Bama Bound - More Tips and Hints

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

<p>First off, Parents, GO!!! Register for the Parent Session and go. They are very informative.</p>

<p>Second, Siblings, DD2 says, GOOOOOOO! They got to meet the football players. They get to meet AJ tomorrow, supposedly. She is having a blast. We have not seen her all day. We were kidding that we were going to crash the siblings thing tomorrow :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Hotel Capstone, if you are staying here they have started having a catered breakfast every day that the hotel is pretty full that is $11. We did not know and ordered room service via the door hanger last night. It showed up just before we were to walk out the door. They were slammed. Donā€™t think many knew that they had the breakfast buffet. We wish we would have known and would have gotten ready a bit sooner and come down for that instead. However, the room service menu is very reasonably priced. </p>

<p>Room temp in the meetings. I did see several in sweaters and medium weight jackets. However, I was a tad warm. I was in shorts and sandals and feet were the coolest part of my body. I saw a few others in my ā€œconditionā€ that were waving a piece of paper for some ā€œairā€. </p>

<p>As for the information given, just go! There is a lot of info and you wonā€™t have to depend on your student having to relay all of it as they are going to forget something. They give you a whole packet of info geared just to parents. It goes by fast and is fun. </p>

<p>DD checked in yesterday at Ridgecrest with her future roommate. They had no other roommates and did ask this afternoon at the check in table to be given roommates. Very weird that many did not check in last night. Us parents hung out last night and watched the NBA game. Hung out with them all day and have dinner planned. Great family!!! </p>

<p>As for Ridgecrest for BB, yes, bring the nightlight, a cup, even something you could throw over the blinds to makeshift into in order to blackout the light coming in. DD even mentioned a towel or mat to step out onto from the shower. Other than that, DD and her roommate are happy in Ridgecrest for BB. They are amazed at the space, they will be in Tut come August. </p>

<p>Just have to say, Alabama has it going on!!! Compared to what other friends are saying and how the schools they are going to they have nothing compared to this. Just the whole giving out information, how to register, signing up for rooms, roommates, etc. They are organized.</p>

<p>For registration the first morning it says 7:30-8:30. We showed up just about 8 straight up. Done in 2 minutes. Students do their own sign in so I do not know how theirs went but Iā€™m sure similiar to parents. It was broken up alphabetically at tables. Siblings, we had to go sign for her to participate and she got a free t-shirt. All done in no time. </p>

<p>That is all I have for now. Sitting at Legends at The Capstone having a cold drink :slight_smile: till I have to go pick up DD2 from her sibling stuff, if she wants to be with us or stay with her new found friends. </p>

<p>Roll Tide</p>

2

<p>Thanks for this positive spin on BB, TxNCM - yes, it is well organised, and those who are on the fence about attending SHOULD GO!!! This is where (finally) your student really feels like an adult, and whether it is your first or your last student to attend college, it is a special feeling that comes over them when it hits them that they are official college students, with an ID card and classes and roommates, etc.! You donā€™t want to miss that rite of passage, do you? And, all of the other cool stuff going on and the info exchange and the meet&greets, is gravy and icing. ANYthing at 'Bama is not to be missed, IMO: so, GO!!!</p>

3

<p>do the students get shirts too? We will be there on Wednesdayā€¦ what time were you finished today- ??</p>

4

<p>Hisess,
Yes, the students get tshirts. Lots of tshirts. There are giveaways everywhere. Including a BamaBound tshirt.</p>

5

<p>You have to attend the event at the Rec to acquire the Bama Bound shirt. There were a lot of giveaways in the Ferg. Not sure how many DD was able to get today. </p>

<p>We just got back to our room from the Parent Coffee here at the Capstone Hotel. GO! This was very informal and the Parent Ambassadors are there mingling and talking. Met a girl from our hometown that knows some of the same people that is a student here. Met some other parents, very informal. Coffee, water, beer, wine available. </p>

<p>Earlier, we finished the advising session around 2:45 and came back to the hotel and sat in the lobby bar and visited. </p>

<p>There is a football camp going on for like peewee ages. Tons of other groups here all around campus. Do not come expecting to tour any dorms during the summer. There are students in them including some that are younger than college ages so they are not letting anyone in that does not belong. They will tell you this at the meeting earlier in the day. A lot of the peewee families appear to be staying here at the hotel as well as plenty of BB parents. It is sold out. Lobby bar, Legends, is very nice. </p>

<p>Again, I can not stress how much some parents are missing out on by not attending BB with their students. Understand not all can get off work or afford to go. If you can, just go. You will not regret learning about the school and visiting other parents.</p>

6

<p>I am so sad to be missing out. DH is down at BB with DD1 and DD2 doing sibling camp. They are all having a blast and loving it all. Husband and youngest daughter Staying at hotel capstone too. Hope registration goes well tomorrow.</p>

7

<p>BB made us two parents feel VERY POSITIVE AND COMFORTABLE ABOUT OURVSPECIAL SNOWFLAKE LEAVING FOR BAMA.</p>

<p>WE saw her thrive around the kids nd saw how great the university functions ( with exception of advising/ registration) and we are ON BOARD.</p>

8

<p>will you elaborate on advising and registration-heard it isnā€™t the bestā€¦ but when you have 30,000 students -ā€¦I am sure it is difficult</p>

9

<p>Hereā€™s my elaboration, FWIW: </p>

<p>Each dept is slightly different (I suspect), and handles advising at BB slightly differently. For engā€™g, there are 4 advisors (acting kind of like HS Guidance Counselors, if I can use that term loosely) - they are separated out by alphabetical last name, and you meet with these same advisors all 4 years to get your registration holds lifted each semester. With 6000+ incoming freshman, spread out over all majors and colleges that UA offers, no one should expect 1-on-1 advising during BB. Students can make appointments to meet with staff, of course, and can certainly call UA staff at any time to get questions answered. </p>

<p>Wise students would have pre-prepared a schedule for themselves PRIOR to BB, so they are ready to enter CRNs at registration. They can research a path for themselves within their majors, by going on the various UA department websites and viewing the suggested curriculum. They should not expect a lot of hand-holding about choosing classes at BB. If that is what families are expecting, no wonder they are disappointed or feel that advising/registration ā€˜isnā€™t the bestā€™.</p>

<p>As far as registration for specific classes goes, the process is not broken - the process is fine. The fact that some students canā€™t get their 1st choice for classes or the ideal schedule they want is not the fault of the process. This has been covered at length in other threads: remain flexible (take a deep breath) and check back further in the summer to adjust your schedule if you want to. Good luck, everyone!</p>

10

<p>Everyone had a different experience.</p>

<p>At ours, the kids were forced into assuming NO AP PLACEMENT for English and Math and made to register for Eng 101, etc.</p>

<p>THAT threw prepared schedules out the window. AND EVERY KID I SAW THERE HAD DONE MULTIPLE SCHEDULESā€¦SOME FOR ALL FOUR YEARS. MINE CERTAINLY HAD.</p>

<p>The 200-level foreign language class DD placed into from her JR year AP class is totally closed. NO SEATS OPEN AT ALL IN ANY SECTION And when we went by the language office, it has been full since spring. DD has been emailing faculty there, but still no resolution. </p>

<p>Frankly, these high-stat kids at Honors BB come with lots of credits, pursue unique programs and dual degrees, etc. it sounds like STEM went okay, but many problems were incurred due to advisors forcing other Honors students in to a typical first-year-freshman box.</p>

<p>It was a horribly frustrating experience, and one that is not resolved. This is NOT a case of not getting your preferred class sections. This is a case of NO SECTION/NO SEAT.</p>

<p>I also expect that, when July 8th rolls around and the AP grades are released, many of us will be frantically starting from scratch, and THAT is exactly what enrolling in an Honors BB was supposed to avoid. </p>

<p>So, good for those who experienced a working system. Many of us did not.</p>

<p>I have faith it will work outā€¦but only because of effort on our end.</p>

<p>My feedback to BB was that telling a bunch of high-achieverā€™s to plan out their schedules ahead of time requires a concomitant commitment on BAMAā€™s part to rise to the occasion and help make it happen.</p>

11

<p>They also have 3 hours on day 1 when they are broken up into each college. We were in the arts and sciences. There were plenty of helpers to answer all of your questions one on one. We were more than happy with that. DD had already looked at what classes she needed to take and just had a few questions. We were done in an hour and had 2 to spare.<br>
My advise, be prepared before BB. Email or call your college and ask specific questions you may have. This will make it all run much more smoothly.</p>

12

<p>During Honors BB 2 I had a friend doing Public Relations who received one on one advising. She was done a lot later than the rest of us but it seemed to be really helpful. She had lots of ap credits and was able to come out with her ideal schedule for the fall.</p>

13

<p>I could be wrong but from the way she described it it seemed like the advisor was able to open up a spot for her in each class she wanted to be in. She tested into a 300 level Spanish course that appeared completely full when we were looking on MyBama. But she came out of her advising with that class on her schedule.</p>

14

<p>The advisors in our group would not assume AP Placement for English and Math.</p>

<p>There is NO seat scheduled to open in DDā€™s foreign language. At all. All summer. We checked. In person. And email. With the head guy. Really.</p>

15

<p>I did not have a similar experience in engineering. We were allowed to assume ap credit but other that we were on our own. I got the schedule I wanted but others around me did not seem as lucky.</p>

16

<p>Same experience as TXA in the College of Communications and Information Sciences. The presenters for the College and School Visit Session #1, while extremely pleasant and engaging, were unfamiliar with the amounts of credit awarded for the various AP tests and acted like figuring out what core courses AP tests cover was a difficult task. (And this wasnā€™t for the unusual APs ā€“ the only questions that came up concerned English, math and foreign language). At the actual registration time, students were not allowed to register based on AP credit if Alabama didnā€™t have it in Degree Works yet ā€“ even for the tests that the students know they passed because they took them in 10th and 11th grade. All students were pressured to sign up for the very plain vanilla freshman schedule ā€“ math, science, English, foreign language, and required communications course ā€“ regardless of whether the student actually needed those core courses or not.</p>

17

<p>Wow this is totally different than last year. D went to the very first Honors BB and had not problem registering for classes assuming she had passed AP Tests. In fact that is what she was told to do along w/ the group she was with.</p>

<p>TXAā€¦We did have the same problem you seem to be having with Spanish. D tested into a 300 level class, but wanted to take 250 something. We had an email fest trying to get this approved. Class was full AND technically she had credit for it. FINALLY got this resolved once we got on campus for move in. Yes it did take that long. Seemed the head of the Spanish Department is not the person who makes the admit decisions and that person was very difficult to reach.</p>

<p>If you want the name of the person we contacted I can did thru my emails and get it for you. He did make it work and he did allow her into the class even though it was fullā€¦he sent an email saying that people would drop once the class started because it would be too advanced. PM me if you want more info.</p>

18

<p>DS is going to be going to BB on his own next week. </p>

<p>From all this discussion, I am SO VERY happy that I paid the money and had 10th & 11th grade AP scores sent last month adn can see them on Degree Works. </p>

<p>DS is not aggressive enough to argue with an Adviser.</p>

19

<p>How do you get your AP credits put on Degreeworks? Iā€™m going in with tons of APā€™s and IBā€™s from 9-11th grade alone and I donā€™t want that to mess up my scheduling! All this has me so scared.</p>

20

<p>Itā€™s so odd that the schools seem to handle the AP credits differently. In Engineering, S was told to register assuming he got the credit he expected, and he could change it later if he didnā€™t get a high enough score. This was true for all APā€™s, not just engineering related ones. Sounds like other schools handled it just the opposite.</p>

<p>Iā€™m so sorry about the frustration some of you have experienced with this. I would definitely make sure Bama gets that feedback!</p>