<p>Recently I’ve been exploring different housing options. Rose Towers has really caught my interest. I was just wondering if anyone had any inside experience with this particular residential hall. Is it a far walk from some of the main areas on campus?</p>
<p>Second question. Would it do me any good to take the ACT again? I’m applying for the First Scholars and the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship Program. Financial I am qualified for need-based aid, but my ACT score isn’t quite there.</p>
<p>I lived there for a semester in 88. It had a bad rep. Not sure about now. The halls reeked of food, bad smells, but maybe they have cleaned it up. They are planning to raze it in a couple of years to build a new dorm. I would find another dorm.</p>
<p>1) Rose Towers is one of the dorms that is the furthest away from campus. It’s rather oldish and is scheduled to be replaced in the rather near future. It does have some nice features though …If I rememer correctly, it has kitchenettes…is that right? My son has a friend there and he likes it.</p>
<p>2) I don’t know what the rules are for those scholarships…for other scholarships, you have to test by Oct for ACT and Nov for SAT. But, maybe the rules are different for those scholarships. You can email the scholarship office and ask.</p>
<p>Rose Towers is at the very edge of one end of the campus. It’s not too long of a walk from some buildings, but for business and the liberal arts area of campus, it’s a long hike. Rose also isn’t exactly the nicest dorm, as it is rather old, which is why it will be demolished to make way for North Bluff. I’ve heard stories of roaches, awful stenches, and atrocious people in it. It’s definitely not the most appealing dorm on campus. But then again, I’m kinda spoiled by the nice honors dorm.</p>
<p>Speaking of nice honors dorms – which ones are they? What are they called? And what makes them nice? Sorry for so many questions…and thanks in advance for any info y’all can provide. :D</p>
<p>OK, follow-up question: What would y’all say are the best Honors dorms available to freshmen? (I assume some of the dorms are only for upperclassmen, right?)</p>
<p>I’m assuming that Ridgecrest South is the honors dorm that you tour when you have the “official” tour with an Honors Ambassador. Is that right? Is Ridgecrest South all freshmen? Just from looking at floorplans, it looks like the suites in Ridgecrest West/Lakeside/Riverside are bigger. Does Ridgecrest South have better amenities outside of the suites? The only person I know who goes to Bama is a freshman who lives in Ridgecrest West, and he has never set foot in Ridgecrest South so can’t compare them.</p>
<p>Ridgecrest South is a really nice housing option. There are two towers, North and South. Only the North tower is Honors housing, but I believe that there are some non honors students housed there as well.</p>
<p>There are laundry and full kitchen facilities within the building, however these facilities are not on every floor. This is very convenient as the honors suites do not have a full kitchen. They have a full fridge but microwave oven only. </p>
<p>There are also common spaces in the lobby with chairs and tables. I also remember a pool table and TV viewing area with comfortable seating in another part of the building. I don’t really think that these get used all that much from what I hear.</p>
<p>There is also underground parking.</p>
<p>Ridgecrest South is also a short walk to the supermarket (Publix) and “The Strip” (lots of restaurants and stores here)</p>
<p>There is also parking beneath the building.</p>
<p>I believe you are correct as to the official tour with the Ambassador. D was able to tour West and Lakeside. Not sure the reason but she said she just liked South better. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>We saw Ridgecrest South on our visit and liked it but S didn’t make up his mind to go to Bama til sometime in April so his choices were limited. He had the last pick date and there were no honors rooms available. The next day when one popped up in Lakeside West I grabbed it. He made no changes over the summer…just decided to go with it and has been very happy.
I think the living area is a little smaller in Ridgecrest South, at least it felt that way. Lakeside west does have a lounge with a pool table and big TV on the 2nd floor and I think there might be ping pong on the 4th floor.
For those with cars I guess there isn’t as much parking at Lakeside.</p>
<p>D wanted to be in Ridgecrest South but there was no room available there when it was time for her to pick her room so she placed herself in Ridgecrest West. She is planning on staying there next year. She thinks it’s a little quieter than Ridgecrest South, possibly because there are fewer suites & she’s on the 4th floor. Both are very close to the majority of her classes in Ten Hoor, BB Comer & Nott. </p>
<p>I really don’t think you can go wrong with any of the Ridgecrest or Lakeside dorms. I know it’s a stressor before you get there, but really they’re all good :)</p>
<p>Cooool! Would y’all recommend a four-bedroom or two-bedroom suite? DS is very gregarious, but it would be great if he could get some studying done once in a while, LOL.</p>
<p>I LOOOOOVE the private rooms. Such a luxury!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Diane</p>
<p>P.S. I asked DS how he planned to decorate his dorm room. He looked at me as if I had sprouted an extra head. DH said, “He’ll decorate it the way my roommate and I did: nothing on the walls and trash strewn all over the floor.” LOL, I hope not. These are the times when I almost wish I’d given birth to girls.</p>
<p>Son lives in Ridgecrest West, an all-honors dorm. He says, “It rocks,” and by that he doesn’t mean it’s noisy. He’s had no trouble studying in his room, which is part of a 4-bedroom suite. And, as I’ve posted before, lest you think he lives in Dullsville, he’s played more beach volleyball on the sand court behind Ridgecrest West than he ever did in Hawaii. </p>
<p>I’ve only seen the suites and amenities in Ridgecrest South and West. You can’t go wrong with either.</p>
<p>My son lived in Lakeside West as a freshman, and he enjoyed it. He probably would have returned there, but his suite mates wanted to go to Ridgecrest West because the parking would be better (my son does not have wheels, but his three suite mates do). Riverside has great parking, but some of my son’s friends wished it had kitchen facilities. Lakeside and Ridgecrest have full kitchens. The ones in Ridgecrest West are lovely – used them when I visited in the fall, and my son ate very well for a couple of weeks. He and his suite mates already plan to return to their same suite in the fall.</p>
<p>LOL -LD, you may find its a lot less stressfull with your S. Anyways, having a S made moving in ALOT easier, very minimalistic and no searching out the “decor” coordinating items. The items that will require the most investigation is finding those cleaning items that work and are easiest to use (avoiding the UUUUGGGGH, you’re kidding me look.)</p>
<p>My DS is a freshman in Riverside West honors suites. I haven’t heard anything negative, and possibly one plus is his floor has a majority of girl suites.</p>