<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 other 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…Lakeside 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>I should also add…if you go to the housing website, you can get more details about the amenities for each residence hall cluster. </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>For those who can’t visit UA in person…</p>
<p>Here is the link to the virtual tour…I recommend viewing in “full screen” and using your mouse to move and turn around.</p>
<p>Virtual Campus Tour - The University of Alabama In addition to the “virtual tour” link listed above…</p>
<p>Here is a virtual tour of Shelby Hall - click on each of the smaller thumbnail pics for more pics.</p>
<p>Shelby Tour</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 once ran thru the campus to help ensure safety and rerouting new streets around the campus.</p>
<p>Touring on a “regular day” vs. on one of the schedule “University Days”:</p>
<p>UA University Days are usually all day affairs (agenda schedule is online). On those days there might be more of a “rah rah” reception (haven’t been to one so I don’t know for sure)…so, if your child wants to avoid the possibility of that kind of reception, I would book a tour on any “regular day.” Regular day tours don’t have any “rah rah” atmosphere. </p>
<p>On “regular days,” you show up at the Student Services Center (we find it easiest just to park in the parking structure which is north (across the street) of the building. Once you’ve “checked in” at Student Services, you’ll hear a mini-talk, start the bus tour, and then do the walking tour. No “rah rah” at all. </p>
<p>The tour is both a walking and bus tour. Most of the instruction buildings are seen by walking - since classrooms are within walking distance. However, the bus is used to show the stadium, the intramural fields, the health center, the rec center, the law school, etc, - since those things are located on the “outer perimeter” of the campus. </p>
<p>If you were to look at a campus map, it would first look like the campus is HUGE However, the classroom buildings are mostly clustered around the Quad…especially the pre-major classes… Full Campus Map - The University of Alabama The most-outer buildings are dorms, campus museums, admin buildings, health center, rec center, grad housing, married/family housing, various stadiums (football, baseball, tennis, basketball, etc), frat and sorority houses, etc. So, the bus tour just lets you have a glimpse of some of these outer buildings. The tour guide usually has all kinds of historical tidbits to share. </p>
<p>When “checking in” for your campus tour, the receptionist will give you a bag with info in it. Ask for a copy of the Undergraduate Catalog. That is a great source for information about EVERYTHING. The students get their own copy during Freshman Orientation, but I’m glad that we have a Home Copy and my kids each have their own dorm copy. The Undergraduate Catalog is also available online. Here is the link for the current one: [University</a> of Alabama Undergraduate Catalog 2008-10](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>http://catalogs.ua.edu/catalog08/) </p>
<p>If you think you might have time, your child (and you) can request to “sit in” a class or two. The class can be in the major of interest or something else. My kids sat in some Honors Courses. You must make the request ahead of time. We contacted the Honors College with our request about a week ahead of time, and they helped arrange with the profs.) </p>
<p>Honors College and Honors classes…</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>UA Honors College has 3 Honors Programs…a student must apply…see the website for details… [Honors</a> College - Home](<a href=“http://honors.cbhp.ua.edu/]Honors”>http://honors.cbhp.ua.edu/) </p>
<p>UHP - University Honors Program - UH courses are varied and many fulfill Gen Ed/Core Curriculum requirements. A 28+ ACT (1250 M+CR SAT) and 3.3 GPA is required for admittance.</p>
<p>IHP - International Honors Program - A 28+ ACT & 3.3 GPA is required for admittance. </p>
<p>CBHP - Computer-Based Honors Program - only 40 students chosen each year after submitting application and essays. About 60 finalists are brought in for a 2-day interview. Average ACT is 33. Many (but not most) are NMF. I have a son in CBHP, so if you have any questions about it, I probably could answer them.</p>
<p>Becoming a member of the Honors College is rather easy as long as you meet the criteria. Benefits include honors classes, priority registration for all classes, and honors residence halls.</p>
<p>I think the University Fellows Experience may also be considered an Honors Program. Go the website for more information about this rather new program.</p>
<p>I know this might be confusing but there are a few different types of Honors classes. There are the departmental Honors classes - which are listed in their department sections (such as Math, Chem, Philosophy, etc). And, there are University Honors Classes, International Honors Classes, and Computer-Based Honors Classes. The UH, IHP, CBHP classes are under the Honors College umbrella, while the others are under their own departments.</p>
<p>Some of the UHP classes are offered each semester, and some are not. Most of UHP classes fulfill some Core Curriculum (aka General Education) requirement.</p>
<p>The Honors College is now producing a magazine - Mosaic - which is wholly written and edited by Honors students. My DS1 has an article in the premier issue. </p>
<p>I would look over the list of some Honors Classes that are currently being offered and ask the Honors College if you can “sit in” on some classes. Hope this link works. <a href=“http://honors.cbhp.ua.edu/uploads/fo...s_fall2009.pdf[/url]”>http://honors.cbhp.ua.edu/uploads/fo...s_fall2009.pdf</a></p>
<p>UA is also very generous with AP and IB credit. See the website for details: [University</a> of Alabama Undergraduate Catalog 2008-10](<a href=“http://catalogs.ua.edu/catalog08/500700.html#100120]University”>http://catalogs.ua.edu/catalog08/500700.html#100120) Receiving credit from AP or IB classes can really shorten a student’s undergrad years. Both my sons entered UA with 41 credits from AP classes. This was the equivalent of being second semester sophomores.</p>
<p>Hope this info helps…if you have any comments or questions, just ask…</p>
Good suggestion. Was that hotel by the interstate? I know that there are a bunch of hotels right around the McFarland offramp. </p>