Would I fit in at the univ. of alabama?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

<p>So I got into bama on the full tuition scholarship, and will definitely get into honors college. One thing that I’m worried about is if I will fit in at bama. I am from alabama and live in birmingham and I like it here, but I am middle eastern. Most of the kids in my school are preppy and frat and lots of them are going to bama, but I don’t like hanging around those people . Also I have no interest in joining a fraternity, and I’m not much of a partier. </p>

<p>Some things I like about ua is that the campus is beautiful and I love football. If I go then I will be at every home football game. Also I can challenge myself academically since I will be in honors college. So do you think I will fit in?</p>

2

<p>You need to ask this in the Bama thread.</p>

<p>What is your major?</p>

<p>The reason that I ask is that some majors tend to be “more Greek” than others simply because of the belief that there is good-networking to be had and the personalities/interests of certain majors.</p>

3

<p>I’m in high school right now, but I will major in either accounting, computer science, physics, or something with engineering</p>

4

<p>UA has 28,000 students. I would be really surprised if you went there and couldn’t find a niche; there are likely all kinds of students there. And really, the student body is only 25-33% Greek (25% of men; 33% of women) so the majority of students will not be Greek. The students in the honors college will likely be different from the majority of students; it’s not that none of them will want to party, but they will likely be more focused on class and discussions.</p>

<p>Now if you are worried about diversity, that may be an issue…the student body is 80% white, and 12% African American.</p>

5

<p>The STEM majors are far less likely be be preppy or Greek. STEM majors tend to be more Geeky…and I say that affectionately. :)</p>

<p>The STEM bldgs are located in the upper NE quadrant of the school. That is a distance away from the majors where Greeks tend to be more concentrated.</p>

<p>I don’t know specifically about acct’g majors. B-school majors tend to be more preppy and Greek, but don’t know if Acct’g majors divert at all.</p>

6

<p>At such a large school, I would imagine that you would find people that you would fit in with. Where you should go depends on your other offers as well. Where else are you looking?</p>

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no

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My son is a physics major, is not interested in Greek life at all, is definitely in the “geeky” category :slight_smile: , and loves Bama.

9

Yes…lots of Greek activities (very visible on campus) / lots of students involved in that…but many more are ARE NOT. Also, yes, there are “preppy” types around. With such a big campus and SO many different organizations to get involved in, you don’t have to worry… Believe me, if the campus was too heavily Greek or too heavily preppy, my son would definitely not be there. Not his thing at all. He loves Bama! Good luck making your decisions.

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It’s a very big state school. There are people of every sort here.

The Greek life is quite visible, but the majority of students are NOT in it.

You’ll fit in if you want to.

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OP, I know what you mean. I’m from an Alabama city. When I went to college, I did not want to see anybody from my high school AT ALL. Back then there were only about 10,000 students. I think I ran across somebody from Decatur maybe 5 or 6 times, total, in all four years. A couple of times I cross the street so I wouldn’t have to speak to them! All my friends came from anywhere but Decatur. Now there are almost triple the number of students…so yes. You CAN reinvent yourself if you like.

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I think you will fit in fine. I would definitely recommend doing one of the Honors Action volunteer opportunities. You move in a week early, and its a great way to meet new people. I did Alabama action, and we worked on a local school. My group and I became super close. It also counts as 1 hour of your required honors class work.

13

Are you going to the Capstone day? I would go to this event if you can.

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this is an old thread.

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LOL, you are right!! I glanced at the date and didn’t think twice about the 2014. My brain hasn’t quite registered that it is 2015!

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LOL! Wonder if the OP ended up at UA??

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^ Post #6 needs to do more than a one-word answer, which to me is just ‘stirring’. Why respond to this thread, scohen99, a full year after the fact? There must be some reason a person feels compelled to do so…

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Old thread.

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OMG you sound like my new best friend. I am a current student in the honors college and an engineer, not interested in Greek life, though the coed engineering fraternity appeals to me, I don’t drink, and I am socially awkward.

If you are in honors college, you will definitely meet some great people. I suggest going to all the honors college events and introducing yourself to random people and find someone you really connect with. Also, snowcones. Get in the snowcone line at least twice, I met some pretty interesting people in that line. So far, most of the people I have met in the honors college have been engineers and most of the engineers I have met have been in the honors college. Both are lovely groups of people, you just weed out the ones who say things like “I was so wasted when …”

Get on Board Day (GOBD) would help you alot. Bascially all these clubs line up tables down the street and you visit each one, talking, writing your name, (fake) number, and email (not fake bc you can always unsubscribe) on lots of little cards and getting free tshirts, pens, cups, koozies(which are worth nothing on ebay so you should just throw them away) and candy while going down each table. I remember that there were ethnic clubs. I can’t remember if there was one for people of middle eastern background but I know there was an Indian one that handed out these delicious pastry type things. I can’t even remember who I talked to but I got alot of emails, and some texts I didn’t want. I sifted through the emails and found some things I liked and went to the next meetings, the rest I unsubscribed from. At club meetings, that is where you go up to people, start a conversation with them, and hope they want to be your friend.

One more thing. I have noticed this in STEM students, but we all seem to see the world through the same black and white lens. For us, there really is not gray. If you like math and I like math, then we are the same. We don’t tend to look at race. You are either a human or a pig or a dog or a horse. Also, as long as you are as nerdy as us, you will fit in. Just talk about what you’re passionate about and you’ll find that others are passionate about the same thing.

This applies for any other school you might go to. They all have their own version of GOBD I’m sure and as long as there is a good percentage of STEM students at that school, you will be able to find people who really do want to be your friend. (I just recommend they don’t be your roommates–you’ll get angry at them or vice versa).

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask me any other questions you have about life on campus as an engineer