<p>When I read this thread, the Honors College Assembly comes to mind.</p>
<p>Honors College Assembly is already in place but being tweaked for more improvements to become the major umbrella for all of the Honors College students. </p>
<p>The Honors College recognizes that Honors kids often have different needs, outlooks, social habits, etc. So, it has 4 pillars…academic, social, research, and counseling (aka advising, but not advising like course advising…hard to explain…more like “professional development”).</p>
<p>One social aspect is the watching of non-home games at The Zone. </p>
<p>Another social aspect is “Open Mic” night …which I think is every Thursday night? Don’t remember where it’s held, but it was super popular last year. </p>
<p>Maybe Sea_tide can provide more info. </p>
<p>The Honors College Assembly provides the Honors College student body with opportunities for growth and a greater sense of community among members of the Honors College. Specifically, we focus on:</p>
<pre><code>* social and student life and cultural interaction activities, such as football block seating, pre-game tailgating events, intramural teams, thematic guest speaker series, etc.
community service and civic engagement opportunities
leadership and professional development opportunities
<p>Have you been down for a campus visit yet? If not, since he’s thinking about a bio major, ask to set up a meeting with Dr. Guy Caldwell. He teaches the freshman Honors Bio class and also runs the premier bio research lab on campus, The Worm Shack.</p>
<p>My D met with him last fall and is now in his Honors Bio class. She loves him; says he’s very funny. She’s hoping that since she’s part of the Emerging Scholars program that she’ll get the opportunity to do some research in his lab next year. </p>
<p>Your S should also learn about the Emerging Scholars program, which creates research partnerships between faculty and freshman. This ended up being a beter fit fir my D than CBHP. She applied to CBHP and wasn’t accepted, but she didn’t really want to have to take the required computer classes. They accepted so many students this year that they divided them into two groups. Because she’s in Marching Band, D decided to start in the spring instead of fall. Here’s the link for the program: emerging scholars.UA.edu.</p>
<p>^ I can second the recommendation re Emerging Scholars. DS will also be in the spring contingent, probably working with history professor James Mixson.</p>
<p>Speaking of funny, entertaining teachers…classics Professor Kirk “Kirkules” Summers is an absolute hoot! (DS has him for Latin 301 and for Greek and Roman Mythology. The latter is the more entertaining class, as you can imagine, but it’s also packed with solid info.)</p>
<p>Speaking of nerds, my son broke his glasses on the nosepiece. Are there any real life nerds that can help him repair them if his new glasses don’t come in before Family Weekend?</p>
<p>My D is also a nerd and she’s proud of it. She always has her nose in a book. I love this thread because it reassures me that we should make the trip to visit UA. D is also a very active Catholic. Is there transportation to the Catholic church so she can go to Mass on Sunday? That will actually be important to her in making a college decision. She will definitely major or minor in the classics- and perhaps even a double major with spanish. If only we’d hear whether or not she is a NMSF!</p>
<p>My son is very serious about academics, likes World of Warcraft and other vidio games, is a big fan of the Harry Potter books/movies, could do better with some social skills, isn’t “in” to whatever happens to be the most current style, has never really been into any sports (including football), currently disapproves of underage drinking, smoking, drugs, and eating meat, poultry, or fish, and is really enjoying his time at UA. He likes his roommates, enjoys all of his classes, and said last night he is concerned about having enough time for all of the clubs/organizations that he would like to participate in. He is part of the Honors College, has joined the Honors College Assembly, and is in CBHP (two of his roommates are also in CBHP).</p>
<p>The Catholic Church is on campus property (on the southeast corner), so a student could walk there if needed.</p>
<p>however, depending on her dorm choice, she could take the Crimson Ride. Assuming that she’d be in an honors dorm, then she could take Perimeter route. And, likely, after she went a couple of times, she would meet someone who has a car who’d give her a ride.</p>
<p>My son walks to St Francis with no difficulty whatsoever. (He’s in Riverside East, which isn’t all that close to St Francis…but it’s not particularly far, either, and it’s a pleasant walk. :))</p>
<p>It’s GREAT having a Catholic parish right on campus. And the Catholic Student Center is extremely active. In addition to daily (noon) and Sunday Masses (9, 11 & 7 p.m.), they have a Student Mass & Meal each Tuesday night, plus various ministries, Bible studies, spiritual-growth groups, pizza parties, etc. And two off-campus retreats per year.</p>
<p>When we went to check out the Catholic Student Center (during move-in weekend), Father Gerald (pastor) was there. He went out of his way to show us all around and was as friendly as could be. Love that warm Southern hospitality!</p>
<p>Thanks LadyD. Now if only I could get my D to read all these threads that prove to me that UA could be a good fit for her. She has a latin quiz or test every day this week for AP Latin, and I think she’s overwhelmed. She was given permission to skip Latin 3 and go into AP Latin, but she has to work much harder because of it.</p>
<p>I’m a sophomore here at UA, and from a student perspective, all one needs to do is look harder to find a niche in nerdiness. It just depends on interest.</p>
<p>I’m a history major, so naturally I took an interest in the student group for the Society for Creative Anachronism. There’s an activity for anyone, ranging from hitting other people with sticks to delicate weaving. The people are great and it’s a low-commitment activity.</p>
<p>Next is Mallet Assembly. I joined this organization last fall and have no regrets. It’s a self-governing dorm/organization and it’s not required to live in the dorm (in this case, Palmer Hall). The people are great also, a bit crass at times but honestly the most real people you’ll ever meet. It’s easy to find an upperclassman that can help with almost any major and provides an instant group of friends, much like a greek organization without all the fuss. A simple application followed by a meeting and you’re done, either in or out.</p>
<p>Next is ABXY, which has been mentioned several times. However, there’s also a tabletop gaming club which I’m not a part of but hear about a lot, if that’s an interest.</p>
<p>Seriously, there’s plenty of room for a nerd to thrive. You just have to know where to look! Get on Board day is a great way to get a good look at clubs. Make sure your kid goes when they finally step foot on campus!</p>
<p>“I’m a history major, so naturally I took an interest in the student group for the Society for Creative Anachronism. There’s an activity for anyone, ranging from hitting other people with sticks…”</p>
<p>My dad must have been in this secret society 25 years ago. Who knew :-)</p>
<p>Xcitfan, glad to hear about your family’s fondness and passion for UA. Welcome and Roll Tide!!</p>
<p>I would love any more information that people can provide about a classics major since my “nerdy” dd is considering that or english plus either a double major or minor in spanish.</p>
<p>My D is a senior Classics major with minors in Italian and Journalism and is in UHP and IHP. She has enjoyed her classics major, and has done both the Alabama in Italy and Alabama in Greece summer programs. If you have questions, please feel free to PM me! Also have a D that is a sophomore in Engineering. Both love Bama, and we parents love those scholarships!</p>
<p>I haven’t looked at this thread in several months. Thanks for the responses. A special thanks to Montegut, with whom I share a fair number of common issues.</p>
<p>My video-game-loving Catholic NMF nerd son is 95% set on attending Alabama in the fall. We have paid our deposits, and his next step is to round up a roommate. His list was long ago narrowed down to three (UA plus two Jesuit universities), and although he has received some nice scholarship offers from the others, they don’t compare when one looks at overall value. To his credit, he doesn’t want to strap us financially with two kids coming up behind him. It’s hard to argue with free. </p>
<p>He could still change his mind, but it’s looking less and less likely. And so it begins. Guess I will need to buy one of those “house divided” license plates. Or not.</p>