<p>I go to another school, but I will be participating in the REU program in Tuscaloosa this summer. I leave in a week and a half, and I have some questions about where I’ll be staying. </p>
<p>I will be living in ridgecrest west. What can you tell me about it? I’ve looked it up and it seems pretty nice. </p>
<p>From what I understand each unit has a kitchenette and on certain floors there is a full kitchen for everyone to use, is that accurate? Do people ever use it?</p>
<p>Does the laundry room take quarters or do I have to put money on some sort of card? At my school we put money on our student ID card and use that for laundry. </p>
<p>Do you think there will be other summer programs housed there? Or students taking summer classes?</p>
<p>How is the waking distance from ridgecrest west to other parts of campus? I will be at the engineering part of campus most of the time, but I also plan to make use of the student rec center. Also, how far walking distance will I be from say restaurants/convenience stores/grocery stores? Will it be too far to walk? </p>
<p>What’s the parking situation like at ridgecrest west? I was told I would have free parking at my dorm. Is parking fairly close to the dorm? Parking is an absolute nightmare at my school so that’s why I was wondering. </p>
<p>Sorry for the long post lol I just have lots of questions! I’m really excited to be in Alabama! Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Does the laundry room take quarters or do I have to put money on some sort of card? At my school we put money on our student ID card and use that for laundry.</p>
<p>Unless things have changed, it’s cheaper to “swipe your card” (using Bama cash) then it is to use quarters. The machines take quarters, but there’s a discount if you swipe.</p>
<p>BTW…the box to swipe your card is on the wall and many new frosh don’t notice it. So, make a note to have your child find it when you move into your dorm. One of my son’s roomies went nearly half a year scrounging for quarters because he never noticed the box on the wall.</p>
<p>Yes, the dorms will probably be used in the summer.</p>
<p>From what I understand each unit has a kitchenette and on certain floors there is a full kitchen for everyone to use, is that accurate? Do people ever use it?</p>
<p>Yes…but I don’t know what it’s like in RC-W…I don’t know if that one has stove tops. Yes, people do use them.</p>
<p>RC-W is within walking distance to The Strip, but some will take the Crimson Ride. You’ll likely need to take the CR to the rec center. For engineering, you’ll just walk east and a bit south.</p>
<p>Welcome! Gold and Blue. My D lived in Ridgecrest West freshman year. It is right next to Ridgecrest South and about a quarter of a mile or so from Publix and the Strip. Very walkable. But it is uphill on the way back! The Strip has many restaurants also.</p>
<p>The kitchens in RW are full kitchens. They have an oven with a cooktop, refrigerator, tables, and cabinets. It isn’t a lockable place however. In the dorm suite you will have a small kitchen with a full size frig and a microwave.</p>
<p>I remember lots of kids at Bama last year when we were at Bama Bound (orientation). There were high school students doing various things and I imagine there were summer school folks there as well. And, of course, Bama Bound kids. So it won’t be a “dead” campus. </p>
<p>Will you be given some sort of ID for your REU? Will any meals be on your ID/swipe card? If so, Lakeside Dining is walkable from RW. You could pay for a meal there. It is an all-you-can-eat place.</p>
<p>There is parking underneath Ridgecrest South. I believe it is all underground and very safe. Should be plenty of parking for you.</p>
<p>The rec center isn’t really walkable from your dorm. Might want to drive there. You could always bring a bike or jog. :)</p>
<p>My D is an engineering student. She had no trouble walking to the engineering complex in 10-15 minutes. I would suggest for you to time your walk to your research job. </p>
<p>Are you from West Virginia University? What are you studying? Which research project did you accept at Bama?</p>
<p>Hope you have a great summer at Bama. Roll Tide!!</p>
<p>Ridgecrest West also has a sand volleyball court and is about 50 feet form Palmer Lake, which is a good place to walk/jog around. The lake also has a fountain, ducks, turtles, and fish. Up until a couple years ago, UA permitted catch-and-release fishing in the on-campus lakes, but that is no longer permitted.</p>
<p>There is no longer a discount for using Bama Cash to pay for laundry, but it is still a lot easier than paying with quarters. It costs $1.25 to wash a load of laundry, $1.25 for 60 minutes of drying, and $0.25 for each additional 12 minutes of drying. Most clothes don’t take the full 60 minutes to dry.</p>
<p>If you eat at Lakeside Dining, I highly suggest eating out on the patio as it has a great view and is less crowded.</p>
<p>Ridgecrest West is not normally used for summer housing and is not available for individual students to stay in for the summer, so I have no idea which other programs, if any, will have students staying in the building.</p>
<p>^^^Is Ridgecrest West being used because Rose Towers is scheduled to be demolished early summer and some of the students who would normally be housed in Rose will be displaced??</p>
<p>Yes, RCW will be used to house some UA summer students and UA Early College students during the summer.</p>
<p>As mentioned above, the discount for swiping the card for laundry no longer exists. Laundry is $1.25 per load to wash or dry.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t have any issues with parking since you’ll have access to the deck beneath RCS. Most of the deck is covered, but there is also a small area of the deck that is not covered. (You can park out there if you want the rain to wash the dust from your car. There are three different levels and three different entrances/exits. The levels are NOT connected, so you can’t drive between them without exiting and reentering. The deck is secured access.</p>
<p>The kitchenette in your room will have a full size fridge, a sink and cabinets, and a microwave. I’m not familiar with the specifics of the kitchens at RCW, but it does have them.</p>
<p>The dorms are very nice and I think you will be quite pleased with them. Really, they are like small apartments. Having your own room is a tremendous plus.</p>
<p>Yes…the laundry services are all online so you can check to see if machines are empty online. You can also set up to receive a text when your machine is done.</p>
<p>Do you need a special app or phone for this notification service re laundry? Or will this service work on any cell phone/device that can receive texts?</p>
<p>The online site has the washers & dryers color coded so you can see how much time is left in the cycle too. Pretty cool.</p>
<p>Although I have to say in our last round of college visits, this service now makes every college tour bingo card along with the blue light security systems and Interlibrary loan ;)</p>
<p>^^ And I thought my college had gone high tech when they moved from quarters to tokens. Who would have guessed back in the 70’s that we’d be carrying phones around with us, let alone that our washing machines would be sending messages to those phones.</p>
<p>But hey, if we get enough folks to join in, here’s a potentially affordable, automated texting service that will send text blasts to a pre-determined population on whatever schedule we like. Imagine the 1984-ish possibilities. :)</p>
<p>we could probably accomplish this using a craigslist notification. not exactly what CL notifications are for, but i am sure we could make it work for that. : )</p>
<p>“Are you from West Virginia University? What are you studying? Which research project did you accept at Bama?”</p>
<p>yup, im a mountaineer! im a mechanical engineering major. i will be working for dr. leila ladani with her research on sensors for bio-detection</p>
<p>two more questions:</p>
<p>1) i am an episcopalian, and i was wondering if there is an episcopal church somewhere near campus?
2) at the dining halls, does it only take a meal plan or can you buy an individual meal?</p>
<p>everyone has been so helpful, thanks so much! you make me even more excited to go lol</p>
There are three different levels and three different entrances/exits. The levels are NOT connected, so you can’t drive between them without exiting and reentering. The deck is secured access.</p>