Because these boards were so helpful to me, I want to share our experience with this school so far. With a high GPA and ACT scores, my son qualified for fantastic merit aid at many universities. He also could have gone to highly ranked schools, but at full pay. We decided early in the college search to concentrate on the generous merit aid schools.
University of Alabama and University of Alabama-Huntsville were high on the list. We are not from the area and really didn’t know anything about either university except for what I could dig up online. The internet presence and enthusiasm for UA is so strong, we expected that is where our son would ultimately attend. That was until he and his father visited the campuses.
While both campuses and student bodies were impressive, UA felt like a football team with a college. I am sure their academics for engineering are excellent, but it was just not the atmosphere our son wanted. UAH, on the other hand, felt like a college for more serious students. They met with Ron Wilkerson of the Honors College, several people in the engineering department, and some students. They were impressed with the attitudes and enthusiasm of everyone they met.
He chose UAH. The great merit aid, plentiful co-ops and internships, friendly & studious campus, nice town, plus the option for him to continue with his sports all contributed to his decision. Since he’ll be trekking across the country, we’re also thrilled that the airport is so close to campus.
He recently attended orientation. He went by himself, felt completely comfortable, and even made some friends. He had many dual enrollment credits and they all transferred in a way that made sense. Because of that, his schedule is more advanced than most freshmen, and the advisor did a great job in helping him choose appropriate classes. We’ve been very happy with everyone at the school.
This is the time last year when I began spending lots of time researching schools, so I wanted to post about our experience so far to potentially help others.
Thank you @ThreeKidsMom My daughter is also looking at UAH for engineering next fall. Just like you said the smaller feel along with the great merit aid and a chance to continue playing her sport in college are why it is high on our list.
I know you are done researching colleges, but please continue to check back in and occasionally post on the progress your son makes and things to be aware of with the school.
Yes, thanks. We just concluded a visit to a “prestigious” school within 150 miles of Erie PA, and I was struck by the difference in the candor between them and UAH - heavily in favor of UAH. My impression from Huntsville was of a solid program with predictable costs. These aren’t the only things in life, but they are very big things.
Our son started this fall (2015) at UAH and I’ll share our experience if it can help those of you applying this year … Our son is majoring in Aerospace Engineering and plans a career in space exploration. This has always been his passion so his career plan has always been clear to him. He went to Space Camp (several times) where he was introduced to the interesting things going on at Marshall. He suggested UAH to us - I had never herd of it. Initially I was skeptical because with his grades and test scores he had many good options. He started his college search with about 7 schools on his list. We visited Florida Tech and Embry Riddle - both seemed great but the cost was mind-blowing. Georgia Tech got bumped from the list when he saw how extensive the application was and I saw the cost - whoa! VA Tech seemed like a good option but he liked UAH better. NC State is our in-state option and I made him apply there because the tuition is reasonable - he was accepted but he was never really excited about it. We toured UA but it didn’t appeal to him - the Aero Engineering facilities seemed way out of date compared to UAH. He got the impression from other colleges that the Aero-Engineering department is secondary to the Mechanical department while at UAH Aero is their FOCUS. He got a full-tuition merit scholarship to UAH and that sealed the deal - decision made!
Since the decision was made in the spring, we have gotten very comfortable with it. There have been several articles praising the Huntsville area as a great place to find STEM jobs. He loves the feel of the campus - it’s the perfect size for him. He’s not interested in a big D1 school with an active social life & sports program, but he doesn’t want a small school that feels too much like high school. We went to the admitted students weekend (I highly recommend it!) and while there he decided to apply to the Honors College which was a great decision. UAH allowed him credit for all of his AP classes (some colleges limit AP credit hours allowed). He likes the Honors dorm (private bedroom, semi-private bathroom!), is satisfied with the food (he’s not picky), and is happy that as a Freshman he is allowed to have his car on campus. There are several extracurricular activities available including ones unique to his chosen career (Space Hardware Club - won’t find that everywhere!). He hasn’t gotten to the point yet of looking for internships or co-op’s but there seem to be many options available. There is construction going on everywhere on campus so they are expanding. This year’s freshman class is the biggest ever - with the highest average ACT score ever for the school - both by a significant percentage. My impression is that UAH has money to spend and they seem to be investing it in upgraded facilities and merit scholarships. The investment seems to be paying off!
@jk2tka3, I joined this am to Thank You for your post. My S16 sounds likes yours (having attend Space Camp 3 times). He came home last fall after a college fair telling me about UAH. He has applied and has a great offer.
jk2tka3: Glad that your son has settled in well at UAH. The school has a lot of good things to offer, but do encourage your son to attend the career/internship fair in the spring. Even if he is not ready to hold a summer internship. It would give him an idea what corporations are in attendance, and what they seek, My son is in his second year at UAH, and I strongly encouraged him to attend the fall career/internship fair, as he wants an internship next summer (he will be a senior credit-wise at the start of the spring semester).