can see some options their student may not be initially willing to look at.

When someone is from an even more remote place (like Hawaii), the student is going to have ideas, fears, etc that someone that has more travel in other states may also not have.

Parents are part of this process, some less, some more than others.

As parents, we were glad the best academic fit (outside of commuting to our local university) and scholarships were where our kids chose to attend.