University of Alabama Class of 2014 Forum

[tarakit]

I'll be honest, I mainly applied for the T-shirt. But since they were nice enough to let me in I do want to give them serious consideration (especially if the scholarship package is nice)... Is being in the state of Alabama as awful as it sounds? Are there more modernized areas?

Spend some time on google before you ask if civilization has come to Alabama.

[jwaters]

.

[aliarrow]

Touchy subject...

I didn't mean uncivilized, I mainly just meant extremely boring (even Florida seems to fit into this category for me).

[bergg007]

dont have the credentials Alabama is looking for

a 166 or above... or URM?

Probably.

I dont think it was too harsh - You get in where you fit in.

I'm not so sure about that. i think you get in where your LSAT dictates more often than not. Mybrother has a friend at Alabama who says there is a serious bi-modal distribution, where half the class is dumb and the rest are competitive. Don't get me wrong I'm not making fun of the school, i'm going there afterall.

[onmytoes812]

Is being in the state of Alabama as awful as it sounds? Are there more modernized areas?

wow. i grew up in Alabama, so I can tell you firsthand that i did enjoy riding my tractor down unpaved roads to the one room schoolhouse...where we learned about the War of Northern Aggression and signed petitions to change the state flag to the Confederate flag.

Seriously, Alabama as a state deserves a lot more credit than it gets. We're not all poor country hicks who can't put sentences together. As far as "modern," one of the top NASA and Boeing cities in the US is Huntsville, and it's also a national leading IT law hub. Auburn has had 6 alums become astronauts, and as a school would rank in the top 20 performing countries in Olympic medal count. Mountain Brook (Birmingham) has one of the top 10 (I think) per capita incomes in the nation, UAB is a top 25 medical school, and there's plenty of internet and cell phone service. I could go on, but I'd suggest just doing some more research.

Plus we're really nice. No really.

[JGStudent]

The snippy comments about scores and who is competitive on top of the insinuations that Alabama (the school and the state) is inferior are really not helpful. It is not our job to evaluate each other or determine who is qualified to attend. That's the school's job and we should respect their decisions. If you like Alabama then apply and accept the outcome. If you don't then give someone else a chance. If you really want to find out what the school and the state are actually like then research and/or visit.

[awsiler]

Is being in the state of Alabama as awful as it sounds? Are there more modernized areas?

wow. i grew up in Alabama, so I can tell you firsthand that i did enjoy riding my tractor down unpaved roads to the one room schoolhouse...where we learned about the War of Northern Aggression and signed petitions to change the state flag to the Confederate flag.

Seriously, Alabama as a state deserves a lot more credit than it gets. We're not all poor country hicks who can't put sentences together. As far as "modern," one of the top NASA and Boeing cities in the US is Huntsville, and it's also a national leading IT law hub. Auburn has had 6 alums become astronauts, and as a school would rank in the top 20 performing countries in Olympic medal count. Mountain Brook (Birmingham) has one of the top 10 (I think) per capita incomes in the nation, UAB is a top 25 medical school, and there's plenty of internet and cell phone service. I could go on, but I'd suggest just doing some more research.

Plus we're really nice. No really.

This one caught my eye. I am from MS, but everyone pretty much views us in the same light. Was nice to see this post ;o) I love to see people put the southern states down, but usually have never been. I have traveled all over the country, and am much happier in a place where people talk to each other (complete strangers), and treat each other with a general respect. I don't have to lock my doors everywhere I go. Beautiful weather. Cities with plenty to do, but rural areas if I like them. There is a reason people like to retire here, and it's not just the weather lol

[Dany]

Lol, Alabama is pretty terrible. I'm definitely excited about moving to a big, northern city. To each his own, I suppose.

[scmatthews]

I'll be honest, I mainly applied for the T-shirt. But since they were nice enough to let me in I do want to give them serious consideration (especially if the scholarship package is nice)... Is being in the state of Alabama as awful as it sounds? Are there more modernized areas?

You applied for the t-shirt?! You're probably holdling up a spot that my friends and I want more than anything for a T-SHIRT? Wow.

So here's your answer. Alabama is WORSE than it sounds. Saturdays are boring. The food is worse than prison. Everyone's ugly. Oh, and there's no indoor plumbing.

[aliarrow]

I'll be honest, I mainly applied for the T-shirt. But since they were nice enough to let me in I do want to give them serious consideration (especially if the scholarship package is nice)... Is being in the state of Alabama as awful as it sounds? Are there more modernized areas?

You applied for the t-shirt?! You're probably holdling up a spot that my friends and I want more than anything for a T-SHIRT? Wow.

So here's your answer. Alabama is WORSE than it sounds. Saturdays are boring. The food is worse than prison. Everyone's ugly. Oh, and there's no indoor plumbing.

Oh... in that case I'll have my withdrawal in by the end of the week.

[amers73]

I'll be honest, I mainly applied for the T-shirt. But since they were nice enough to let me in I do want to give them serious consideration (especially if the scholarship package is nice)... Is being in the state of Alabama as awful as it sounds? Are there more modernized areas?

Seriously? gtfo.

Edited for bolded text.

[aliarrow]

I can understand the sensitivity when people admit to applying for superficial reasons, but really... the school has the most gimmicky offers and is most upfront in it's bribery (Itunes giftcards - which I received two of for some reason, Tshirt, Copy of Law Review), so can you really blame us for applying for the prizes? The school actually gives the students' a profit by applying ($12 in exchange for ~$30+ in goods).

Blame the school for aggressive recruiting that actually works, not the people who accept the gifts (even if we do at times come off dickish about it).

[aliarrow]

Seriously...

School I have little to no interest in offers things if I apply

I apply

They give me things and let me in

I start actually considering the school I wouldn't have previously considered and ask on the thread about the state I know little about and ask if it's more modern than I imagine


I'm not sure what part of this sequence is so wrong.

[awsiler]

Seriously...

School I have little to no interest in offers things if I apply

I apply

They give me things and let me in

I start actually considering the school I wouldn't have previously considered and ask on the thread about the state I know little about and ask if it's more modern than I imagine


I'm not sure what part of this sequence is so wrong.

Probably the part where you asked if its more modern than you imagine. Its not like they are in the stone age lol

[aliarrow]

You can't deny that Alabama (and various other Southern states) have certain reputations. I'm just looking for clarification from someone who actually lives there. I've gotten bored with Florida fast, which is why I don't think Alabama would be a good fit (looking forward to something in NYC/Boston/DC), however I was still curious and wanted to give Alabama a shot since the admissions people seem so friendly.

[Spookyghost]

When I was 16 years old I traveled to Dook University for a program in the summer. I met some guy who was from New York. When learning that I came from Louisiana, he asked me if I knew what Wal-Mart was.

Please don't be like him.

[onmytoes812]

You can't deny that Alabama (and various other Southern states) have certain reputations. I'm just looking for clarification from someone who actually lives there. I've gotten bored with Florida fast, which is why I don't think Alabama would be a good fit (looking forward to something in NYC/Boston/DC), however I was still curious and wanted to give Alabama a shot since the admissions people seem so friendly.

All sarcasm aside from my previous post, Alabama is a wonderful state. Definitely not anywhere near as much to do as NYC or DC, but Birmingham is a good-sized city, and has good shopping, restaurants, and a pretty good nightlife. As much as I hate to say it (I'm an Auburn alum...now THAT is a crazy rivalry), football Saturdays in the SEC just can't be beat. That will keep you entertained and exhausted the entire fall semester (not to mention you'll have a little thing called law school to deal with).

As far as Tuscaloosa, it is not, nor will it ever be, known for its beauty (natural or otherwise) or cultural scene. Just being honest. It gives you a picture of Alabama that is pretty inaccurate, as much of the state is really pretty. But again, it's 40 minutes from Birmingham, and it's a huge undergrad school with plenty of nightlife.

There are parts of Alabama that are underdeveloped, but it's that way in every state. There are even more than a few democrats running around (our state senate just went to a Republican majority for the first time since like the 1850s). I'm not sure I want to stay here right after law school, but I would raise children here for sure.

HTH and feel free to PM me with any other questions.

[jim]

HTH and feel free to PM me with any other questions.

What's the area around the school like, say within 10 miles?

Are there neighborhoods that are notably good or bad? In particular, how is the neighborhood near the southeast parts of campus (where the law school is)?

Thanks

[creader]

Everything I've heard is that if you want to have a nicer home and a good school system for your kids, you should look North of the River. FWIW, I'd advise calling a local realtor, they will give far better advice than any apartment advertisement (especially in regards to school systems).

[jim]

Mybrother has a friend at Alabama who says there is a serious bi-modal distribution, where half the class is dumb and the rest are competitive. Don't get me wrong I'm not making fun of the school, i'm going there afterall.

I hope for the sake of my median scholly this is true

[bergg007]

Mybrother has a friend at Alabama who says there is a serious bi-modal distribution, where half the class is dumb and the rest are competitive. Don't get me wrong I'm not making fun of the school, i'm going there afterall.

I hope for the sake of my median scholly this is true

I also got this impression while sitting in on a class. It seemed like half of the class had no idea what was going on and the other vocal few lead class discussion.

[LttleBlakDress]

I'm a city girl from SF and I freaking loved Alabama when I visited. I'd be going there next year if I weren't so focused on coming home after. But yeah, originally I applied for the itunes.

[tarakit]

At my high school, we all went to school barefoot and prayed all day. Then after school, we went fishing in the creek. Oh, also, my school was only for the white kids. The black kids went to another school down the road. For real?

For the record, I voted for Obama and am not religious and was born in Birmingham...

The campus and the area immediately around the University are very nice and pretty, and the North side of campus is against a river that has a running trail and park beside it. Downtown is nice as well, which is where most of the bars are. Near campus there are: two Thai restaurants, an Indian restaurant, two Chinese restaurants, many "Mediterranean" restaurants, a legit Middle Eastern restaurant, and many other things. McFarland (the main road) is not very pretty. It is mainly strip malls (Target, Old Navy, Starbucks, Chipotle, etc.). I have not really been anywhere else in Tuscaloosa or Northport... and you won't really as a student. Northport and the areas of Tuscaloosa I am aware of are very safe. Like, there is a ghetto, not safe area in Tuscaloosa, but I do not really know where it is. It is far from the University. I'm pretty sure that 10 miles away from Tuscaloosa the country starts... or at least what I consider country. Most of Northport is very, very spread out.

There are very few crimes near campus, and most are alcohol related... (Girl walking home by herself in dark alley late at night got mugged recently... Stuff like that.) There have really only been a couple crimes (mugging, etc.) reported each year I have been here. When something happens, everyone hears about it, so I'm pretty sure there weren't really more violent crimes. There are certain apartment complexes that are better than others, especially for undergrad. I would pick one that has automatically locking locks if you sometimes forget to lock your door. There have been a lot of thefts recently in apartment complexes where people have forgotten to lock their doors, etc.

Tuscaloosa is a college town. Life revolves around the University... No one is going to tell you it is NYC, but I mean to be honest, when you are in school, it is probably better to go somewhere with less distractions. It's also very, very cheap. I had a wonderful four years there.

Birmingham is more like an hour. At least from where you live in ttown to downtown. Birmingham has 1.2 mil in the metro area... and has pretty much everything that a city of comparable size has, and as someone who lived a summer in DC, the music scene is a whole lot better in Birmingham(look specifically at Workplay and Bottletree). I tend to only go to like two bars in Birmingham that I really like... (J Clyde and Blue Monkey), so I can't really speak much to that. There are not very many dance clubs. Most major art exhibitions and tours of musicians, theatre, etc. come to Birmingham. Four of the finalists for the James Beard Award this year were chefs in Birmingham. The vast majority of the city/suburbs are gorgeous. If you want shopping, we have the Summit (http://www.thesummitonline.com/birmingham/)... Jefferson County went blue in the last election. There are gay bars... a Whole Foods, Urban Outfitters... Some of the best public schools in the country. I think I've hit most major points on culture. If you want a good sample of things going on in the ham (http://www.bwcitypaper.com/).

And lastly, in case this was too hard, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham,_Alabama and for Huntsville, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsville,_Alabama.

[onmytoes812]

HTH and feel free to PM me with any other questions.

What's the area around the school like, say within 10 miles?

Are there neighborhoods that are notably good or bad? In particular, how is the neighborhood near the southeast parts of campus (where the law school is)?

Thanks

I don't know a lot about Tuscaloosa specifically (as a lifelong Auburn fan & alum, I've tried to avoid the place as much as possible. Oh the irony.), but there are some nice areas. Your acceptance binder includes a lot about the state and Tuscaloosa, and it has a neat "by students, for students" guide to the town. Also any of the Law School Ambassadors on the website would probably be more than willing to talk to you either on the phone or by e-mail (I've done both).

The long post after mine (nonreligious Obama Alabamian with good input) says Birmingham is an hour. I guess that's true. It's about 40 minutes to the edge of Birmingham Metro. She's right about downtown in Bham, and again, you'll have plenty of options for nightlife in Tuscaloosa. I tend to agree about lack of distractions. That's one of my concerns about UGA-is Athens TOO awesome?!? haha

I wish Tuscaloosa were close to Atlanta like Auburn is, but you can't win them all. There's a Barnes & Noble, which really is all I need to feel okay about life.

I can't believe I'm trying to sell that town. Or that school. But really...Alabama is a great state and the law school alums/people in the state bend over backwards for each other.

[tarakit]

Sorry about the rant...

Tuscaloosa definitely has nightlife/bars, but it's not Athens. We definitely do not have the top bars per capita of any city (that's true right?). After we hit number 1 party school a few years ago, a lot of the bars were shut down or moved farther from campus. (By farther I mean like a mile.) I've heard the same thing has started happening in Athens, which is sad. I'm not sure how normal this is, but in Tuscaloosa, everyone seems to have like two bars they go to, and they hate everywhere else. The two bars the law students go to (from my understanding) are not my favorites. However, they are always packed, so obviously other people like them. The students definitely go out and have a good time though. I think they have a lot of parties at peoples' houses. Basically, Tuscaloosa is an awesome place to spend a few years because everything is so student oriented, but in terms of living there long term... there are few that would do it.

They also go to Birmingham a lot. I have run into law students at Whole Foods on weekends.

I am also not actually going to UA for law school, though I really love ttown and bham and plan on practicing in bham. I am obviously very familiar with the area, so feel free to pm me with any questions.