re: High School Senior Recognition Day at Church - SEC Schools They Will Be Attending

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Is Mississippi State recruiting heavily in Alabama

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not really

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do a lot of MSU grads end up in Birmingham and their kids choose it because of family ties

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yes - lot's of MS State people here, so maybe?

but one reason is, it is VERY easy to get in to

I went to UGA (was accepted to GA Tech and went there 1 semester & did not enjoy it) -- graduated high school in '87; Auburn was viewed as the school that people went to if they could not get in UGA (Auburn has improved DRAMATICALLY insofar as academic reputation since then, even rated higher than Alabama at the moment, and UGA is also MUCH harder to get in than it was back then)

MS State (and also Ole Miss) are both seen as "backup schools" for kids that can't or don't get in Alabama or Auburn (just like AU used to be seen in GA)

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is Emory in a bad neighborhood?

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no - it's really a pretty cool/charming area

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State is very aggressive in Alabama. They got me 30 years ago with the same strategy.

It's an SEC experience and if you are in the high 20s/low 30s on ACT, it's cheaper than Alabama/Auburn until you get to a 33 ACT.

So if you are a student with a 31 ACT, you can get a full ride at State or pay $8000 a year at Auburn or $5000 a year at Bama. Some families are choosing State when it comes down to the money. Plus Starkville is cheap compared to the rest of the SEC. Apartments are about $650-$700 a bedroom vs. Oxford/Athens/Auburn around $1100 and Tuscaloosa near $1000.

If you are a middle class family and costs are a factor in your college choice, you can go to State for the cost of Jax State/South Alabama/Troy and have an SEC experience. That's what got me to Starkville. I was headed to Jax State or UAB.

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you can get really nice apartments in Auburn for $600 - $1000 a month - my son goes next year (my 3rd of 4 kids going to AU) and his rent is $700 a month in a 4BR in a really nice complex - there are some really expensive places as well; but apartments are plentiful and affordable (AU does not have enough student housing, not all freshmen can even get in the dorms, so apartments have really stepped up and the University actually promotes and works w apartment communities)

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MS State (and also Ole Miss) are both seen as "backup schools" for kids that can't or don't get in Alabama or Auburn (just like AU used to be seen in GA)

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Ole Miss seems to be popular among Oconee/PACS students who want to go to a "big" school but who either don't want to stay local or who can't get into UGA.

I live in the Baton Rouge area...

Both of my kids just graduated both college and high school...

Oldest just graduated from Auburn and will be pursuing a PhD at Texas A&M

Youngest decided to go to Mississippi State

I would say my two are the outliers .... I'd say a majority of the kids around here go to LSU, for obvious reasons