<p>I’ll be visiting in Jan or Feb. I’d love to sit in on a class or two. This might not be realistic, but I’d love to go to a party and compare those to Michigan’s. Do you usually shadow a freshman, who’s closer in age, or a senior who has more experience?</p>
<p>I think that if you specify to Ms. Gates that you want to be with a freshmen (or soph), that will be accomodated.</p>
<p>As for the parties. You might have to be sure that you’re visiting over a weekend. You might also have to request that your “host student” is a party type of person. Obviously, if you got put with a quiet host, that person might not be the best to show you a good time. :)</p>
<p>I’d probably come in on a Friday, so that’s good for me. It would be bad if someone kind of just wandered away from me during a party though. I probably wouldn’t want a high schooler following me around a party. I’d like to shadow a freshman. I’d feel more out of place shadowing a senior, especially if we were hanging out with other seniors.</p>
<p>If you fly in on a Friday, by the time you got to the campus from B’ham, it would be hard for you to get to classes. Many kids purposely plan their schedules to have light schedules on Fridays. Are you going to take the campus tour at all?</p>
<p>BTW…what kind of parties are you looking for? Greek parties? Dorm parties? Off-campus apartment parties?</p>
<p>I might come on a Thursday then. I don’t care what kind of parties. If I shadow a freshman, I’m more likely to go to a dorm or fraternity party I guess.</p>
<p>Ok…</p>
<p>Then, when making the request to Ms. Gates, ask her to put you with a honors student who is in a frat. IF you have a particular frat in mind, then indicate so.</p>
<p>Are you thinking about pledging?</p>
<p>I hope you realize that any college that has big Div I sports and Greeks is going to have a fun party side to the school. I can’t think of one school with Greeks and sports that doesn’t have fun parties.</p>
<p>I can think of a few. Northwestern and Stanford would be two. UA is an SEC school, so I’m sure they have great parties. I’d still like to see one though. Do the people who let you shadow them volunteer?</p>
<p>I don’t know how Jami Gates gets her volunteers. Many kids in the Honors College volunteer a lot for various projects, so maybe she has a list of “go to” students. For CBHP (a program that you SHOULD apply to), Dr. Sharpe has some students that always come forward whenever he asks for volunteers for various things.</p>
<p>Actually, there might be student on this board that might be a good host. You’re male, correct?</p>
<p>If you’re thinking of applying to CBHP, then you should ask Mrs. Gates to place you with…</p>
<p>1) a student in CBHP
2) a student that is in a frat and/or likes to party
3) a student who is in the honors dorms.</p>
<p>and, of course, request to sit in classes (you don’t have to sit in the classes of your host. You can sit-in classes that interest you. Do you want me to show you how to find various classes on MyBama?)</p>
<p>Call Jami Gates and see what she can do for you. Especially in the business school, students don’t have classes on Fridays (I’m planning on never having a 3 credit class on a Friday). Thursday is a better day for shadowing classes for that and is also a day when a lot of people go out. I don’t think we have anybody in a UA frat on CC, but I may be mistaken. </p>
<p>For visiting classes, you can either contact the department, honors, or just e-mail the instructor. Find a course on mybama that interests you and the instructor will probably let you visit. Also, as for asking for a student who likes to party when talking to an admin, it may sound a little too forward, but I’d bet they get this a lot.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>From her voice, Jami Gates doesn’t sound very old (she actually sounds like she’ in her 20s), so I think that she’d understand if JRT asked to be placed with someone who’s more “social”. Maybe the words “like to party” may not be right. LOL However, it would also be a mistake for JRT to not say anything and risk being placed with a nice but quiet person who won’t show him a good time. :)</p>
<p>Jami Gates is in her 20s and would certainly understand the request whichever way he puts it. I should also suggest that jrt contact some of the frats he might be interested in via facebook and they could tell him of their upcoming events. Joining the Alabama 2014 facebook group is always a good idea too.</p>
<p>SEA_tide…</p>
<p>What a great idea about joining the facebook group and contacting some frats thru FB!!!</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>update on the visitors parking garage. The visitors entrance is now on Marrs Spring side.</p>
<p>Since many are going to CSDay or will be touring soon, I thought I’d bump this post.</p>
<p>Also, since there is construction going on around “Downtown” (On University - west of campus), I would recommend approaching the campus from the east side (from McFarland Blvd to University Drive). The construction is a face-lift of the Downtown area and its street, with the addition of new shops, etc. The fact that the street is being worked on and all the trucks and stuff makes this area a bit messed up right now.</p>
<p>See map and look to the far right for the McFarland Blvd approach to campus. [Full</a> Campus Map - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://tour.ua.edu/mapfull.html]Full”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama)</p>
<p>You’ll likely be coming from I59/I20. Then take the McFarland Blvd exit and go north. You’ll pass Midtown Village (where the Barnes & Noble is), and you’ll pass Veteran’s Memorial Pkwy. </p>
<p>A bit after that, you’ll see the “clover-leaf” offramp to University Drive (signs about UA will be there). </p>
<p>The clover-leaf offramp will turn you around and take you to a stop light. Turn right onto University Drive (heading west). Then head towards the university. On the right, on top of a hill (across from the hospital) you’ll see a big building being built. That’s the future home of the College of Nursing. Keep heading down University. There will be signs to greet you and point you where to go and park. :)</p>
<p>So in prep for our visit next weekend, I just re-read this thread. I remember passing Midtown Village on our last visit, so we’ll make a point to stop there. I also want to drive through/stop in the downtown area, but I’m having a hard time visualizing where that is. </p>
<p>We’re coming in from Birmingham, so we’ll be on I-59 & get off at McFarland Blvd. What street is actually “downtown?” And if we had to stop at 1 place to get a feel for downtown, what would that be? Is there a coffee shop or something like that? Thanks!</p>
<p>P.S. of course, just after I post this, I take a look at Google Maps & M2CKs last post about Downtown being University west of campus. Oops! I’m guessing where the Publix and the Crimson Cafe International Coffee House is, is downtown. Is the Crimson Cafe a good place to stop?</p>
<p>I also want to drive through/stop in the downtown area, but I’m having a hard time visualizing where that is.</p>
<p>Ahhh…super easy…</p>
<p>^ North</p>
<p>=== Downtown == The Strip = Publix = The Stadium = Bama Campus == University Blvd ===</p>
<p>======================== I 59 / I 20 =================== McFarland Blvd exit</p>
<p>So, Publix is kind of the start of The Strip, and then traveling further west, you get to Downtown. Does that make sense?</p>
<p>Thanks! I spent some time on Google Maps after I posted & I think I have a better idea of the lay of the land. I’ve come in from McFarland before and another time from 15th Street. I think this time we’ll come in via McFarland and then leave via University Blvd. It looks like we can easily access 359 from University Blvd to go back to I-59 and that way we’ll see 2 different areas that surround the campus. </p>
<p>I was thrilled to see that Publix there within easy walking distance of Ridgecrest South. DD is a bit of a foodie & one of the reasons why she was thrilled by the dorms is that they have full kitchens available on 2 floors. She’s so happy to know that she can cook her own food when she needs to :)</p>
<p>Next question…“The Strip” vs. Downtown…I don’t think I’ve seen that listed as 2 different areas before. Can you clue me in? </p>
<p>There seems to be a “University Town Center Shopping Center” in the “Strip” area (that looks like the Publix area) and a “Downtown Plaza Shopping Center” in the Downtown area.</p>
<p>Downtown is where the courthouse, city hall and bank buildings are. The “boundaries” of downtown is, roughly, Queen City Avenue to the east, the KCS railroad to the west, the Black Warrior River to the north and 15th Street to the south. Interstate 359 links Interstate 20/59 with downtown Tuscaloosa. </p>
<p>The Strip is not part of downtown but is adjacent to it. It is a 3- or 4-block stretch of University Boulevard, centered at the intersection of University Boulevard and East Campus Drive/12th Avenue. Publix is on the NW corner of that intersection, University Town Center is on the NE corner. </p>
<p>I would recommend coming in through downtown; McFarland is craphole and a sorry first impression of the city. Take exit 71B from Interstate 20/59 onto Interstate 359. Head into downtown Tuscaloosa. The interstate will end and feed you into a one-way surface road, Lurleen Wallace Boulevard north. Get into the right lane and drive past six traffic lights and turn right onto University Boulevard at the seventh traffic light. This will take you through downtown and the Strip and finally the campus.</p>
<p>After you drive past the strip heading downtown, there will be a few shops, but that isn’t exactly downtown, which is a little bit down the road. Once you are downtown, you will know you are downtown because the style of buildings is indicative of a downtown, IMHO.</p>
<p>While the University Publix does have just about everything, the one by campus is quite small just to let you know. </p>
<p>As for McFarland, it does have its bad parts, as does Skyland Blvd (where the Tuscaloosa Wal-Mart is). What feenotype suggested and you were planning is a very good idea. Later on, you’ll learn how Jack Warner Parkway (River Road) is the quickest way to get on campus, especially when going to Ridgecrest South.</p>