<p>Thanks Sea tide. We are in SE WA so the flight costs are a bit higher and it is pretty tough to get to Birmingham much earlier than 5:00pm. We may consider driving to Portland or Seattle to put him on a plane to get better connections.</p>
<p>Thanks for the link Cuttlefish.</p>
<p>While it’s a long travel day, I’ve often found it easier to leave in the evening and fly overnight so one can arrive in BHM between 8:30 and 10:30 am. Pasco, Yakima, Lewiston and Spokane all seem to have later flights. There’s also a shuttle from Yakima to Seatac for around $85 roundtrip that I see a lot of young people taking.</p>
<p>We will consider the overnight flights. My son is a bit of a night owl anyways so it may work fine for him. Me, I like to sleep when it is dark outside. Pasco or Walla Walla are the two closest airports for us.</p>
<p>My son did receive an invite to the CS camp and accepted it a couple of days ago. He is going to do a red eye flight because he didn’t want to be a late arriver even though they are very willing to accomadate him arriving after the normal check in time. Just have to figure out how to get him from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa and back. He is looking forward to seeing UA.</p>
<p>A number of students use Tony’s On Time Transportation. Tony is very friendly and offers a discount to UA students.</p>
<p>Thanks. When we get a little closer, I may check with him. A shared shuttle will likely be the cheapest but with my son doing the red eye and getting there earlier than most others he may want to get to UA sooner so he can take a nap before everybody else starts arriving. Any idea what Tony charges?</p>
<p>IIRC, the cost is $65 each way, $130 roundtrip, plus gratuity. Birmingham Door to Door is a shared ride and is ~$80 each way, $130 roundtrip, plus gratuity. Tony’s is not a shared ride, though 2-4 people can ride for a slightly higher rate. Tony usually drives a late model Lincoln Town Car.</p>
<p>Call the CS camp and ask if they’ll be doing any shuttles. It’s not uncommon for students to arrive earlier in the day, so he might only have to wait an hour or so in BHM before catching a shuttle with other camp participants.</p>
<p>They said they would try and help coordinate. Most kids don’t have their travel arrangements made yet.</p>
<p>My son did attend the CS camp and he liked UA better than he anticipated he would. Dr Gray was great as were his assistants. He also had the opportunity to meet with Dean Sharpe and was favorably impressed. The campus was not real busy but with a Bama Bound going on he said it definitely wasn’t dead. UA has moved higher on his list.</p>
<p>Attending a college’s summer camp is such an important tool to use to see if a student wants either to go into a particular field OR go to a particular school. Most major schools have them in all sorts of career/professional areas, and almost every school has camps for its athletics. Either can give you a taste of what the school is like, beyond a mere visit. (Although UA’s visits alone are so thorough and give a great experience!)</p>
<p>The Honor’s College hosted “Honor’s Academy” for rising seniors over the summer….definitely worth considering if considering Alabama. It ran Sunday through Friday for one week.</p>
<p>@bamagirls, was that new this year?</p>
<p>^yes. </p>
<p>Thanks! Sounds like a great idea, which I will definitely pass along to some prospective families.</p>