<p>That’s good to know! I’ll pass that information along to her.</p>
<p>Son is in a single at Lakeside and it has been nice. I’m sorry if that option is lost for his senior year.</p>
<p>However, we still have tons of blessings from Bama. He is talking about moving off campus. I have liked that he is on campus…</p>
<p>Can you live in a non honors dorm and still use your housing scholarship and be considered a honors student?</p>
<p>Yes, you can. You do not have to live in honors housing to be in honors. Bama doesn’t have enough honors dorms for all honors students to live in honors anyway. </p>
<p>but, once you aren’t living in an honors dorm you can’t ever choose an honors dorm later.</p>
<p>Since I think many of the dorms are suite style then after freshman year is there really an advantage to be in the honors dorms (Ridgecrest)? The only advantage I can see is you might be with more serious students. You also might live closer to your classmates although starting sophomore year many may be off campus. Are there anyother reasons to stay in an honors dorm after year 1 that I am missing?</p>
<p>some kids like the convenience of being on campus. some kids can’t wait to move off campus.</p>
<p>you can get by way cheaper living off campus, if you want to.</p>
<p>i think the honors dorms might have less shenanigans going on. when my daughter was a freshman, fire alarms were being pulled all the time in the non-honors half of the building. that was pretty annoying.</p>
<p>Since I think many of the dorms are suite style</p>
<p>If you mean Super Suite style with private bedrooms, living rooms and kitchenettes, I think nearly all of those are on north campus. </p>
<p>The dorms are pretty much located on the north side of campus…or the south side of campus. many on the north side are super suites style. many on the south side are more traditional dorms with community bathrooms…or dorms where a bathroom is in between 2 dorm rooms (2 kids per room, 4 kids sharing a bathroom)</p>
<p>I would not be surprised if son would stay in Riverside West even if it does become non honors. It will be his senior year, so the non return to honors policy would be moot. Although he has not had much experience with drugs on his dorm floor, he’s definitely been exposed to drinking, sex, and Greek life in his honors dorms, so if those are issues that would prevent him from staying in a non honors housing, been there, done that. </p>
<p>As a male engineering major, though, he may consider Bryant, if that is an option, although he would probably want to learn more about that dorm before making the move there. If I understand correctly, he would have to get new linens, since I think there are different size beds, but other than that, it would not be a problem. I don’t think he’s met any females in his dorm, though I could be in the dark on that issue.</p>
<p>Interesting times ahead! I like my son in the dorms 
He had considered moving to the business dorms but the idea of sharing rooms long term, especially to an only child who has only shared living space during summer camp, could create its own challenge. In this sense, I have really appreciated the suites and now the private dorm. It has been worth the extra money. I also think it is healthier for kids to have their own space. Montegut makes a good point.</p>
<p>I’m guessing that either some of the Lakesides and/or some of the Riversides will remain honors housing.</p>
<p>Bryant has Full-XL beds, but you can use queen sheets.</p>
<p>Lately, I’ve been spending some time at one of the traditional dorms. Many of my friends with housing scholarships and even some freshmen, many of whom are in the Honors College, live there because of the community feel and for those without a housing scholarship, the much lower housing bill. When asked why I wasn’t considering living there, my main comment was how I like to get away from my work and social life every once in awhile and just relax by myself. I like having a kitchenette and don’t mind cleaning the bathroom, kitchen, and living room. </p>
<p>It’d take a lot of money to get me to live in a same-sex traditional dorm. </p>
<p>Off campus housing is often cheaper, but is not always close to campus. One side benefit of off campus housing is the ability to have roommates, hopefully only platonic, of the opposite sex. As I spend much of my day surrounded by women, generally get along better with women, and lived with women, albeit family members, growing up, there are times when I wonder why I can’t have female roommates in on-campus housing (Alabama may have a law against it.)</p>
<p>Best of luck with the housing situation. If it turns out that an honors student doesn’t get to recontract and wants to, there people to contact that can make exceptions to the rules.</p>
<p>Part of the issue I have with making it difficult for rising seniors and freshmen to recontract is that many of us have the needed experience and insight that will greatly benefit new freshmen, but are not constrained by the legal requirements and conflicts of interest that RAs face.</p>
<p>As always, Sea-tide, your points are well made. Thank you.</p>
<p>Daughter is OSS who visited during Top Scholars day yesterday. She loved the campus. She is Chemical Engineering major, and won’t have a car for first year (but will have a bike). Since posts indicate Ridgecrest West is mostly full, is she better off in Ridgecrest East or Ridgecrest South-South Tower. My guess is she would like the bigger common area and storage closet in Ridgecrest East (plus closer to Lakeside Dining), but is it a lot more run down since it is older? She will want to be close to kitchen and laundry. Which Ridgecrest do you recommend and which rooms are best/worst? Will Ridgecrest East have too many upperclassmen? Also, if she puts down deposits, can she be placed in an empty super suite now and then try to get two new friends she met at Top Scholars day to join her?</p>
<p>Ridgecrest South will likely have more frosh. Ridgecrest East shouldn’t be run down because it’s not that old by dorm standards. I think it’s about 7 years old. </p>
<p>If she is able to get into an empty suite, then she can pull in her new friends. Others can provide more details about the pulling in process.</p>
<p>Thanks. I’m reposting this on Got Room in RCE - 3rd floor since that’s where I meant to put it (to see if others have suggestions).</p>
<p>All of the Ridgecrests are in good condition - no worries there. The room selection process is described in the FAQs on the housing website. If your D hasn’t deposited yet and isn’t pulled in by a roomie with an earlier deposit date she’ll likely be placed by Housing rather than going through the normal room selection process. I think they take preferences (including roommate preferences) into account, space permitting. I’m not sure if there will be suites with 3 empty spaces available at that point, though. With any luck one of her prospective roommates will have an early selection time and can pull everyone in.</p>
<p>Enrolling freshman daughter trying to decide between Honors Housing and Presidential Village. It seems that recontracting is difficult for all students. I guess that recontracting will no longer be guaranteed for honors students, but will it be more likely (i.e., will she be more likely to be able to stay on-campus in subsequent years if she is initially in Honors Housing or not)? I don’t have any idea about number of beds relative to honors and non-honors students applying. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.</p>
<p>Hi DRTT11 and welcome. Keep in mind that you can, assuming there is enough housing, move from honors to regular housing but you can’t move from regular housing to honors. Also keep in mind that the housing crunch may be eased in another year with the addition of another new dorm. </p>
<p>I would focus on what is important for your daughter. If she wants what should be a quieter atmosphere (in general…certainly doesn’t hold true for every suite) and perhaps a more studious atmosphere (again, in general), she should go for the honors. It would be foolhardy to believe that all the honors students are studying away every night and keeping quiet while they do it though! </p>
<p>I haven’t put any brain cells on bed counts, but am thinking that maybe ClassMom2012 has??</p>
<p>Sorry, my OCD has not yet extended to counting the beds on campus. </p>
<p>DRTT11, I would gently push your D towards honors housing. I know for my son, he has thrived rooming with honors boys in his major - not only do they study together, they have a friendly competition for high score as far as tests go, which has benefited them all.</p>
<p>Thanks Lattelady and Class2012Mom! Those ideas are along the same lines I was thinking. Still curious about how recontracting will end up working out for Honors students…</p>
<p>I guess we’ll find out. Thanks again!</p>