I know I read one post that listed quite a few programs that freshman can attend before starting school and were recommended for meeting people before being thrown into the first semester.
So far DS hasn’t registered for Bama bound yet, as we he is waiting on one more college to see what kind of money he might get. It is tough waiting, as this is holding us back on making plans.
Travelling back and forth is unaffordable, and we haven’t even visited the campus yet, We won’t until we have to; first time be orientation.
The next time will be at start of college. Is there a good entry program right before school starts? One where he moves there, attends, then starts school?
Is your son in the honors college? I participated in early college, camp 1831 and alabama action. My roommates all participated in outdoor action.
If he is in the honors college, I highly recommend outdoor action. My roommates are not super outdoorsy or anything and they really enjoyed it. I enjoyed Alabama Action but the group was larger than outdoor action and I felt like I would have enjoyed outdoor more.
Camp 1831 is an amazing opportunity. I made some great friends that I keep in contact with. There are multiple sessions so it is possible to do multiple things.
Early college was also a fantastic program. However it is kind of expensive but if your son is in engineering and has already taken calculus, I highly suggest taking ENGR 103 over the summer. Summer class are a great way to make friends and get a decent GPA before everyone gets on campus.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me(:
Considering the amount of students who visit UA and want to start attending immediately, your son is sort of accomplishing that. I know a few students who moved to UA without ever visiting and it worked out well. Tuscaloosa is small enough that it’s not difficult to get acclimated to and UA does a great job of making freshman move-in very stress free.
I would suggest one of the Honors Action programs and Camp 1831 if that’s something he would enjoy. Talking to other incoming students on Facebook and meeting up with them at a Bama Bound session is also very helpful.