My twins are going to apply for engineering and will probably be invited to Honors College; DS 4.0 UW, 32 ACT; DD 4.0 UW, 30 ACT
Could someone tell me what the class sizes are in the Honors College at University of Alabama? Can you take the core Physics, Chemistry, and Calculus classes in the Honors College?
If you have experience in the Honors College, please give me your impression.
DS tried to get some Honors Classes at registration, but nothing was available. I have been tracking one or two of them and found that most of the seats must have been filled in the earlier sessions. Since the June 24/25 session only one spot opened in the Calc II honors class. I read on the one FB page that if your kids want a good selection of classes they should attend the earlier sessions. From our limited experience that would appear to be the case. The class only had 45 students.
Classes that are IN the honors college are limited to about 15 students.
However, there are honors classes within depts (like physics, math, bio, chem) and they will be larger. Those are “honors” classes, but they’re not in the honors college.
@CyclonesGrad Your kids can apply to the HC. Bama doesnt’ issue invites to the HC, like some schools do. Your children qualify, so they can apply.
. I have been tracking one or two of them
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I agree that if you want a STEM honors class, especially particular ones, it helps to attend an earlier Honors Bama Bound. However, the HC offers a variety of honors course, so even those who attend later BB’s can usually get honors classes if they want them.
That said, the non-honors versions of Gen Chem, Principals of Bio and Calculus aren’t for dummies. lol. Those are very challenging classes.
The above is certainly true. The earlier you attend Bama Bound the more choices will be available. They do open spots during each session but once the class is full it is closed unless someone drops.
My son was trying to get into an upper level Chemistry class and tried to get a seat after every BB session unsuccessfully. Though, finally after the last session he got on very late, one seat was available and secured his spot.
That said, he was not able to get Honors Calc or Honors Physics. Our BB session was mid July so…
He is excited to get his Chem class, dropping Physics, and we will sign up for Honors Physics next year.
I understand the first registration is always the hardest.
Roll Tide!!!
Agree with comments. For first freshman fall schedule, was able to get all classes and had two classes moved with help to not have an impossible day (Monday) and getting Calc class before and not after trips across campus (when worn out and not having fresh thinking for class). Students that see adviser early during fall term to get approval for their spring schedule - then they log on when they have electronic access (having set up on the provided scheduling access, so student sets up classes under different choices, 1,2,3,4…) - for spring term and second year fall term, DD got her first choice class list/times. Honors students get class priority at UA.
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Yes, the frosh fall semester registration is always the hardest. After that, registration is MUCH easier for kids who are in Honors because of Priority Registration. My kids never had any trouble getting the classes they wanted.
<< my help ($15K/year)
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I think he will try for something that will help to get into med school. Any majors suggestions?
His sister is going into Biomedical Engineering for two reasons: keep the door open for Med school and good juob if she decides to start working after her Bachelors.
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So, your budget is $15k per year per twin? or $15k total for both?
There’s no such thing as a major that helps a student get into med school. Med schools don’t care what you major in. They also don’t care about which school you went to.
Med schools only care about:
Cum GPA
BCMP GPA
MCAT score
medically related ECs
research
LORs
(my son is a 3rd year med student).
biomedE is NOT a good major for someone who may want to start working after getting a BS. BiomedE is one of the only E disciplines where it is almost essential to have a grad degree. If your D wants to keep her options open, then she should consider ChemE or MechE. My son was a ChemE major. He chose that to keep his options open in case he didn’t go to med school.
@mom2collegekids $15k each. DD is going Chem E and he is thinking Med school. Likes Chemistry.
I will talk to my DD. Good suggestion. Thanks.
@mom2collegekids If you do not mind, could you tell me where your son went to Med school? Did the Honors Program help him achieve a good GPA for Med School application? Did they help him with his Med School application/process?
Could you also give some insight on why he chose Alabama and where else he applied?
I am asking because being from the Midwest I am partial to UMN, ISU, OSU but Alabama gives good Merit money. I am trying to determine if the support during studies is as good. I fully understand that Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics are the same no matter where you go. The key to me is academic, internship, and job/grad school placement support.
Classes in the Honors College are usually limited to 15 students, but my daughter was in one that was so popular that they opened it up to 30 students. It was still the best honors class she’s had. Departmental honors classes vary. Often they’re smaller than the corresponding class, but my daughter has also been in a departmental honors class with over 100 students (and the corresponding class was smaller). For departmental classes, she chooses by professor, not by size or honors designation.
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@beth’s mom ~ which class was that? Was that Fine Arts of Tuscaloosa?
My son is still in med school. He’s a 3rd Year. He is at UAB (formal name: The University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham). He applied to 6 med schools and was accepted to 3.
Did the Honors Program help him achieve a good GPA for Med School application? <<<<
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My son had a 3.9 cum GPA and a 4.0 BCMP GPA
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Did they help him with his Med School application/process?
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UA has a well-established Premed Advising Office. They’re the ones who help with the application process. Since virtually all med/dental/etc applicants are in the honors college, there is no need for the HC to duplicate what the premed advising office does.
http://prehealth.ua.edu/
@mom2collegekids Thanks so much! Your comments have really helped!
@mom2collegekids I was asking above was why did your son originally pick Alabama for Undergrad? What other schools did he consider? I am just interested because it will give me some perspective to reflect on.
You seem very knowledgeable about the process!
“Why did your son originally pick Alabama for undergrad?”
When our older son chose Alabama, our younger son declared that he wasn’t going to go to the same school as his older brother. The boys had gone to a small private high school and S2 was tired of teachers asking, "are you XXX’s younger brother?’
We told him fine.
Then he helped us move S1 into his dorm, and he had a couple experiences on campus, and then he declared that he was ONLY going to apply to Alabama! lol We had him apply to a few other schools, but really, his heart wasn’t in those other schools.
He got the Presidential scholarship, the eng’g scholarship, and corporate special National Merit scholarship, so his education cost us hardly anything. While he was at Bama, he also got a national engineering scholarship and an endowed award.
Wow. He must be really smart. Congrats to him. He will be hugely successful!!! Was your older son an engineer also?
You can get the Presidential and Engineering Scholarship? Are you IS or OOS?
LMAO re post #11 above… "You [ @mom2collegekids ] seem very knowledgeable about the process! "
You have no idea, @cyclonesgrad…!!! 
@aeromom lol
My D only has a 27 on her ACT. One short of the required 28 for honors classes. Super scored she does have an ACT of 28. I know UA does not super score for scholarships etc. She has a 4.2 GPA and has always been taking honors, pre-AP and AP classes. Should she still apply for honors college though her 27 ACT does not qualify her for it or wait until after she has been accepted and finished freshman year?
If being a part of the Honors College is important to you/daughter for her FR year, I would either re-take the ACT and/or consider taking the SAT, or contact the HC and see if they can be a little bit holistic with their review of her application. UA will accept up thru the December test scores, for scholarship purposes, but I am not sure if they will take an even later date’s score for HC consideration. That might be an interesting question to ask the HC directly. Contact info: http://honors.ua.edu/contact-us/ .
At UA I have known students who come to UA and then later get into HC.
@dutchmomsey is your DD burned out of testing? She can raise scholarship with higher ACT/SAT. UA probably still considered the Dec ACT/SAT testing. My DD got her 28 in Sept test and ACT 30 in Dec test in 2013 and came to UA fall 2014 as a freshman. Her timing was off on the Oct ACT. Just have DD have enough time in her schedule for practice tests and private test tutoring. Not only work on weak areas, but pull up strong area scores which help overall score.
The STEM MBA honors college classes are sized 30/class - there were 300 freshman in that program in 10 sections.