<p>I was wondering what the best dorm would be for meeting new people. I’m planning on rushing, but I don’t want to live in Tutweiler because I want the chance to meet people outside Greek life and not be surrounded by sorority girls all the time. I’m also in the honors college, but I wasn’t sure about honors housing because I assume it’s a more studious environment, and I want something more social and interactive.</p>
<p>The landscape is changing quite a bit regarding dorms, with the consolidation of honors housing into the Ridgecrest complex. So, what was applicable last year as far as dorm culture goes might not hold true for this coming year.
So…there is no way of telling if in one dorm it is going to be easier to meet people over another. This will be more a function of your personality (sunny!) than the dorm itself.
Do you want a suite with your own room or a more traditional room setting, shared with another? Do you plan (hope!) to stay on campus for more than Freshman year? These questions are important when considering your options.</p>
<p>honestly, i think the old style shared room dorms tend to be more social. the kind where you leave your door open if you are in your room.</p>
<p>my daughter made friends when she lived in the dorm, but not so much with people from her floor or dorm.</p>
<p>When we toured Tutweiler last weekend the RA that showed us around was super friendly and not in a sorority. There are probably plenty of girls in Tut that are not in a sorority. It seemed very social with girls hanging out in the laundry room, etc. They have several nice living areas and hold a movie night. I know from Preview last weekend that a lot of the girls are planning to not live in Tut. </p>
<p>My D is already saying she will need a support group of sorts by living in an all female dorm. She is a girly girl that likes cars, ice hockey, baseball and college football.</p>
<p>If you want to meet a bunch of nice video-gaming nerds with big future earning potential, try Ridgecrest East. </p>
<p>(My son has several Latin pickup lines.)</p>
<p>^^^ Or Ridgecrest South. </p>
<p>(My son takes his class notes in programming code. I wonder if there are pickup lines in C++?)</p>
<p>My son takes notes in programming Latin!</p>
<p>Not really, but I changed my mind about what I did write and this is the best I can come up with at the moment.</p>
<p>Son knows Latin and can program a bit but I am pretty sure a pickup line has never interrupted his train of thought… :(</p>
<p>Chose his dorm room based on ease of access to Lakeside dining and research lab…</p>
<p>Sunshine…As you can tell too many of us have kids who are STEM majors… socializing is not something we have had to spend much time considering :)</p>
<p>LOL MemphisGuy. You nailed it.</p>
<p>I imagine my son’s best pickup line in a few years will be, “I’ve got a great job and no student debt, wanna go to a movie?”</p>
<p>Junior called me last night in a good mood. He told me he has decided to double major in English and Biology. He was already locked into English but was trying to decide on major no. 2.</p>
<p>Ouch. That’s gonna be hard. Not a lot of cross-pollination of courses between those two majors. He’s certainly smart enough, but he’s gonna have to buckle down.</p>
<p>Slippy, Nice to see that your son has decided to embrace the dark side and join STEM along with the rest of our kids. </p>
<p>If we can get enough parents on board trying to figure out how to get our kids to talk to others someone may just come up with an idea that works…so far son seems much more interested with his research lab subjects (fruit flys) than any actual UA students :)</p>
<p>According to NRDSON, the only thing dark and threatening at Alabama is the 4th floor laundry room in RCS.</p>
<p>How is ridgecrest south? My freshman d is planning on living there as a ChemE and joining a sorority. It seemed ideal before she decided to pledge as she will want to be around other engineering types but it is so far from sorority row. Any advice? And what about 4th floor laundry?</p>
<p>Ridgecrest South is great. I’m another who will add that DS’s accommodations are far better than my first apartment. Regarding the laundry rooms, dour DS (first floor inhabitant), upon finding the 2nd floor washers full, trekked his load up to the 4th level. There he found “weird, pink puddles on the floor” and “oddly shaped, wet paper wads in the machines”. The experience seems to have scarred him, and he swears he will never return. Of course, next year, as a FOURTH floor resident, I eagerly await the resolution of his dilemma.</p>
<p>The best thing about the Bama washers and dryers is that they text you when your cycle is done. Genius!!</p>
<p>emptynester…you will find sorority women both in Tut as well as in Honors housing, Presidential and other dorms. It is a walk to sorority row but many do it and do it successfully. Your DD needs to stay where she is most comfortable. Remember that once she pledges her meal plan will basically be at the house. She will be dropped to what’s called a Greek 50, which will allow her 50 meals in the dining halls (I saw a post about this earlier…someone chine in if I have it a little off). She will also have dining dollars she can use at various places on and off campus and if you put money in her Bama cash that will also give her dining options on and off campus. I had one girl tell me she was purposely living across campus to have all the walking and avoid the “freshman 15”. Your DD will have activities almost nightly Monday thru Thursday which will require her to be on sorority row (or at least with her sisters). In additions she will have required study hall hours each week. She will be given several choices as to where to do them (sorority house, various libraries) and different time slots. They will be proctored. Just some things to think about…</p>
<p>Well, DS and his friend waited till the last minute to sign up for Bryce Lawn, couldn’t get in, and ended up in Highlands instead. All DS cares about is that he’ll get to room with a friend next year; he had a bad experience going random in the honors dorms this year, even though the dorm itself was great (Ridgecrest West). </p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about Highlands? DS says it’s a bit “sketchier” than Bryce Lawn. Oh joy. :o</p>
<p>Now that both he and his friend have opted out of honors housing, they will be in non-honors housing through the remainder of their college careers (junior and senior years). Am hoping they can get into Presidential Village for senior year, since it’s so much newer and spiffier (and their NMF scholarships do cover the cost, I hear). Does anyone know if Presidential will be non-honors going forward? (I’m sure this has been asked and answered before, but I’ve been kind of out of it lately.)</p>
<p>LadyDi-I don’t think you can go back to suite style once you leave a suite style dorm. If he doesn’t like the Highlands after this year he could try for Bryce Lawn next year, but I’m pretty sure he won’t be able to go to Presidential Village.</p>
<p>I think that you can definitely switch types of dorms, with the exception of Honors dorms. </p>
<p>As far as knowing what dorms will remain honors or nonhonors going forward,I don’t think there is any way to predict. I would imagine if Housing has a plan it is very fluid determined by demand.</p>
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<p>I wouldn’t count on this. It doesn’t look like a student who was a Highlands resident this year could choose Presidential or the other suite-style dorms for next year. From housing website:</p>
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