<p>My kid will not go Greek. He is nerdy and intellectual. Video game lover I have often thought him more of a fit for a smaller private school, but he really liked his Bama visit. Can a kid like him find his niche in such a big, socially-driven place? Be honest. This is an important decision that will affect the rest of his life. </p>
<p>Btw, we are Catholic also. I realize Tuscaloosa is not a hotbed for Catholicism, but I’ve heard good things about St. Francis. </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>^ definitely.
DS is second year at UA, non-Greek, very active in the ABXY gaming club, which I would say is chock full of nerds (though not sure they would call themselves that). At a school the size of UA there’s definitely something for everyone.</p>
<p>slippy2000: The Honors College enrolls over 1000 freshmen each year with ACTs over 28, many more than some elite LACs, so with that size pool of smart & high achieving students, he will find his tribe! </p>
<p>We’re not Catholic but M2CK & Montegut are and have said great things about the local Catholic parish; I’m sure they’ll chime in.</p>
<p>You’d be surprised at the percentage of catholics at UA. There are quite a few, especially amongst the kids from Mobile, AL. And Coach Saban is catholic so you might even see him at mass :-)</p>
<p>There is a place for your son at UA and he’d have no problem finding plenty of like minded kids. But I guarantee you he’ll be screaming Roll Tide at a football game before he graduates.</p>
<p>I think this question (not exact wording, but REALLY close) was asked last year. It may have even been posed by Ladydi. Her son was a home schooled Catholic, NMF and she had similar concerns. He is a month into school now, it would be interesting to hear her perspective.</p>
<p>My D was not socially inept, but was VERY academic and bookish. She too thought a small LAC was for her, but ended up at UA. On our Skype call 2 nights ago I told her how happy she looked, and she said “I am the happiest I have ever been in my life!!” She didn’t know a soul going down there (we are OOS) but has made TONS of friends, way more than she had through high school. I don’t know if I should admit this or not, but she is going out every single night LOL! She still has a total grip on her academics, but she is totally having fun!</p>
<p>She frequently mentions how friendly everyone is. For example, on her walk from the line at the dining hall to a table, at least 5 people say HI to her. I know it may not be a perfect fit for everyone, but with the Mallot assembly, CBH, Band, academic and gaming clubs it seems like there are very few that couldn’t find their niche at UA if they want to.</p>
<p>There’s actually a popular video game organization that some students started a few years ago. ABXY. They host weekly video game nights, tournaments, etc. So he will definitely find a group of people that share that hobby. It’s quite well organized too. I think they helped host a video gaming convention one weekend at UA as well.</p>
<p>“I am the happiest I have ever been in my life!!” That must have been music to your ears, Nicollec!</p>
<p>As parents, we all worry if our offspring will find their way no matter their personality or interests. I think larger universities like Bama may be a better choice for the simple reason that there are so many more options available than at a small school. </p>
<p>My d is a self described nerd, and she has never regretted choosing UA. She has made friends, gotten very involved with a couple of organizations, and is having a terrific colelge experience.</p>
<p>Best wishes to you & your son :)</p>
<p>There are a good number of Catholics in T-town…and a number who post on this board.</p>
<p>I think the population in T-town is about 10% Catholic…and the school has about 3,000 Catholic undergrads. </p>
<p>Not only is there St. Francis (which is building a larger church), but there is a large parish (Holy Spirit, also with a new church) off of McFarland with a grade school and high school. I believe that retired Dean Halle’s sister is one of the principals there. There is also an older Catholic church in T-town…St. John’s (I think)…very old. </p>
<p>And Coach Saban is catholic so you might even see him at mass 
</p>
<p>Yes, we’ve seen Coach and Terry Saban at the 9 am Mass. </p>
<p>[St</a> Francis - Home](<a href=“http://www.stfrancisuofa.com/]St”>http://www.stfrancisuofa.com/)</p>
<p>On this link is a nice video (the second video down on the page) of Coach and Terry Saban speaking at Mass to help raise money for the new larger church. BTW… $3.5 million has been raised so far…so usually the bishop lets the building start once the halfway mark is reached…and the total goal was $5M
<a href=“http://www.layingacornerstone.com/sabans.html[/url]”>http://www.layingacornerstone.com/sabans.html</a></p>
<p>(I like it when Saban mentions that, right now, Alabama is one of the hottest schools to go to in the US…)</p>
<p>As for your nerd question…</p>
<p>*Can a kid like him find his niche in such a big, socially-driven place? Be honest. This is an important decision that will affect the rest of his life. *</p>
<p>Since you asked for honest answers…</p>
<p>I don’t want to offend, but frankly, if you’re in a STEM major, you’re going to have a lot of fellow nerds/geeks/etc male classmates…and not many who pledge traditional frats…most really just don’t have the time or inclination. </p>
<p>Both of my sons are/were in STEM majors (one has graduated), and some of their classmates were in traditional social frats - but not many. Some were in the academic/social fraternities which are different from traditional greeks in time demands, pledging req’ts, fees, etc. There are a couple of these academic/social frats that seem to be gaining in popularity…they’re more like joining a regular club.</p>
<p>In my experience, the guys who pledge are mostly in majors that are on the west side of campus…business majors, etc. The STEM majors are mostly on the east side of campus.</p>
<p>What is your son’s major?</p>
<p>m2ck… He is undecided about what he wants to study, but I suspect he may explore some kind of double major in Biology and Classics (weird combo, I know). </p>
<p>My son attends an all male Catholic HS in New Orleans. There will probably be more than a few boys from his HS going to Bama because of the NM scholarships. If he goes to UA, he will know a few people and will not be starting entirely from scratch.</p>
<p>*explore some kind of double major in Biology and Classics (weird combo, I know). *</p>
<p>Actually, that’s not a weird combo for pre-med students…don’t know if your son is pre-med. Classic majors have a very high acceptance to med school. </p>
<p>Will your son have a good number of AP credits.</p>
<p>What is his career interest? </p>
<p>all male Catholic HS in New Orleans</p>
<p>I think I know which school that is…and they have a lot of NMFs every year…I think they had like 20 last year…and some are at Bama.</p>
<p>Yes, he will have a number of AP credits. </p>
<p>His HS had 28 NMSF’s last year. 33 this year.</p>
<p>Slippy, I would be glad to help you with any questions. I sent you a PM.</p>
<p>As for nerds thriving there, son and his floormates had a major Nerf gun battle on Friday night, and major video game sessions on Saturday night, to blow off steam from a very rough engineering week.</p>
<p>As for St. Francis, can’t say enough good things about it. Major deciding factor in son attending Bama. Son is not active in the ECs there, but he goes to mass every Sunday and loves it there. </p>
<p>Good luck in senior year, and feel free to ask me any questions.</p>
<p>Take care,</p>
<p>Montegut</p>
<p>m2ck, aren’t there 2 popular all-male Catholic schools in NOLA? I became aware of that rivalry at the beginning of freshman year.</p>
<p>I will say that all types of people can thrive at Bama, nerds included. Oftentimes, we are trying to convince prospective students and their families that UA and the Honors College is not all nerds, so this is a different twist. Your son will find like-minded students at Bama. Almost immediately, I thought about ABXY and the Mallet Assembly, but there is also the Society for Creative Anachronisms, which is sort of a renaissance club. </p>
<p>One great thing about the Honors College at UA is that it is big enough to have students with all types of interests and as such we do not have the lock-step type of honors programs that you see at many schools. The UHP requirements are very flexible in terms of course selection and will not represent an undue burden on a student’s schedule or social life.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>yes, one is Jesuit and the other is Brothers of the Sacred Heart.</p>
<p>Yes, nerds can thrive…there is also the hippy-granola crowd as well. :)</p>
<p>Aerospace engineering major, video gaming member, marching band member and signed up for the kayaking and fishing clubs. Also testing the water in Theta Tau. Still keeping his head above the water with work with no problem. My son is geeky, nerdy and just a nice normal person all wrapped up in one. He actually sent me shakers for this weeks game so I don’t look ‘nerdy’ and out of place. Looking forward to Saturday when I can actually see him.</p>
<p>Bama is a great place and we are 12 hours away. Son could not be happier.</p>
<p>Jesuiit and Brother Martin.</p>
<p>I’ll keep my mouth shut about which one is better. ;-)</p>
<p>Can I just say that I love this thread!! DD has been accepted to UA, and we have visited. UA has been at the op of DD’s list since our visit! But I have struggled w/ much of the same issues as OP. DD is a high stats kid from Chicago…Catholic, used to hanging w/ the high achiever group doing lots of community service and sports. We attend a huge HS of 4,000 and most of the kids in her group would be fine at being called nerds or even geeks…in fact most of them would take it as a compliment. </p>
<p>As Steve Wozniak is quoted as saying: Geeks shall inherit the earth! lol</p>
<p>I was afraid that if she did not join a sorority that it would be a bit more difficult for her to find her tribe. But reading what everyone is saying here, especially those with freshmen kids, really makes me feel more secure that she will find a group even if she decides to not pledge. Honestly, I have been putting off sending in the admissions deposit because I was just so nervous about her getting in to a sorority (NO debate here, please, her sister is having an amazing Greek experience at another school and DD really wants to try to pledge) as I was worried that she would be missing out. Silly, I know.</p>
<p>One thing that I picked up while reading every thread posted, is that it seems like the Honors College does a lot of social events for the kids in the HC. Sort of like their own social club. I read about how they had a viewing party this past weekend. Reading things like that shows that 'Bama is not just about Greek or sports, but more about fostering a sense of belonging. That means a lot to me as a parent.</p>
<p>OP One thing that I did that helped alot, I would suggest that you reach out to your local alumni organization. I got some great information and contacts from talking to them. They really helped set my mind at ease about how everyone can fit in at UA and since I spoke to about 5 different people I was able to see how they were all in different majors, with different personalities and yet each had a very good college experience at UA. </p>
<p>Nice to know that there are many other options for kids. It’s also great to hear from everyone that their freshman kids are having a great time and adjusting well.</p>
<p>Don’t know what we would all do without CC!</p>
<p>slippy2000 – my older son (now a freshman) is an ultra-nerd – he spends his leisure time researching medieval Irish history, LOL – and he’s also very Catholic. He loves St. Francis. Feel free to PM me! :)</p>
<p>Diane, mom of nerds</p>
<p>sippy, oh my gosh! Talk about small world!! My DH used to teach history and classics at the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts in Natchitoches, and his best Latin students came from Jesuit Prep!!</p>
<p>My freshman son is majoring in History and Classics. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, lol. (We didn’t push him, either. He has just always loved history. Younger son is more poli-sci-oriented.)</p>
<p>buzymom … I can also confirm. My D’s been SO happy so far! Her birthday was yesterday, and a group of 10 people took her out to eat last night after HC Convocation. She attended the HC viewing party. She’s signed up for social and community service committees for Honors College Assembly (HCA) and she was elected treasurer of another organization this week. She is loving her CBH class so far knowing that the best is yet to come. And she has no intention of going greek … and as you can see, I’m thinking she’s going to be pretty busy! We couldn’t be happier for her, and I’m sure you will continue to be impressed as you navigate through this process! Good Luck! Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions, since we are also from the Chicago area.</p>