Questions from an Incoming Freshman in the Honors College

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

Hello,

I am very excited to say that I will be attending UA on a Presidential Scholarship! Though, I still have some questions regarding some events and opportunities. I would be very grateful if anyone could offer further information.

  1. When should I apply for Emerging Scholars? It seems like a fantastic program, and I am extremely interested in the chance for research and faculty interaction. The website almost made it seem like students apply during the fall semester, but I still am somewhat unsure.
  2. I recently applied for Alabama Action but have not received any information regarding the confirmation of a position or further details, except for an email confirming the $225 payment. Are these Honors Action programs first-come, first-serve, or is there a chance that I do not get a spot and my deposit is refunded?
  3. Unfortunately, I was not aware of CBH or UFE until after their application deadlines had passed. While it is disappointing, are there any other programs besides Emerging Scholars that I should be considering?
  4. I plan to major in Anthropology, but I do have some concerns about majoring in a relatively uncommon major at a school where the area is not especially renowned. I have read many success stories about UA grads, and I know that they have been placing well in graduate programs, but I saw a comment here on CC that suggested sometimes departmental prestige has a large impact on graduate admissions for majors relatively "disconnected from the real world" (however, not necessarily law school admissions). I know that it is extremely early to be thinking about this, though academia and law are career choices which I definitely want to consider. Is there anything else that I should be doing at Alabama to give me the most advantages possible?

By the way, here is the exceptionally insightful post that I mentioned: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20579688#Comment_20579688

Thank you and Roll Tide!

2

I can’t help you with Emerging Scholars as the program has undergone some changes since my daughter was a freshman. She applied for it in the spring before freshman year, FWIW. I would e-mail the director of the program to ask and show your interest.

For Alabama Action, it is first come, first served, but if you have already deposited I would be very surprised if you didn’t get into the program. It’s a great opportunity to acclimate to the campus and meet people before school starts. My daughter did Outdoor Action and a couple of her roommates did Alabama Action and they all really enjoyed it.

If you are interested in research, don’t limit yourself to Emerging Scholars. Approach your professors to see if they need assistance with research. Many have their areas of specialization and the research they’re doing online, so you can see if anything appeals to you.

What area of anthropology interests you? I have a relative who is a professor of anthropology at a well regarded school in the northeast, and he had good things to say about some of the anthropology professors at UA, and he mentioned a particular area (biological, maybe? - it was a while ago) of strength. Make a point of developing relationships with your professors, let them know of your interests and become involved in anything the department has to offer. Sometimes a smaller department will present you with more attention and greater opportunities. The one thing we noticed about UA is that it has a much smaller feel than many universities of its size, and the professors tend to be very student-centric. At some schools they’re very focused on research and publication to the exclusion of teaching; my daughter did not find that to be the case at Alabama at all.

3

@“beth’s mom” Okay, thank you very much for the information! I’ll definitely reach out to someone involved with Emerging Scholars.

I am mostly interested in cultural anthropology, which thankfully UA does offer courses in. It’s encouraging to hear that your relative regards UA’s programs well, so maybe it is quietly one of their strengths after all! Perhaps my worries about the department were completely unfounded.

Concerning research, it is certainly something that I would like to get involved in as much as possible. Would you think that it would be inappropriate to email a professor now? Should I wait until I’m on campus?

Once again, thank you for your help!

4

I don’t think it would be inappropriate, nor do I think there’d be any problem with waiting.

5

Alright, thanks! One last question, does anyone have any experience with CLEP testing? It surely seems attractive to test out of some classes, but I am still a bit confused with how the process works.

6

My oldest UA grad clepped out of Spanish and received 14 credits from UA (he was not able to take the AP test in high school and he chose not to take a language while at UA.) It’s been 6 years but I made an appointment with the correct office at our local community college, he went in and paid the money (at that time I think it was $80) and he took the test. They graded it on the spot, and I believe they sent the scores to UA. Before I did this, I double-checked that UA would accept these credits. Google clep tests for more information.

7

My daughter did the same thing as @kjcphmom. Spanish CLEP, 14 credits, taken at our local community college. She had to make an appointment for a specific time to take the test, which was administered in the CC’s testing center. The scoring was immediate. The entire process was very easy. I found where the test was administered by going here: https://clep.collegeboard.org/test-center-search

8

Check out Blount Scholars: https://blount.as.ua.edu/

Sounds perfect for an anthropology major and won’t preclude you from doing emerging scholars (or anything else your heart desires)!

9

Both my UA kids have CLEP’ed out of Spanish. It’s very easy. Just go on the college board website, pay for the test(s) you want to take, then you call the test center and set up a time/day. SUPER easy. You can re-test after 90 days, FWIW, if you aren’t happy with your score. My kids did it spring of their last year of high school, here in our home town. You can do it at UA if you prefer.

Allow a month or so for UA to get your CLEP scores if you plan to use them to get out of required courses. (My son’s haven’t turned up on his DegreeWorks yet even though he tested almost a month ago). (Although they will generally let you register for whatever you want at BB if you are awaiting test results . . . and you will know your CLEP score the moment you finish the test, so you can just take that knowledge to your BB and register accordingly.)

My Class of '19 daughter (just finishing her 2nd year) did Emerging Scholars and LOVED it. They changed the process this year, I think the changes made it both more selective/smaller and also open to older students (instead of just Freshman), so I don’t think you’ll be able to talk to anyone who has been through it the “new way” since it’s brand new just now. My dd did the two course sequence beginning 2nd semester of Freshman year and finishing fall of Sophomore year, as was advised by the professor who both helped recruit her to UA and also who acted as her E.S. advisor. Excellent experience. I’d suggest reading the info available online and then applying to do it beginning no earlier than 2nd semester Freshman year (as my dd did it). That allows you a semester to settle in before plunging into the research process. Spend some time trying to identify professors with interests that align with yours, then start talking to them about your interest in E.S. The professor selection process might be more structured with the recent changes, as I think some of the issues they were trying to improve was making sure that students had a successful experience, which is highly dependent on getting a good match with a professor, as you have to be very independent and self-guided in completing your research.

Be sure to check out the Undergraduate Research Conference to view the posters and/or talks given by the students . . . This will either inspire or terrify you, lol. My dd presented her research last month, and I know they have the conference every spring, but I’m not sure if they have one in the fall, too. That’s possible, but I am not sure.

Looking at the the UA pages about ES, it looks like they are now accepting applications, but won’t review them until November? So, that’d obviously mean that you don’t start until Spring. So, maybe go ahead and apply now?

When my dd applied two years ago, you applied spring/summer before you entered as a Freshman, and indicated whether you wanted to start that fall or that spring. Now, it looks to me like you never start fall of Freshman year (as was advised NOT to do by my dd’s mentor, so that’s good). So, presumably, they all start in the spring now? Or there might be another application cycle to start in the fall of sophomore year? I’m not sure.

It’s unclear to me on the UA pages whether upperclassmen can still apply to participate. . . That seems confusing. (Previously, only Freshmen could do this . . . but I thought I’d heard it was opening up to upperclassmen?)

Definitely feel free to call or email the folks at the ES program. Everyone at UA is always quite helpful with questions, etc, in my experience.

Good luck!! Enjoy!!