<p>Hearing rumblings from son about not living on campus next year, and wondering if some of you veterans can tell me a little about the Bluffs, such as how many roommates, how long the contract is for, whether you have to vacate property for breaks, and how parking is handled, especially for when you come on to campus to attend class.</p>
<p>Also curious if the Bluffs is an option is the student is involved in a five year BS/MS program, or if it’s only available for the fourth year.</p>
<p>If son makes the move off campus, might want to find a place where he can stay two years, stay year round to work/research in Alabama. Not worried about scholarship at this point. If he has to pay for it, he’ll have to get a job to do so.</p>
<p>Montegut: From what I’ve heard (and this could be wrong), UA will not be using the Bluff next year for honors housing. </p>
<p>If this is not true, then I can tell you that a student can be in a two-bedroom or three-bedroom apartment. Has full-sized washer and dryer. Kitchen has everything you need, including a dishwasher. Each bedroom has a private bath. The contract my son has runs through May, 2013 (when he graduates). If you stay during the summer months, you pay additional rent – one of my son’s former roommates had to stay last summer to do some engineering classes.</p>
<p>You can stay during breaks, which is nice. There is ample parking for student vehicles. </p>
<p>The Bluff is a nice place. We liked it a lot when we visited last April.</p>
<p>D visited the housing office this week to find out what she needs to do to move out in December & make sure she has a place again in August. While there, she asked about the Bluffs & East Edge. The lady in housing said Bluffs will NOT be renewed as a UA housing option next year & didn’t have a definitive answer about East Edge yet.</p>
<p>My D, and we, are quite anxious to hear the “ruling” or decision for next year on where students with housing scholarships will be able to live off campus. Everything has been very vague so far regarding either the Bluffs and/or East Edge (or other locations) as to where D may be able to live next year and still utilize her scholarship. I know there is a strong desire to get upper-classmen out of the honors dorms, including scholarship students, to make room for the expanding incoming classes. But at this point, there is no concrete way to plan for next year, when so many other non-scholarship student are beginning to contract for next year already, including my D’s friends that might otherwise have chosen to room with my D. By the time the decision is made, she may have few options of who to live with in her apartment. It’s troublesome and we feel bad for her as her friends are grouping up and planning while she has to wait.</p>