<p>I’m a prospective presidential scholar (applied and accepted) and campus beauty is very important to me. I may not get a chance to visit UA this fall and am just looking for some insight on some things. </p>
<p>First, how beautiful is the campus? I am a big fan of huge trees and the shade associated with them haha. </p>
<p>Another concern I have after investigating is the housing situation. It is my understanding that sophomores are not at all guaranteed on campus housing. Is this true? Also is the dining hall food any good? I’m sorry if I asked too many questions in one post.</p>
<p>The campus is beautiful, with plenty of trees and shade. There is no guarantee that sophomores can remain on campus. That said, my D is a sophomore and she is living on campus this year. There is also a large new dorm opening in Fall 2014 that should ease the housing crunch some. Frankly, many sophomores prefer to live off campus - there are some really nice off-campus options and they’re cheaper than Alabama’s “supersuite” dorms. As for the food, my D loves it, but I’m an exceptionally lousy cook, so her standards aren’t particularly high.</p>
<p>I’ve heard a lot about the honors dorms, but they seem super expensive unfortunately. I think I would go with the traditional double room to save money. I can’t remember which hall it is. Who knows what I will decide to do after freshman year?</p>
<p>I remember you. I know that paying for college is going to be an issue for you. I can’t remember, though, can your parents contribute anything? How much can you contribute each year (from part-time earnings during the school year and full time earnings in the summer)? </p>
<p>You’re an eng’g major, and you qualify for full tuition plus 2500. Good! </p>
<p>Your might want to look at Burke for housing. Nice housing and a nice dining hall there.</p>
<p>If money is an issue then you certainly want to move off campus. Now, don’t expect luxurious digs with amenities like granite counter tops, fancy rec centers, and an on-site pool complex. But so what? If the goal is to cut costs to a minimum in order to attend the university, then that shouldn’t be a problem. I know some of the older apartments near Publix ( practically on campus) are cheaper and yet quite spacious. Plan on having roommates to save money. </p>
<p>You can also cut costs by borrowing/renting/buying used texts, foregoing a meal plan, and doing without a car (which is not at all necessary). A student can eat very cheaply by cooking meals, packing lunches/snacks, and using a refillable water bottle. No need for entertainment costs since there are so many things to do on campus that are either free or a nominal fee. If you are an Out of State Student you may have to limit your trips home due to costs.</p>
<p>You should have the financial talk with your parents, lay out all the details and see if this choice is affordable for you.</p>
<p>Here’s a video and pics about the school…
[The</a> University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences “This is How College is Meant to Be” - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>Wow thank you all so much! I can always count on CC users to help me out! Unfortunately I can’t respond to all of these right now but I will soon.</p>
<p>if you are an engineering major (or another major that offers a lot of co-ops) you could do a co-op while in college to pay for most of your living expenses (if you have tuition covered).</p>
<p>some of the engineering co-ops make enough in a semester of working to cover a year (or possibly more) of living expenses. this would be a great way for someone paying their own way through school to handle it without loans.</p>
<p>If you put pen to paper to design a beautiful campus…it would end up looking like The University of Alabama. It’s the most beautiful, tree-lined, well-designed campus I’ve every seen!</p>
<p>MikeW is right. One of my son’s roomies transferred into Bama, so no merit money. Since his family couldn’t afford the cost, he did co-ops to pay for it. It’s worked out well for him, and he just started his “real job” making over $80k per year in ChemE.</p>
<p>Although my mom hates the idea of me going to college so far away (Central IL), she has reluctantly agreed to visit sometime before I ultimately decide where to go. </p>
<p>My parents are contributing 2,500 a year. I have 3500 in savings also.</p>
<p>I ran the numbers myself, and at least for my first year this is what it looks like
Tuition: $0 + room (5200) (standard double) + board (3050) + DD’s (300) + fees (800) + books (1000) = 10350$ - engineering scholarship (2500) = 7850$ total cost. </p>
<p>between my parent’s contribution, hopefully work study, and my own contribution i think i should be able to make it out without too much debt.</p>
<p>And i have been looking at halls [Student</a> Affairs | Housing & Residential Communities](<a href=“http://housing.ua.edu/halls/]Student”>Halls - Housing and Residential Communities)
and i thought that burke would be the one for me! As much as i would love to live in presidential village or ridgecrest, I cant see the extra 3000/year as a responsible decision</p>
<p>Also, I can not see myself living off campus before junior year at least. A meal plan for someone like me is almost a necessity… Feeding myself would be a disaster.</p>
<p>good for you. not many kids these days are as sensible as you are!</p>
<p>but do look into doing a co-op. if you are not familiar, co-ops re an arrangement with a company that you will work there for three semesters (i think). you alternate semesters on campus with semesters working. you graduate a year later, but you have great work experience for your resume, $$, and possibly a job offer for when you graduate. this is a great way for students to work their way through school without having to work during the semesters if they don’t want to. </p>
<p>this summer in 8 weeks, my daughter made enough money to cover almost all of her expenses for the year. 8 WEEKS!</p>
<p>The campus has a Disneyworld feel to it. I don’t mean this in a derogatory way. Everything is truly new and pristine and manacured. None of the buildings show signs of age and decay (like you will find at every other campus in America, including my alma mater). If you like a little edginess and a grunge factor, this may not be the place for you.</p>
<p>slippy, you haven’t been into some of the buildings on campus which aren’t normally open to students. Yes, UA has renovated many buildings, but there are some places where one feels like they are back in 1965. More in the open, the Ferguson Center student union’s staircases are classic examples of 1960s architecture. </p>
<p>The UA campus has a lot of trees, but not really a forest. I like talking walks though small forests and this was something I missed at UA. </p>
<p>Yes, the extra $3,000 a year for the super suite dorms is a lot of extra money. In my case, it was money well spent as I like to have a place where I can go study and relax by myself. I would like to see UA have a non-super suite honors dorm, but that might cause confusion among prospective students. For a male engineering student, Paty would probably be the closest traditional-style dorm, with Burke located slightly farther away in another direction. If you wanted to join the Mallet Assembly, I’d recommend Palmer Hall over Paty as it’s smaller, coed, and has larger rooms. </p>
<p>Dining hall food at most any school will vary in quality. My suggestion is to eat what was just brought out and to make friends with the serving staff and management. Many of the foods I’d eat at UA’s dining halls were either simple special requests or were augmented with foods/condiments from other serving stations. For example, many dining hall employees will make a chef’s salad by getting a bowl of lettuce or salad greens, having the sandwich station place sliced and cubed lunch meat on top, and then go back to the salad bar to put salad dressing and other toppings on top. Few students realize that it’s possible for them to go and make the same thing.</p>
<p>Nickm56; If you absolutely must have a meal plan you could (starting your second year) take a small plan. and use those meals for your once a day supper. You could do a bowl of cereal and fruit for morning breakfast, and buy some cheese & deli meat for a sandwich for lunch. This would stretch your meal plan and keep costs down. Remember not to waste your meal swipes by going in for a drink or snack like you could do on the unlimited freshman plan.</p>