Undecided CS student--class of 2020 Issues—transportation and "fit" for a midwestern urban kid

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama Huntsville
1

My son has been accepted into UAH as a CS major. He is still undecided, and is weighing offers from UA and also IIT in Chicago, where we live. We visited UAH last summer, during the week of welcome. He liked the modern feel of the campus, but it feels a bit isolated. He will not have a car, and is used to public transportation, walking, and skateboarding for easy access to culture, recreation, and shopping. We are concerned about the low number of out of state students, and the high number of commuter students, and wonder if he will really fit in.

Travel to Alabama is also an issu . We are looking for the cheapest option. We would likely drive him down in the fall for move in, but for subsequent trips (winter break), does school have a shuttle from the Huntsville airport during peak times –holiday breaks, beginning and end of the year?

2

Hi @parentnerap, I will try to answer some of your questions.

My son is just finishing his first year at UAH. He’s a freshman in the Honors College studying engineering. We chased colleges with the best merit scholarships, with UA appearing to be the top choice. But after visiting, he definitely preferred the feel, size, & friendliness of UAH.

We are from out of state also… way, way out of state. Over 30 hours of driving. He does have a car on campus, so he hasn’t had to try to use any public transportation. Initially 2 of his 4 roommates had cars, then after Christmas break it became 3 out of 4 with cars. He does have friends without cars, and it’s no problem. Enough have cars that my son doesn’t even have to drive every time they go somewhere.

While he could drive & park at the airport during Christmas and other breaks, he hasn’t had to yet. For both breaks that he came home, a friend drove him to the airport and he took a taxi back to campus. I think the taxi is around $25?? It was definitely cheaper than parking at the airport. When he went to orientation by himself last summer, he took a taxi both ways. No problem, no hassle. I think I read that Uber recently started operating in Huntsville. I have not heard anything about the school operating an airport shuttle, nor have we found one to be necessary.

I just looked at the Common Data Set for this year’s freshmen. Out of state freshmen are now at 27%. A few years ago it was 15%. My son was absolutely fine with going to a potential commuter campus. However, that is not what he has experienced at all! Only 1 friend lives close enough that he could commute to home, but he lives on campus & will next year also. And instead of going home on the weekends, this friend leads the way on hiking trips around the area. Kids pile into 1, 2, or 3 cars and hike for the day.

My guess is that there is higher than 27% of out of staters in the Honors College (and less in non-honors). My son has friends that are from all over the United States. For his group of friends, it’s probably at least 50% out of state.

We are from a much more rural environment than you, so UAH does not feel isolated at all to my son. Sorry, I can’t help you with that concern… Maybe someone else will chime in.

3

Thanks, ThreeKidsMom,

This is very helpful.

Since your son is in Honors Engineering, I have another question for you. My son plans to apply to the honors college, and would be studying Computer Science. He is due to receive the full tuition/room scholarship. He will be coming into his studies with quite a few AP credits. I recall reading somewhere else in CC that for some students there aren’t many honors classes that they can take because their APs cover many of those elective classes. What has your son’s experience been like in the honors college so far? Does he see a benefit to it, beyond living in honors housing and priority class registration?

4

Parentnerap: I may be able to answer some questions, too.

My son is finishing his second year at UAH. We are from Virginia. Going OOS never bothered my son. He lived with two young men last year who were local (as in Huntsville) and another young man from Ohio. He has met people from Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois and Florida, among others. He did not have a car as a freshman, but brought one down this year, as he was working various off-campus jobs. He also wanted access to the car, because he likes to go to the grocery store and pick up items so he can cook. College food gets old, he says.

As for the honors college, he is a member, but has yet to take a class. He came in with 56 credits from AP/dual enrollment. He hopes he can work in a class or two before graduation, but many are 100 and 200 levels. That may change as the honors program expands.

5

My son came in with 2 years of college credit through dual enrollment. If we had known which college he would ultimately end up at, he would have been able to have all his general requirements done, but being a math/science/computer kid he took as few humanities as possible, and few of them lined up with UAH’s requirements. So, for the classes he does not like - humanities, he will be able to do honors, provided they fit in with the rest of his engineering schedule.

Your son’s first semester will have 4 honors credits because all honors students are required to take Honors FYE and Honors English. My son then re-took 2nd semester physics (already had the full year from dual enrollment), specifically for the 4 honors credits. He also had a 3 credit honors humanities. So, 11 honors credits for the first semester.

This semester he has 3 honors credits, a sophomore engineering class. That’s 14. Next fall, none.

He still has a couple humanities left that he could take with honors. They also need a certain number of 300+ honors credits, and those I think he will have to do Honors by Contract. As of right now, they really don’t offer 300+ honors classes, so I guess most everyone must do the Honors by Contract for those. (at least in engineering)

If my son had not come in with so much calculus and physics already done, finding non-humanities honors credits would be easy. They have really increased their offerings and this year’s ('15-'16) freshmen could follow the calculus/physics sequence doing all/mostly honors.

I don’t know anything about CS classes, though. You could look at past course listings (google “UAH course listings”) to get a general idea.

When my son visited UAH / Honors College, Dean Wilkerson specifically stated that his goal was to significantly increase the percentage of students who graduated with an Honors diploma. Too many students ended up dropping honors and he was determined to change that. I think it was because of the lack of availability of classes, and they are working on this! During registration I noticed them opening up more sections of honors courses that were full.

Honors Benefits: Priority registration is great. However, coming in with junior level credits, it was only a minor benefit for my son. Frank Franz Hall was very nice. I think the greatest benefit & the greatest aggravation for my son was the required Honors English class. The aggravation? He already had English 101 & 102 completed from dual enrollment & did not want another composition class! The benefit? A small class size with other freshmen honor students, many from out of state. He met several of his friends in this class. Same benefit with the required Honors FYE.

I’m sure there are other things he likes as well, because he is determined to get the necessary credits and graduate with an honors diploma.

6

I recall seeing on UAH’s website that they have a shuttle to the Nashville airport for around $40.

7

Thank you so much for these helpful posts. Our daughter is a junior this year, and UAH has recently gotten our attention. She’s interested in going for Chemical Engineering. We have not toured UAH yet but are liking a lot of what we read. She would qualify for full tuition, which is a huge plus, and we also like the separate bedrooms for all students. We’re not sure the pros and cons of the Honors program. She is taking several dual enrollment classes next year, including English Comp I and II, so it would be frustrating to have to repeat the English Honors class, if that is still a requirement. Can you share what made the class Honors level?

8

GeorgiaMom50: If your daughter takes English Comp I and II, that would be the equivalent to English 101 and 102 at many schools. So she would need a lit class (or two, depending on the major). Honors level is whatever the school designates it. Usually, if this is similar to other colleges, those classes are taught by the top professors at the school. Honor classes also are smaller in size.

9

It sounds like Honors level classes have the potential of being more interesting…? I was wondering if they would involve a lot more course work and projects. D’s major will be Chemical Engineering.

10

Some of the honors classes have been interesting. There is one business class that has students doing tax returns for low-income residents in the Huntsville area. If my son could fit in a service-learning class doing tax returns, I think he would. Another music literature class dealt with the music of the Beatles. One of my son’s former roommates took the class and enjoyed it.

11

@threekidsmom @parentnerap Don’t know if this is a new policy for fall 2016 or not, but if you’re referring to English 105 as the extra English honors class that freshmen have to take, we were told by the honors’ folks that it will satisfy a humanities gen ed (the category with philosophy, foreign language etc), so it actually won’t be counted as an English and therefore, shouldn’t be wasted credits.

12

Separate bedroom for all students? Can someone clarify…you mean no one shares a bedroom? This would be a big plus for DS who is very introverted.

13

Yes! We consider it a huge plus, too! Who doesn’t need their own space? To me, it could help kids who are more introverted actually enjoy being social more, because they do get to be alone when they need to. It’s my understanding that freshman dorms are suite style with four bedrooms, two full baths, a small living area, and kitchenette. I believe the kitchenette has a microwave and fridge. There is a full kitchen available elsewhere in the dorms where students can cook. The freshman dorms are in CCRH, or Central Campus Residence Hall. This link will show you the room dimensions of the different dorms. Look on the one that says Central Campus to see the layout of the suites:
http://www.uah.edu/housing/prospective-residents/rh-info/dimensions

14

The kitchenette in CCRH does have the mini fridge and microwave. It is nice to have one’s own room. In fact, that was one of the priorities my son had on his list when he looked at colleges. His older brother is a graduate of the U. of Alabama, and he had suite-style living for two years before moving into a three-bedroom apartment. When he had mono his senior year, he was glad just to close the door so he could sleep and get well.

15

I’d always thought it was so much better to have a bedroom to themselves. I hadn’t even thought about when they’re sick! That would definitely be much better!