I’m applying just because I qualify as a presidential scholar. But haven’t done any research on the university yet, so I should probably start!
My son is applying and it is currently his number one choice with University of Pittsburgh and university of Illinois his other top choices. We are from Illinois however I am leery of him attending schools in the state because of our financial mess. He has taken the ACT three times and scored 34 each time. He is taking it again this Saturday because it’s bothering him that he cannot improve on that score even though we keep assuring him the score is excellent. We have gone down wants to visit and both he and I loved it. He is also visited with some friends to visit some former classmates that he knows that go to school there. There are a lot of Illinois kids there. For example from the graduating class at his high school last year there were 11 students who went to University of Alabama. More students went there then to U of I. At this point he is not intending to go Greek. I did like that the Greek houses are all on one end of campus so if Greek life does not interest you it would not be in your face 24/7.
@“beth’s mom” my subscores have fluctuated a point at most on each test. Had they been more than a point, I would have taken it again, but at this point, I feel like my score will be the same
@perch1024 my mom likes Illinois because it’s close to home, but I honestly don’t trust the state because of its financial wreck. I’m looking at all state schools, but I don’t know the financial situation of each state yet. Maybe something I should look into.
Definitely dont look at Kansas! They’re still trying to figure out how to keep the K-12 schools open for next year.
Part of the reason my S will be applying to Alabama!
@musicgirl131 I would love Illinois for my son so he is close to home but so many colleges are laying off teachers and are not being funded by the state that it makes me nervous that financial aid packages may change and that the education would stay the same
@musicgirl131… Let us know how your trip goes. You do sound a lot like my daughter.
@beth’s mom…You bought up some great points about having a car on campus. Is it possible to leave your car on campus during the winter break? We are 15 hours away and I would rather have her fly home.
@“beth’s mom” do they also have zip cars there?
musicgirl131: yes, they have Zip cars on campus!
We are from Los Angeles and my son will be applying as well. We are visiting the campus in July and he is staying the week after to attend the SITE program. I am hoping he loves it. Right now his first choice is Cal Poly SLO, but hoping the honors college visit does the trick.
^ Yes, @jeepgirl, you can park a car over winter break in the designated spots for your permit.
Thank you aeromom!
My class of 2017 daughter is strongly considering applying, since she has the stats to qualify for the presidential scholarship, but will know for certain after she visits the campus next month.
I’ll be applying as well. Visited in March all the way from Jersey and the school instantly became my number one choice. I’ve been trying to get everyone in my school to look into Bama cause I don’t think there’s one other person even interested from my school.
@musicgirl131 @perch1024 I hear you about UIUC. My twins did not even apply because the IS cost for engineering is so outrageous, $31K Tuition + Fees/R&B. UA was such a good deal for them because they both qualified for the Presidential.
BTW, we were at Bama Bound last week and there were a LOT of people from IL there. A lot of the people I met were from the Chicago suburbs.
One other note: Show of hands in the Engineering Breakout was easily at least 75% of incoming Freshman were OOS. There were at least 250 incoming students there.
raises hand
@CyclonesGrad it’s crazy! It would only cost me ~4K more a year to attend another state school with no scholarship than UIUC! I’m in business, not engineering
My D will be applying as soon as the application opens! UA is her #1 choice (and only one she wants to apply to at the moment!) We are in TX and she wants to major in Telecommunication and Film and apply for Honors College. We went to a University Days visit in March, but will probably do another visit in the fall. We felt like we missed a lot, having to choose sessions and prioritize what she wanted to see. Should have stayed another day!
I’m leaving tomorrow morning for my visit! So excited! My dad and I will arrive in Tuscaloosa Saturday night and leave after our visit on Monday. What’s good to do in town?
My son is enrolled to study Mech Eng starting in August and he also just completed Bama Bound. Regarding the transportation question. The campus has a great bus network which you can track track on line. They run from the residence halls all over Campus, including Publix, the Health Center and out to Target and the Mall. (Although I believe only Sunday). The buses run a schedule during the day but have a great feature where you you can call them after hours from anywhere on Campus and they will come and pick you up. Also yes to Zip cars on campus. $7.50 for an hours rental, $70 for the day and that includes insurance and I believe gas. You can rent a zip car several times before it comes close to the cost of a parking permit so bear them in mind as a great alternative.
I would suggest that Honors college is the way to go if you qualify plus keep an eye out for a little publicized program called ‘Stem path to an MBA’ if you are studying Engineering or one of the sciences. I believe they contact applicable candidates in April with details but we found out about it early and my son applied and was accepted a couple of months earlier. You can search the UA website for details.