<p>@written words</p>
<p>My D was one of the top students in her high school up here in Madison County (Huntsville area, but we’re in the county school system). She had the grades and test scores to qualify for admission to any college she chose. (Of course, actually being accepted would have been another story, since so many qualified kids with equally impressive stats apply to top schools.) UA was the ONLY school she even considered applying to.</p>
<p>She ended up with one of the elite Crimson Scholarships (equivalent to the NMF scholarships, but awarded on a competitive basis, not solely on a test score), is part of the Honors College and the Emerging Scholars program. As such, she is surrounded by kids who are just as smart as she is, and probably quite a few who are even smarter. :)</p>
<p>I agree with loring that what you have seen and experienced as a local high school student is much, much different than the actual experience as an on-campus UA student. It’s also very common that students want to get away from their hometown. Huntsvlle is a wonderful area, but D couldn’t get out of here fast enough and on to a college experience in a different town!</p>
<p>We all here think UA is a fabulous school, but there are many other fabulous schools out there. I would encourage you not to look at UA as just a safety school. Think about what majors might be of interest to you, and check out those departments. Talk to some of the faculty, arrange a campus tour through the Honors College. Talk to some of the students in the Honors College to see what they think of their UA experience.</p>
<p>You may end up deciding that another school is a better fit for you personally, and that’s okay. But you could end up discovering that UA is a wonderful fit, too.</p>