Son has been admitted to Alabama , and would be perfectly happy attending, but he’s still waiting so see if he was accepted at a few other schools. It’ll be hard to beat UA’s generous scholarship, but it would be nice to be able to compare. That said, I wouldn’t mind putting down a (mostly) refundable housing deposit at UA, however I don’t see any way to do that without first paying the $200 (non-refundable) freshman deposit.
We’ll find out about the other schools the end of next month, would it be too late at that point to do all this ?
Thanks. Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of, I definitely don’t want to wait too long and miss out on a nice dorm. Speaking of that , which dorm would be the best/most convenient to the engineering classes? The Honors dorm ? Or ?
Thank you ladies, looks like East and West Ridgecrest are Honors dorms, so that would work out. I’ll go ahead and deposit this week. Not a big fan of losing non-refundable deposits, but in the grand scheme of things it’s minor and it makes sense to have a sure thing.
Just wanted to mention that my kid’s extremely easy going, so he’s not going to be picky about suite mates. Well, as long as they’re not “dumb as a rock” and aren’t drinkers/partiers. Not his thing…
StressingMom, I don’t know now if your son will have a choice as it is after February 1st. Looks like housing will assign him. (Unless he is stilled allowed to be “pulled in” by a roommate, but I am not sure if this is still allowed.) This is from the housing site:
Incoming Fall 2016 Freshmen
Once you have been admitted to UA and paid the Freshman Enrollment Deposit, you are eligible to apply for housing (beginning October 1, 2015 at noon CDT). Access to online room selection is based primarily on housing application date, so the earlier you apply for housing, the more room choices you will have! Some important deadlines to consider:
Students who apply for housing between October 1, 2015 and February 1, 2016, will be able to select their own room online during room selection in the spring. Students who apply for housing on or after February 2, 2016, will be assigned by HRC staff.
I saw that, hopefully it’s still early enough in the process that once the “first come first serve” assignments start, there’s still room in the honors dorms. Even if that doesn’t happen it’s not the end of the world. He doesn’t know anyone else who’s going to UA, so being chosen by a suite mate/roommate isn’t an option.
My son didn’t know anyone attending last year either but filled out the info sheet, not sure what it is really called, on the UA Housing site and found three very compatible roommates. Most young men won’t be active on the social media sites but can still find roommates through UA Housing.
StressingMom; the best way to have your son get into an Honors dorm this late in the housing process is to meet 2-3 others on the 2020 student facebook page and get agreement to be roommates. Then one of the other young men, who deposited earliest in the process, will be able to pull your son into the Honors dorm room That way you’ll know he is assigned to a honors dorm. This is atypical for a guy to do (most are sit back and wait) but I would encourage him to pursue this avenue. If you wait for UA Housing to do the assignment, it will be entirely random and no guarantee of honors housing. They do a great job, housing is just limited.
We deposited last year on the first day at the first time available and pulled the other roommates into the room.
Once the deposit is made he’ll have access to the roommate finder tool, and may find some guys there who are compatible and have an early housing selection date. My daughter found her freshman year roommates using UAHousing’s roommate finder (and I found their mothers here).
Your son won’t find any “dumb as a rock” students in Honors Housing, but a good number are drinkers/partiers - that is one of the most popular forms of entertainment at Alabama. Not a teetotaler criticism, but just reality. My son does not drink, but did babysit some roommates last year who wanted to drink and who had brought the alcohol into their Honors suite (yes, students get it into the suites), and he was concerned he would wake up to find them dead from choking on their vomit. So, if that is important to your son that he not room with drinkers/partiers, definitely get him on the roommate finder to find either a like-minded freshman who gets first dibs when room selection opens to freshmen, or to find a like-minded returning sophomore who will get to choose his housing on February 29 (there are only 150 returning Honors students moving into Ridgecrest East) and who is open to rooming with a freshman (and I am sure there will be some who will be.)
In the long run,you’re paying a combined deposit which is partially refundable.
UA is a college campus. Just like most every college campus, some students will choose to bring alcohol into their dorm rooms an/or consume alcohol elsewhere. Students don’t have to drink and as a result, many choose not to. Others view alcohol as something that can be consumed in moderation and that Alabama happens to have some of the strictest alcohol laws in the nation.
One thing I loved about UA is that honors students generally have a “work hard in school, but also have time to enjoy life” philosophy. This means going to events such as lectures and football games, hanging out with friends, dating (college is a great place to find that special someone), taking road trips, etc.
Of the 11 roommates I had at UA, 9 were freshmen when they first became my roommate. It’s amazing to see how students mature in their first year of college. While this maturing process took longer for some than others, it did happen. I’m quite sure that the OP’s son can have a great time at UA and that his parent(s) raised him to be a kind, considerate young man who will take advantage of all the opportunities that would be presented to him at UA should he decide to attend.
I think available housing for freshman this fall is going to be very different than last years. Freshman this year trying to re-contract only had about 750 spots in the suite style dorms, 150 of those were in Honors.
DS & 3 of his friends were lucky to get spots, but a great many freshman didn’t and will be moving off campus.
The guys are really laid back about housing. DS had one contact on the roommate finder tool. Never heard from him again until they moved into the dorms. DS did pay early deposit so was able to find a dorm room w/ 2 open spots and that is where they ended up. Luckily, all 4 of the roommates were very compatible and get along really well.