<p>Son’s calculus teacher added a test for this Tuesday night with no option to take it early :(. Now both of my boys won’t be home until late Wednesday afternoon, a day later than planned. Son had option to skip it and use that grade as the one dropped, but he didn’t want to chance it.</p>
<p>That’s unfortunate! My D had a calc test last year on that Tuesday night but DID have the option to take it early, which she did. Don’t blame you for the vent!</p>
<p>My daughter has a O-Chem test Tuesday night. This played into our decision for her to stay rather than come home.</p>
<p>yeah, that blows.</p>
<p>my daughter has one final on monday and then her only other final … volleyball … on friday. he won’t let them take it early either. DUMB!</p>
<p>My son has a Calc test on Tuesday night as well. He also had a Chem test on Wednesday night of Fall Break! No options to take them early.</p>
<p>I wish the school would just close the whole week.</p>
<p>^^Agree with that. Get rid of fall break and have the full week of Thanksgiving off. With as many OOS kids as there are now, that change would make a lot of sense.</p>
<p>I completely agree with having the entire week off. Given the number of OOS students, you’d think they’d take a second look at this. It’s heartbreaking that it just doesn’t make sense for the kids to come home. DD is there until Wednesday a.m. because of late classes. Sad mom.</p>
<p>I think it might be helpful if we all sent an email to Judy Bonner asking that the breaks be reevaluated in light of all of the OOS students. I agree with a full week for Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>Interestingly this subject has been circulating among high school seniors who were looking at going to Bama and is not sitting well with oos potential students. You would think with their push for oos students they would reconsider their academic schedules but i understand they are set years in advance.</p>
<p>^^^
I would hate to think that a student would not choose Bama just over T’giving week. </p>
<p>Some of us, including myself, have written to Dr. Bonner in the past and she has replied. She’s dead-set on having at least a small Fall Break. She won’t give that up. That said, then start school a couple days earlier so that both a Fall Break and a full week of T’giving could be had. Or end school a couple days later in Dec.</p>
<p>It is one of our concerns. When you look at a flight for a week off for Fall break, or a student missing friends when most other students go home, it starts to add up. I am not sure what a flight costs on the day before Thanksgiving, but in my mind, I wonder if it will be affordable. Will she have to stay by herself due to the expense? Then, more flights for X-Mas, Spring break, etc. You may have terrific weather down South, but there is also the risk of flight cancelllations (on our end) and getting her back if it snows, flight is late and shuttle has stopped, $$$, $$$, $$$.</p>
<p>To add to our worries, will I ever be able to come and visit my daugher? Flying out will be expensive, then rent a car, then find a city that has a hotel room if ANYTHING is happening (football, parents weekend, open house, graduation, move in, move out, not even sure what else). None of these things by themselves is that big of a deal for a great school, but they do make one wonder what else will be an issue that we haven’t even thought about yet.</p>
<p>Out of the 4 boys in his suite, my son is the only one going home for Thanksgiving. One boy’s parents are going to Tuscaloosa and the other two have too much work to take the time off to go home and/or just don’t want to travel for those few days. One day our kids may have other families to visit at the holidays (I hope and pray for my son that a sweet UA girl becomes part of his life before his graduates, and I even have a short “Mom’s picks” list for him should he need suggestions).</p>
<p>I too would choose to eliminate fall break and add those days to Thanksgiving week, but that would mean for any students connected to the football team and/or the band, those students would be giving up a chance to leave during the semester (they have to stay in Tuscaloosa for practice). </p>
<p>As for the cost of flights, when son chose UA October of his high school senior year, we switched our rewards credit card to a Southwest card. We’ve had enough points to pay for every flight he took or will take through soph year as well as 2 flights for my us to fly to BHM. There are ways to reduce the travel cost. I wouldn’t rule out a school because it’s a flight away and I wouldn’t worry she will be on campus by herself.</p>
<p>NaperMom: logistical planning is a little more tricky but certainly doable. You need to plan in advance and be a little flexible, one airline is expensive…shop around and keep trying various flight options, try booking at different times of the day or night (prices fluctuate), worried about the weather…build in a buffer zone for travel and route the travel plans (plane changes) through warmer cities. If one hotel is filled…try all of the hotels, even one a little further away. Try renting a condo. Have a daughter? Consider bunking in with her for a night or two if you are the only one (female) visiting. Try train travel for a change or driving (consider visiting others along the way). Every other year, she won’t want to come home at Thanksgiving anyway because of the football game. She may even want to stay to catch up on studies or projects. She may spend a holiday with a friend’s family or traveling or on a service mission. Our students are growing up and although you might want her to be home, she may choose another option. That is the nature of things.</p>
<p>To miss out on a great university with great opportunities because of inconveniences is not necessary. It does take a little more planning but it is well worth it.</p>
<p>I don’t remember what our expectations were as far as holiday travel back when DD decided to attend UA. We’ve been making it up as we go, I suppose. It has turned out that, as much as she’d like a visit home, she prefers to stay in Tuscaloosa for breaks. Between the hassle of flying and the difficult courses she takes, it is much more relaxing to stay put. She did come home a lot freshman year, but now as a junior, I think she considers Tuscaloosa as her home. Sigh. So DH and I visit her there during the semester. I don’t like it much, but she is happy. She will spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend’s family.</p>
<p>Napermom: flights from bham to chi-town on southwest are direct and can often be had for less than $120 one way. I was able to snag a flight for $113 for the Tue before T-giving. Booked that in Oct when they had a sale. Of course it’s a 6:30am flight, so you have to be flexible, but deals can be had.</p>
<p>Getting back after T-giving is another story. Wasn’t willing to pay for airfare, but DD found a ride back from Indy. Driving to Indy much better than having to drive all the way to T-town, so I still consider it a win. </p>
<p>Also, I have visited her twice this semester and saved hotel costs by investing in an air mattress and crashing on her floor (actually she has been gracious enough to give me her bed and takes the air mattress herself)</p>
<p>We’ve even been creative in snagging parking for the weekends, as both times were home games.</p>
<p>So long as you are willing to be flexible, it is doable.</p>
<p>Plus, I don’t consider it expensive considering what we have saved in tuition costs.</p>
<p>I’d have to spend $15,000/yr in travel costs for it to be more expensive than having her attend our in state flagship school.</p>
<p>Guess I am just used to schools including colleges only having a small winter break and just 3 days off for Thanksgiving. That is how it is here in Texas. Pretty much all of the colleges in Texas have a small fall break. Thanksgiving they have classes on Monday and Tuesday. While it may be nice weather, sometimes, it is headache for traffic. The drive on 35 coming to Dallas from Austin can take over 8 hours, sometimes 10 or more. This is normally a 4 hour drive. </p>
<p>Don’t count Alabama out just because of a lack of hotels available during peak times. That is pretty typical of most areas around colleges. Including larger cities with more hotel options. </p>
<p>All of these are just things that are pretty much typical of any college. Unless the student stays home to commute or picks a school within an hour or two.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your comments. We are by no means counting it out. It just FEELS so far to send a first born child! Every time that we get an invitation to something, we are reminded of how far it is. Capstone Scholars day, if she applies for UFE a possible interview, orientation, all these things make the distance a reality. Some of the students had Tuesday night exams. Who knows if we would be able to even find a flight on the day before Thanksgiving. Maybe this is just a “mom” thing, realizing that baby bird is leaving the nest and will have to find someone else to heat her up chicken noodle soup when she is sick. I guess realizing that this could be the last Thanksgiving that we spend with her if she is far away, and that she may decide she does not want to bother going all this way for such a short break is just reality.</p>
<p>We originally were going to fly D home for Thanksgiving. With all of the stress we have been under lately I told the family I was “outta here” for Thanksgiving. The 3 of us (me, DH and D2) are flying to Alabama on Tuesday to pick up D1 and heading to Gulf Shores. CAN NOT WAIT!!! We were going to drive but airfare dropped and we booked Southwest and come back next Sunday.</p>
<p>Naperville…</p>
<p>Your first year you need to be proactive and book hotels early.</p>
<p>After the first year, if your D gets an apt, then you can always stay with her if you’re having a hard time getting a hotel…many parents do this. My Tuscaloosa condo is full of students and it’s very common to see parents coming/going on various weekends.</p>
<p>Robotmom has a good tip for flights to cold climates. If it’s not a direct flight, then pick a city that isn’t in a cold climate to “change planes”…even if it’s a little out of the way. Better to fly to Florida and then up north, then fly to Chicago (which may have weather issues) and then to your final cold destination.</p>