<p>My son and I just returned to Hawaii, where we reside, from a visit to UA. I thought it might be useful to share our perspectives, given the various threads on CC from contributors regarding their concerns about racism, the quality of education afforded by the university, and the social milieu at the school. My apologies in advance if this post is long.</p>
<p>My son is a National Merit Scholarship finalist and Bama only came onto our radar screen because of their generous Top Scholars program. Even then, had it not been for the invaluable posts on CC, particularly by mom2collegekids and SEA_tide, we might not have given UA the look it deserves. Thank goodness we did, for our trip was nothing short of wonderful. Here are our impressions, topic by topic:</p>
<p>Racism: I grew up in the 60s watching Gov. Wallaces stand at the schoolhouse door, after which I attended Cal Berkeley. Enough said about what you might imagine my concerns were about the environment at UA. Our visit wiped all of that away. The interactions we observed and participated in between African-Americans and Caucasians were the friendliest, least awkward Ive experienced anywhere, and that includes the liberal San Francisco Bay Area. In a moment that touched my son deeply, our waiter at a restaurant, upon hearing that we were in Tuscaloosa checking out UA, pulled out a napkin and scrawled his Facebook address, telling my son, If you come here, please let me know. Ill get you hooked up. This gentleman is African-American and a junior at UA. My son is Caucasian.</p>
<p>Education: We spent considerable time with Dr. Sharpe, learning about the Honors College, its vision, opportunities, and flexibility. The presentation was impressive, but the proof is in the pudding: my son then attended an Honors Seminar entitled, Southern Values. It sounded like a boring topic to him but he came out of it with a huge grin on his face, saying, It was great! He meant that both from the perspective of the instructor and the students.</p>
<p>Much to our surprise, we were then given an audience with President Witt. He shared his vision for academic excellence at the university and his concrete plans for achieving them. I asked him, Why Alabama? for my son. He said, Fair question, and then proceeded to give us a history lesson on where Bama was five years ago, where it is now, and where he intends it to be five years from now. He was honest and inspiring. We left the meeting very impressed.</p>
<p>Over and over, throughout our visit, university administrators emphasized that UA is flexible in the way it structures academic programs to fit students interests. If a student needs to create an individualized major that is outside the box, UA will do everything possible to facilitate that.</p>
<p>Social Milieu: Our encounters, both on and off campus, were uniformly friendly, warm, and generous. My son has a wicked sense of humor, is a bit left of center politically, and is not likely to join a fraternity. He was worried about being a fish out of water at UA. That anxiety was dispelled during the time he spent with his Honors College ambassador, a junior from Alabama who matched him witticism for witticism and made him feel comfortable.</p>
<p>Facilities: Excellent. Much has been written about them elsewhere, so I wont elaborate here.</p>
<p>OK, Ive sucked up more than enough space. If you have any questions, feel free to pm me.</p>
<p>Aloha.</p>