<p>I honestly don’t think this would have happended if it weren’t for the fine folks here on CC. I can’t wait to get there!!! Roll Tide!!!</p>
<p>Have a wonderful visit! Believe me, it seals the deal! Will look forward to your trip report. Roll Tide!</p>
<p>Enjoy and Roll Tide! Looking forward to your report as well.</p>
<p>What days will you be there, Upstate? I am wondering if the campus is going to be a little empty with students headed to the LSU game or not.</p>
<p>Do you have everything planned out? When do you arrive? Do you need any advice or help?</p>
<p>It is really SPECIAL. </p>
<p>You will see. RTR</p>
<p>…and tell us all about it!</p>
<p>Cant wait for your report Upstate13 we are heading down 11/15 for the weekend. Would love to hear about the great food places. We love bbq. It will be a nice to get away from this madness in NYC. Some of these poor people lost their entire homes and thousands others have no power.</p>
<p>Jealous…lol my visit isn’t until February! have fun! Roll Tide!!! :)</p>
<p>I want to apologize in advance for the length of this post, but I couldnt edit it down any further. To describe our visit in a word, extraordinary; you absolutely have to visit if you have any interest in the school. The details of why follow below…</p>
<p>As many of you know, we are from upstate NY, S played football (QB) very seriously throughout HS, strong student. He has been accepted to Honors College with the presidential scholarship; he had also been looking at Binghamton, Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, BU, Bentley, Maryland, Richmond, Wake Forest and a few very good D3 football schools (however, not as interested in playing in college as is finding the right school for him overall, something I was very impressed with on his part). It became apparent early that many of these schools wouldnt be possible financially without him going into some serious debt. So UA has been the focus for awhile now, but we still had some lingering concerns regarding the distance and associated issues; summer internships, graduate network, career opps upon graduation, what he will do when dorms close as he wont be able to come home for every break, etc.</p>
<p>Our tour of the T-town community actually started before we even left the Rochester airport. S, (of course), was in full Crimson garb for the trip and while waiting to board the plane a couple of guys who were on their way back home (to Alabama) came up to him with a big RT welcome and asked him if he was a student, chatted him up for about 15 minutes, talked football, etc., wished him luck. Their accents were awesome and their smiles were even better. It really set the stage for the next 36 hours of his life. </p>
<p>I wont bore you with each person we came in contact with; but what is noteworthy is that EVERY interaction we had, at the airport, the hotel, the restaurants, when I got lost, and of course on campus, were sincere, friendly, warm, and exuded that very natural southern hospitality I guess we should have come to expect. I felt like I had gone home somehow, it was truly amazing.</p>
<p>We arrived about 7:00 Thursday evening, checked into Hotel Capstone, went to the strip briefly (it was pretty quiet and stores were closed already, so that was too bad), ate at Jim and Nicks. It was fabulous, the waiter was awesome and gave his own perspective on the town etc., saw a bunch of kids in togas on their way to a toga party. Had buffet breakfast at hotel in the morning, very reasonably priced, very good, the wait staff basically stood at our table the entire time and chatted, we laughed a lot and they taught us how to talk, my son was grinning ear to ear. </p>
<p>Our tour consisted of the standard guided tour in the morning which was fabulous; there is no way to even describe how beautiful and pristine the campus was. It almost seemed like a movie set, our jaws dropped over and over and over. The weather was 75 degrees and sunny, incredible. From there we had a brief meeting at admissions, then on to Honors College with Dr. Oneal, who again was warm and talked extensively with us about Honors opportunities, she actually emailed S after and shared his email address with Ben Howell from the football team (from NY), who has already reached out to S, unbelievable .then to lunch with a student ambassador from NY and a very happy (and pretty) sophomore. She was warm and lovely, she and I actually talked more than she and S, but that was fine I think he enjoyed hearing all she had to say. We toured a dorm suite at Ridgecrest, again, completely amazing.</p>
<p>From there we met with Prof. Lisa McKinney from the accounting department. Again, incredibly warm, friendly, obviously dedicated to student success, and an overall great meeting. Even went through what his first year schedule would be, offered all kinds of help and support. Her assistant and a few other profs came in to her office and chatted with us, gave S a welcome bag full of UA accounting goodies, talked football and accounting at the same time. So personal, so real, just completely amazing (I use that word a lot here).</p>
<p>At that point we were basically done, we were scheduled for a business school overview but that really didnt seem necessary after the prior meetings, so we took some time to just walk the campus again before leaving. I know some tours are more extensive, and I do wish we could have had more time, someone asked me why we didnt do the two day tour and I honestly have no idea what that option would have been, but we were very satisfied with the time we did have. We should have been there for a game weekend, but my schedule didn’t allow it. From there it was back to airport and home late last night. Quite a whirlwind, but so very worth it.</p>
<p>The only negative that I can find is the trip is a bit grueling; the connections in Atlanta, renting a car, driving another hour, getting to hotel; but this is not necessarily unique to Alabama and when done in two consecutive days is even worse. That was poor planning on my part. Oh yeah, and the $300 I spent in the school store on Bama gear, decals, fridge magnets etc. But I suppose that is money well spent given the generosity of the school. I only hope that he can represent the school well. He already updated his facebook profile and status as UA Class of 2017; with many dozen likes within minutes.</p>
<p>ROLL TIDE AND THANK YALL who helped make this a reality for my S. Forever in your debt .</p>
<p>Upstate - Thanks for the update and we are happy that your visit went so well. Over and over you see trip reports that come back just like this one (we had our own) but basically it is hard to believe until you experience it yourself.</p>
<p>Once again, glad to hear that your trip went so well and welcome to the family!!!</p>
<p>Roll Tide!!!</p>
<p>‘UA Class of 2017’ Awesome!</p>
<p>Roll Tide!</p>
<p>Fellow Rochesterian here (ex-EK) now in the Mid-West. Looking forward to our visit in the spring. Minnesota is the first choice right now, but maybe the visit will change his mind.</p>
<p>Absolutely awesome, upstate! BTW, my son took McKinney’s honors accounting course and said she’s one of the best teachers he’s ever had.</p>
<p>I love your line, “I felt like I had gone home somehow…” What a beautiful and apt description of what many of us have felt during our introduction to 'Bama. It’s a wonderfully rich irony that so many snobs turn up their uninformed noses at the mere mention of Alabama, when all the while there’s magic right in front of them.</p>
<p>Welcome and Roll, Tide!</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing! Glad to hear that it went so well. :)</p>
<p>Awesome to hear this 
I’m glad your son loved the campus!</p>
<p>I love your line, “I felt like I had gone home somehow…” What a beautiful and apt description of what many of us have felt during our introduction to 'Bama. It’s a wonderfully rich irony that so many snobs turn up their uninformed noses at the mere mention of Alabama, when all the while there’s magic right in front of them.</p>
<p>So true…which is why we bought a condo in T-town. It just feels like home here. :)</p>
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<p>You know that your son has chosen the right school when you go and spend a few hundred dollars on licensed merchandise before you leave campus. 
Welcome to the UA Family and Roll Tide Roll!!!</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son on choosing an outstanding university! His four years there will prove to be an awesome experience.</p>
<p>We hear this phrase over and over again, that the “trip sealed the deal”. This is true for many students and their families. If anyone is considering The University of Alabama, please make a visit to campus…you will be impressed.
Might I add, a special shoutout and thank you to our young men and women who work as Honors College Ambassadors giving tours, meeting students, and doing lunch liaisons. They take time out from their busy schedules to help introduce prospective students and parents to the many benefits of UA and the Honors College, because they are proud of their university.</p>
<p>Roll Tide!!</p>
<p>I’m glad you had a great visit - that and your son’s wise choice warrant a big ROLL TIDE! My D’s Bama visit (arranged through the Honors College) was nothing special, and did not seal the deal, so I am always concerned that families may go for their visits at UA with unrealistic expectations based on the visits described on CC. It makes me happy when someone’s visit lives up to those expectations, because while my D’s visit was ordinary, her actual experience as a student at UA has been great.</p>
<p>beth’s mom that is interesting that you say that. At least in part it wasn’t the structure of the visit itself that was special, and on another campus may have seemed ho-hum, (although the departmental meeting was a highlight), but the campus, history, area, and overall vibe were just far from what we had seen on our other visits. And because football is such a big draw for my S he was just in awe of it all…</p>