<p>OK well I just paid the admissions deposit and now that I am done hyperventalating about her going so far from our very deep Chicago roots…I want to pay the Housing deposit.</p>
<p>Can anyone tell me where to find the link to pay the deposit? I have looked all over the mybama page that you sign into and cannot find a link.</p>
<p>She wants to be in a quad suite in one of the Honors dorms and I know that getting the deposit paid earlier than later is better.</p>
<p>What am I missing?</p>
<p>I guess that I can now say “Roll Tide” and mean it! (as my stomach is doing flip flops)</p>
<p>Fellow Chicago area mom here! The housing payment link can be found on the first page that comes up when you type in your daughter’s Mybama ID and password. I have been trying to pay son’s housing deposit since he was admitted but so far it’s only available for the spring 2012 semester. </p>
<p>For some reason I seem to remember reading that the housing for Fall 2012 will open on October 1. </p>
<p>Hi Lovemykids2!
What part of Chicagoland are you from? We are Southwest of city…but I grew up and lived in the City until I was 20ish. </p>
<p>OK so I am not crazy. How does it work once the link is open? Is it first come first serve? Do you pick your housing now? Or does the deposit just give you a time and date to choose?</p>
<p>Kind of excited about this…we are going to the Alabama Reception later in October. Hoping to meet lots of new students there.</p>
<p>When you see how happy your daughter is at UA you’ll be hyperventilating for a different reason. :)</p>
<p>I can relate to your anxieties about the distance, but I think you’ll find that virtually instant access via video chat, texts, e-mails, etc. closes the gap nicely. </p>
<p>You gave her roots; now you’ve given her wings. Only one thing to say about that: Roll Tide!</p>
<p>Awww Malania I am sitting here at my computer with tears in my eyes. Thanks for the kind words…I feel like I cannot begin to complain about the distance when you are an Ocean away. But she is my baby and I think that this one will be a bit more painful because of that.</p>
<p>Really does not matter if they are 3 hours or 10 hours away…away is away. </p>
<p>We are from the Northern suburbs of Chicago. Hubby and I lived in the city until our oldest was a year old, then off to a nice big green space for her to ride her cozy coupe!</p>
<p>My son is my baby too so I’m also emotional about being an “empty nester.” Although, he’s beginning to soil the nest already so there are days when it seems like he’ll never fly the coupe…</p>
<p>I think that for the housing registration we pay the deposit and then in the spring our kids receive an email with a sign up date, that’s when they choose their dorm. If I’m wrong, my apologies. I’m learning as I go too. </p>
<p>We will also be at the reception on October 24th. My son feels so special, Alabama certainly knows how to court prospective students!</p>
<p>BusyMom … We’re from northern Chi-burbs, and I remember the hyperventilating moments and can sympathize!</p>
<p>My D has been down there since Aug 12, and LOVES it! She called me this morning. Tuesdays are her laundry, bathroom cleaning, and homework mornings since she doesn’t have class until 2:00 pm. Nice huh? The point though is that she’s settled into a routine, she’s got a good core group of friends that seems to get together in some way every night. She’s already been elected to executive board (treasurer) of her religious social organization, and she’s getting involved in HCA and other aspects of the Honors College. Certainly WAY more active than I ever was BY FAR. She’s been to every football game and/or viewing party, and is generally loving Bama to the fullest extent.</p>
<p>Everyone has a different experience obviously, but BE VERY HAPPY with your family’s choice!</p>
<p>As for the housing deposit, yes, it won’t be open until later, but once it does open make that deposit as early as possible because it DOES lock you into an earlier registration slot. Housing choices are made online, and groups are notified of their time slot based on when they made the housing deposit. SO, if you make the deposit during the first few days, you will be allocated to the earliest online reservation slot. BTW, that does NOT mean that if you miss the 1st day of housing deposit registration that you’ve missed it. Last year, the “first slot” group for registration was for all of the people registering in a certain span of days (either 2 weeks or even a whole month). My D had the 3rd registration time slot on the 1st day of housing registration (so group 3) and still got her 1st choice dorm.</p>
<p>Good luck, and go find a paper bag to breath into! :-)</p>
<p>Freshman housing signup occurs in the Spring. The date that you pay your deposit determines which date/time you get to log in to select your room/pull in roommates. The first selection time last year was for those that made their deposits in the month of October. As long as you make your deposit in October you’ll be in the first selection group this Spring…</p>
<p>Just apply this Saturday and you should be one of the first to choose your dorm. I have a meeting at work Saturday morning at 8, so I will be up bright and early to apply anyway!</p>
<p>For those in the know, how do kids find roommates? My daughter started looking for roommates on her universities Class of 2010 Facebook page. Is that the best way to look or does UA have other options?</p>
<p>My daughter is planning on registering for housing first thing Saturday morning. She will be in the honors housing but does not know anyone yet, as far as roommates. She is hoping to meet people before April at various functions and as some have suggested on Facebook. How does it work if she has a very early selection time and then future roommates she may find do not have the same early selection time?</p>
<p>Parentto4 … actually, UA handles this very well. When you register for housing and pay your deposit, you will receive a code that applies to their registration. If people want to live together, the first person reserves the room at the earliest opportunity for the group, and at the same time “pulls” the other roomates into the same suite. The roomates then do not have to do anything at their designated housing time. The earliest registering roommate needs to be provided everyone’s code that they want to pull in. There is a VERY GOOD instruction video on the housing site that actually shows how to do the entire registration AND pull in a roommate.</p>
<p>UA housing had a roommate finder webpage last year. The student can enter some basic information about themselves. They can then search for potential roommates based on certain criteria. It is up to them to contact a person they think might be a candidate. The university does not match them up. D was contacted by a couple and she contacted a few herself. She ended up rooming with an friend from HS and they then went potluck for the remaining two rooms in the suite.</p>
<p>How crucial is it to be first in line for housing? Daughter is no where near making a final choice yet. If we don’t put a deposit down for a few months, will she still be able to get into the honors dorms? How bad is it to be far down on the selection list? Thanks.</p>
<p>The longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes to get a favorite choice. There’s a limited number of beds in each dorm, so those who pay first, choose first…</p>
<p>It’s like getting a Disney hotel at WDW during peak season…the later you book your hotel, the less likely you’re going to get the hotel that you want.</p>
<p>For honors dorms…if you delay too long, you may get an honors bed, but it may not be in the hall you want, and it may not be with the friend you found on Facebook or it may be with some upper-classmen. </p>
<p>during an earlier year, some were mistaking the fact that Bama ensures that frosh can live on campus with the idea that they will get the choice they want if they wait til late to deposit. You have to “do the math”…there aren’t enough beds in Ridgecrest South (or any other highly desired hall) for everyone to get to pick it.</p>
<p>Well my son hasn’t decided on Alabama yet but I went ahead and paid his freshman enrollment deposit this morning any way so that he could apply for housing.</p>
<p>Has anyone else tried to pay the housing deposit? the page opens and it lets you pick fall 2012/spring 2013 academic year but then when you continue it gives you a statement about not being able to accomdate housing for all students (transfer and those not currently living on campus) its almost like it thinks my son is already there? he will have upperclassman status due to AP credits so I hope that is not why. Maybe it will not be a problem after 8 CST?</p>
<p>OK so it did let us apply for housing at 8:00 CST. Just takes a minute to do, fill out the app, agree to the rules and pay. When you are done it gives you the roomate proxy code so I printed out that page to keep.</p>
<p>I’m still a little confused - if a student is undecided for next fall (and won’t hear from other choices until EA time in December) is it ethical to pay the enrollment deposit (since this seems to say you’re going to Bama) in order to do the housing deposit? </p>
<p>Does Bama expect some students to drop out from this or is this a committment to attend? I know one other school that does early housing deposits but it’s housing only (not enrollment) and non-refundable - so they’re very clear that it’s a spot in line only, not a spot at the school.</p>