So only 3 more weeks left till I’m going to visit Bama from NJ. It’s just me and my mom going and all we have scheduled is the general tour. We go March 29th in the morning and leave March 31st in the morning. Any suggestions for what to do other than the regular tour so we don’t end up sitting in the hotel room? I want to impress my mom cause I feel she is going on this trip with negative thoughts about the school.
Do you qualify for honors? If so, contact the honors college and they will set up a personalized visit with everything you’re interested in. If not, what’s your major? Contact the department, some of them also set up personalized visits. Or contact your regions recruiter and they can set up a visit for you.
On our 2 visits: my son met with the honors college, toured the honors dorms, had lunch with a honors student, toured the engineering building, sat in on a freshman level engineering class, met with an engineering professor, met with the head of the department for civil engineering (his intended major), and met with someone in the co-op office.
Take your time to soak in the campus and make the most of your visit. Your appointments will take a lot of time but try not to rush things. One of the best things my son and I did was just walk around ourselves after we had time before and after meetings. Talk to other students and observe the ongoings on campus as well the city of Tuscaloosa. I think the moment hit us when we’re walking from student services out into the quad;" this does not feel like a 37,000 student population school". It took us 2 trips but were sold after #2.
Good luck!
Hi,
What time of the day will you be arriving the first day?
My plane arrives 10:56 AM in Alabama so by the time I get settled and everything it will be around 1PM
Well, the Paul Bryant Museum stays open until 4pm (I believe). You might head there first (watch the video that’s towards the front). If you’re not a sports fan, the museum is still interesting.
What type of foods do you like?
We like most food and I’m a huge sports fan so that’s a great idea.
For my DD, hanging out in the student center (Ferguson) for lunch and roaming the bookstore and Starbucks for awhile helped to give her a good sense of the student body/friendliness/etc.
One more question, when we go we plan to get around through uber. I was just wondering if there is even a decent amount of Ubers available in AL to rely on for getting around. Are we better off renting a car?
Last time I was in Tuscaloosa, uber wasn’t. I know they were negotiating with the city to return, but I don’t know if they’re actually operating yet. Maybe someone will jump in with more current information. If it was me, I’d rent a car. I always get a better sense of a place when I’m behind the wheel as opposed to being driven around.
I’m not sure Uber is in Tuscaloosa yet (?). I thought I saw on Reddit that they were about to get approved. Second the motion to rent a car - will help you explore more easily.
This may be tough if you’re not particularly outgoing, but we found it really useful to find a few students (those clearly not headed to another class) and just talk to them. The Ferguson, or the library, or even just out on the quad- it’s usually not hard to find someone with free time and willing to talk. Remember- they all were once in your position, too, so know what it’s like.
We really found that everyone at Alabama is friendly, open, helpful and honest. If mom is skeptical, maybe some personal testimonials will persuade her.
We will be there the same days. I’m bringing my son from Chicago and two of his friends. See you there
Students could use their mybama account to view which classes are being held on the days/times you are there. While you probably can’t just drop into a class (unless you pre-arrange this, and of course feel free to do so, either with the professor directly or with the department or the university somehow)…but you can ‘hover’ at the doorway at the end of a class and catch a few students that way. The cadre of Student Ambassadors give student tours, but I believe that different colleges and departments often have their own students who give private tours and one-on-one sessions. (I know the CoE does.) Don’t feel that just the Honors College has this service. You will have to ask and pre-arrange, tho.
Definitely rent a car if you are flying into BHM. The fare alone to/fro Tuscaloosa will justify that rental cost. On campus, be sure to check into the transportation ‘hub’ to receive parking pass/token ($5/day). http://bamaparking.ua.edu/visitor-information/
Don’t ‘wing it’ too much would be my advice. Coming from so far away, you want to make the most of your time. Have at least 2 or 3 ‘major’ things planned to do and/or see each day, even at night. Do some research (several threads on CC here about visiting)and view the UA Calendar of Events. http://events.ua.edu/ [doesn’t look like there are any sports events happening while you’re there: http://www.rolltide.com/calendar/events/]
Show your reluctant mom that you are serious by doing your homework, but also be sure to include at least one thing that SHE would enjoy doing in order that she also engages with the school. If you repost back here with her interests, we’ll help you out.
Casual dinner suggestion: Mellow Mushroom pizza http://mellowmushroom.com/store/tuscaloosa
Great breakfast suggestion (and open early): Another Broken Egg Cafe http://www.anotherbrokenegg.com/location/tuscaloosa
Inexpensive tchotchke: try Walmart and Target and Kmart (is it still in business?!) - each has a small (and in-season it’s massive) section of UA stuff.
Serious athletic deals: skip the SUPE and in a section of Julia’s Market (south end of Tutt dorm) bookstore they sell surplus UA team athletic gear for cheap. You can usually find bins of new Nike compressions (many with the UA logo)…or really odd things like gently used size 16 football cleats. Either would make a functional (or completely random) souvenir from your UA trip! Your mom might enjoy shopping in there, too. (They have normal stuff, altho the SUPE is great/better IMO for mom shopping.) There’s a 30 minute free parking zone at the back entrance of Tutt.
Evening cap-off: Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt, right down on the Riverwalk. http://orangeleafyogurt.com/tuscaloosa Usually deserted, but don’t be fooled. It’s one of few remaining casual dessert places in town.
Definitely drive around/through campus at night (parking restrictions ease >6 pm). It’s really stunning after dark.
Just wanted to say the tour and visit went great. Me and my mom fell in love with the school and loved everything it had to offer between academics and the social life. Alabama moved up to my top choice after the visit and my mom loved it just as much as I did. She came home telling my younger siblings that were all going there for college lol.
Terrific!! Thanks for the update.
Where in NJ do you live? We are from NJ and will be visiting UA with our daughter in August. Unfortunately, she is the one with reservations, not us.
@Bloke123 we live in Manalapan in Monmouth county. It really is an amazing school and I think your daughter will be impressed with the academics and social aspects of the school after the visit.