When you mention going to school at The University of Alabama, there are normally three things everyone asks you about: football, Greek life and the party scene — not academics.
This experience is not unique to me or the students of our school. In fact, this phenomenon of academics not being taken seriously is something that many Southern schools face. Because our institutions reside in the South, some people believe our education is of lower quality compared with our Northern counterparts.
Whenever I mention the University, people assume that I prioritize my social life over academics. This is not just because the University has a thriving social scene; it’s rooted in something much deeper.
One of the reasons Southern universities aren’t taken seriously is because of a general condemnation of all things Southern, including Southern accents. The Southern drawl, which we as students have come to love and accept as part of our region’s culture, is not perceived the same way by everyone. The connotations of the Southern accent have been wildly skewed to portray those who possess it as uneducated or lazy.
Studies by the University of Chicago found that those with regionally distinct accents tend to earn less than their mainstream accented peers — seeing a wage decrease of up to 20%. This is explained by certain employers seeking potential employees with more mainstream accents for positions with intensive social interactions with peers and customers. These positions often come with the higher wages that employees with regional distinctive accents are barred from.
There has been a drastic increase in the amount of students from the North deciding to pursue higher education in the South, with The Wall Street Journal citing an 84% increase in students leaving the former region for a southern education.
Some students are brought in by the same high-quality education that is offered in the Northeast but perhaps at a less expensive cost. The University has seen a 37.1% increase in National Merit Scholars in the past year as well as being named a Fulbright Student Top Producing Institution, for the eighth time in the past decade, alongside Ivy League institutions such as Harvard and Stanford University.
Others are brought in by the idea of Southern hospitality and features such as Greek life and athletics which many unfairly dismiss as negatives when striving for higher education.
The strong presence of Greek life in the South, and specifically at The University of Alabama, is part of a school’s appeal. Unfortunately, fraternities and sororities are often understood in the context of their negative stereotypes, leading schools that have such active Greek life to be looked down upon.
It is unfair to define fraternities and sororities by stereotypes of rampant hazing, underage drinking and lack of academic prowess. According to the University’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life,, fraternities and sororities have raised $1.5 million in the name of philanthropy, and members of Greek life tend to have higher GPAs than non-members.
While these organizations do hold social events, they also prioritize giving back to the community and focusing on academics, with some of them even having mandatory study hours.
As for the Southeastern Conference, there is a strong sense of pride for our athletics, and particularly football programs. However, pride in the Crimson Tide does not negate the academic success of our university. Southern schools are allowed to thrive in the spotlight of college football while also providing their students with ample resources and high quality education.
Fostering a highly competitive football team and a flourishing collection of fraternities and sororities does not make the academic status of the South any lower when regarded along with the educational success these schools produce — it instead makes them well rounded institutions.
