<p>This forum has been very helpful in getting input from parents of Alabama kids, but is there a current Honors student who can speak to whether their expectations have been met? Have classes been challenging? Research opportunities available? Any regret turning down other schools for Alabama? Any complaints (besides housing, which seems well covered lately)?</p>
<p>Sent you a PM :)</p>
<p>robotbldmom, if you saved your reply, could you please forward it to me? I have the same questions. Thanks!</p>
<p>My son, who graduates in a couple of weeks, has enjoyed his experience with the Honors College. He is in CBHP, so the research opportunities were endless. But, that said, a student does not have to be in CBHP to find chances to do research. He came into UA with 65 credits through AP/DE, so priority registration has been great. He got into every class he wanted to take. He’s traveled all over the world, thanks to UA, a prestigious scholarship won as a sophomore and his fraternity, which sent him to Greece. He turned down several top schools to be at Alabama, and no, he does not regret his decision. He’s graduating debt-free with two degrees and two minors.</p>
<p>momreads, how wonderful! looks like he made a great decision! my daughter is also entering the honors college in the fall. we are from ny so this is a bit outside my comfort zone but we have been treated so well by the bama family that there was no other choice. i have no doubt that the school will exceed our expectations academically as well as socially.</p>
<p>Parent of an honors freshman here…DS is very happy with his choice to go to Bama. His classes have been challenging but have not proven to be an issue. Took 18 hours in the fall including MDB and 18 hours in the spring including research…maintaining all A’s to this point (fingers crossed for three more weeks). He decided not to do CBHP but still landed a research opportunity this term as a freshman doing real research. At many schools freshman “research” can equate to being a gopher for a grad student. He has been on a team of three this term doing nano-particle drug delivery research and will be presenting their findings next week. Also has lined up a paid research internship this summer at Bama, so yes the research opportunites are definately available.</p>
<p>He was home last weekend and we spent some time discussing how things have gone to this point and the line that stuck in my mind was “I feel more comfortable in knowing I am at the right place now than I have ever felt”.</p>
<p>not many students post here, so i am not sure you will get many responses from students.</p>
<p>my daughter is a chemical engineering student. she came in with a modest amount of prior credit. she has found most of her classes challenging, but not so much so as to be impossible. i think there have been only one or two of those.</p>
<p>she did have some regret at the beginning for not choosing her other top choice, but it was more for social reasons and it being closer to home. over time she realized that she was in the right place. BUT, that is just the way she is, always analyzing things and wanting to make the best possible choice, even after the choice is made. she would rather not get something at all then to get the “wrong” thing.</p>
<p>research is readily available for those that want it and seek it out. my daughter has not done research, but that is by her choice and time constraints.</p>
<p>there should be few complaints about housing except for the fact that it is largely not available for upperclassmen who want it. i think UA should make some changes in this area, but they never ask me! :)</p>
<p>my daughter started UA as a shy and timid kid. over time she has become a bold and confident young lady, and i am really proud of her. i am not sure things would have happened quite this way if she had gone to the other school.</p>
<p>I’ll tell you what my son, an ambitious NMF who had plenty of college choices, said to me in Tuscaloosa at the 2011 LSU-Alabama game (the old timers on this forum have heard this one before). At the time, he was a sophomore.</p>
<p>“Dad,” he said, “knowing what I know now, if I’d gotten into every school in the country, this is where I’d want to be.”</p>
<p>^^^ Love that, malanai! </p>
<p>Would someone elaborate on how to go about finding research opportunities? Anything available in the business school? Thanks!</p>
<p>SECfam: Shoot an e-mail to Honors College Dean Shane Sharpe and ask him. He’s with the biz school.</p>
<p>[Staff</a> | Honors College](<a href=“http://honors.ua.edu/contact-us/staff/]Staff”>http://honors.ua.edu/contact-us/staff/)</p>
<p>There’s a program in the business school called Faculty Scholars where an undergraduate student assists a professor with either teaching or research and is mentored by the professor. I’m not very familiar with it (just read about it on the website), but there’s a parent who posts on here whose student participated in this program - maybe they’ll chime in.</p>
<p>Westcoastmomof2: I will try to find that PM and send you a copy, if not I will gladly compose another reply.</p>
<p>I will add that after my son’s first year was completed, I asked him if he had made a good college choice, his reply was “no, I made the RIGHT college choice.”</p>
<p>The University of Alabama has many opportunities, so many that it is really hard to do it all. The best advice I could give a prospective student is to try and explore several of these new areas of interest. The surprise is that they may find new passions along the way.</p>
<p>Thank you for the info regarding research opportunities.</p>
<p>SECFam, my D is in CBHP and is majoring in MIS through the Culverhouse School. She is currently working on a project for Center for Advance Public Safety (CAPS) on a team building a new portal for the state of Alabama public services. The business school and MIS program have been GREAT for my D, and there are MANY opportunities for projects and research. And if your son or daughter is considering MIS, working on a project is mandated as part of the MIS curriculum. Each MIS student must participate on a Capstone Project team in order to graduate.</p>
<p>I see that, as usual, the parents have covered this question well. But because you asked for a student, I feel that I should affirm what they have said. I spend a lot of time reading and researching on CC, but do not post often. </p>
<p>I am a current honors female currently living in riverside. I will be an RA in Ridgecrest South-South Tower next fall. Things that have met my (high) expectations include housing, honors programs, and professor-student relationships. Things that have exceeded my expectations include honors college faculty and staff, game day atmosphere, research opportunities, and a plethora of campus organizations. I found it very easy to get involved and, in my opinion, there is something for everyone. They say that everywhere, but I really found it to be true at Bama. </p>
<p>I am a business major and found it very helpful to get involved in organizations specifically for my college, and not just fun interest-based organizations. I recommend the same for other majors. It helps you build connections with your college’s faculty and also with students who will be in your classes. </p>
<p>It rains more than I thought it would, but it is markedly better than in Illinois weather, so I can’t complain. Lakeside’s food starts off alright at first and then you just get incredibly sick of it. That can be easily fixed by walking a little extra distance to Fresh Foods or even Burke or Bryant. If that is the worst thing I have to deal with, then I think the school is doing a fantastic job. </p>
<p>In regards to research, a lot of my friends are in Emerging Scholars, and I know that is going to prove very beneficial for them. I couldn’t find the time for research this year but might consider it next year. </p>
<p>Campus is beautiful year-round. It is clean and well-kept. There is construction somewhere most of the time, but that just shows UA’s determination to continually improve. When I walk around campus, I feel safe, accepted, and happy just to be a student here. There is a certain camaraderie on campus, especially during football season. I know I made the right choice, and I know that this is where I belong. After hearing about my other friends’ college choices and experiences, I am so grateful for Alabama. Roll Tide :)</p>
<p>@momreads, does your son have a job or grad school lined up? Can you list his majors and elaborate on his job or grad school search? What companies or schools were involved? This is what it’s all about, after all.</p>
<p>BB27 … Congrats and Roll Tide!</p>
<p>Chardo: My son will have degrees in economics and political science with minors in math and CBHP. As a Hollings scholar, he interned with NOAA in American Samoa last summer. He even had one NOAA official so impresed with his research that he asked him to contact him following graduation regarding future job prospects. At this time, he’s weighing different job options, mainly in the DC area because we live about 90 minutes from there, but also could opt to attend grad school. Right now, he’s swamped with a deadline on a thesis, which, his professor hopes, will be published.</p>
<p>Love the spirit on the Alabama board, and am glad to hear everyone is happy with their experience!! Sounds like you all (I’ll have to ease myself into “y’all”) have a great group of kids :).</p>
<p><a href=“I’ll%20have%20to%20ease%20myself%20into” title=“y’all”>Quote</a>
[/quote]
</p>
<p>See how easy that was? Nicely done! :)</p>