I believe @mom2collegekids has corrected some perceptions on the caliper of honors students at UA (and the pretty sizable number of students with high stats) in this thread, and @KaRU unknowing position about culture shock, as she pointed out there is no ‘culture shock’ going to UA. There are some nice southern things, sayings, food, etc that people OOS learn about, but it is a fringe positive.
@boolaHI - OK so we know you have a bias for UCLA as you admitted you have two degrees from there. None of my three degree are from either UCLA or UA. I can say I have seen and known about UA over many years both professionally and personally. I have no personal knowledge of UCLA. However the student posts from current UCLA student @Dj22state is very helpful.
For ‘full disclosure’ I have a UG student at UAB (studying nursing, very large nursing program through two doctorate degrees offered) and a UG student at UA studying civil eng. Both had very generous scholarships. We are in-state, but they both would have qualified for OOS scholarships. They will both graduate w/o any student debt. If we had a very tight budget (for room and board) they both could have been scholarship students and been commuter students to UAHuntsville (15 minutes drive from home), which has both of their degree plans. However they are attending the school of choice and a great match for them.
Several CA schools get really high ratings with an international listing (they have listed MIT as the top US school two years in a row) so that affects applications; CA is a very populous state (Hello!) and so many, many in-state applicants. The number of applicants doesn’t mean UCLA is SO superior. Since it does attract very good students, as @Dj22state has said. Alabama has many fine higher education opportunities in-state, so many fine students go to more local colleges where they get merit, have jobs/family, etc. UA is the flagship school, but many good opportunities at other universities and colleges throughout the state. For example Auburn, UABirmingham, University of South Alabama (AU has pharmacy and some other programs, UAB and USA have medical schools and other programs - PT, dental, etc), UAH is also in that top tier of fine universities, it is next to a large research park (one of the biggest in the nation) and many high tech jobs (it always makes the top 10 lists for engineering, techie, etc) and UAH has numerous PhD engineering and other programs. UA has found success with offering the OOS high stat student scholarships, and it helps fulfill the UA Mission.
@boolaHI you really talk like you have not been on UA campus recently, and you go way overboard on UCLA - IMHO… There has been a tremendous amount of new construction at UA since 2003/2004. It is a top 10 most beautiful campuses. UCLA may be very nice, but the beauty of the campus is secondary to educational opportunities and COA. With all that new construction, the faculty has grown as have program opportunities for UG students.
UA has a very fine law school, and 2013 marks the fifth consecutive year that 10 or more Alabama Law graduates have been placed in federal judicial clerkships. Alabama Law has the 11th highest percentage of graduates with Federal Clerkships in the nation, as reported by U.S. News and World Report in June 2014. Eight U.S. Supreme Court justices have addressed Alabama Law students in the last decade. Most recently, in October 2013, Justice Elena Kagan delivered a lecture to our students. Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Clarence Thomas, and Justice John Paul Stevens visited in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. The Chief Justice of Australia’s High Court delivered a lecture to Alabama Law’s students in January 2011.
So @KaRU you were a Rutger’s student (you say current in a 2006 thread you posted) - so I am assuming now you are still a young adult. If you have not attended either of these school nor lived in CA or AL, and have very limited ideas about what really is going on within these two universities and the kind of opportunities within these states. Maybe tell us your history - did you borrow money to attend Rutger’s and what is your degree and where are you living and what kind of income, and do you have student loans? Maybe you know someone like this student, that chose to attend UCLA with loans?
I have worked for two universities (in TX and AL, not UA), have graduate degrees from these two states (both in business) and an UG degree (non-business) from a private college in Milwaukee.
The cream rises to the top wherever they are. For example John Hendricks who graduated in 1974 from University of AL in Huntsville (which started as a satellite campus but now is its own University, so was pretty small in 1974) who is the founder of Discovery Channel and Discovery Communications (google him and see what Wikipedia says; oh and the Wikipedia developer also grew up in Huntsville…) UAH gave Mr. Hendricks opportunities (like he worked as a student in UAH President Grave’s office - Dr. Graves was the first UAH President). John Hendricks was able to take advantage of where he was planted, and professionals around him mentored him.
I think it is a shame that the amount of money is being very discounted by these two CC posters.
Good luck OP, and I sure hope you don’t regret your college choice decision. If you have visited both campuses, it is worth visiting again for a closer look if you truly are torn.