(UAlabama) As the son of two graduates of the University

How this student rated the school

Educational Quality	B-	Faculty Accessibility	C
Useful Schoolwork	B	Excess Competition	D
Academic Success	B	Creativity/ Innovation	C
Individual Value	D	University Resource Use	C+
Campus Aesthetics/ Beauty	B-	Friendliness	D
Campus Maintenance	C	Social Life	B-
Surrounding City	D+	Extra Curriculars	B
Safety	A

Describes the student body as: Arrogant, Snooty Describes the faculty as: Self Absorbed

Male

Quite Bright

Lowest Rating Excess Competition	D

Highest Rating Safety	A

He cares more about Friendliness than the average student.

Date: May 09 2009
Major: Telecommunications (This Major's Salary over time)
As the son of two graduates of the University of Alabama, and as a lifelong resident of Tuscaloosa, my review of the University is from someone who knows it quite well (and it may surprise you).

Positives: The education is pretty good. It's not Harvard, but it's solid. I probably learned the most in my liberal arts and elective classes outside my major. The faculty is very hit and miss, but some of them are very helpful (others, well…). The campus has SOME very nice parts to it (Quad, Lakeside, River Road Park). The school is not overwhelmingly conservative, even though that seems to be the perception. The campus is safe and I never felt even the slightest bit of danger at any time. Football season is exciting and there are always a ton of pretty girls anywhere you look.

Negatives: The student body is largely unfriendly and everyone tries to dress and look the same. Greek life overshadows everything at UA and not in a positive way. The dress code seems to be (for guys) North Pace jackets, sandals, frizzy hair, and sunglasses that you hang from your neck when you're not wearing them. A handful of the Greeks are friendly, but the vast majority are mean spirited. The student body, and I'm generalizing, seem to be scared of individuality. It's a very sheepish mindset. Intellectuals exist but you have to seek them out (most are in New College or Engineering). There are some faculty who are very poor (Wendy Bruce, Leslie Dixon, come to mind). Parts of the campus are in bad shape (Gordon Palmer, Rowand Johnson). Parking is a chronic problem but there's never a shortage of people handing out tickets if you park anywhere even close to your class. Tuition only seems to be going up and if you're not from Alabama or the South, you may feel out of place both culturally and socially. The town of Tuscaloosa is small and there isn't much here to do except drink.

Overall: I simply can't give a full recommendation to Alabama. Even as a second generation legacy student, I have seen too many negatives (almost all of which were of the social variety) to encourage my son or daughter to attend the school one day. Even if you wanted to pledge to a Frat or Sorority, the hazing stories I heard from relatives were absolutely horrible. The education is actually pretty good (though not elite) and the school's academic ranking has been steadily climbing (it's the fourth highest ranked school in the SEC, behind Vanderbilt, Florida, and Georgia). Alabama is plagued by its own sheepishness though, and even though I met some nice people during my time there, they were easily in the minority. There are simply better options out there than Alabama, especially for the intellectual crowd.

Responses

The above response is not only ridiculously negative, but also very out-of-date. The school has made tremendous strides over the last 10 years…over 40 new buildings, aggressive recruitment of high stats kids from all over the country, and the hiring of top profs.

This student sounds like someone who is a local who was not given a choice, so he felt railroaded into his local school. (BTW…every school has parking issues, some bad profs, and some buildings that need remodeling). And, as for friendliness…Bama's campus is - by far - friendlier than most campuses. This person needs to get out more to realize what other colleges are like.

Considering that 25% of the student body has an ACT 30 or higher, this person's review is so horribly out of date.

The Honors College is amazing. There are 4 different programs. Two of the programs are highly competitive with average ACTs of 33.

I have had 2 kids at Bama. One has just graduated and is now working on his PhD at a Top 20 school. The other is an engineering student who is also pre-med. To suggest that they didn't get an outstanding education is ridiculous.

I just noticed that this person neglected to include his own SAT or ACT score…and, he's a Telecommunications major. Uhhh…guess what…not exactly very academically-challenging major.

My kids declared challenging majors…Mathematics and Chemical Engineering. And, I'm not afraid to post their stats. Both had ACTs of 33 or higher, both had SATs above 2280. One was a NMF. One was the Val and the other was the Sal of their high school classes. Both have found the academics at Bama to be very challenging.

^ Could not agree more. My son is a freshman at UA and loving it. He fits NONE of the stereotypes. He's non-Greek, nerdy, intellectual (NMF), and somewhat Bohemian. He has made tons of friends (from frat kids to the nerds and emos at Mallet Assembly), and he loves his classes, especially his Latin 301 class. He turned down UNC Chapel Hill for the great NMF scholarship package at UA, and we have not regretted this for one minute. ROLL TIDE!

Hey, come on, y'all. This guy knew a thing or two about UA when he wrote it, and he hardly is damning the school in every sentence. He states his own perceptions of the school's pros and cons, and reaches a conclusion as best he can. That's his right. All I ask of people who write college reviews is that they give their opinion calmly and back it up logically and reasonably. This reviewer did that.

I think the original review, combined with the comments added later on, make this one of the more complete reviews on this school. You see UA praised and criticized, discussed from many different angles and by different people. I wish all college reviews gave us such a good chance to make our own conclusion. As I college student who will be choosing a school to transfer to by Fall 2012-Spring 2013, I have a definite interest in whether UA is good enough. I appreciate everybody making these comments- they've helped a lot.

I think the original review, combined with the comments added later on, make this one of the more complete reviews on this school. You see UA praised and criticized, discussed from many different angles and by different people. I wish all college reviews gave us such a good chance to make our own conclusion. As a college student who will be choosing a school to transfer to by Fall 2012-Spring 2013, I have a definite interest in whether UA is good enough. I appreciate everybody making these comments- they've helped a lot.

Simply put, the original reviewer is correct. I have to laugh at seeing someone that actually attends the school and is a legacy of it being condemned by parents who simply pass in and out of the campus occasionally at best. Honestly, if you are going to write a reply attempting to defend an assessment of a school, it is suggested that you have some actual experience with the campus and social life to begin with. Additionally, with the reply's poking fun at the reviewer's academic credentials, and the supposed superiority of their own students…quite frankly I'm embarrassed that they were written by adults.

None of the responses from the parents address the core of the original reviewer's issues with UA: that of a lack of social diversity and individuality. Having attended two other schools for my undergraduate and graduate science programs, I have a bit of experience on a college campus, and this one is not particularly promising in many areas. Perhaps the parents are unfamiliar with greek life here, or simply have not spent time enough on campus to become better informed. Either way, I would forgive them, as they likely do not know the greek scene themselves. Having been greek in a well-known fraternity through all of my undergrad, I find the environment here ridiculous to say the least, and will not wear my letters around campus.

I have seen the real numbers for this campus in terms of average GPA, major, ACT, and it's not even close to what is being suggested. In UA's rush to expansion, the bar has been lowered so far concerning entrance requirements and degree strength that you simply can't see it anymore for the most part. A few well-ranked degree programs (aero engineering, geology, Manderson MBA, ect) pick up the slack for hundreds of mediocre ones, and that's being generous. Mine has excellent research facilities and outstanding faculty; many others simply do not. Colleges lowering the bar is not a trend unique to UA, however it is more severe here than many.

Yes the school does have a solid honors college. I interact with multiple individuals from it daily, however, their numbers are small compared to overall enrollment. I do enjoy my time here, and have a great group of friends. I'm not bitter or disillusioned with this school at all, however, I can be realistic regarding this school's true strengths and weaknesses. Bottom line, the original review was a bit negative, but points out the truth of this campus for what it is. Perhaps those with previous reply's may be better served spending a bit more time on campus to discover this.

I would love an opinion if nursing program. I have a daughter considering applying. We are from Nevada and she has a 4.0 unweighted and over 5.0 weighted gpa (upon finishing high school). We have been told that the scholarship levels are generous. Only took ACT so far but will be taking it again to improve. Any info would be great. Thank you very much

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