<p>DS has just submitted his application and we are trying to decide on the best time to visit. We could visit at the end of August (HS classes start last wk of August) or should we wait until Oct or Nov for special Honors College programs (expected NMF).</p>
<p>i could be wrong, but I think the special honors programs are after January ist…unless something new is being introduced.</p>
<p>the last week in August would be fine, but it will be hot. Later in Sept would be better weather…things cool down about mid-month.</p>
<p>When you do decide on a date, then schedule a campus tour, then contact the ladies below, give them the date and time of the campus visit, your son’s likely major, stats, and NMSF status, and tell them anything special you’d like to see.</p>
<p>Honors Recruitment
Allison Verhine
Coordinator
269 Nott Hall
205-348-5534
<a href=“mailto:allison.verhine@ua.edu”>allison.verhine@ua.edu</a></p>
<p>Susan Alley
Assistant Coordinator
270 Nott Hall
205-348-5599
<a href=“mailto:susan.alley@ua.edu”>susan.alley@ua.edu</a></p>
<p>My son was in similar situation last fall. We visited in Oct but not for any particular program. With a few phone calls our day was set up to meet with everyone we needed to see. Bama was amazingly organized with the visit. We did meet with Dr Sharpe in the Honors dept, admissions, and toured several facilities. Give them as much information as you can so that the visit will Be specific to your needs. You may want to ask to see Honors dorms as well.
I would not wait to visit. You will have sooo many things to consider and some special programs or scholarship opportunities may have fall or Dec deadlines.</p>
<p>I agree with ParkTN; don’t wait to visit. We visited last August and our college search effectively ended during a two-hour meeting with Dr. Sharpe… it saved us a lot of time and trouble no longer having to worry about other schools. Roll Tide.</p>
<p>^^^TOTALLY AGREE^^^</p>
<p>I do not know HOW they manage it, time-after-time, but every single person we met during our “official” visit made DD, DH and I feel as if we were the FIRST and ONLY people they had ever had “that” conversation with. It is truly amazing.</p>
<p>At one point, in our very relaxed and informative visit with the Business School’s Dean Harden, my husband looked the Dean in the eye and said “I want to know, without a doubt, that this is the right place for my daughter and that she will be safe and happy here.” And the Dean, GOD BLESS HIM, did not bat an eye as he said “I can promise you that. I sent my family here.”</p>
<p>THAT was IT for us. We had found our haven of the TRADITIONAL COLLEGE EXPERIENCE. (one that, I fear, this generation may be the last to enjoy.)</p>
<p>GO. VISIT. And then start ordering 'BAMA keychains, etc…</p>
<p>It is a TRUE BLESSING to know that the decision is made, and that it is one about which the student, as well as the parents, in the household ALL AGREE!!! Roll Tide, ROLL!</p>
<p>We will visit, I just want to time the visit best so he agrees Alabama is the school. It has been a journey for our East coast Jewish family to fall in love with Alabama, but most of the pieces are in place and parents and son have high hopes for the visit.</p>
<p>I’ll tell you when NOT to visit. Don’t go at times when there will be a whole lot of other students there. My daughter visited the Friday before Capstone Scholars weekend (which is in January). We set up an honors college visit and asked to meet with honors college faculty, someone who could talk to D about CBHP (presumably Dr. Sharpe or Mrs. Batson), someone in her major, etc. While D’s visit was more personal than those at other large flagships she visited, it was nothing like the visits you’ll see people raving about here. She did not set eyes on Dr. Sharpe, let alone sit down with him for 2 hours as others have. The meeting with a professor in the business school was described by my husband as painful at best. The CBH student she was scheduled to have lunch with failed to show. The only person in the honors college she met was Jami Gates (who had the job Allison Verhine holds now), and that was a brief meeting. Turns out a lot of the students coming in for Capstone Scholars weekend showed up early and wanted to meet with honors college faculty. I’m sure a lot of students were accommodated, but my daughter fell right through the cracks, notwithstanding that we set the visit up 5 weeks in advance. If it wasn’t for this forum and the fact that I knew that visit was an aberration, it is unlikely that we would have pursued UA. </p>
<p>So pick a day when there aren’t any big events scheduled. I would ask Allison when you set up your visit to make sure. There was no magic to the date we chose - had I known what would happen, we could easily have rescheduled, but no one mentioned that it would be a busy time and it never occurred to me to ask. </p>
<p>FWIW, D liked campus a lot better when we went for Bama Bound in May than she had during her visit 16 months earlier, so I’m guessing campus is prettier in spring and fall than it is in the death of winter.</p>
<p>After many meetings with prospective students and their families, I recommend visiting when classes are in session, preferably not on Friday as there are less classes scheduled, making class visits more difficult, and more students are touring. Take a tour on Tuesday or Wednesday and you will have a better chance of meeting with lots of people (few students tour on these days) and sitting in on a class or two.</p>
<p>Also, if you want an inexpensive hotel room, don’t visit right before a home football game. Then again, you might be able to see a football game, which is an experience in itself, even if you aren’t a football fan.</p>
<p>Roll Tide!</p>