<p>Hello! Just wanted to take a quick minute to say hello and maybe start asking some questions. I’ve been lurking on CC’s UA section for quite a while now and just can’t stay silent anymore. You all do a great job of informing people about how great the opportunities are at UA!! My DD is a rising senior and has just started making her list. I’ve added UA to it, and she thinks I’m a little nuts, but in time I think she’ll see all the great things they have to offer. I’m looking forward to taking her on a tour, but not sure when we’ll be able to make it all the way there. What time of year would be the best? We were not planning a college trip until spring, after she has acceptances in hand, but maybe we should take her to visit UA sooner than that so she has a chance to really get to know the school. </p>
<p>Anyway, just wanted to say hello. I feel like I know some of you already just based on reading all of your great posts! Thank you for all of the info you provide!!</p>
<p>Yay! Welcome!</p>
<p>I don’t think there is a bad time to visit the UA campus, it is that fabulous. I’ll leave it there because you’ll get some more detailed advice from those who have been there awhile.</p>
<p>Best of luck in your DD’s college search.</p>
<p>Hello and welcome to CC and the UA forum!</p>
<p>I suggest visiting UA when classes are in session. While all of campus is open on Fridays, many students have few if any classes on that day, so campus will not be as vibrant. The same would apply even more so on weekends when there’s an away football game. </p>
<p>Assuming your D will be eligible for UA’s merit scholarships, she should get an invitation to Capstone Scholars’ Day in January. Since the event usually falls on MLK weekend, students don’t have to miss as much school and travel has historically been somewhat discounted that time of year. It can get cold in AL that time of year though.</p>
<p>Does your D have a major in mind? If she does, UA can better tailor her visit to include visits with professors in her major along with with a campus tour, meeting with honors, etc. If I may ask, what state are you coming from?</p>
<p>Feel free to ask or PM us with any questions that come to mind. We’re happy to help. </p>
<p>Roll Tide!</p>
<p>Rose808, SEAtide is correct - as always:)<br>
I’ve visited UA twice. Our first scrambled, last minute visit in April was while class was in session, and our 2nd during Bama Bound in June. There were far fewer people on campus in June even with all the Bama bounds, and the “in session” campus is certainly more vibrant.
It’s fun to walk across the quad and see kids playing frisbee, riding bikes, and sitting under the trees reading.
Either way, I would recommend scheduling ahead for a tour. We had a lovely tour with a student guide from the honors college, but since we were only able to give 24 hours notice we didn’t get to meet with any faculty or Dr Sharpe.<br>
I do hope you’re D will be as blown away by Bama as we were. We first learned about it on a Friday (thanks M2K!), visited the next Wednesday, and committed about a week later.
Please keep us posted!</p>
<p>I was in the opposite situation, in that I added UA to my list and my dad thought I was nuts - however, we just returned from a campus visit, and he ended up really liking it. Hopefully your daughter will have the same reaction once she is able to visit. 
I visited when the campus was basically empty, but I still feel I was able to get a pretty good sense of the place, although I’m sure it’s not the same as being there with tons of people around.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses!</p>
<p>SEA_tide - We’re from Hawaii. She’s interested in majoring in computer science. With her current stats she’s eligible for the Honors Program as well as some scholarship $$, but if she bumps up her ACT a bit, which we think she can, she’ll be eligible for a lot more. She just took the ACT for the first time last month and got a 28. If she can bump that up to a 30 or even better a 32, then Bama is a front runner in my book. </p>
<p>Not sure if January should be her first visit if it’s real cold there. That may scare her away. How’s the weather in November? I’m sure my DH would love to take her for a visit during football season, as he’s been a Tide fan his whole life. She and I never really looked at it as a college option for her, though. We just thought of it as the football team. My husband traveled there a few years ago when Hawaii played Bama and raves about the beauty of the campus, but DD is skeptical. She has mainly been looking at schools in California.</p>
<p>Thanks again for how you share your knowledge. It’s so helpful to families who are very new to this whole college search thing! Oh, and Roll Tide :)</p>
<p>Rose808: My son and I have a different approach to visiting colleges than most people. Visit a place when the weather isn’t so nice. Why? Well, if you like it that time, you will really love it when it’s warm, sunny and the flowers are in bloom. My son visited Duke – it was 100 degrees at 10 a.m. and he loved it. He toured the U. of Rochester when it was dreary and cold – he loved the place. He saw Alabama on a December day when it was 22 degrees outside. All three schools made his final list. He did pick Alabama.</p>
<p>Every school seems to look great when the weather is nice. </p>
<p>BTW, Alabama was never his top choice – until the end. He really loved several other schools, but the scholarship money, the chance to be in the computer-based honors program, a beautiful dorm, and to have all of his AP credit honored (he had 65 hours – and I know Sea_Tide also had big credit numbers) clinched it.</p>
<p>Rose808, the poster malanai is also from Hawaii and his son will be attending UA this year, so maybe he can give you more specific insight on the Hawaii to Alabama transition than I could (I’m from WA).</p>
<p>Definitely have your D retake the ACT in September or October if HI doesn’t offer the September session and consider taking the SAT, especially if the ACT Science score is the one bring down the composite score. Just one retake and a little prep should help raise your D’s score. Since Computer Science is in the college of engineering, there should be a scholarship that allows her to get full tuition plus some extra money if she gets an ACT 30 or the SAT equivalent.</p>
<p>November’s weather should be somewhat better than January’s.</p>
<p>When I tell people I attend the University of Alabama, the first things that come to their minds are often football, Bear Bryant, Forrest Gump, and George Wallace. What they don’t realize is that while UA does have an excellent athletic program, it’s academics are also top-notch. If possible, I would have your D apply as soon as the application is available (it’s a quick application) and plan a time to visit. She should be able to send in higher test scores later (provided she meets the testing deadline for scholarships) so that she can get a higher scholarship. The Honors College and/or UA admissions would be willing to schedule a tour time on a football weekend if you want (hotel prices will be higher than normal). Even if you can’t get tickets, tailgating on the quad is really fun and you might even get invited to join someone’s tailgate party.</p>
<p>While I suggest visiting any school that you wish to attend in order to get a feel for the campus, it is even more true for UA. I know my parents were skeptical at first, but after my mom and I visited campus, they wanted me to accept admission ASAP, despite it being 12 degrees outside and getting parking ticket on the first day.</p>
<p>PS When she applies, have her declare computer science as a major so that she gets considered for the departmental and college scholarships in addition to the merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Definitely try to visit when classes are in session. </p>
<p>I stopped by over Easter Break, just to get my bearings for a tour next week. Campus nice, but it was a ghost town. </p>
<p>Next week, on my tour, Tuscaloosa and the campus is bustling and I loved it!</p>
<p>good luck</p>
<p>Thank you again for such helpful info. She did take the SAT and her scores are similar, just a little below what she needs for the better scholarships. She preferred the ACT, though, so wants to prep for that. She actually did really well on the science (got a 30). She needs to up those English and Reading scores (27’s). She may take the SAT again also, since she only needs to bump that score up by about 50 points.</p>
<p>I’ll have her work on her application next week!</p>
<p>Just found some of malanai’s posts. Wow, thanks!! Those are great to read.</p>
<p>Thanks again!!</p>
<p>Rose…welcome.</p>
<p>Don’t hesitate to ask whatever questions you have. :)</p>
<p>I’ve also been folowing the UA conversations for a while. My daughter is a rising junior. She scored a 208 on sophmore PSAT. (TN’s NM cutoff has been 213 for the past few years.) She’s studying for junior year SAT and PSATover the summer.<br>
She’ll be touring Alabama in the next few weeks with a friend. She’s interested in the communication disorders major at this point. Is there anyone or anything she should specifically seek out while there?</p>
<p>Small update: She watched the entire iTour. She loved the water slide and lazy river. Her friend is interested in nursing and was very impressed by the new facility :)</p>
<p>Does the ITour show the new Nursing Building? I wasn’t sure if that was what you were referring to when you said her friend who wants to major in Nursing was impressed with the “facility”. The new Nursing Building is just barely finished, so surprised to hear that she might have seen it online. It is a gorgeous new intro to campus. If she has not seen it, here is a link to a recent pic of the building: <a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/drmillerlg/4732292126/in/set-72157606237757937[/url]”>http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/drmillerlg/4732292126/in/set-72157606237757937</a> </p>
<p>And here is a rendering of the finished building: <a href=“http://nursing.ua.edu/[/url]”>http://nursing.ua.edu/</a></p>
<p>[University</a> of Alabama, Capstone College of Nursing Building 02 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!](<a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/drmillerlg/4731648307/in/set-72157606237757937/]University”>University of Alabama, Capstone College of Nursing Buildin… | Flickr)</p>
<p>another pic of the new Nursing Building - to be completed by next month</p>
<p>Thanks for posting those! The iTour just has the artist’s rendering of the building… still impressive :)</p>
<p>Back from vacation, back on CC, and lo and behold . . . a fellow Aloha Stater! </p>
<p>Rose808, feel free to PM me any time. If you’d like, we can get together. Also, I’m sure my son would be willing to share his impressions of Bama with your student. Roll Tide!</p>
<p>Welcome home, Malanai!</p>
<p>So when Malanai’s vacation ends he has to go back to. . . Hawaii? That’s rough, man.</p>
<p>Thank you, timeflew. Yes, I know, it’s a burden . . . but someone has to be willing to take a hit for the team :)</p>
<p>where were you on vaca?</p>