I visited Alabama back in November and from my trip I am happy to say I am committed
I was wondering if I could get people’s insights on the types of housing they picked for themselves or their children when going to Bama? Mainly I would like focus on the costs and quality differences between the suites and non-suites. I know that the suites are liked as “hotel getaways” while the regular dorms are your traditional “inexpensive” experience. If anyone could share their experiences and comment if their housing choice was worth the costs and/or savings compared to other housing, that would be great (FYI I am a chemE major in the honors college, male, non-rushing, registered back in October 1st for housing, and Presidential Scholarship recipient. I can afford any housing option but saving with a cheaper housing option can be a plus for something else down the road. I currently have narrowed it down between Ridgecrest South and Burke. Any insight or ideas will be appreciated. Thanks!) ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!
My first question would be what do you want to get out of college other than a degree? If you enjoy privacy and having your own bathroom, then definitely ridgecrest south. However Burke is one of my favorite dorms on campus. I enjoy that it is home to many international students, saves money, and has a dining hall inside. Next year Burke West will be just females, so you’d be in Burke East. Also Burke is closer to the quad which is nice. If I went back and did freshman year again, I’d stay in Burke. Traditional dorms are more social in the sense you know everyone. It’s nice having your own room but something that holds freshman back from going out and making friends. Once again, it really just depends on what you want to do freshman year and who you are. Feel free to message me if you have questions! I’m a sophomore at Alabama but I’m currently co-oping(:
My son has same stats as you except he’s a CS major. He chose to live in RCS. RCS is in a great location to the engineering quad. All four of the roommates are engr majors with Pres Scholarships and take studying seriously to maintain their scholarship so it’s nice to be able to close their door and study when needed without having to go to the library. However, they also enjoy hanging out in the living room with friends. All four are 10+ hours away and only go home at Thanksgiving, winter break and spring break so it’s nice to have your own space and a kitchen area to store some extra food. So, I would determine how often you would go home? Do you like the idea of access to a kitchen with full size fridge in your own suite? How much do you value having your own room? Will you put forth extra effort to make friends if you live in the suites and are not rushing by joining clubs, forming study groups and attending social events? The good news is since you put down your deposit Oct 1st you will have high priority to register earlier than most and can pretty much select the roommates you will want to room with.
Thanks for the replies. I guess what I want from Alabama is to make the first year transition as easy as possible since I am 2,000+ miles away. I want to get involved with an engineering and business club/society because I have an interest in starting a business along the road while at Alabama. A little insight on my situation…I have a brother, live in my own room most of my life (value privacy a lot), and I am an introvert mostly but I am slowly opening up. I am overall leaning towards ridgecrest south because I like the idea of a private room, having more roommates that share a common living space, and having my engineering classes really close. The real only downsides are the fact that I am tempted to close myself off in my room to study or play video games instead of interacting with others, cleaning a bathroom that I share can get messy if the effort isn’t shared, and the extra $3,200 for the suite versus the traditional dorm is hard to swallow, even if it can be afforded with some sacrifice. I like Burke because of that fact that it seems to be more close knit, has a great dining facility, cleaning maintenance daily, and it’s cheaper. The downsides are the fact that it’s visibly older, a smaller room, sharing a living space 24/7, and it’s farther from my classes. These are just my views of what I understand between the two types of housing.
However, what I am concerned with Burke is what you brought up @bamagirl18. If I’ll be in Burke East, would I be in a different dining facility than the one everyone goes to right now? Also, (and this is both good and bad depending on the circumstance) is the concentration of international students in Burke potentially overwhelming? I was scrolling through a thread from a parent that got their student out of Burke into Blount because–asides from other issues–the majority of his floor was made up of international students that were hard to speak with or were more concerned with partying than making valuable connections as roommates.
Also, I plan to leave for fall break, winter break, and spring break to travel home. Idk if that is useful to know and how that effects which dorm to pick.
End of rant Thanks for listening! Any other insight will be appreciated.
My daughter is in RCS. My answer would be…you know yourself. If you are outgoing, easy to meet friends, and are set in college on getting to know new people–then you can live anywhere. If you are very shy, have to have others introduce you, have 1-2 close friends and a lot of folks you just say hit to, then I’d say don’t do a suite style dorm. For our daughter, RCS has been terrific. The girls in her suite have met people on their hall, have socialized with the guys across the hall, and as roommates have all gotten along extremely well. The suite is a mixture of Greek and non-Greek. They have some set “rituals” they established early such as Sunday brunch, going to Target, etc My daughter likes the amenities of RCS, and loves “the door” to her bedroom. My other daughter in college would have given anything to have “the door” to her bedroom–she lived in a traditional style room and just needed a little privacy every once in a while. Think about who you are, and make the decision from there.
I think that you really answered your own question. You value privacy, you do not live with a sibling in your room. Privacy is not overvalued for some students, not having to leave your room to study is a huge advantage. You don’t have to listen to someone’s TV, alarm clock, computer games, or telephone conversations. Closing your bedroom door allows you to get the privacy and study time you require to keep up your grades. Go to the living room if you want to socialize with your roommates. Yes, RCS will be more private and more quiet in general. Make sure that all roommates sign a roommate agreement as to noise, having friends over, food sharing, cleaning the common area, cleaning the bathroom, and buying common supplies. This agreement can save headaches down the road. When you do a roommate search be sure to ask plenty of questions and be honest in your own answers. If you don’t party and don’t like loud music, make that known. You seem “outgoing” enough to want go out and make friends and join organizations and I think that you can always find friends if you make the effort. You can’t remove a shared roommate or close off a door inside a shared room. However, you will have to be the best judge of your situation and personality.
Not much to add, because I agree with what has been posted so far, but I started this and somehow forgot to post it last night, so I might as well continue…
The choice of sharing a room versus having your own room is driven by many factors, not just cost. For example, the two options you mentioned are vastly different in terms of the amount of private space you will have. Once my son was offered the possibility of a private suite-style dorm, he could never consider anything else. Sharing space can be one of the biggest adjustments to college life, as it will disrupt your personal routine, and your sleeping, eating, and study habits, etc.
Much has been said about the (apparent) lack of socialization that goes on with suite/private rooms, but how you handle that issue depends entirely on you and your personality. My son was far from a recluse. His suite did not hold him back at all and he has made the kinds of friends which will be at each others’ graduations and weddings and kids’ graduations and the eventual funerals amongst these families. If anything, I would say living off campus in an apartment can be the most isolating living experience in college if you have not established a good friend core beforehand. Living on campus in the thick of things gives you the best chance of meeting new people and developing long-term relationships.
Since money is not the deciding factor in your case, focus on how you feel each space will either help or hinder you to succeed at UA. Spend your energy on finding a suitable roommate(s). Finding those will be the biggest deciding factor in your case. Good luck with your decisions!
Thanks everyone for the insight! Although $3,200 is a hard amount to swallow considering that I am working, I feel comfortable with the thought of privacy and a quiet place to study at night versus having the trek to the library all the time. I will keep an open mind though. I will listen to what my potential roommate/s want from a living experience and I will let them know mine. We’ll see what happens
I think about 75% of the on-campus housing is suites, so if you picked at random that’s probably what you’d come up with.
Another option to consider is buying a condo/townhouse/house and selling it or renting it after graduation. I am going to throw this out there because it’s a often overlooked option that can be really good.
The University of Alabama is committed to providing all of its students with a comprehensive educational experience. In 2006, UA established the Freshman Residency Program which requires that all first time, full-time students live on campus for the entirety of their first year.
Duration of Requirement:
Students first enrolling in the Summer are required to live in the residence halls during the Summer, Fall, and Spring Semesters.
Students first enrolling in the Fall are required to live in the residence halls during the Fall and Spring Semesters.
Students first enrolling in the Spring are required to live in the residence halls during the Spring Semester.
Purpose of Requirement:
Research shows that by living on campus during the first year of college, your student is more likely to:
•Stay in college and graduate
•Earn a higher than average grade point average (GPA)
•Report a higher level of satisfaction with their undergraduate experience, particularly with friendships, faculty relations and college life
•Get involved in extracurricular activities on campus
In accordance with the residency requirement, all full-time students must live on campus unless they meet at least one of the following criteria for exemption from the residency requirement:
•Are living with lineal relatives (parent, grandparent) or legal guardian and commuting from their residence within a reasonable distance (60 miles) of UA.
•Are living in Tuscaloosa property owned by a parent (proof of ownership must be provided).
•Are 20 years of age by the beginning of the semester for which they are enrolled.
•Are a military veteran.
•Are married and/or have dependent children in residence.
•Are able to document financial hardship through the FAFSA/Financial Aid process (these requests will not be reviewed until the Office of Financial Aid has processed the student’s FAFSA form which may take longer to process).
•Have a compelling individual circumstance (these requests will be reviewed by committee).
Freshman residency exemptions are not granted automatically. Each is considered as it is submitted. Generally, students will be notified whether the exemption is granted in 2-4 weeks (Processing time may be altered due to Holidays/University Closings).
A freshman student “living in a Tuscaloosa property owned by a parent” would be exempt, according to the above.
I don’t recommend not living on-campus your freshman year, but it would probably be automatically granted if this student bought a house with his parent.
Something to remember as well with growing freshmen classes it is imperative you get your housing deposit in before the deadline! Last year unfortunately it was very difficult to get into RCE and RCW even if you paid the deposit by the deadline. My DS had already matched himself with three suitemates and got the last honors suite style set of rooms in RCW. RCE was already full although there still were some non honors suite style available in another dorm. Singly if you didn’t have suitemates in mind and willing to jump into a suite that had an empty room or two there were a few more options.
Do not have your heart set on a dorm! We paid the housing deposit not knowing our son would attend. It is partially refundable. Be open to different dorms.
FYI housing only guaranteed freshman year so be open to looking at off campus places. There are many good choices.
Right now the plan is to have the off-campus housing provided for sophomore year afterwards. The debate going on for me is quality of food…I really don’t want to have to pay a fortune for the added premium of the suites only to have to eat low quality food at Lakeside by what so many people have been telling me…can anyone tell me with honesty how much better burke or bryant food is compared to Lakeside? Specifically for healthy food options in breakfast and lunch?
We pay less for DS’s unlimited meal plan than my friends’ kids who are at other colleges & don’t have unlimited plans. Also, DS hasn’t found Lakeside to be all that bad, and there are other options. I believe Fresh Foods is often mentioned.
As far as suite style dorms for freshman, I know this year UA really limited that options for sophomores trying to re-contract. There were only 150 spots available in Honors housing, and I believe 600 spots in other suite style housing. Most of the spaces seem to be available in the less desired housing.
I think UA learned from this year’s freshman class, and made the necessary adjustments for Fall 2016.
atomicPACMAN07: My son ate a lot at Burke his first semester and quite a bit at Lakeside his second semester (spring 2015). He ate most of his weekday lunches at Fresh Foods. Occasionally would get up early enough to grab brunch at Bryant before an 11:00 AM class (which he said was always fantastic). Lakeside seems to go in cycles…maybe not so good for awhile…then all a sudden, good again…same with Fresh Foods (he said). Overall, he liked Burke dining the best (between Burke and Lakeside); however, as with all cafeteria food, it does get old after a while… The great thing is: You can dine wherever you want…switch it up often! (I’m sure you already know about the upcharge for Bryant dinners).
Thanks everyone for the insight! From what I understand, the meal plan allows students to eat at any area and that you’re not just locked into one dining hall? For example, I can go eat at bryant, burke, lakeside, or fresh foods for breakfast and lunch, regardless of my living situation?
(FYI I am a chemE major in the honors college, male, non-rushing, registered back in October 1st for housing, and Presidential Scholarship recipient. I can afford any housing option but saving with a cheaper housing option can be a plus for something else down the road. I currently have narrowed it down between Ridgecrest South and Burke. Any insight or ideas will be appreciated. Thanks!) ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!
Thanks for listening! Any other insight will be appreciated.