What Went Wrong at Bama Bound

<p>Just back from a frustrating day at BB. Here’s hoping our experience helps someone else out. DS had a pretty straightforward schedule with 1 Freshman UH class (and 2 Freshman UH back-ups) as his ‘interesting’, non-STEM class. When the hold was dropped, I made sure to hit this class first. Got a message back that he didn’t have the proper standing, listing Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior. Huh? He’s a Freshman, it’s a Freshman class. Did next two. same message. Entered rest of schedule, no problem. After a few texts warning DS that he needed to address this problem with a registrar, he reported that when he finally got one to help him out, (and watching all the AVAILABLE spots slowly disappear from the UH Freshman seminars he desired) she claimed it was because he had too heavy of an Honors load. Huh? He had CBHP, and that was <em>after</em> the first three UH classes were tried. <em>I</em> thought perhaps the system was reading him as a sophomore since he has over 30 credits and Degree Works says he’s 25% through. I told him to ask the registrar if this could be the problem (first thing he asked) and she said absolutely not. So after phone calls and overrides, she O.K. d the UH Freshman seminar, which by this time was filled. (All of them were by this time - it took about 30 minutes to fix, according to S) He has (for him) a terrible alternate, which we are reasonably optimistic (thanks to you guys) that he can replace later this summer, but he’s a bit bummed that the class he found <em>so</em> appealing, and so available, he was shut out of for - I don’t know why. BB Early Honors said, repeatedly, what a good idea taking those UH Freshman classes were, and never mentioned that you can only take 1. </p>

<p>M2CK - can you shed any light on this? S said a couple other students there seemed to be having the same issues. I still think it’s because of # of credits, and I <em>know</em> he’s not the only kid going to BB with this many and more. Am I missing something? If he was not registered for any classes when the first UH Freshman class was rejected, HOW could it be an honors overload? And if it’s because of credits, parents of high credit kids might want to make a few calls before their BB.</p>

<p>NRDMOM: my D had a similar situation when she was registering for her 2nd semester and it was because she was a sophomore by credits but was still a “first year” student. A quick stop at Nott Hall got that fixed & she was able to register for the class she wanted.</p>

<p>As you’ve heard before, with each Bama Bound, spots open up for those classes. I’d say try logging in about 8:30 CT on the 2nd morning of the next Bama Bound and try to get a seat in one of his first choices.</p>

<p>Thanks RobD. That’s exactly what we’ll do. I <em>am</em> wondering, if this is not a new problem, why isn’t it ‘fixed’? We he be subjected to this shut out <em>every</em> registration, thus lessening his chances of ever getting a class desirable to him? Do we contact anyone in particular at Nott Hall?</p>

<p>Okay, NRDMOM, you are making me think I need to help my dd further investigate her situation. I sent her on her own Bama Bound to navigate this. The main glitch she ran into was she was unable to register for her required UH 103 class for Alabama Action and had a difficult time receiving assistance. She was finally able to get her friend’s counselor to give her a contact name and number. The counselor she was assigned to (and since I am helpless in STL while she is doing this solo, I am second hand describing her experience) was rude and unwilling to help. She was told it was her problem. I find it hard to believe she would have that experience given all the wonderful support we have experienced thus far. Now I am anxiously awaiting her return home…2 more hours.</p>

<p>We didn’t encounter this issue, but since a couple here have had the problem, I think the HC needs to be asked what can be done to avoid this with future BBs.</p>

<p>Is the problem that students with AP credits are being “read” as sophs??</p>

<p>NDRMOM, are your son’s credits earned through APs? I am just wondering because we haven’t sent D’s yet as we were just waiting for this year’s scores and planned to send them all at once. But I did just check DegreeWorks and saw that her language CLEP has shown up and has given her some credits. </p>

<p>My D goes next week. I hope her experience runs more smoothly than yours and STLCrimsonMom’s D. Maybe they will get the wrinkles ironed out based on what happened today. But maybe the most disturbing thing is that STL’s D’s counselor was unhelpful!</p>

<p>I realize that there was a lot going on during registration, and that perhaps the registrars don’t really know everything, but S had a very difficult time getting his registrar to respond to him, and the amount of time it took to have anything resolved effectively shut him out of <em>any</em> class he had the least amount of interest in, no matter how fast he scrambled to find <em>something</em>, it was too late. Word of warning - 1st choice and 2 alternates may not be enough. Poor guy - he was almost the last one out of the Engineering session with a look of horror on his face and ‘Honors Psychology’ on his schedule. And insult to injury - an 8am, too!</p>

<p>Here’s hoping the balance of your D’s day is great. Overall, people were warm and helpful and welcoming. We had an excellent and informative visit until the registration snafu, and then things got stressful. Toward the end he was (over the phone) like a drowning man. Okay, okay - I’ll just take Greek! No - it’s full. Wait - I’ll take beginning Latin again, it doesn’t matter I’ve already had 5 years, right? Nooo… it’s closed too! Alright then, just some random math class - Intro to Linear Algebra…can I take that even if I’ve had Calc III and Diff. EQ.? Wait, never mind… Oh God, only Honors Psychology is left…</p>

<p>No disrespect to Psych Majors, I was one too - I think psych courses are kind of like kryptonite to NERD’s.</p>

<p>Let us know how everything turned out with your D. i’m sure all will be well - eventually… :-)</p>

<p>M2Ck I don’t know for sure if some freshman are being read as sophs, it’s the only thing that makes sense based on the ‘standing’ message and the fact that the UH Freshman seminar was the first class registered and rejected, no ‘Honors Overload’ possible.</p>

<p>lattelady Son has combo of AP and DE’s. More DE’s, I think, at least until the final AP’s come out.</p>

<p>Hang in there, NRDMOM. As students get their AP scores in and math professors and other TBAs are announced, kids will start changing their schedules, and classes will open up.</p>

<p>Although I am sorry you had a bad experience, I am glad you posted. As I posted in another thread, even though this forum makes everything seem so perfect at Bama, it is real life, and things do not always go as planned.</p>

<p>Hopefully, not getting into a wanted class for his first semester of college will be the worst thing that will happen to him over the next four years. Not trivializing it, as it does seem like a disaster to him right now, but just trying to put it into perspective.</p>

<p>It will be okay, Lattelady. The overall experience was very good for my DD and bottom line she got to practice her problem solving skills. This was a great trial run for both of us! As nerve-racking as it was for this “helicopter mom”, DD was still able to find help and hopefully with a phone call a solution. She was able to get her other courses and she padded her schedule a bit in case she needs to drop a class. We have not sent my dd’s AP scores yet either. We will send them all at once in July. She picked classes around the AP classes she took and will back fill the gaps 2nd semester if need be. She was fortunate enough to have the help of a local Bama student to advise her before she attended Bama Bound. He just successfully completed his freshman year and he basically built her schedule. :)</p>

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<p>Wow, this isn’t what ANYONE signed up for. My heart goes out to your kids. As with m2ck we have never experienced anything like this, and in my opinion some elements of what occurred seem unacceptable.</p>

<p>I agree that the Honors College needs to be told straight away what’s going on so they can collaborate on a very quick remedy. May I humbly suggest that everyone who was adversely affected by this difficulty today contact the HC and communicate the details of the problem so that there’s strength in numbers.</p>

<p>The biggest benefit in going to an early BB session is that you’re able to adjust your schedule over the summer during each subsequent BB. </p>

<p>I can understand the frustration and even anger if someone was rude. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to be treated rudely by someone who is supposed to be there to help you. But there will be opportunities to get those classes you were locked out of if you’ll just be patient and log in early on the 2nd day of future BB’s.</p>

<p>And STL, I hope your daughter knows the name of her counselor and I hope she writes an email to someone in the honors college and lets them know of her treatment. Rudeness is not what UA is about.</p>

<p>STL, I apologize for the rudeness of the advisor and highly suggest that your daughter contact that person’s supervisor. Especially if this person was also rude to other students, the supervisor may already be aware of that advisor’s tendencies, but it is still a good idea to notify them.</p>

<p>There is no programmed limit on honors courses. Even if there was, it would be something like registering for over 9 honors credits, which could be waived simply because there is no stated limit. As for the error not allowing him to register for certain honors courses, I seem to recall seeing it before and that the easiest solution would be for the advisor to lift any holds associated with registering for that class. While UA does have a way to block off seats in courses for certain students, the easiest being listing a lower course capacity and overriding students in, it would be very time-consuming to do on a Bama Bound-type scale. If the honors course has less than 15 students, one has a case to be overrided in, noting that UHP and IHP courses cannot have more than 15 students.</p>

<p>Can someone explain in details how registration at BB works? Do the students see an advisor first? Do they bring their laptops? Are there representatives of each college, including Honors? How long is it? Thanks!</p>

<p>STLCMom: I believe there is a special hold in place for AA that needs to be lifted by the registrar. I remember seeing it in an email. I will see if I can find the information on this.</p>

<p>OK…this is from an email dated April 24 regarding Alabama Action:</p>

<p>To participate in Alabama Action, you must register for UH 103 Section 001: Honors Exploration of Poverty (1 credit hour). Because Alabama Action is available through application and acceptance only, the course requires an override from the University Registrar. Once all of the additional students’ applications have been processed, you will be granted an override to register for the course. Be on the lookout for an email notifying you of when your override has been granted.</p>

<p>^^^Yes, I recall this same issue happening last year at BB for Alabama Action and I believe that it also happened for Outdoor Action two years ago. Everyone who paid and was accepted for Alabama Action will be granted an override and will be able to register. I think this override is necessary so “random” kids don’t pick up the class. Just contact the HC and they should be able to resolve this right away.</p>

<p>As for the “advisor” being rude, I wonder if it was an advisor or an Avanti, if I recall correctly, the Avantis walk around trying to help with the schedules. So (no excuse) it may not have been an advisor just a new student Avanti who was as overwhelmed as your student. <strong>See below, copied from Bama Bound page</strong></p>

<p>*****WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT BAMA BOUND?</p>

<p>During Bama Bound you will meet and get to know your incoming classmates and engage with currently enrolled UA students. You will also connect with members of our faculty and academic advising staff who will assist you in considering the appropriate path for your future.</p>

<p>You will be assigned to an Avanti group and they will be available to help you during Bama Bound. You will also learn about academic opportunities, University resources, services for students, and campus activities.</p>

<p>Class registration materials will be distributed to you, and you will be given the opportunity to visit your college or school. After you attend Avanti group meetings with your Avanti student leader, you will have an appointment with an academic advisor. At the conclusion of your advising session, you will register for courses.****</p>

<p>When you call to notify the Honors College of the snafus, don’t forget that this weekend is a holiday weekend. Also, let them know of all the issues so perhaps they can rectify the problem before the next BB. You will be doing a service for everyone.</p>

<p>I just sent a letter to Dean Sharpe about this issue. I mentioned the problem that students with AP Credits are having registering for “freshman honors” classes because those incoming freshmen no longer have “freshman standing”. </p>

<p>I provided a link to this thread so he can also read the comments. </p>

<p>He should be able to prevent this from happening during future BBs. I look forward to his response. He’s very good about responding to emails, but it is a holiday weekend, so I don’t know if he’ll see the communication today.</p>

<p>We are struggling with how to schedule classes around band ensembles when we don’t know which ensemble S will place into. My hope is that the counselors will work with my son in the fall and adjust the schedule as necessary - but I am not sure they would make exceptions to work around band. Does anyone have any insight or experience with this?</p>

<p>Does anyone have any experience registering for higher level classes as a freshmen? For example, my son has dual enrollment credit for Calc I and II, so he plans to register for Calc III at BB. His Degree Works shows the transfer credit hours but not his APs.</p>

<p>^^^
that shouldn’t be a problem. Many kids don’t have their AP credits showing yet since some just took the exam this month. Some took the exams in prior years, but didn’t send those scores to Bama yet and will get sent in July.</p>

<p>If you took the AP and assume that you passed, you can sign up for the next level. If test results show that you didn’t pass, then you’ll change your schedule.</p>