<p>Hello! In a couple weeks, I’ll be heading down for a Honors College visit as well as Preview Day, and I could not be more excited. I have everything booked, and have been emailed an itinerary scheduled by Ms. Susan Alley, who has been absolutely wonderful. I just have a couple questions before I go.</p>
<p>Preview Day:
What should I wear for preview day? The brochure says “jeans or a skirt, a nice top, and closed-toe shoe”, but it also depicts girls wearing summer dresses, which is what some have recommended I wear.
Is it recommended that parents come as well? My mom is coming to visit with me, but she did not seem too thrilled at the idea of coming to Preview. However, since she is still hesitant on me joining a sorority, I thought it’d be a good opportunity for her to learn more about them.</p>
<p>Honors College visit:
I am very interested in the University Scholars program (Economics). Will the academic advisor for Culverhouse know enough information about this program to help me, or should I ask to meet with someone additional? A lot of more general departments (admissions/regional recruiter) did not know many details (reasonable, since it’s not a common area of interest for most incoming freshmen), but I would really like to learn about it in March.<br>
I am scheduled to sit in on UH300: Build Your Position with Dr. Herwig. Does anyone know anything about this class or professor? </p>
<p>My D is not involved in Greek Life, so I can’t help you with the sorority question. She is, however, planning to do University Scholars and is an Econ major (CBA). Although I don’t know for sure, my guess (based on my D’s experience) is that the Culverhouse advisor will probably not be well versed on the University Scholars program. My D found that if you’re out of the mainstream (lots of credits coming in, participating in special programs, etc.) the advisors aren’t particularly helpful. I would suggest setting up a meeting with Dr. Heggem, who is the head of advising at the business school. My D has met with him regarding University Scholars. Also, SEA_Tide got a masters in Economics through the University Scholars Program, so you might want to message him. When my D visited (back in January 2011), the class she sat in on was a different UH300 seminar taught by Dr. Herwig. She liked him - said he was very nice and passionate about the subject. </p>
<p>You will see all kinds of dress at preview day. A lot of girls will wear dresses. My daughter did last year, and is suggesting that the girls she knows do as well this year… I suggest you pick something you feel great it. Wearing something you feel good in always translates to a better attitutde and confidence.If it’s jeans, then wear jeans. Your mom should definately go the the parent portion of the activities. She will get a lot of information, most of which she would be able to find here, but even more important, she will get to meet other parents and ask them questions. It was a great weekend for my daughter and I last year. Hope you guys get as much out of it as we did.</p>
<p>DS took Build Your Position last fall and seemed to like it. You will need to keep in mind that this will not be a “traditional” class, it is a Honors forum limited to 15 students. They are segmented into teams which pick a topic and then build their cases to persuade the rest of the class. So depending on the day you are there, the topic could vary widely and the discussion could get quite energetic.</p>
<p>“am very interested in the University Scholars program (Economics). Will the academic advisor for Culverhouse know enough information about this program to help me, or should I ask to meet with someone additional? A”</p>
<p>No matter what you wear or how you dress: wear comfortable shoes!</p>
<p>My suggestion is to try to sit in on an upper level economics class - either intermediate micro-/macro-. These will have anywhere from 30-50 students in them, and give a better indication of the program than either an intro- class (w/ 250+ students) or an honors seminar (w/ 15). After the class, try to talk w/ as many students as you can about the econ program. The UHC should be able to arrange for you to speak w/ a student specifically in the Scholars program within Econ. Sometimes academic advisors are not as useful to gather info from as actual students are. Advisors will be helpful and knowledgeable - don’t get me wrong - but IMO it is better to get info from actual students and their experiences, not the more “PR” folk in a department. Don’t be afraid to add more requests to your itinerary - you want to walk away knowing that you gathered as much info as you could to make informed decisions about your college choice.</p>
<p>Instead of visiting an advisior in the business school (CBA), I’d highly suggest meeting with an advisor in the economics department, probably Dr. Holt or Dr. Cover. University Scholars in the business school are typically advised by their major department instead of general CBA advising. Either way, stop by the CBA advising office in Bidgood 10 and pick up course checksheets for the possible major combinations with University Scholars in Mathematics. You can pick up these checksheets on the wall across from the main desk. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that University Scholars in economics have a choice of three different “tracks,” the most popular being track II aka applied economics and data mining. You also have the option of getting a master’s degree in a different subject such as finance or applied statistics.</p>
<p>I’ve worked with Dr. Herwig on many occasions and think that you’ll enjoy sitting in on his class. That said, as a business major there is no real reason for you to take a UH 300 course as CBA requires specific writing courses (GBA 300 and 490) and will not accept honors courses in lieu of this requirement. Instead, I’d suggest you visit Peter Brummund’s EC 308 course which meets at 9am in Bidgood 210. Check to make sure that it’s not a test day before attending.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the Business School does not offer many classes on Fridays and will be somewhat quiet after 11am that Friday.</p>