OK, I was gonna say...but congrats! I have friends in law school over there, and they like it a lot. Yay for in-state tuition this time around, right?

Well, sure. There's no school where you must be above the average to get in -- except possibly Lake Wobegon Elementary. :) I'd venture to guess that about half the kids at Bama came in with high school numbers below the average.

Re fratty bars: on a recent visit to Oxford, Mississippi, I went by The Library on a Saturday night...very impressive. It lives up to its reputation. Since I attended one of the least fratty schools in America, my own alma mater has nothing to contribute, although when I was there we did have the requisite bar where "ID" for young women consisted of a skimpy tank top and a smile.

One of my friends is an astronaut.

-Rudey

Well, duh! How else would we get all our athletes? hehe.

I wouldn't say it happens all the time. There are instances where it does happen, but if you don't think your school's academic reputation counts when you apply to grad school, you're wrong.

I just finished applying to law school (receiving acceptance letters now), and it was one of the first criteria on every application. If you talk to admissions folks, they'll tell you the same thing.

Again, that's not to say that things don't happen; it's just a matter of being honest with yourself about the odds.

No, no. My bar uncle is a dback in arena football for bon jovi's team.

-Rudey
--He's thinking of joining Bob Dylan's team next year though.

Which bar was this?

Yeah. One of the best ways to figure this out is to go look at the med school acceptance rate your school's sciences/pre-med program has.

Reputation matters.

In my grad school program there are people from every kind of school--flagship state universities, smaller state universities, and private schools of various stripes. You can get in from anywhere if you distinguish yourself... but it's less of a struggle if you come from a place that has universal name recognition.

Oh, really? Did they go to a public school, too? And what fratty bars did you all like to drink at???

Did he leave his fraternity pin on the moon?

The truth about Roni, she's a sweet old girl
About the sweetest little girl in the whole wide world

I think I'm gonna love her for the rest of my life.

The Crimson Sports Grille, a.k.a. the Grille. It was shut down several times for license/carding violations during my undergrad years, and now there's an upscale restaurant in the space where it used to be.

Oh, I've heard of that place; the Redline Cafe took its place, I believe.

I only make friends with public school kids. I couldn't stand to be friends with anyone like myself.

-Rudey
--And my juco friends are by far the best of the group