@Bigmacattack agreed. We are not ready to give a housing deposit either. Don’t know what will hsppen if my D does pick UA in April.
All I can say is that, one year ago, I was the person complaining vigorously in these pages about this policy; in the end, it all worked out okay for my kid. So while I still wholeheartedly agree that the policy needs to be revisited, do what works best for you. If your kid doesn’t choose UA until after April 1, things will be fine. Don’t get caught up in frenzy to deposit before you’re ready unless you’re comfortable with losing that money if your child chooses another school in the end.
“I think it reflects poorly on UA to force students into that agreement if they are not ready.”
Forced? No, the UA doesn’t force anyone to deposit before they are ready, but a student who deposits late might not get his choice. Sometimes it works out in the end, but there are no guarantees. I hope it Works or worked out well for your student but forced is a pretty strong word.
Just like the people who apply EA versus RD…no one forces anyone. We paid the deposit. To us it was worth it. Since then I have talked to others already at UA who deposited much later and not one regretted their housing choice, so there’s room for everyone.
This is gone over every year because kids are harassing their parents to get their deposits in to get premium choice in housing. Alabama I assume is still a member of NACAC which requires it’s members to not use any “carrots” to obtain enrollment deposits. Kids and parents who need to look at financial aid packages should not be penalized on housing because they need to compare packages before they enroll.
Sorry that my profile pic of Lake Michigan is flooding all the states below us…lol! Can’t seem to fix it!
UA is not the only school that has this early housing deposit. I know of schools that have an even earlier deposit time frame. Since it is not a “requirement” it is not an issue of one being forced to do something that is illegal. It is completely optional. Those that chose to place their deposit early are justly rewarded and it makes it easier for the housing dept. Other schools that do not have such and early housing deposit are the ones that tend to also not allow their incoming students to pick roommates AND dorm room. They get to place what dorm building they want OR preferred roommate(s), not both and not a particular room, just the building. It is a give and take of sorts.
As others have said, this has been discussed at great length every year. There is no rule being violated since it is not required. A potential student will not be violating the rule concerning having deposits at 2 schools as they would have their “insurance” in at UA, then if on April 1st they receive an acceptance to another school, if they decide to go with the other school, they simply pull their acceptance from UA and place it with the other school. Never having 2 acceptances AND deposits in at more than 1 school.
Make friends now and find potential roommates - preferably that have early deposit dates. Only one in a suite needs the early date. DS deposited in April last year and was pulled into his suite with a new friend that had a first day selection. It all works our!
Not illegal but unethical since Alabama is a member of NACAC. There is a reason we have national decision day as it levels the playing field. It’s easy to think of just yourself and not care about how this policy affects others who need to look at financial aid packages before they commit to a college. This has nothing to do with making it easier for housing. Thousands of colleges stick by the rules and Bama should too.
I am sorry you feel that way, but there is absolutely nothing unethical, illegal, or forceful about the practices of UA Housing.
That’s because u don’t understand the agreements they sign when they become a member of NACAC. If u haven’t reAd them u probably shouldn’t say they aren’t being unethical because they are. This really is about an enrollment deposit not housing, but they are using the carrot of better housing to get enrollment deposits. Read the covenants they agreed to and you will see what they are doing is wrong. It’s easy to sit there and act like it’s no big deal for you, but it is for many families where finances are a concern before they decide on a school. My other 2 kids attend Big Ten schools and there are no games being played with housing and enrollment deposits. They will not receive better housing for paying an enrollment deposit prior to may 1.
“That’s because u don’t understand…
It’s easy to sit there and act like it’s no big deal for you, but it is for many families where finances are a concern before they decide on a school.”
That’s your assumption. You have no way of knowing my situation. This is a discussion where we will disagree and that’s okay, but no need for assumptions. This issue has been discussed many times already.
I have a question about this…if we don’t pay the deposits by 2/1, will my son definitely NOT be able to get his own bedroom in the apartment-style honors dorm? Or would that still be a possibility, just not guaranteed? The reason I ask is that he is quite sensitive to things like light and noise, and I really feel having his own room would be much, much healthier for him in every way. However I’m kind of cash poor right now, so putting down around $500 is a bit of a hardship for me, especially knowing there is still a chance that Bama might not be his final choice (though I am strongly suspecting and hoping it will be). I’m leaning towards doing it anyways, because it’s that important to me that he have his own room, but I’m just wondering if there is still a chance at the apartment-style housing if I don’t?
See this explanation from housing.ua.edu:
When should I submit my housing application?
You should apply for housing as soon as you are admitted to the University and pay the Freshman Enrollment Deposit. The earlier that you apply for housing, the more options you will have, as access to online room selection and housing assignment by HRC staff are based primarily on housing application date. Students with earlier application dates can pull in confirmed roommate choices with later dates, if space is available. Incoming freshmen who apply for housing by February 1 will be able to select their own rooms online, beginning in early May. Students who apply for housing after February 1 will be assigned by HRC staff, taking into consideration their housing preferences, as long as space permits, beginning in mid-May, based on the date the housing application is completed. Students who apply later may not receive a housing assignment until the late spring or summer.
Take a look around the housing choices at housing.ua.edu. There are many suite style dorms for both Honors and non-honors students. Some students who chose to wait in the past did end up where they initially wanted, but there are no guarantees.
Hmmmm…I should probably just pay it. We really loved UA and it’s by far his best option at this point, and I don’t really see that changing.
Thanks for the info!
@chris17mom you might want to ask mom2collegekids what she thinks will happen. She prob has a good idea of what he will end up with if depositing after Feb 1.
@chris17mom, if your son does decide to go elsewhere, the housing deposit is refundable. It’s the $200 enrollment deposit that you’ll eat.
And I agree with those here who feel that policy is not in keeping with the NACAC agreement. You shouldn’t have to enroll to put down a housing deposit. The two things have nothing to do with each other IMHO.
BTW @chris17mom has the exact situation I’m talking about with putting down deposits before May 1st. Not a concern for me as Bama is the only school my son applied to so we aren’t deciding between Bama and other schools and deposited as soon as he was accepted.
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if we don't pay the deposits by 2/1, will my son definitely NOT be able to get his own bedroom in the apartment-style honors dorm? Or would that still be a possibility, just not guaranteed?
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there is a chance that he might get his own bedroom and there’s a good chance he won’t. The issue will be that he (or you) would have to constantly check to see if anyone has cancelled and then trade to get that spot. I think there is a period where no trading can happen.
This can get stressful because you may not know until summer whether he’ll get his own room or not.
If you believe that your child NEEDS to have his own room, then you should deposit. You would lose the enrollment and app fee, but you would get BACK the housing deposit if he went elsewhere. So, you’d lose about $300…not a tiny amount, so it’s your decision.
I think we just need to do it. Having his own room is really important to us both, and UA is by far the frontrunner in the whole college process. So it’s probably a pretty good bet.
^^^ FWIW, if that had been our situation, that’s what we would have done. It’s a lot easier to justify the expense when it’s likely your child will attend. (It’s much harder to bite the bullet when the student will not be making any decisions until all the acceptances and FA offers are on the table in late March or early April.)