<p>I am likely to attend to University of Alabama, and just paid my enrollment deposit with the intention of completing my housing application as soon as it is available to me tomorrow morning. I have already been accepted into the Honors college. My question is: because I’m applying for housing so late, but before the April 1st deadline, will I still be able to get into the Honors specific dorms in one of the ridgecrest buildings? I’m still weighing UTK and UA, but know that I need to apply for housing now to be left with scraps? Am I too late to get into the Honors dorms in ridgecrest?</p>
<p>we need to know too. My daughter is in the same boat. I just paid the $200 application fee (non refundable) and it says to wait 2 hours before you can apply for housing. I’m searching to find out the answer…</p>
<p>Our recruiter told us we could get Honors housing if we applied by April 1st but I never saw this in writing. My D didn’t decided until March 21st but she got on the various FB groups for UA Class of 2018, Ridgecrest Honors, Honors Class of 2018, etc and through messaging found roommates for Ridgecrest West. Two of the girls have the May 1 selection date so she’s set (better than our May 8th). If you find a roommate with an earlier selection date, they can pull you in on their date. </p>
<p>Here’s the link for the housing selection dates. Don’t forget that the times are Central Daylight Time.</p>
<p><a href=“http://housing.ua.edu/new_students/selection_schedule.cfm”>http://housing.ua.edu/new_students/selection_schedule.cfm</a></p>
<p>Just FYI, there will be freshman Honors students all over campus! Some of them are choosing the more traditional style dorms, due to a variety of factors. Mary Burke Hall West is closer to most freshman classes, close to football stadium (some do see that as a plus), has an attached cafeteria, stays open during the short breaks (unlike some halls), and costs about $3,200 less for freshman year. Oh, and the community style bathrooms in the traditional dorms are professionally cleaned every day, and I believe the suite style dorm bathrooms are cleaned by the students. Best wishes in getting into the dorm you wish to live in! My Honors engineering student is choosing Burke West…</p>
<p>I wondered the same thing as we did not do the housing registration until the end of March but he was accepted into the honors program and has a NMF scholarship. This is the response I got from the Honors College on April 8th, 2014
“You should still be able to get a spot in the honors dorms. They should not be full already. Some students do get turned away, but there are other great options for housing that are not honors. Many of them are still suite style. I would contact the living/learning communities directly to learn about their specific requirements. I hope this helps.”
This is confusing because freshmen haven’t even picked dorms yet so of course they aren’t full already. I had asked if my son couldn’t get into honors housing, could he still be part of the honors living/learning community. The difference between the honors college and honors community still isn’t clear to me.</p>
<p>Richmond, you’re right on a few things - Freshman Room Selection hasn’t started, so technically there’s still space!</p>
<p>We have no way of knowing ahead of time which spaces students who will go through online room selection will pick, so we cannot predict with any certainty when the Honors community will fill up. We also have another new building opening this fall, which adds a layer of unknown to any guesses we might have. That being said, the sooner you apply, the more options you will have. </p>
<p>Students that are applying now or in the next several weeks will have their assignments made for them by Housing staff, taking into consideration the students’ preferences as listed on their applications, and availability. We make assignments in order of application completion date.</p>
<p>Students who do not live in Ridgecrest will still receive information about Honors events that are going on around campus, even if the events are located in Ridgecrest. </p>
<p>Hope this helps,
Janine</p>
<p>@UAHousing</p>
<p>I am still deciding between Alabama and two other schools that have no benefit to signing up for housing early. How much of the housing deposit is refundable if I choose to apply for housing, but ultimately go elsewhere?</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Presenting the Honors Housing is a significant part of the campus tour and brochures, etc. Other universities guarantee their honors admittees honors housing but without expecting $300 upfront. Am I to understand that since I was not willing to pay a deposit back in January, or even back in September when my son was accepted, that he may be placed in any housing depending on his deposit date? I have already learned that the Honors Bana Bound orientations fill up faster than I expected (sure wish they could offer one with priority for OOS students who have to make travel arrangements but thats another thread.). Is there not enough Honors Housing for the Freshmen Honors Students who are required to live on campus? I am starting to get a sick feeling here :(</p>
<p>Survivorman, To get housing, you will need to pay your $200 nonrefundable enrollment deposit and then the $300 housing deposit. If you choose not to attend Alabama, $275 of the housing deposit is refundable. <a href=“http://housing.ua.edu/new_students/apply.cfm”>http://housing.ua.edu/new_students/apply.cfm</a> Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Chesterton, my daughter didn’t decide on UA until the end of March. Even though we have a late housing date, she found roommates via Facebook groups–Ridgecrest honors, Alabama Class of 2018 etc, (greek & nongreek groups) that have an earlier date so she can be in her honors dorm. I don’t know if you wait until after April 1 for the housing deposit, your son can be pulled into an honors suite with roommates with an earlier time. Check with Housing. Also check with Admissions as to what dates of BB are still open. Because of our schedule and late graduation, we aren’t going to BB until July 7/8 and almost had to postpone until end of July. But I understand that Honors students still get priority class scheduling before nonhonors regardless of the BB you attend. Also, once you decide on a date, make hotel reservations or register to stay in the dorm. The tight hotel market has been a surprise for us coming from OOS. Also, decide on an Honors Action program soon if that is what he wants. You will get an early move in, and make hotel reservations soon for that as well. </p>
<p>With regard to the registration priority, honors students do not really have much priority for fall semester freshman year. However, registration priority is a HUGE perk after that. There is a slight advantage to going to an early session (and the first honors sessions are about as early as it gets) because you’ll have more time over the summer to monkey with your schedule. There’s not a huge advantage to the early Bama Bounds, though, because they dribble out the seats in classes a few at a time for each BB session (and classes typically taken by upperclassmen might already be full). For instance, if you want a particular English class that will have 18 students and you’re at the very first Bama Bound, they’re not going to release all 18 seats at your BB. They might release 3 seats. And then at the next BB 3 more, and so on. The same with the freshman honors seminars. For spring semester freshman year it will be different - honors students will register before most non-honors students, so an honors freshman will register before a non-honors senior who has no other registration priority. Did I mention what a HUGE perk that is?</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all of the reassuring information. I was working myself up to fretting (not something I usually do, but this college process has brought it out in me, for good or bad.) And then the feeling of regret for not going ahead and paying things early, but it is what it is. And this thread has helped a lot. Thankfully, my son is very easy going as far as housing. He definitely wants to try out the Honors for the first year, and is even fine with being randomly assigned with roommates, and, unless I can persuade him to get on to Facebook, that is probably going to be what happens. For my daughter, it would be another story, so if she decides to pursue Alabama next year, I will definitely need to pay everything way in advance.</p>
<p>We will end up going to the last July non-honors orientation, since the earlier July honors orientation closed a few days ago, and I do, at least, already have our hotel reservations at the Comfort Suites, our future home away from home :)</p>
<p>Thanks again. CC is awesome, especially everyone here in the Alabama threads. Roll Tide!</p>
<p>Hi Chesterson,
I sent you a PM.</p>
<p>Sorry to dredge this thread up again, but, unless things have changed, your son could be pulled in to an honors dorm by someone with a higher selection priority. I signed my son up shortly after he was admitted just so he would have a high priority. He could pull someone in unless they’ve changed the way they do it.</p>
<p>loring, My son and I went to the online chat about housing last week. It did say that if you have a confirmed roommate request in your housing selection page, That when you log on to pick your room your roommates with later log in times show up on your page automatically. whomever has the first date to pick room actually picks the room for both students and also picks both of their bed assignments.Is that what everyone means by pulling in? </p>
<p>Yes, that’s the “pulling in” people are referring to.</p>