As a parent of an incoming freshman, we went to the UA Fall University day already while in the “choose” phase, did all the parent sessions (safety, wellness, meal plans, etc.)
Now that we’ve chosen UA, do the Bama Bound Parent Orientation sessions provide any more value over those things we’ve already done?
While I did not go to the University Days I did feel that the Bama Bound parent sessions were very informative. If the price and travel time are not a factor then I suggest going. If you can’t then your freshman can just go on his/her own as long as they have transportation.
We are far out of state. We felt it was very useful for us as well as for our DD. For her she was able to meet some people, explore the campus, and get a feel for the school on a different level than our 2 prechoice visits. She was able to meet with an advisor to discuss her classes (she was registering for some higher level division classes and needed overrides) and also have a more in-depth tour of the academic buildings and the dorms. She left more excited than ever, with a group of friends already lined up, and comfortable with her classes.
For us, we met other parents from near and far. We met up with a large group of parents in the evening for dinner and drinks - all organized on the parents page for incoming freshman. It was so much fun connecting with parents from all over who were in the exact same place that we were sending our child so far away. We met people to carpool with from our region, and also locals who have become great resources when our DD was in need of some help. During the actual sessions there was not too much new information that was not available on the parent fb pages but it was nice to see and hear it officially. We took lots of pictures of slides with important information that came in handy later (procedures for renting a bike, who to contact about …). We met great people. We were able to really explore the dorms to help us figure out what was needed at move in. We helped our dd acclimate to the town and campus. It helped us to visualize where she was and we felt great about sending her so far away.
Now, it was a luxury to be able to afford the time and money to attend. If we had not been able to go, she would have been fine. They do so much to involve the students at move-in and the first few weeks. Students can do an orientation and register for their classes at the final BamaBound that is move in week.