Me, my daughter and the University of Alabama (and other schools that she did not attend)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
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<p>eusriso: Since your daughter is pledging, her sorority should have some kind of study hall hours. She should make use of that time, and perhaps there is someone who can tutor her in an area in which she is struggling. My son is in a fraternity, and he has two hours of mandatory study hall a week. He uses that time for homework. He also has eight hours a week study hall as a member of the cross country team at his school.</p>

<p>As for roommates, tell your daughter that she can keep the ones she wants and let go of the one she does not when it’s time to select housing for next year. My older son dumped all three of his roommates after the first year. The younger son will keep two, but let the third go – he is not the friendliest kid in the world. Do not expect the RA to handle the situation – she is a kid, too. Maybe she can offer some advice, but it probably will not change. Your daughter just needs to make the best of the situation.</p>

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<p>I just want to say a quick thank you to eusriso and the rest of the contributors! This thread is invaluable as a parent to a future Uof A College of Engineering/Honors College student. Please keep the updates coming when you have time!!!</p>

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So this may be my last update - been really busy. My daughter came home for Thanksgiving. She came from Tuscaloosa to Central Virginia by Amtrak. Cost about $200 one way - could have been cheaper ($160) if I had bought the ticket earlier. She liked the ride and one of her sorority sisters took her to the station. Per my daughter the Amtrak station is not in the “nice” part of Tuscaloosa but she said it was not bad. The train was about 3 hours late - 16 hour trip if no delay.

A one way ticket back leaving Birmingham cost $230 by plane but add another $80.00 if you need a private shuttle from the airport to Tuscaloosa (readily available - book in advance). If the college is running buses it will cost you $30 - again book in advance.

The visit home was nice and uneventful. After Thanksgiving the focus changes to finals. I do not think my daughter studied as hard as she should have - she got a B in one class she should have gotten an A in but to be fair she brought another up to an A.

She ended up with a 3.2999 GPA her first semester. I am happy with that given that her classes were Math, Science, Engineering and Masters Business classes. Unfortunately the honors college requires a 3.3 so she will have to work to bring it up next semester and no they don’t round up.

Another thing to understand about UA is they weight there grades by - and +, an A- gets a different weight than an A. So be prepared to push your child to do there best as it really matters.

She came home for Christmas by plane. I used airline points so the booking fee was $60 and bus fees $60 (30 + 30). No issues with the flights or buses. Being so far away limits what you can give the child for the holidays unless you want to pay to ship it. Oh I did have to pay $25.00 for one suitcase on the flight back which had a 50 pound weight limit (US Air).

My daughter has decided to live in the sorority house the fall semester. It appears to be cheaper than the dorm housing but she may have a room mate. More on this in a sec …

Now that we are both comfortable with her ability to succeed at UA (and keep her scholarship) she will look at getting a job this semester. She has one interview for an on campus job and interview for a research position (unclear if it is paid). This is necessary because she will have to start contributing towards her sorority dues - they are a stress on me although they are not too bad plus she has never had a paid job before - she needs to start building her resume. Time for her to learn the value of money/work/time.

Now some comments about UA that are not necessarily a reflection on UA but how the world has changed and my daughters own situation. Her Dorm as I have mentioned is extremely nice. But the setup is not conducive to social interaction. I think this is just how the Ridgecrest dorms are built. Combine that with a huge campus and a socially challenged child (not badly but she is challenged) and you may not end up with your child learning how to socially interact (if she didn’t in HS).

Add the fact the Internet has changed the world as far as the way people socially interact. Example when I left High School I immediately lost contact with 99% of the people who I went to High School with. That world was over the day after graduation. Not so with the advent of Facebook. I never realized how much social interaction has changed until I have watched my daughter at UA. In no way is this a negative on UA - its the world now.

One conclusion from all of this - should your child go to a “large” institution or a smaller one. I do believe the smaller colleges are more conducive to social interactions for socially challenged individuals.

Now back to the sorority house - my daughter will be there next fall. I fully expect here to not like it initially. And I think that is good. It will force her to learn how to interact with other people as friends and family. I expect it to be painful for her but its part of growing up.

Now some one off comments - my daughter seems to think the food is not that good at UA but it looked very good compared to was served at my college. I have not checked on this but according to my daughter housing is limited on campus - you may not get to live on campus your 4 years at UA. I have got to determine when I need to rent a storage bin for the summer - I know they sell out. My daughter will loose one scholarship this summer - it was a local Virginia scholarship so she will have to find another or work to make up the difference.

To wrap it up my daughter is happy with UA, it is not perfect but given our situation - her academic achievement/scores prior to admission and my financial situation UA was the best match out of all she was accepted too - even beating UVA or Univ of Maryland where she was also accepted.

Roll tide! :smiley:

PS - my apologies to those who e-mailed and I did not reply - work/life has kept me busy.

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Eusriso: Glad to see that your daughter is relatively happy with her experience at Alabama. As for storage areas, I would make sure I have something rented by March. Make sure it is climate-controlled, and perhaps your daughter can share it with a friend. My son did that following his first year, and it did help with the cost.

Since you live in Central VA, make sure you check all the airports to determine the cost of flights. We do this with my younger son, who is at UAH. One time, he flew into Reagan. For Christmas break, Charlottesville had the best flight option and cost. I’ve also flown out of Dulles to Huntsville. Sometimes, it’s worth the drive to save as much as $400 on a flight.

As for interacting in college, that often comes with maturity. My younger son is a quiet kid, but you would never know that now that he’s in college! He has become very social. Not only does he hang out with his track/cross country teammates, but he is in a fraternity. In fact, he is the community service chair for his pledge class, so he seems to be volunteering for something all the time, and he loves it. Made some great contacts, too, that may lead to internships in the future. My older son is also a fairly quiet kid, but he was involved in everything, it seemed, at Alabama. Again, a little maturity changes the way a student acts.

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Well an update. My daughter got all A’s (combo of A, A-, A+) and one B+ her spring semester. Very happy with the grades. She now has a 3.619 overall. She should start hitting the advanced courses in her major so we will see how that works out and if she can keep the grades up.

I went down and picked her up at the end of the semester. We got a storage bin at Bama Mini-Storage. I ended up with a 5X10 unit at $72.00 per month. We could have made it work in a 5X5 but it would have been completely full. My daughter had no furniture. I thought Bama Mini-Storage was high but there facility is first class - clean, secure and lots of cameras.

Being in a sorority is working out for her. She will be rooming in the sorority house next fall so we will see how that works out. Her sorority house is small, not on sorority row and is owned by the college. She saved money by being in the house and not in Ridgecrest.

I cannot recommend Ridgecrest dorms - the facility is first class. Clean, roomy, individual bedrooms - as close to living in an apartment without being in an apartment. The reason I do not like it is the facility does not promote social interaction - my daughter never saw her suite mates. I would rather my daughter live in sorority house which is not as nice but hopefully will promote social interactions. This is my opinion and my opinion may not be right for your child.

My daughter is sticking with Chemical engineering - now she has a second major regular Chemistry and I believe her minor is environmental science. She is still in the early MBA program. The early MBA programs is requires the GMAT scores earlier than most so she is starting to prepare for that.

From my earlier posts I mentioned the quality of education - which is how I feel you should base your decision on where you go. Don’t you go to college to get a good education? From what I can see with UA the education is good. The classes in some cases are huge which I don’t like but I hope that will get better as she moves to more advanced classes. The professors seem accessible and willing to help. The opportunities that are available to her are incredible - she has not gotten selected for everything that she wanted but she gotten her fair share, She seems to be learning.

She had hoped to do a co-op with Proctor and Gamble but they did not select anyone due to funding issues for the semester she did her initial interview. She has another interview this summer.

Everything I see at UA is that college is out to help the students - not all colleges are like this.

My daughter is working fast food this summer at home. Not a fancy summer job but she had no work history and this was a necessary first step to starting a resume with a paid job. This will allow her to pay her sorority dues. I hope now that she has work experience she can get a job on campus in the fall. I wish UA had offered her work study so she we have job experience from UA.

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Thanks for the update. Glad to see she got the GPA up.

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Was very glad to see your update. I have also read a number of times that the suite dorms are not great for socializing, but it seems many schools are going that route.

I tried to talk DS out of it, but he was adamant. Time will tell how that works out as well.

Continued success to your daughter!

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While, it’s true that the suite style dorm may not be as sociable as the traditional dorm style, many students relish the fact that they can close their bedroom door at any time and have privacy. In addition, if the student remembers to lock the bedroom door then the student’s items will be out of reach.

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Thank you very much for this post. My son just completed his 10th grade year in High School. His 1st choice for college is Georgia Tech. He wants to major in Aerospace Engineering. We are in Tennessee and only school that offers his major is Univ of TN. He has no desire at all to attend there. So we are looking at OOS. I do not want him to go into debt for college. He currently has a 28 on his ACT. I have mentioned UA for him as another choice. He also wants to be in the marching band (percussionist). This post will be very helpful in showing him that UA has a great honors Engineering program. And that he could get credit for his AP classes.

I do not have one question. What are the size of your daughter’s classes? My one concern is how large UA is. He would be happier at a smaller college I believe.

Thanks…

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Just my $.02 about large vs small…

Aero at UA is still quite tiny, but growing every year. There were 29 aero grads in 2014 (and 15 in 2013). I don’t have figure for 2015. I have seen positive changes in the previous 3 years, with new faculty being the most apparent one.

That said, with growth comes some issues. The only section of the Statics 201 class in fall 2014 was 405 students strong; spring 2015 held 306 students. (In 2012-13, those numbers were 237/214 for fall/spring, respectively, so you can see the growth right there.)

Statics is a mandatory class for several branches of eng’g, so that’s why I am using it as an example. There were reasons it was taught in only 1 section: ALL students receive the same lecture, the same material, by the same (truly excellent) professor. This should not necessarily put you ‘off’ attending UA, and you will find that many eng’g programs at many universities teach this way. Having 1 large class ensures that the material is consistent. It can also be viewed as a ‘weeder’ class, much like Calc III is sometimes the point at which some students say ‘you know, eng’g might not be for me…’. Best find this out early in one’s studies, imo. [Interestingly, Statics at UA in Fall 2015 will be taught again in 3 (large) sections, by 3 different professors (all highly experienced)…and I can vouch that 2 of the 3 are excellent; have no exp with the 3rd.] All of these sections have had separate recitation sections, where students (should) attend to get additional review, assistance, and meet with peers.

There are 65 accredited undergraduate aerospace engineering programs offered in the US (see here for complete listing: http://main.abet.org/aps/accreditedprogramsearch.aspx). I strongly encourage you to read the history of AE at UA: http://aem.eng.ua.edu/files/2011/07/history.pdf and look thoroughly through all the pages of the UA website (not just AEM, but the other branches’ info as well). There’s a lot there.

Any university’s engineering program which is fully accredited should be fine. Look at these profile pages to compare apples with apples, tho: http://profiles.asee.org/ (once you select a school, look over in the left-hand column for sections like “enrollments by class” and “degrees conferred by program” - that will give you a ton of info to compare across schools you select. With some sleuthing, you can actually get bums-on-seats data from year to year, and can help make your decision about which schools to apply to.

Once you have 2-3 final schools to choose from, try to attend their respective multi-day residential summer camps (most universities have such a program), and this is a good way to try on the school for final ‘fit’. UA’s is called S.I.T.E, and info here: http://site.eng.ua.edu/ . Good luck to you, FutureGTmom. PM me once you get enough posts, if you want specific info about aero at UA.

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That post by Aeromom was an excellent post explaining the classes & class size issues for that particular major. I love these type of responses. They comments are not in a vacuum so to speak, they are reality based.

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My daughter has had a mix of large and small classes. She’s a business major, and unlike some other majors, she had her smaller classes first year and the larger classes in sophomore and junior years when she hit the 300 levels that all business majors must take. She’s had classes with fewer than 15 students, a lot with between 25 and 40 students, and a few with 100-250 (although once you get over 75 or so, I don’t think it matters if there are 75 or 750 kids in the class). I really don’t think class size matters to her much - she has had favorite classes that were small, and other favorites that were large, and the same for classes she didn’t particularly care for.

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Hi FutureGTMom - I think the posts that other folks have left can better answer your questions about class sizes because they are tailored to your child’s major. My daughters classes were all over the place - some small some very large - 200 plus. But the large classes did not seem to hurt my daughter grade wise and I feel she is learning in them. She has interacted with all of her professors outside of class and they were accessible and willing to help so I do not consider the large classes to be a hindrance at UA.

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Well I got a surprise - my daughter got a government internship this fall in Idaho (Idaho of all places - Virginia to Idaho = long drive - sigh). She got it a couple of weeks ago which seems very late to me since school is starting soon. So we have been scrambling to make arrangements - housing in Idaho, a new Car (my 2001 Hyundai just is not up to a trip to Idaho). Really worried that the my daughter will not get all the paperwork squared away with UA so that her scholarships/loans/housing are deferred.

Anybody know anything about Idaho Falls ID? My biggest worry is that she will be in Idaho through the middle of December which means snow. She has never had to drive in snow.

The good news is that this seems to be a good opportunity for her to get good experience and the money is good - will help pay for 1/2 the cost of a new Nissan Versa. Combined with what she made this summer and will make over Christmas she will almost have the car paid off - not bad for a 19 year old. The car should last through college/graduate school and hopefully the start of her first post college job.

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@eusriso Congrats to your daughter! This sounds like a strong opportunity. I know nothing about the area but as a lifelong Northeaster, I have had to drive in some snowy and treacherous conditions (ice storms etc.). My best advice for her is to take short drives in the first snows to get used to how her car handles in inclement weather. Every vehicle I have ever driven has been slightly different in its responsiveness in either wet or snowy conditions. She can practice in an empty parking lot…try braking, turning, speeding up etc. This will build her confidence. It is really just a matter of time and practice, With enough practice she will develop these winter driving skills. Keep extra window wiper fluid in the car, as you have to clear the windows more often in these conditions. Most importantly, she should have an emergency kit in her car including a shovel, flashlight, etc. see this kit for an example:
http://www.emergencykits.com/emergency-kits/car-emergency-kits/the-blizzard-emergency-kit/
Also, carry some emergency water, food and cash.We have had snowstorms here in the NE, where cars were stranded on the highways for days. Chances are she will Never need any of these items but please be prepared just in case.

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Definitely purchase the all wheel drive model as it’s not fun driving a front wheel drive model in the rural Pacific Northwest during winter.

You also could just fly to Idaho and purchase a vehicle there. You can get it registered in any state provided the vehicle meets California emissions standards, which is important if your daughter will be looking for jobs nationwide as she might be unable to register a non-compliant vehicle in certain states. There are dealers in Idaho which specialize in OOS sales.

Is she set on a Versa? Subaru vehicles are extremely popular in the region because AWD comes standard and they are relatively easy to drive.

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If you haven’t already bought a car, I’d recommend a Subaru too. Just got one for my son, which will serve him well wherever he lands after graduation. They’re built like tanks, AWD is standard, and they hold their value really well.

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My daughter made it back to Virginia from her internship in Idaho. It sounds like it was a very positive experience for her, I think she got valuable experience that will help her in the remainder of her college career and her professional career. She was required to present her research to the department heads at the facility where she worked and then to a group of academic professionals and administrators from regional universities. Her research generated some controversies with the regional schools and she had to defend her work - which I think was good.

She loved Idaho, except for the cold and snow. Being from the east coast she got to see and explore a lot of the mid-west which was a huge deal. For those who recommended an AWD vehicle, you were dead on but unfortunately we could not afford it. That little Versa has held up well and drove okay in the snow.

While she was in Idaho she took the GMAT and GRE. I thought she was taking the tests to early (2nd year of college) but according to my daughter she needed to take them early because she is in the STEM MBA program. Long story short she scored very well on both, good enough where she does not need to take the GMAT again. She may want to take the GRE again to boost the Quantitative part of the test (based on the upper tier schools her score was average or a little below).

She will be back to UA for the spring semester. She was suppose to be staying in the sorority house but it looks like she will be staying in honors housing again. Looks like someone made a mistake (sorority? housing?) but it was not a big deal to my daughter.

She is taking 19 hours next semester and according to her looking at another $1000 book bill. I haven’t checked yet to see if we can get them cheaper off of Amazon.

She wants to stay in Tuscaloosa this summer and take classes. As long as she (we) can swing it financially I am okay with it. It means that we will be taking plus loans for the full amount of tuition and board which I do not like (my credit has improved to where I qualify for the plus loans now) but my daughter says she needs to do summer classes to lessen the load later as she gets into upper level classes.

Anyone have any experience in Tuscaloosa during the summer? What do apartments go for during the summer? Easy to find jobs?

Well its Christmas eve, time to get ready for Santa, :).

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Checking back in here, and want to say congrats to you and your daughter, Euriso. We are facing the car buying scenario now, as son is applying for jobs all over the country. Down here in the south, it’s hard to find an AWD, so we are looking at Subarus as well. But we are also in a financial crunch, and the student loans will come due soon. My son stayed in Tuscaloosa two summers. He lived in the dorm both summers. One summer, he worked on campus. The first summer, he commuted 30 minutes each way, but the job paid well, so it was worth it and a great driving learning experience. Check with the Career Center for help with summer jobs. Companies call at the last minute looking for help, which is how son lucked into his well paying job. Campus job did not pay well and didn’t even cover the cost of dorm, so if she’s got a vehicle, encourage her to look outside campus. Good luck!

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She should be able to find an apartment to sublet for a nice price. Many students have to sign a 12-month lease but do not stay over the summer.