Thanks! I appreciate you responding. I did see that. It reminds me of the application I had for a memorable residential living/learning experience I had at Vandy years ago. Does it have a kind of built-in social system? My son is ADHD w social anxiety and a little weird. I’m not sure he would interview well, but I think he would thrive in the intelectual atmosphere. On the off chance he could get his ACT up 2 points for Mallet (he’s smart but the length of the ACT + ADHD aren’t good for him), could you tell me more about the vibes , esp compared to Blount? Sounds like Blount is an academic commitment, but they both have social and intellectual components (less so intellectual commitment for Mallet?). Are there any other living/learning opportunities he should look into.? I really appreciate your time.
When I was in Mallet, it was an assortment of geeks, independents, regular guys, some really cool, some not. I don’t recall a rigorous application process. Everyone there was smart, but so many were very unmotivated/slackers. It is a lifelong fraternity of sorts for some however.
I realize this is an old thread, but I have likely NMs and Alabama is one school we are looking at. I have SO many questions! Lol.
We have a trip planned in April. Suggestions on what to ask to see or who to ask to talk with? Mine are looking at CS or Cyber. And would you clarify what the Blount and Randall and Fellows are actually like? For the schoolwork, class topics, homework, projects? I can’t really grasp what they are like. What does he like about them? What do they discuss? What do they write about? If Randalls, how does a kid know what to research?! Is it on them to come up with everything? And is Honors something different still? How is Honors different from Blount Honors? I feel like I’m being dense! I don’t like that the Blount dorm is shared bedrooms, even though that is the traditional norm. A bedroom sounds so awesome! What is another favorite dorm or one he’d recommend?
What did you mean by no limit with the AP credits? Don’t their AP course credits need to line up and match with the general Ed? Or did I misunderstand?
Thank you! I better stop here. 
Saw your post pop up and thought I could provide some info. My son is a CS Freshman on the NMF scholarship. He came into Bama with 53 credit hours. He could have had more credit hours, but he felt like a few of his classes that were online due to CoVid might be worth retaking, especially ones in his major. He has not rushed Greek. He decided very late …April 25th I think. He was still able to get into the Honors College and has a really nice set up in the honors dorm. His late decision limited his abilities to look into the specialty stuff like Blount and Randalls, but he has really enjoyed his experience so far. He has met great friends, joined the Eco Car club and likes his classes. One thing I might suggest is doing Camp 1831 or Honors Action if your kid decides on Bama. This allows them to get to campus early, do some activiites with a range of other kids and just meet some people. My son knew noone going in, is not a huge partier and wasn’t interested in Fraternities. The kids he met at Camp 1831 are his best buddies now and they are a nice mix of guys and girls from all over the country and all different majors. Also can echo the great advice of @Colorado19and22 and suggest you set up your visit with your recruiter. We had a private tour with an engineering student and meeting with professors of the mechanical engineering and computer science departments. They rolled out the red carpet and we were all impressed. Prior to visit, I would say my son was lukewarm at best about Alabama. It really is an amazing opportunity for really good education for almost free. Good luck with your decision!
Thank you for chiming in!
53 credits wow! I think mine might have about 30. So his gen Ed was covered? Did he start right into his major classes then as a sophomore? Or did he need to wait?
How is he finding the material and teachers compared to high school? What does he like or not like about the Honors College?
Yes- camp 1831 looks great! Wonder if they can do that and still join in on honors action for the rest of the week.
Thanks for pointing out they can still have an awesome experience without Blount or Randall’s. Does he feel he has more free time because he’s not part of them?
Can I ask what other school(s) he was considering in not being able to decide until April?
I would note that if you want to do Camp 1831, then you cannot do Honors Action as the dates overlap. So, pick your battles. Bama Bound is done earlier in the summer, that is when the student actually registers for classes.
I agree that you definitely should contact your recruiter (early) and work with them on your tour. Get to know your recruiter. They are an excellent resource. Mine still chides S22 for bringing an Auburn tumbler to an Alabama meeting at his school (she remembers).
Lol. Thanks. Yes, I emailed our recruiter last week, and spoke with her this morning, but the engineering department says they are coordinating our visit in April.
I did see the dates overlapped but 1831 finishes up a couple days before honors action. That’s okay- 1831 would probably provide a more varied experience, and they’d still get to meet their honors classmates later.
Does anyone know what the interviews are like for Randall’s? My daughter didn’t make finalist for Fellows so she would like to be more prepared for the Randall’s interview.
So my son went to an IB high school, so yes his gen ed was covered as well as language
requirement and some math I believe. His first semester he had some 100 level engineering, computer science and honors courses + some 200 level math. I think so far he
is not super stressed. His HS courseload was brutal, so I think he is marveling
in the amount of time he has in college to get course work done (he also is not playing a sport which took up a lot of time in HS).
This semesster he has harder courses I believe and more hours.
I think he likes honors, I will have to ask him why he does. I think part of it is that he likes being in the honors dorm, 
He had applied to Ga Tech (deferred and then eventually denied), waitlisted at Carneige Mellon and accepted at Clemson, UNC, NC State and Case Western. I have a daughter who is a senior going thru this whole process and glad she could see that her brother ended up somewhere he hadn’t really considered and loves it and is thriving. A good lesson for all of us to remember. There are lots of good options for our kids!
@jojonc Thank you. He’s in Ridgecrest South dorm then?
Also a NMF question because Alabama is often touted as having the best package. Does the ‘housing’ cover room and board (meal plan)? Or does their NMF scholarship just cover the dorm? Trying to compare apples to apples with other schools, and was unclear on that.
It covers housing for the largest room setup in each given dorm. In Ridgecrest South, the Honors dorm, it covers a room in a 4-bedroom suite. While it does not technically cover food, there is a $3,500 stipend. In talking to other parents, the out-of-pocket expense ranges from $1,500-$3,000 per academic year.
So an extra $1500-$3000 out of pocket after using the $3500 stipend?
Yes, that is what other parents have shared with me.
Side note - One thing that sets UA apart from almost all the other NMF packages is that they include a fifth year of tuition. Depending on your student’s educational goals, that could be quite significant.
Thanks.
Yes, the 5th year is nice, but I’m not sure their overall package is better than some of the Florida ones were looking at. Close enough that it doesn’t really matter much, but just trying to figure out how they all match up. Especially if the kids like them all pretty equally.
I believe that while FL won’t pay a 5th year, they can take a year of graduate classes while in undergrad, if they have the free time due to AP credits etc. I’ll have to look into what the extra costs to finish the Masters would be.
And also we saw the value in the scholarship applying beyond the undergraduate degree for up to 5 years/ 10 semesters. A few other universities offered this as well. It’s not that my daughter will necessarily need five years even for an advanced degree, but the opportunity is there for multiple degrees whereas most universities have a scholarship policy that the scholarship is gone after the undergraduate degree is obtained, even if it has just been 3 years of study. Just wanted to mention this on the thread. 
To your point, some students I have spoken with at tours of Alabama are graduating in ten semesters with three degrees: undergraduate, MBA, and graduate.
One of my daughter’s potential roommates at UA is considering getting her law degree in five years (two years to get her undergrad plus three years of law school). The extra semesters can also be used for study abroad over the summer.
So considering this is a national merit related thread, anyone here invited or have a child invited to apply for the Two Steps Ahead engineering German exchange program?
Mine got a letter today. Probably would not do it. She is very young.
My kids enjoyed Honors action way more than Camp 1831. They had a concentrated group of similar kids and met most of their long-term friends there. (I have 3 Bama kids)