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The University of Alabama

How this student rated the school
Alumni Survey
Describes the student body as:

Describes the faculty as:

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Super Brilliant
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Date: Jul 29 2011
Major: Business - Management and Administration (This Major's Salary over time)
If your goal is to go to an easy college, party all the time, get into the Greek system, and if you consider college football a religion and worship at the feet of its coaches and players ? the University of Alabama is a great school.

If you want to go to a well regarded university that is challenging academically and receive a degree that will help you find a successful career after college ? the University of Alabama is one of the worst universities out there.

Since I graduated almost a decade ago, I think I?m qualified to give a well rounded and experienced review.

Don?t believe the marketing hype. The College of Commerce and Business Administration (C&BA) is NOT a well regarded business school. If you plan to look for a job after graduation in any other state besides Alabama ? don?t waste your time at UA. Also, you will find even in Birmingham (largest city in AL), the UA business school grads are not very well represented among the business community.

If you need proof, go to the US Department of Education?s website and look for their statistics on college loan repayment rates by college. The Universities of Alabama?s student loan repayment rate is 48%. Only 48% of grads are even in repayment status on their loans. In other words, only 48% of students who graduated with a student loan can pay ANYTHING at all toward their student loans. That?s a pretty sure sign that UA grads have a difficult time after college. I can attest to that. I have never been able to even use my UA degree; even after years of trying.

Don?t get me wrong. I enjoyed my time at UA. I did my share of partying. And, I had fun at the home football games (I liked the really cheap tickets ? I?ve heard they?re not cheap for students anymore). However, my honest opinion is that my time at UA was a complete waste as far as a career is concerned. I also wish I could take back all the money I spent there. By far the WORST investment I?ve ever made (And I was invested in Bear Stearns).

The only people I would recommend UA to would be a young person who already has some kind of job with a family business waiting for them after college.

Anyway, take this review for whatever you think its worth. If you don?t believe anything I?ve written, please believe this ? NEVER take out a student loan. NEVER. No matter what you think; that would be the worst financial mistake you will ever make. It would be a mistake that will haunt you for many years, be damaging to you and your family, and basically destroy you financially.

Good Luck!

               
Responses
commentThe fact that you rate yourself "super brilliant" says that you should not be taken seriously. Perhaps your degree is not your problem, but your attitude, and humility. Look within for your answer.
responseThe "super brilliant" attribute was a joke. I consider myself somewhere in the middle on the intelligence spectrum (hopefully on the higher end). I think my attitude is better than most considering I paid for my UA degree by myself with lots of part -time jobs and Army college fund payments (I am a vet). I have never been able to use my UA degree. I was the first in my family to attend college and I had high hopes after graduating. I tried everything I could think of to get a good job after graduating. I was a regular at the UA career center. I honestly never came across an employer that was even slightly impressed with my UA MBA. Also, achieving an advanced degree took a considerable amount of money and years. In fact, I struggle with student loan payments every month with no end in sight. My UA business degree turned out to be a bad investment for me. Worse, the student loan I used to pay for my UA MBA (yes, MBA) when my ARMY money ran out has damaged me financially for many years. With many more years of damage to go. I would much rather spend that money on my family or save it rather than send it off to pay for something that will never help me in any way other than to brag about a football teams winnings. I hope you have better luck. I wish no one to go through what I have. Perception is always clearer after you experience something. My perception of the University of Alabama has changed completely. It is not an "institute of higher learning preparing students for a successful career". It is simply a business. UA (and plenty of other colleges) make millions on the false perception stated above. I'm sorry to say that. I really wish things were different.
Hi! Don't you think it all depends on what you study? My son is a freshman at UA right now, on scholarship, and double-majoring in History and Classics. His Greek class is killer! (And he had three years of classical Greek in high school.) He's not in a fraternity, and he hangs out with other kids with intellectual interests like his. ISTM any school as large as UA will have lots of little sub-cultures where you can find like-minded people who share your interests. Look at Mallet Assembly, for example—Emo Central! So, anyway, I have to disagree. I'm sorry your experience was so negative. So far, my son is really enjoying UA. Wish it had been better for you, too!
Also—I am really sorry re your job-seeking experience. Now is a hard time to be a young person entering a career. My son plans on law school, which does worry us, because the outlook for law-school grads is bleak right now. But as others have noted, law school is almost the only option for people who don't like math, lol. Anyway—hope you find a good job that will help you pay off your student loans. And hope the economy improves for the sake of all young people out there!
responseHello. I didn't mean for this review to become a discussion place; however, when I read these comments, I feel the need to respond. To answer your first question - Yes. I certainly agree a very strong factor in future possible career success is what someone studies. Most of my friends from college that have done well in life studied in the Medical or Engineering field. I used to joke around with a friend who was studying to become a male nurse. Back then, men were just starting to enter the nursing field. He became a nurse, then went into one of the specialized nursing fields and is now one of the most successful guys I know. I am not a
young person entering a career
I graduated in the late 90s (after a few years in the military) and am fully in middle age. My UA degrees have become a distant memory that I don't even talk about anymore. However, my memory is refreshed every month when I have to send that student loan check to the US Department of Ed. If you had asked me back then if I thought i'd still be paying off a student loan over 10 years after college, I'd have laughed at you and said you were crazy. Fact is, if you are poor, a Student Loan never simply goes away. It is the one type of debt that cannot even be discharged in bankruptcy.

You are wrong if you think i had a negative experience while at UA. I enjoyed my time at UA. It is a very social place with lots of opportunity for interaction with different groups (like you mentioned) and I took full advantage. I had a really positive social experience while a student at UA; however, in terms of investment for a future career - I consider the decision to attend UA a mistake. The unfortunate truth is - UA is a cheap state school with a reputation as a place for partying and football. People with degrees are a dime a dozen these days and most of them get their degree from an easy entry, cheap state school like UA. I think UA has over 30,000 students enrolled these days. In other words, UA on a resume doesn't turn heads. Every interviewer I've had (many over the years) skip right over that little entry and immediately ask about work experience.

I wish I had never written this review. I certainly don't blame UA for my lack of monetary success in life. I am happily married to a wonderful Lady, have an amazing family, good friends, fun hobbies, and honestly couldn't ask the Lord for much more. I don't judge success by how much money someone has in the bank. However, it is stressful writing that check every month when times are tough. I wrote this review after writing one of those checks.

What bothers me the most is how Universities market themselves these days. Maybe 30-40 years ago, a college degree was a prestigious thing to have and was something that really helped people with a job search. That is no longer the case. Degrees are easily accessible to anyone with any desire at all to get one. Financial Aid for all. And, universities are making millions off the, no longer valid, perception I mentioned above. UA is not alone promoting this false belief, it makes them Millions.

I have friends with kids at UA. And, I hate to say it, but it disgusts me when I hear that UA pays it's football coach over $4 million a year and the career center is barely funded at all. I can assure you, my progeny will not study at my alma mater.

Your Son sounds intelligent. I wish him luck.

responseThe football coach does not get paid by the University but by successful alumi. I graduated from U of A as well, great school with a great reputation. it all depends on your degree, sorry life has been tough on you, it is tough on everyone.
responseReally? I honestly didn't think anyone actually believed that. Saban is an employee of the University. He is a very valuable employee. He uses Slave labor to help bring in over a Billion dollars (Yes, Billion with a B) to the SEC every year (read the shame of college sports in the Atlantic magazine). He deserves a high salary. But, the way he earns it is morally questionable. As for "sucessful alumni". I would very much like to see some names there; not just speculation. I think Gomer just died, I bet his name is still on the list.
responseWell, two famous, er infamous graduates: Bernie Madoff, and George Wallace. But they did graduate a Supreme Court Justice (Hugo Black).
commentIf you Google a list of successful UA Alumni, most all you get is a long list of football players who made it to the NFL.
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