My DD really enjoyed outdoor action. She went to registration the first day of outdoor action and was not too interested and said she was not really interested in meeting people.
By the end of outdoor action she was so happy and said it was so perfect and beautiful to see all of the wonderful nature in Alabama. Now she is trying to be a leader for next year because she said she enjoyed it so much. She wants to help other students enjoy it as much as she did. She does like doing community service type projects which is definitely part of outdoor action. She now seems to consider Alabama her home.
She met so many friends at outdoor action which was a great start to her year.
She was someone that was really struggling committing to going to Alabama as we are from Illinois, but now really likes it and outdoor action was a big part of it.
For those who don’t know, the various “Honors Action” programs take place before school starts in August. The freshmen Honors students who are participating move in about 10-11 days prior to the start of classes (the program itself runs 6 days). The options are Alabama Action, Outdoor Action, and Black Belt Action. If your student can end their summer a bit early, it is a WONDERFUL start to their freshmen year! Highly recommended. (Also - it’s a huge bonus to move in early and avoid the huge crowds a week later!)
Outdoor Action, Alabama Action, and Black Belt Experience are all HIGHLY recommended for honors students who won’t be rushing…particularly OOS students. These experiences immediately immerse these students into the honors community and are wonderful icebreakers and means to make new friends.
For non-honors students seeking a similar experience, Camp 1831 is recommended. I think there are 3 dates for that.
Does anyone know around what date the application is available to register for Outdoor Action? I don’t want my daughter to miss the date. I would imagine it fills up quickly.
What would be the best fit for an honors college, tech-geek type of kid? He’s not very out-doorsy. Might he still like Outdoor Action? He’d love meeting other new students.
I have to second the OP recommendation. The Outdoor Action experience was a big part of my son’s feeling comfortable at the University of Alabama. We are from Pennsylvania and it was tough sending my first child that far away. Most of his friends were from this group and he eventually joined an engineering fraternity with a couple of the folks he had met.
My daughter initially applied for Alabama Action, but it filled up first and there were openings for Outdoor Action which turned out to be a better fit for my daughter because of her interests. But I am sure they are all great programs, just depends on their interests. My daughter also went to camp 1831 which she also liked and she said the overnight cabins were really nice at camp 1831. Not sure exactly when she registered for Outdoor Action, but I have a confirmation on May 25th, so it was sometime before that. My guess is that it was sometime in April.
If your child is not very interested in the outdoors, then Outdoor Action is probably not going to be the right fit. Maybe Alabama Action or Black Belt Action would be better.
My daughter greatly benefitted from Outdoor Action. It definitely helped her acclimate to campus and meet people. Most of her friends freshman year were kids she met either at Outdoor Action or through other kids who did Outdoor Action. I think the year she did it they were still doing tornado cleanup. They also did fun things like canoeing, and they’d swim to cool off. One of my daughter’s HS classmates who also went to UA did not do any of the pre-school programs, and her mother called me from move-in to tell me that she’d just seen my daughter playing frisbee on the quad and she looked so settled in you’d think she’d been there for months. This mom told me afterwards that in retrospect she really wished her daughter had done one of the Actions and moved in early. At least in my daughter’s case it made for an easier transition.
My oldest didn’t want to do Outdoor Action as our family had an activity planned with other families for the weekend of early move-in. I always thought it was a mistake as he missed an opportunity to meet at least 50 other freshmen and get use to the campus before the entire student body moved back. Because of this, I insisted my other son do OA. Two years later he still meets with a small group for a bi-weekly game night. On top of this, early move-in was SO MUCH EASIER than regular move-in. Not as much as the actual moving the stuff from the car into the room (both were awesome with all the help), but the running errands to the stores etc. With the first move-in, traffic was horrible, shelves were bare and restaurants were crowded. Early move-in didn’t have those problems
It kind of stinks that kids who are planning to be in the band can not do any of the Honor’s programs. Hope we can get in the Camp 1831 before band camp, that’s if he gets into the band.
Bandmom, kids in the MDB will acclimate to campus and meet lots of people through band and band camp. Same with kids who go early for sports camps and girls who move in early for sorority recruitment. I think it’s very beneficial to have an activity that makes it easy to meet people and get to know campus before the masses descend; I don’t think it needs to be one of the honors programs.
Floridamomma: Back in 2014, the Honors Action programs opened up for sign-up around April 5th-6th-7th… not sure when they will open up this time. Start checking the Honors website on April 1. Don’t worry – Outdoor Action doesn’t “sell out” during the first week (although by around mid-June, I recall there was a waiting list).
Is Outdoor Action done near Tuscaloosa or does it take place in various parts of Alabama? Would be nice if more students were exposed to the beauty of Northeast Alabama, with its mountains, waterfalls, and Little River Canyon.
I also highly recommend the Outdoor Action program. It is especially a great way for OOS students to meet other students and get immediately immersed into Alabama life. Students do get to move in early, which is a huge perk. However, I think the most important aspect of the program is the connection to the community that students make. The community which will be then be their “home” for the next four years.
