re: Forbes America's Best Colleges

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Alabama’s strategy and in some ways it makes sense but they need to tweak the plan. Recruiting California and New England and Chicago is rather silly IMO. You will never hold onto those kids once they earn their degree. I would change a couple of things about their plan.

1) you are the University of ALABAMA! Take care of your in-state kids first. That is your primary mission. Don’t fail it. UF, UGA, and probably several other state flagship schools, including Alabama are doing just that. They can’t even attempt to accommodate the number of applicants they are receiving even from in-staters so they don’t even try but they are still heavily recruiting out of staters. That shouldn’t happen. UNC probably has the best solution I have seen: their state legislature mandated that something like 80% of their freshman classes come from in state. Out-of-staters fight for a slot in that other 20% and it’s damn near impossible to get one. It allows UNC to really cherry pick that OOS kid.

2) Draw a circle around Tuscaloosa with a 500 mile radius. That is your out of state territory. Concentrate your efforts there. Those kids have a higher probability of staying and contributing to Alabama the state because they are regional kids and won’t be so far from home or from a totally different area of the country.
3) Create more cooperatives with neighboring states so that a kid from Pensacola or Starkville or Columbus, Ga. pays in state rates and vice-versa. It helps everyone out.