<p>I have 2 boys at UA. One is a junior and one is a freshman.</p>
<p>First, I think campus touring should begin no later than junior year in hs…senior year can be so busy!!! But, if that can’t be helped, tour as early as possible during the senior year. I also recommend touring on a day the campus is having classes. Most colleges can seem “dead” on weekends unless it is a “game day” (I don’t know if they give tours on game days.)</p>
<p>I also recommend getting an appt for the earlier tour time so that you can spend the rest of the day “self-touring” what is of interest to you that wasn’t on the tour. BTW…wear comfortable shoes and wear layers in case you get too hot or cold (or bring a jacket & umbrella if weather might get rainy.)</p>
<p>When touring ANY college, we try to arrive thru the college’s prettiest entrance. Usually a college has one or two “pretty” entrances and one or two “back entrances” that aren’t as appealing. A prospective student can get “turned off” immediately to any school if he arrives on the side of campus that is not it’s “best side”. (Ask me how I know this…LOL)</p>
<p>We have toured UA 5 or 6 times - sometimes with my kids and sometimes with others families. The school has student ambassadors give the combo “walking/riding tours” (riding on a bus). Each tour is supposed to be the “same”, but they can be a bit different as each student tends to emphasize different things.</p>
<p>On two tours, we barely went in the big rec center and didn’t visit the (very nice!) outdoor pool area at all (which is north of the rec center), so we returned later and just told the “check in desk” that we were on a campus visit, and they let us in to wander around.</p>
<p>None of the tours included a visit inside of the residence halls. We called the Housing office and they told us which halls have rooms that we could view. We were interested in the Honors halls (there are several). Even though we only went into one dorm suite in Honors, we visited Lakeside, Riverside, and Ridgecrest honors res halls since each Honors hall has some different features…Riverside has a pool, game room, media room…Riverside has a computer lab…Ridgecrest has other features (Ridgecrest South has game courts and such). We also walked into Lakeside Dining. At any of the “meal plan” dining locations, you can tell the “cashier” that you’re touring and let you walk around. Sometimes the Dining Mgr will invite you to eat for free!</p>
<p>As some of you may know…honors dorms have private rooms in a suite set-up…each suite has 4 private rooms that share a living room, kitchenette, and 2 bathrooms. This alone usually gets most prospective students’ attention. 
And, even if your child doesn’t qualify for the honors program, there are some res halls that aren’t in honors that also have the same private room in a suite set-up. Keep in mind that these “private room” residence halls are more expensive than standard “shared room” residence halls, but NM scholarships & Elite scholarships do include them.</p>
<p>When touring UA (or any campus) for the first time, I think it’s a good idea to try the food at various campus venues, and also visit (at least drive by) the “off-campus” hang-outs. Most campuses have a “Strip” where kids like to hang out during the off hours. UA’s strip is on the south side of campus, but the “outdoor mall” on McFarland is also a popular place because it has many popular stores, restaurants, and Barnes and Noble.</p>
<p>Since it’s been a year since our last campus tour, I don’t know if UA has added a “walk thru” of the Shelby Engineering and Science complex. We visited there ourselves, so if the tour doesn’t include the visit, I recommend that you visit there yourself - take the Crimson Ride bus if you don’t want to walk. (Those on campus tours are welcome on CR buses).</p>
<p>Visit the Honors College if that is of interest. If interested in Computer-Based Honors, try to schedule an appt with Dr. Sharpe a few days in advance. Getting “face time” with Dr. Sharpe is a good thing; he’ll likely remember you during the application process. :)</p>
<p>The campus tour bus isn’t one of the Crimson Ride buses, so you might want to try that out. The Crimson Ride is relatively new (about 2 years old) and UA has gotten most of the “kinks” out (figuring out the best routes and where the stops should be) and building shelters at the stops. Both of my kids use the CR all the time…this way they don’t have to use their cars and keep finding parking spaces. You can see where every bus is “online” in real time and also have that info available on your smart phone.</p>
<p>Many kids don’t even need to have a car on campus at all since there are “Entertainment Buses” that take kids to town on weekends and the Tuscaloosa Trolley that takes kids to off campus stores at other times. This year, “Zip Cars” have been added. This is a private company that rents cars to students for a few hours at a time.</p>
<p>Since UA is a campus that is in “growth mode,” you will see building construction and road construction going on. UA has been permanently closing streets that run thru the campus to help ensure safety and rerouting new streets around the campus.</p>
<p>Hope this info helps…if you have any comments or questions, just ask… :)</p>