I posted this elsewhere but thought it might be worth including here too. Hope that’s OK.
Update on our visit for DD (from Midwest) that is accepted into Engineering Honors with full tuition scholarship (if she keeps her grades up while she is there…ha?). This was our first (and probably only) visit to UA before DD makes college choice,
Met with:
Assistant Professor in Engineering department
Engineering Student (Junior) for lunch and tour of Engineering campus
Honors College
Orientation Tour
Friend/acquaintance who is also from Midwest and and is freshman with high stats in Honors college and joined a sorority
Stayed at a hotel off campus and had dinner downtown Tuscaloosa at DePalma’s which I would recommend for a mid-priced Italian dinner.
The tour and weekend were quite impressive and UA is definitely in consideration at this point. Going back to some of her other choices before deciding but she liked the “vibe” at UA and felt wanted. I think she was particularly impressed by the engineering campus/quad.
Campus
The campus is beautiful with a lot of red brick buildings that all blend well together (even the newer ones) and is more manageable in size than I expected. It felt like a mid-sized school to me. We had no issue walking from the engineering campus to south side of stadium in a reasonable amount of time. They have put a lot of money into the campus recently and it is evident. There was also a good sense of school spirit.
Engineering
The engineering campus is very impressive with new labs, its own dining hall and library, etc. Engineering admin building is a bit dated but it will be renovated soon. This was our first tour of an engineering department specifically at any of the colleges DD is considering so we don’t have anything to compare it to at this point but it was quite impressive. Student had great things to say including his involvement in engineering clubs and studying abroad (which I thought might be difficult to do in engineering but he said they had classes that fit with his academic plan). Professor we were supposed to meet with was tied up but assistant professor we met with seemed like a good guy that my DD would be happy to be in his class.
Honors
Honors college session went further in making her feel wanted and nice that they provide volunteer and social activities outside of class for her to meet other honors students.
Dorms
Suite dorms are very nice and would be great to facilitate in-room studying but you would probably need to be a bit more proactive to meet people vs. traditional dorm setting.
Miscellaneous
Friend/acquaintance said she is enjoying her time at UA and is happy with her choice. She was drawn by the money but very happy there.
The fraternities and sororities are very impressive looking. They are massive and very upscale (at least from the outside). DD would likely want to join a sorority if she attended.
Downtown Tuscaloosa has a number of nice restaurants and shops. Not sure how often the students go there but for a parent visit there were lots of good choices.
Seems like a lot of students have cars as there are a number of parking garages on or near campus (but they also do a good job of making the parking garages look really nice/blend in with red brick facades, etc.).
Seems like most students just live on campus freshman year. Maybe that’s why the campus felt mid-sized as there must be a decent amount of off-campus living in apartments, etc. We saw some of that on SW side near stadium. Not sure where most people live off-campus.
Not sure if DD will choose UA but it is definitely in the mix at this point!
We are touring the day after you, on Wednesday the 28th. I’ve read so much about the school, and I love it. Hoping the visit exceeds my expectations and my son loves it too
I completely agree that most engineering students are not Greek and the percentage that are is much lower than the general population. I was responding to the comment from your guide that being in a regular sorority was not possible. It IS possible and I know girls who are not only in sororities but very involved with their sororities and also have excellent GPAs. I just wouldn’t want a prospective engineering student who wants to be in a sorority to think it isn’t possible, although I would think you really have to want it to put in the required time with an engineering student’s schedule.
Sorry, Didn’t mean to say it is not possible, just difficult. I may have exaggerated her comment a little. Anything can be done depending on how bad you want it.
MY D2 said she might consider rushing because her AP Lit teacher said it is fun and told them it is like speed dating.
I think it is fair to say that there are likely a number of engineering students (and pre-med, pre-law and other tough majors) that are members of fraternities and sororities. Maybe less than student bodies as a whole and yes, it may be difficult, but far from not possible. Otherwise, how could a school like Georgia Tech have 32 fraternities and 9 sororities?
Interesting thing about fraternities and sororities at UA they are super expensive! I don’t know how that compares to other schools except Auburn (sorry I said it) where being a member is still relatively cheap. My DS has a very good sorority friend and the time and effort she spends on events and the themed clothing is mind boggling! I’m talking closer to $10k than $5k just for sorority stuff!
@CyclonesGrad I personally know several female students who are engineering majors and have active officer roles in their sororities, all while far exceeding the GPA needed to retain their scholarship. Some have done co-ops and others internships as well. Sororities do monitor grades and have mandatory study hours.
As for the girls who don’t want to pledge, I know many of those as well. A sorority is not a must to participate in activities or have a social life.
The thing with Greek Life at UA is that there is a wide range. While there are certainly very expensive fraternity and sorority houses, there are also less-expensive, more no-frills options. And while I imagine students in both engineering and the more traditional (and pricey) Greek houses are in the minority, there are still a good number of them. Heck, there have even been varsity football players and women’s gymnasts in the College of Engineering, which I’m going to hazard to guess is even more demanding than Greek life timewise!
So anything is possible IF the student has the wherewithal to pull it off. I do think most of these students are truly exceptional academically, however. Think Ivy caliber, like this kid:
All that being said, my son never had any interest in Greek life at UA, and he has MANY female friends who are not pursuing sorority life and are plenty busy AND happy.
Sororities and fraternities at Alabama are expensive because they have houses, and the houses serve meals. Auburn’s sororities have chapter suites in dorms. They do not have a mortgage, security fees, salaries, insurance, maintenance and many other issues that go with being a homeowner. Keep in mind that meals are included in sorority (and some fraternity) fees - all meals Monday through Thursday, with breakfast and lunch on Friday.
Occasionally you have a student who implies to their parent that it’s imperative that they buy all the T shirts, snapshots, elaborate costumes for theme parties etc., when it is NOT necessary to buy so much. A lot can be improvised for costumes. Two or three T shirts a semester should be plenty. Formal wear can be bought on sale or borrowed from roommates and sorority sisters. There are ways to be more frugal while getting the full sorority/fraternity experience!
And, as LucieTheLakie states, non-Greeks enjoy plenty of social life, too!
