My son is applying to the Honors Program at UA and we are trying to sort through the special programs available. Any help you can offer will be really appreciated! Blount, University Fellows, Randall Research Program… am I missing any? What are the merits of each? Are students in multiple programs? And do they receive any scholarship with these honors?
Hi @SCMomofTwo Some students are in multiple programs, but they are few in number. One of my ds’s close friends was both a Fellow and in RRS (then CBH).
My ds, a Bama alumni, was in CBH (now RRS 
) Anyway, the program has a lot to offer if your student is interested in UG research. My ds breathes research, so it was a good fit for him.
If you read about UA’s Goldwater scholars, the majority of them are have been in CBH/RRS. Here is a write up about last yr’s winners: https://www.ua.edu/news/2017/04/four-ua-students-named-goldwater-scholars-in-2017/ (Having 4 winners per yr is not unusual at Bama and that is a HUGE accomplishment.)
Graduates from the program have gone on to top grad programs. One of the young ladies who was in CBH is now at Harvard in their MSTP program. http://www.hms.harvard.edu/md_phd/directors/
FWIW, my ds started physics research his freshman yr. Yes, he did receive additional scholarship money through CBH, but not all students do. (I think only a handful of CBHers are awarded scholarship $$.) But, getting involved in research immediately can matter depending on their post-UG goals. Our ds was planning on grad school from high school. He is now at a top 5 physics program. Zero complaints from my perspective about UA and his CBH experience.
So helpful! Thank you for your reply! I think Randall would be a good fit for my son. I didn’t want to overlook anything else. Thank you again!
The issue with Blount is that you’re required to live in the Blount dorms. And the Blount dorms seem so much worse then Ridgecrest. The rooms are the same size, but they are shared. And it’s 1 bathroom per 4 students instead of 1 bathroom per 2 at Ridgecrest.
It actually seems like an interesting program, but D19 really doesn’t want to live in those dorms, so it is unlikely that she’ll apply. It doesn’t appear that admission to Blount gives any additional scholarship money.
UFE makes you eligible for Academic Elite Scholarships https://scholarships.ua.edu/types/elite.php. These are full tuition, one year housing, plus a stipend. But that scholarship is extremely competitive (only 8 awarded per year).
I don’t believe RRS involves any merit aid, but I may be mistaken. It is very prestigious, though.
@gusmahler Just as with UFE only giving 8 scholarships, RRS only gives out a few as well. The RRS scholarships are are no where near as large as the UFE. But they exist and help reduce costs.
One of the great things about Bama is that they allow stacking of multiple scholarships (not multiple admissions scholarships like presidential and NMF, but different program and dept scholarships can stack on top of admissions scholarships.) My ds had 4 different stacking scholarships: presidential, CBH (now RRS), and 2 different physics dept scholarships.
Great information! Thank you so much!
Thank you!!
Eh, yeah, it’s older, but Blount Hall is also smaller and cheaper. My son wanted to live in Ridgecrest too but got placed in Paty, so Blount, when it was offered, seemed like a godsend. He made the BEST FRIENDS there, even though he wasn’t admitted to the Blount Initiative (he’s in engineering).
If you’re looking for small liberal arts college experience within a big university, I highly recommend considering Blount.
DS going to RRSP interview in 2 weeks. He wants PhD in Physics, too. Really liked department on visit. Glad to hear your ds liked the program and moved on to a top grad school.
@Bigbro19 Wishing your DS the best! Mine will be there as well! Should be a great weekend!