<p>Do the CBHP kids have the opportunity to study abroad? Or are they pretty much occupied at the Tuscaloosa campus during all the semesters? </p>
<p>CBHers definitely have the opportunity to study abroad, especially over the summer. Only 6 semesters are required on-campus for CBH seminar classes. I think it might be less common than in other programs because once a research project is started, people may not want to leave in the middle. However, if it is a priority for you it is definitely possible.</p>
<p>Ok, thanks! My son is interested in studying abroad, but he also really wants to get into the CBHP. So it’s good to know he can do both. :)</p>
<p>My older son, who was in CBHP, had a friend who studied abroad in France for a semester. She later landed a very nice internship with a company based out of Memphis that liked that she spoke fluent French. My son did his study abroad during the summer, as he and his roommate, also a CBHer, went to Belgium. There was no way that they would miss football season!</p>
<p>Ok thanks! It sounds like their schedules are flexible enough to make study abroad possible if they want. I’m crossing my fingers my son gets a CBHP interview! His grades and test scores are probably high enough, but I’m sure there are a lot of qualified applicants. </p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Yes, there are a ridiculous number of qualified applicants. I don’t know what the CBH app numbers have been in the past couple of years, but I know they’re getting a few hundred every year…and nearly all have top stats.</p>
<p>Ugh…I am truly shocked at how competitive everything is. Maybe it’s because we are on the west coast (more laid back generally), but I really thought that having a high SAT and nearly perfect GPA (2250 and 3.94 respectively) + challenging classes and good ec’s was going to be good enough. I’m finding out that those stats are really just average and we should have been building a resume all along that would come across as extraordinary. Hindsight is 20/20 and I now see where we went wrong and I’ll do it differently with my next child who is 4 years younger. (We also have the additional problem of being middle class…we won’t get much or any need-based aid, but we still can’t afford much tuition.)</p>
<p>I really feel so grateful to have the U of Alabama Honors offer on the table (as well as a similar ASU offer, though he is definitely leaning towards Bama). At least I know he will end up in a good honors program somewhere. And we are still trying for CBHP of course.</p>
chris According to my CBH son, less than 10% of applicants get accepted to CBH. Average Stats are 34 ACT/2260 SAT and 3.9 unweighted/4.4weighted GPA. Over 90% of CBHer’s graduate with Latin Honors and every year 1-2 freshman in the CBH do not make it to the second year of the program. Son loves the program and his first year CBH professor is his favorite teacher.
Well it sounds like he has the stats…but if there are hundreds of other applicants, then his chances are slim, just based on the numbers. Maybe I shouldn’t be putting so much emphasis on CBHP and just be happy with honors.
chris That is a very sound way to look at CBH. If your son does not get into CBH there are still many positives about UA outside of the Honors Program and many more educational opportunities such as Emerging Scholars (undergrad research), University Scholars Program (accelerated BS/MS degree program), STEM to MBA in 5 years, etc. What your son will get is a school that will have many students who will stimulate your son to do his best.
I was speaking to my son the other day and he said he had to rework his resume to toss out all the things he did in high school including his ACT/SAT scores and fill it with his college accomplishments. He said he had to triple space to fill a page as a freshman and college GPA is the most important. Having other high achieving students helps motivate him to do well. He and all of his roommates are on the Dean’s List.
BTW Showing interest and keeping in touch with Mrs. Batson and Dean Sharpe regularly will help in getting your son selected into the CBH program. Not a guarantee but it will improve his chances greatly.
Chris, I am going to be completely honest from a mom’s perspective, not my ds’s. I don’t think UA would be as good of a match for him w/o CBH. He loves UA, so this is just my view.
@chris17mom
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many more educational opportunities such as Emerging Scholars (undergrad research), University Scholars Program (accelerated BS/MS degree program), STEM to MBA in 5 years, etc.
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This is very true. When visiting Bama, also ask about Emerging Scholars, and/or the other above-mentioned programs.
Chris, don’t give up on CBH even if your son doesn’t get an invite to the finalist weekend. I know plenty of kids who have been admitted to CBH from the “reserve pool,” including my daughter. Only 6 semesters are required for CBH, so study abroad is definitely possible. And while my daughter really enjoys CBH and has benefitted from it, it is not the most important thing at UA from her perspective (I’ve asked her) - she knows she would have had a fabulous experience at Alabama without it, and would have found other opportunities, as there are plenty to be had. FWIW, she’s a junior, so she’s been through the freshman courses and finished 3 semesters of research (2 different projects) so far.
One of the things I want to mention about CBHP is that it is not just the stats that make one attractive to the program. It is the essay that one writes. My son was one of the students who helped to evaluate applications several years ago. He asked me (I am a teacher) to look at some of the essays that he had received. I had to agree with one thing that he said – often they just rehash the resume. So, put some life into what you write. We still have my son’s essay, and from what we have been told, it really blew away some of the people who evaluated his application. It truly reflected his personality.
So, my son’s best advice is to not rehash a resume. Rather, let the essay be a reflection of you.
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Chris, don’t give up on CBH even if your son doesn’t get an invite to the finalist weekend. I know plenty of kids who have been admitted to CBH from the “reserve pool,” including my daughter.
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This is very true. At the time that the HC issues about 60 CBH interview invites and then makes the 40 selections, many of these top students are still waiting to hear back from their Ivy and similar applications. Once April comes, there will likely be some newly-selected-CBH-members who will contact the school and decline.
When my son was selected for CBH back in '09, there were probably only 3-4 open spots that needed filling, but now that CBH app process is now getting twice as many high-stats applicants, there seems to be about 8 spots that need filling later…usually done around Bama Bound.
Very interesting info, thanks everyone! I am becoming more and more convinced that U of Alabama Honors is where he will land, with or without CBHP. I keep reading that many kids are “sold” after they visit the campus and Honors College, and I’m just hoping that’s how my son reacts. It would be so great to have him completely on board! We are definitely trying to make contact and show interest with Dr. Sharpe and Mrs. Batson, but I’m not going to get stressed out about it. It sounds like selecting the final CBHP members is an ongoing thing, as spots continue to become available with some of the kids choosing other schools. At least I know my son is has the basic qualifications, so we will just make our best effort and see how things play out.
Thanks again and Happy New Year! 