<p>Got it on my fridge…</p>
<p>NC Mom, I am so jealous! Woudl love to visit the campus this weekend. It is going to have a great atmosphere! Be sure to let us know how your visit goes!</p>
<p>Just arrived at the Microtel! Roll Tide Roll!</p>
<p>ShamrockDad: So glad that your meeting with my son made all the difference in your D selecting UA. Even though he has graduated into the working world, he still finds himself selling Alabama to prospective students – thanks to his mom, who always seems to be giving out his contact info so they can ask questions!</p>
<p>NCMom: Hope you have fun!! </p>
<p>On the Bama/ Ole Miss game day we went to the TCBY to eat frozen yogurt and people watch before the game. The constant parade of people wearing crimson and houndstooth was amazing. </p>
<p>Enjoy your day!</p>
<p>Hey All! Just checked into our second hotel, the Centerstone Inn. For those that are wondering, it is fine. Beds are a little saggy but it seems clean. I am sorry to say that I was less than impressed with the Microtel last night. This was our second time there, and I was shocked to walk in the room, open the bathroom door and see a roach crawling on the toilet! Not a great welcome at 11:30pm after 10 hours of traveling! I didn’t tell DH or DD, but before I went to sleep, I had killed two more. Of course, DH discovered his own friend in the wee hours of the morning. Needless to say, I was grateful to check out of there this morning. I know roaches are more abundant in the south, but is this a common sight?</p>
<p>The rest of our visit has been spectacular! Honor’s Preview Day started with a lovely breakfast and a talk by Dr. Sharpe. We then had two current Honors Students talk about their experiences, followed by information on scholarships by Allison’s sister! She works in that department.</p>
<p>Next was a tour of the Honors Dorms. Our tour guide was a Public Relations major which is DD’s intended major so she was able to give us lots of helpful information while we were walking. During lunch at Lakeside we sat with another Honors Ambassador who also was delightful.</p>
<p>My favorite part though was our sit down meeting with the Career Counseling person in the College of Communications. Since there were only two girls interested in the College of Communications today, it was just the 6 of us chatting for a whole hour. He has spent 28 years advising students and helping to place them in internships and jobs. He came across as a grandfatherly person who keeps up with all the kids. Sort of like having a parent here at Alabama! </p>
<p>We skipped the walking tour and shopped the Strip. At 4pm, DD’s host for the weekend picked her up. She is such a sweet girl. I know they will have a wonderful time tonight! </p>
<p>Meet dad2ild and his wife first thing this morning. We expected to have time to chat on the tours or at lunch, but we got into separate groups and I never saw him again! Still it was good to make a connection!</p>
<p>Looking forward to a nice dinner tonight with DH and a big drink! </p>
<p>DH is super impressed with the campus and programs! Roll Tide!!</p>
<p>Well this is the weekend for visits! I’m headed to T-town tomorrow too!</p>
<p>Won’t make it in time for the UT game, but will be there for DD’s initiation on Sunday.</p>
<p>I’ve kept it a secret from her and will surprise her tomorrow. Hoping she’ll be as excited as I am.</p>
<p>I too encountered roaches during my Microtel stay two years ago. I have not been back, nor have I seen a roach at any of hotel in T-town.</p>
<p>Are y’all talking about the Microtel in Cottondale or Tuscaloosa?</p>
<p>Tuscaloosa! I was shocked! You all speak so highly of it despite the lack of bacon! I have easily been in hundreds of hotels as an adult and have never experienced roaches before.</p>
<p>Class2017mom! How exciting for your DD! What a great surprise!</p>
<p>Ugh! Roaches is one thing I can NOT tolerate. Thinking I may need to change the reservations I have. </p>
<p>Glad you are enjoying the rest of your trip!</p>
<p>We got to hug our dear DD for the first time since drop off in Aug - have missed her so much! She looks great and talked a mile a minute from the time we met her till we dropped her back off at her dorm (she had a party to go to, we old fogies needed a nap as we have been up since 3am and travelling most of the day). Looking forward to meeting her sorority sisters tomorrow at lunch, then of course being at BD Stadium to watch UA whoop Tennessee.</p>
<p>She is clearly having the time of her life! Kept thanking us for letting her come to UA. Roll Ride!</p>
<p>That’s great MereMom! Roll Tide!</p>
<p>Got a text from DD at 1:55am that she was back in the dorm safe! I am guessing she had a good time!</p>
<p>Loved getting to see DD this weekend and got to meet Meremom and dad! Hope you guys have a safe trip home.</p>
<p>Have stayed several times at Microtel, found it clean and tidy, no roaches. Very helpful staff. I recommend it.</p>
<p>It was so nice to see you and your lovely family too! Am in the airport waiting to board for our flight home - and not looking forward to the 30 degree temperature drop!</p>
<p>Short recap: As usual, we had a WONDERFUL visit to UA! IT was SO nice to see our D for the first time since August. Her apartment at East Edge was so nice and accommodated us well (translated into no need for a Hotel on an SEC game weekend!) It’s such a relief to know that she’ll be living there again next year.</p>
<p>But, our main reason for this visit was for my S’s turn for Honors College Preview activities. Once again, Allison and the HC team did a great job. The formal presentation part was very similar to what we / he had heard before having been through this before with D, but he seemed to enjoy it, and we ALWAYS appreciate hearing Dr. Sharpe speak. Our tour Ambassador was very good and also a business major, so it was helpful to listen to her various comments from the questions from our group. The dorms, as usual, did not disappoint, and lunch at Lakeside was nice. We sat with another Ambassador that my D recommended we chat with with similar interests as my S (coordinated by Allison).</p>
<p>But it was the afternoon that was the most informative and satisfying part of the day. First we, along with 5 other students and their families, met with Dr. Heggem the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Culverhouse College of Business. He was VERY personable and informative on how to navigate course selection while satisfying Honors credits at the same time. He was also very informative on the different programs and areas of concentration that are now so much a part of the business curriculum. We then met with the outgoing VP and incoming Pres of the Lacrosse team, which my S is considering joining. Two really nice guys … both Business school students with a lot of good information on how to navigate Freshman year while being active in Club athletics. Finally, we met with Drs Joanne & David Hale who are both Professors in Culverhouse. While they are both Directors for the MIS program, which is now ranked top 10 Nationally and 4th among Publics, they were quick to pick up that my S is still undecided and assure him that the Business school has SO much to offer, that he’ll have no problem finding the right discipline once he gets a few classes under his belt. My D is an MIS major … my S doesn’t like to “follow” in his sisters footsteps. However, as a quick plug for those that may be considering MIS. We were informed by the Hales in recent rounds of interviewing with PWC that of approximately 30 MIS students that interviewed 22 received offers. That compared to similar round of interviewing at Georgia Tech the previous week where 70 students interviewed and only 13 offers were extended. They are understandably proud! :-)</p>
<p>OK, and no recap is complete without a discussion of food & football, right? So, Friday morning we ate at Rama Jamas, of course. Friday night, my D suggested we go to a Mexican food place called Fernando’s in Northport. It was festive and the food was really good. Saturday we walked the quad, took in the atmosphere, and attended the game … ALWAYS an amazing spectacle! After the game, we walked directly from the stadium to Newk’s. Food is always good, and more importantly, we did NOT have to move the car and we could make the short walk from there to East Edge with no problem!</p>
<p>We left T-town, reluctantly, at about 9:00 PM Saturday in enough time for my D to get ready for the Halloween Party being hosted at her apartment that night. Traffic was down by then, and we stayed at the Airport Clarion for the night and an EARLY flight out on Sunday morning. I will caution, that during this construction at BHM airport, that they only had ONE security lane open, so even at 5:45 AM we had to wait 45 minutes to get through security. It was a MESS, and thank god my wife is a “get there early” person. You’d think airport management and TSA “knows” what to expect after a big game day? I’m just saying …</p>
<p>All in All, a BIG Roll Tide!!!</p>
<p>I think Microtel should see this thread if they’re having a roach problem. I have rarely seen any roaches and I’ve been coming to Tuscaloosa since 2005. I think I’ve only seen one live one, and have seen 2-3 “already dead” ones…maybe killed after poison? One dead one was in a “for sale” home (in the bathroom) that was vacant.</p>