Thanks Colorado19and22 !!
Just the info I’m looking for! My national merit finalist DD is still trying to make her college decision and just when we were going to be able to finally visit, the Coronavirus hit and shut everything down. Coming from S.D. I was wondering about getting to/from the Burmingham airport. Is that where your son flies in/out? Is the shuttle service a university shuttle? Has he needed a car at all? I’ve been wondering about the bottom line financially…any real surprises or you’ve truly found the scholarship covers nearly all expenses? DD is looking at 2 Midwest schools and UChicago. Alabama is the largest of the 4. How difficult is the campus to navigate or get to and from classes? Are there opportunities to get to know your professors? Grateful for any help or advise you could give.
@SD42973 I’m sorry coronavirus derailed your visit! I’ll do my best to answer your questions.
My son has only flown in and out of the Birmingham airport, which is about an hour away. There are a few options for transportation between the airport and Tuscaloosa–there are three different commercial shuttle companies (it is my understanding that UA used to run airport shuttles at for school breaks, they don’t anymore), there are local parents that take students to the airport, there is a student rideshare Facebook page, and of course there is always Uber. DS has used a commercial shuttle twice now and we’ve been pleased with the service. Some students fly in/out of Atlanta. It is further away, and the transportation options don’t seem as good to me–but lots of families choose it.
As far as a car, DS didn’t take one, and hasn’t felt the need for one. That said, his life completely revolves around campus, and he also doesn’t mind walking places. I want him to have one next year, since he’ll be in an on-campus apartment and doesn’t want a dining plan–he’s going to need to get groceries at least. He’s arguing he still won’t need one. We’ll see.
The scholarship for NMF covers almost everything if you use the stipend toward fees and the meal plan. Our out of pocket for freshman year (not including travel) was less than $1,500. It will be less for the other years when he doesn’t have to have the unlimited dining plan. The travel costs can be more than you’d expect if you’re flying though–check to see what fares are usually like, and estimate another $80-150 for round trip transportation to Birmingham if you use a commercial shuttle.
The campus is large, but not hard to navigate. There are campus bus lines, or walking is an option. I would suggest not scheduling back-to-back classes unless the buildings are close–its just something to keep an eye on when registering for classes.
I think there are opportunities to get to know professors, but I wouldn’t say it automatically happens. I think part of the responsibility for this is on the student–going to office hours, getting involved in research, etc. My son has been fortunate enough to have mostly smaller classes and is already active in research, and I feel like already has a handful of professors, advisors, and staff that he feels like he has a relationship with, beyond just the classroom.
If you think of any other questions, let me know. Feel free to PM as well.
Good luck!
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@SD42973 -we are midwest too (just south of your state), and toured UA in February. My S isn’t NMF - but he does have full tuition at UA. He wanted to see a an affordable college that was completely outside our area. We have absolutely no ties to the south. However, we really really enjoyed the campus (It was pristine) the set up of it all, and the friendliness of the kids and the engineering college staff and kids. He liked it very much. There’s so much to look into still; no decisions yet. But, we were surprisingly impressed.
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Colorado19&22 and bgbg4us Thank you both so much. Any info we can glean is helpful. I’ll let you know if we think of more questions. I appreciate the willingness to share your experiences.
This is a very helpful thread - thank you! My son is not a NMF (we live in a state with a 223 cutoff), but has a very generous merit scholarship at Bama and was accepted into University Fellows Experience. He is currently struggling to decide between Tulane (where he was awarded the Deans Honor Scholarship which is a full-tuition scholarship) and Bama - he prefers the location of Tulane and they have an excellent school of public health. But, he is really drawn to UFE and loved Bama’s campus. Although both require flying, Tulane is much easier to get to. We appreciate any insight from anyone who was in a similar situation.
@TwoFabKids What a hard decision! I think you could absolutely justify either choice–so I think the “right” decision might boil down to a “gut feel.” You say your DS loved Bama’s campus, but how did he feel about the students, professors, and staff he met? Can he see hanging out with them, having discussions with them, learning beside them? How does that compare to how he felt at Tulane? Where does he see being happiest?
When we were visiting schools, one of DS’s possibilities that seemed great “on paper” (higher ranking/prestige, bigger city, a student body with higher stats, etc.) was a total turnoff when he sat in on a class and talked to the students. He ended up not even applying! But after visiting Bama, he told me that if he was accepted to Randall Research Scholars, and Blount Scholars, he could see being very happy there. He also commented that every student he talked to loved the school and would choose it again (it was one of the questions he asked).
Being part of RRS and Blount have really made a difference for my DS “finding his people” at Bama because of the small size and the similar focus/interests of the students. I think UFE and McCullough Medical Scholars (which I think you mentioned on another thread) would absolutely provide something similar for your son if he heads to Bama.
Good luck! ?
@Colorado19and22 thanks so much for your insight - yes, he was admitted to McCollough and UFE and would love to do both. He emailed the directors of both programs to make sure he can do both and asked how any potential conflicts would be handled. He really loved the UFE finalist weekend - from current Fellows to other finalists, and staff/faculty. He did not sit in on a class, but he got a great feel for the students, faculty, and staff during Capstone Scholars Day and the UFE Finalist weekend.
He visited Tulane last year and also loved it. He fell in love with NOLA (he is a musician) and the students he spoke to were intelligent, kind, and really happy with their choice to attend Tulane. He was looking forward to going back to Tulane for Honors Weekend so he could meet some students who might be attending in the Fall - for obvious reasons, Honors Weekend was canceled. His “gut feeling” changes every day - he really loves things about both schools and feels very fortunate to have such wonderful opportunities.
I imagine your DS is still happy with his choice and has no regrets? Has he been able to connect with professors? Outside of RRS and Blount, how would he describe his academic experience, his professors, etc.? What is his major?
@TwoFabKids My son is very happy with his choice, and has no regrets whatsoever! He is seriously bummed out right now that he is home and having to do classes online. He doesn’t miss Tuscaloosa’s weather (too warm and too much rain for him!) but he wishes he could be on campus, doing research, hanging out with friends, etc.
I’ve sent you a PM with more details 
Hi!
My NMF was accepted to Blount, and is considering Alabama. She visited in February.
Since then, the NMF sent her a corporate scholarship. Does that mean she’s no longer eligible for Alabama’s scholarship? I know they can only receive 1.
Thanks!
@bmcalumna I think she is still eligible for Alabama’s NMF scholarship as long as she designates UA as her first choice with National Merit.
In my son’s experience there is an amount from National Merit that is part of the UA stipend amount, and then the rest of the stipend, tuition, housing, and book stipend are from UA. I think the corporate scholarship is treated the same way as the portion NM pays toward the stipend in my son’s case. I’m almost 100 percent sure, but I recommend calling or e-mailing the scholarship office or your regional recruiter to confirm, just for peace of mind.
Congrats to your daughter on the Blount acceptance!
Thank you for sharing info and insights. I’ve read that it’s difficult to “fit in” if not part of the Greek scene despite fact that not everyone is in fraternity/sorority. But also that it’s difficult to join if not from the south. With home being a great distance away (plane ride), campus events cancelled, and decision day looming, feeling great anxiety to commit based on money only and foregoing other scholarships though not as generous.
@22colt I had heard the same about difficulty fitting in, but fortunately that hasn’t been a problem for DS. He’s not in a fraternity, but has a good group of friends and misses being on campus.
I’m really sorry you are having to decide without the regular campus events, and being far away certainly adds to the anxiety. Good luck with the decision.
@Colorado19and22 I so appreciate you being willing to share you & your son’s experience. My daughter will probably be committing to Alabama. She has a hard time saying no to UChicago which was a lofty dream when she applied. But the cost…wow, tough to see how that investment could pay off. And, she had her Blount Scholars interview last week and was accepted, which she is really excited about. She is wondering if you would have any info on Blount from your son…advice, recommendations or things she might need to know that aren’t on the website. Were there any particulars about the dorm she should know? Thank you!
@SD42973. I hear you on the cost issue. It is hard to give up a dream school, but based on our experience last year the costs can be mind-boggling! DS didn’t qualify for financial aid and some of the schools were coming in at $90,000+ a year by the time you added in books and travel. He/we couldn’t justify that–so sought out the big merit.
The nice thing about Blount is that it gives a seminar-based experience wrapped in a wider big-university environment–so the best of both worlds. In talking to DS about Blount over the last year there are a a couple of things that stand out.
There is a lot of reading and writing–a full-page essay/analysis each week and several page essays/analyses a handful of times each semester. The students also have a lot of flexibility to decide the topics and sources in the writing, rather than writing to a particular question or prompt. He found it manageable, but commented that some kids struggled with the time management, and also dealing with the idea that they have to figure out what to write about. His advice is to stay on top of it–if you fall behind it is very hard to catch up.
He thinks it is important to participate in order to get the full Blount experience–both in the planned Blount activities (open-mic night, “Mocktail” party, homecoming/ tailgating) and the informal activities like board games, movies, etc.
As far as the dorm, it isn’t the popular “everybody has their own bedroom” suites, but has two kids per room, with two rooms sharing a bathroom. DS liked it, feeling like it was more social and connected. Some things that came up this year are just normal things like having a clogged toilet or not knowing that the dryers have lint filters that need to be cleaned in order for clothes to dry. It will be important for the roommates to have an agreement on cleaning, quiet hours, guests, etc.
@Colorado19and22 Thank you for the info. DD has now committed and is already communicating with her assigned roommates. You’ve been a huge help in this difficult process to get to this point. Thank you SO MUCH
Newby here, wondering about Blount. It sounds right up my son’s alley, intellectually and socially, but his ACT score’s only a 26 (GPA 4.3). Think he has a chance to be in the program?
Do NMFs receive priority registration for classes? One concern I have at a large university like Bama is my son’s ability to get into the classes he needs early on. Thanks.
Have him join Honors. Kids in Honors get priorty registration. Also, registration is based on number of credits completed. Is he coming in with AP credits etc.? They move up his registration time.
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@lisabudd Have you looked at the application form? If he has interesting answers to the prompts and does well in the interview I think he would be in with a shout. They are looking for kids with intellectual curiosity who will contribute to the community.