<p>DS has been accepted to UA and to the Culverhouse College of Commerce, but he received a packet yesterday re: The Blount Undergrad Initiative. Would anyone be willing to share insight inro this program? We obviously missed it among the other things that DS applied to at UA, including the Honors Program (I don’t believe he knows if he has been accepted to honors yet). Anyway, the Blount deadline has been extended to early Jan - but it requires a short essay + some type of artworkish thing, and DS is just DONE with writing anything else. He has written so many essays that his brain is basically mush at this point, and I’m not sure he has anything existing that he can recycle for this.</p>
<p>Before I “request” that he do this over Winter break, which he has really earned, I’d like any perspectives available on this program. It seems that the student could be enrolled in Blount, Honors and Business all at the same time, correct? And I realize that DS might not be accepted to Blount, or to Honors, so the issue may be moot.</p>
<p>We do plan to visit UA over Spring Break, which is in March.</p>
<p>Finally, I’d like to add that DS has applied broadly - because finances are a huge consideration for our family. But among the many colleges DS has applied to, none have given him more attention, personalized correspondence, and outstanding financial awards like UA has. If distance wasn’t an issue for DS (we live in Kansas City), he would enroll in a heartbeat. I wish our state flagship even came close to the types of awards that DS has been given from UA so far.</p>
<p>If your son has the stats, he will be admitted into the University Honors Program.</p>
<p>For a long time, Blount (pronounced Blunt) was only for students in the College of Arts and Sciences. It’s a excellent program which I would highly recommend to interested students who understand the time commitment involved. I would not recommend it to someone who isn’t really interested in the courses as completion of the program does earn enough courses such that one will minor in Blount. </p>
<p>Thank you, @SEA_tide. Our flagship is KU, and we’ve been very impressed w/their Honors program, but they are not as generous with merit as UA. DS is an NMSF and, if he advances to Finalist, he does get free tuition at KU - which is nothing to sneeze at! - but obviously UA offers a lot more to Finalists. I’ll have him consider this Blount application and see if he has the bandwidth to do any more essays. He has done a lot of them these past few months. We didn’t know about Blount, so it was great that UA mailed the packet to him for his consideration. </p>
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but obviously UA offers a lot more to Finalists.</p>
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<p>Yes! and really, at this point, you do likely know whether he’ll make finalist…if he has the grades, the SAT score, he submitted the necessary online “paperwork”, and he’s not a discipline problem at school…he’ll make it. FYI…rejection letters are mailed the first week in January, so you’ll know for sure by mid Jan…and get formal notification in Feb. </p>
<p>Others can chime in here with more recent info, but when my kids were at Bama, the Blount kids were more liberal-arts/granola kids…which is super for that culture…but may not be a great fit for kids who are not. There is a culture for everyone at Bama! The Mallet kids are mavericks, for example. </p>
<p>did your son apply to the Honors college? If not, have him do so. Tell him not to sweat the essay…just write a couple of sentences introducing himself. That is it!</p>
<p>My son has also been accepted to Culverhouse and has applied to the Blount Undergraduate Initiative. Blount is open to all first- year students, not only those in Honors. The program allows students to obtain a minor in liberal arts by taking seminar-style classes in a live-learn community. A good description of the program can be found here: <a href=“http://blount.as.ua.edu/description.html”>http://blount.as.ua.edu/description.html</a>. </p>
<p>I certainly understand application fatigue at this point. My son was able to complete the application in a few hours. We found out by mail today that he has been granted an interview in the next stage of the application process (he applied about three weeks ago). If the description sounds attractive to your son, I would encourage him to apply.</p>
I am currently a Junior at UA and I am in the Blount program. I am also from Chicago so I also understand the aversion to distance your son has. I am majoring in Biochemistry and Art History and Blount has definitely been one of my favorite parts of the University! To give you a little insight into the program, Blount is a 20 hour liberal arts minor. Our students take a total of 6 3 hour seminars and 2 1 hour convocations. Our first two courses are the most reading and writing intensive in the program, but I enjoyed those classes the most! They are discussion based and cover a wide range of topics, including scientific theory, sociology, psychology, social justice, and economic theory. After these two courses we have a ton of more focused courses to choose from and they tend to be really interesting and more “fun” than your average college course. We have courses in Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Alabama Football as a Religion, which are all really popular, but we also have courses that discuss healthcare, film, different religions and social movements, travel, and a ton more. The classes are determined each semester by faculty that volunteer to teach our courses. The faculty get to pick their own topics, making it a much more enjoyable experience because we are taught by people who are passionate about the material! All of our classes are capped at 15 students and its therefore extremely easy to get to know your professors and build relationships with them.
As far as Blount Hall goes, all freshman are required to live there their first year (Blount is a Living Learning Community program) and students are then free to move into different housing for their last 3 years. The building is divided into suites that each have two rooms. Two residents share a room and the two rooms share a bathroom (so there’s 2 to a room and 4 to a suite). I found this a really nice compromise between the suite-style in the Honors dorms and the traditional style halls on South campus. Having a roommate also makes Blount a really friendly place to live. People are constantly in the lobby and other common areas hanging out and studying together, which rarely happens in other buildings. As an RA in a different building, I can also tell you that Blount has the lowest theft and vandalism rate on campus because of how strong the community is there. There are 4 classrooms on the first floor of Blount Hall, which is where the freshman classes are taught. This is super convenient and is a great study space!
Speaking to the kind of student who is a part of Blount is difficult because we are a very diverse group of people. around 75% of our students are also in the honors college. We have both Greek and independent students and we draw students from most colleges on campus so there’s a wide variety of majors represented. The thing that ties all Blount students together is our love of learning and inquisitive nature. We enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. I’ve also found Blount to be one of the most inclusive groups on campus. Everyone is welcome and I have met and become friends with many people that I would never have met otherwise. We also have an excellent reputation with the faculty on campus. Anytime I mention to a professor that I’m in Blount they say how much they enjoy interacting with the students in the program. Please let me know if you have any other questions I can help you with, but I definitely think the application is worth filling out. It won’t take too long, and the “blank page” can be filled with anything; it doesn’t have to be artistic! I took it around my high school for a day and doodled on it!
I don’t want to highjack this post, but @eehein or anyone else with personal knowledge, I’m trying see if my daughter could find a “tribe” at U of A and maybe Blount would qualify. She has the stats for the Presidential Scholarship and plans to major in Biomedical Engineering, but loves the ideals of a liberal arts education. The stereotype for her might be “hippie from Hawaii.” She is liberal, a vegetarian, and very interested in environmental issues and human rights. On the less serious side, she also has a wicked sense of humor, likes a good party, and her favorite Instagram page is Man Buns Monday. It would be great financially to go to U of A, but not at the expense of her feeling like a complete outsider.
palm715: You will get more replies…but from what I know, it does sound like the Blount Initiative would be an excellent option for your daughter. My son lived in Blount Hall last year (however he did not actually apply to the Blount Initiative, though he thinks he would have enjoyed the experience, after being around some of the Blount Initiative students last school year). He has said it appeared that there are a very wide variety of smart (and perhaps a bit eccentric in some cases) students in the B.I. – good mix of guys and girls, good mix of liberal and somewhat conservative, etc. The post from eehein above is excellent! Good luck to your daughter with her decisions. P.S. There are a lot of different, diverse “tribes” among a student body of 37,000!
I need to correct the post that suggests that the Blount dorms aren’t very nice. They are very nice. Yes, you do share a room, but to suggest that they aren’t very nice is very wrong.
Sharing a room doesn’t make a dorm “not very nice.”
If you want a private room, then choose a super suite.
If you want a very nice dorm with a shared room to save a few bucks, then choose Blount.
You can look at UA housing and click on the various housing options to see pictures. You can also call housing - some of the older dorm buildings have been remodeled and they also upgrade furnishings. The very nicest housing is the super suites, but that option is pricey; sharing a room to save money is a good option. The super suites compares to the nicest housing on any campus (or nicer than anything you have seen elsewhere). Honors housing at UA is in suite style. If a student isn’t use to sharing a BR or a BR, flexibility and compatibility are important.
@palm715 I would not worry about your DD finding a tribe at UA. There is a lot of diversity, and a lot of organizations - they offer a special week of welcome activities to help students meet other like students. My DD tends to be a little reserved, and after her freshman year at UA she said she surprised herself on how many friends she has made.
@palm715 I knew many students with similar interests to your daughter while I was at UA. Blount is one of the many organizations she would likely enjoy.
@palm715, my son arrived at UA last year after attending “crunchy” Quaker schools in the Northeast most of his life, and he has loved living in Blount Hall, even though he landed there as part of the honors overflow housing. He was originally looking to attend a selective liberal arts college, and he feels living in Blount exposed him to the best of both worlds: a tight-knit, vibrant liberal arts community within a large, thriving university. He isn’t part of the Blount Initiative, but many of his friends are in the program.
I think the important thing for any student who doesn’t fit the “typical” UA profile is to be open-minded while also having a strong sense of yourself. If you’re confident in who you are, and open to meeting people who are different than you, you will make many, many friends and enjoy the experience. Part of growing up and going away to college, IMHO, is meeting students who are different than you and learning from one another.
Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.
@nw2this, I think if you request it be included when you schedule your tour (I suggest doing that through the Honors College), they can make arrangements to visit.
Keep in mind the Blount Undergraduate Initiative includes several buildings, so be clear if you want to visit the Blount LLC: http://blount.as.ua.edu/buildings.html
@palm715 Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been busy with a summer internship. But yes, from hearing about your daughter it sounds like she would really like Blount and she would definitely fit into the Blount community easily! We even had a freshman last year who is from Hawaii. The academic side of Blount is obviously strongly based in liberal arts (and balances out the engineering curricula nicely). Blount students also tend to be more socially conscious than the typical student and several Blountees are involved in environmental, social justice, and human rights groups! It’s not too late to apply to the program or even request the housing office to switch into the building for the fall. Just visit blount.as.ua.edu for contact info.
@nw2this I have heard that the residential hall is closed to tours right now due to summer camps, but the program director, Dr. Hornsby is in the office most days and is always happy to speak with a visiting student. You also might be able to talk to the housing office to set something up if you are interested in seeing the LLC specifically. There are also a couple of Blountees on campus this summer that would be able to meet with you and answer any questions or show you around the two academic buildings Blount has. Like LucietheLakie said, if you have an official visit with Honors College or admissions tell them you’re interested and they will set up the appropriate meeting/tour. If you are just planning on visiting the school yourself you can contact the Blount offices at blount.as.ua.edu and they will be able to coordinate a visit for you!
I have a son that will be attending the Honors Academy in a couple of weeks and he has been emailing Dr. Hornsby who explained that there are no tours of the LLC during the summer; however, he strongly encouraged my son to drop by his office to speak with him.
“Blount students also tend to be more socially conscious than the typical student and several Blountees are involved in environmental, social justice, and human rights groups!”
Love this! Going the fall, would love to sit in on a Blount class… This is exactly what D is after, but thinks she has go to an east coast college to find.
Hi @eehein, it’s not to late at all, my daughter is a rising senior still trying to figure out where to apply. We really appreciate your insights and congrats on the internship!
Also, thank you @albclemom for the link to Blount. My favorite line from the website: “The Blount Intramural Sports teams, “The Smokin’ Blounts”, compete regularly with other UA organizations, and are known for their ability to lose gracefully.”