<p>I’ve been accepted to UA with the Presidential Scholarship, and I’m applying to Honors and probably visiting soon, but I was hoping some current students could tell me whether I’d fit in there.</p>
<p>I’ve recently realized that I probably won’t be able to afford my top schools for various reasons. Maybe I’ll be surprised, but either way, I’d like to find out more about UA and whether I’d fit in there, because the scholarship is very tempting compared to a bunch of schools that are great but out of my price range. I feel kind of sad about the idea of going to just a public state school when I could get into somewhere more prestigious, but I know that’s mostly me being unnecessarily prideful, especially since I want to get a graduate degree, so where I go for undergrad isn’t going to make that big of an impression.</p>
<p>I’m interested in UA for a bunch of reasons (the scholarship is very tempting, I’ve heard the Honors program is pretty good, I’d like to live in the South, and I’ve heard–not sure if it’s true–that single rooms are available to Honors students, which would be awesome). But I’m also apprehensive for a few reasons. It’s a huge school, and even though I’m outgoing, I might feel lost there. I’ve always pictured myself at a tiny research university or something. There seems to be a lot of football and Greek stuff and parties, which aren’t really my thing. And I want to major in physics, which UA isn’t really known for, so I’m worried there won’t be many research opportunities or really great professors.</p>
<p>Are the Honors classes really a lot smaller and more discussion based and in depth? I need a really involved classroom environment. (I spent one year at a big public high school and couldn’t stand it). Am I going to feel out of place or lost? Will I be challenged there? Also, while this isn’t a big concern since most college students are on the liberal side and I’ve lived in the Bible Belt before without a problem, will an openly bisexual atheist have any problems in Alabama?</p>
<p>I know quite a few people a lot of people at UA who are liberal, bisexual, and/or atheist, some that are all three. Tuscaloosa is not San Francisco, Portland, or Miami, but it is a still diverse and accepting.</p>
<p>As Alabama is still a very rural state, a lot of students come from smaller high schools and even those from bigger cities/suburbs often went to smaller schools. In my experience, UA operates more like a small college in that you can really personalize your educational experience. </p>
<p>Prestige is overrated in a lot of ways. You may be better off attending a “prestigious” school or you may not, it depends on you.</p>
<p>I know some physics majors and while UA doesn’t have the best physics program, they will likely be admitted into some excellent PhD programs.</p>
<p>Honors housing consists of single bedrooms, bathrooms you share with one person, and living rooms and kitchenettes you share with 3 people. It’s a great setup that allows one to unwind at their own pace. Nothing has officially been announced yet, but UA is in talks to offer gender neutral housing for upperclassmen, which is something a lot of students, not just LGBT+ students, have been asking for.</p>
<p>It may be helpful to know that UA’s male student body was recently ranked an A+ in attractiveness and the female student body was ranked an A, though they are actually an A+. If you’re attracted to other attributes, there are plenty of people with them too.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply, SEA. Good to know that there are visible LGBT students on campus and such. And I know prestige is overrated; it’s more of a personal prejudice that I’m working on.</p>
<p>When you say they don’t have the best physics program, do you mean that as in “not so great” or “not a highly ranked, well known program”? (If it’s the first one, what makes it not so great?)</p>
<p>Honors housing sounds fantastic! I’m very into having my own private space, even though I like being around people. Gender-neutral housing doesn’t make much difference to me one way or another, but that’s good to know in case I make guy friends who I might want to live with, and a friend of mine who’s considering UA was wondering about it.</p>
<p>Haha, that’s good to know. Of course I wouldn’t pick a college for that reason, but it’s nice to know I’ll be surrounded by beauty. ;)</p>
<p>I am Indian and i received the presidential scholarship, i am going to be in the honors college also. I am very outgoing and not stereotypical Indian at all, i love sports and everything else that white people like. I have a lot of white friends that i get a long with well at my high school here in Illinois. I am wondering if i will be fine if i go to Alabama, or if i will be somewhat excluded and have a hard time finding friends. Also, i wanted to join a nice frat, how can i get that process started and will i even be accepted?</p>
<p>From what I hear, UA has a big party scene, but face it… all colleges have parties! And just like with other colleges, everyone has a choice to go to parties if they want to or don’t want to. If the Greek scene is overpowering, do not feel like you must go Greek. Some schools are Greek-dominated where almost everyone joins Greek life, but UA seems big enough where there will be other people like you that do not prefer parties 24/7. Hope this helps, and congrats on earning that scholarship! :)</p>
<p>Goheat1234, I’m not sure if your concern about being Indian is related to UA in particular or the deep south in general, but keep in mind that the Governor of the the state adjacent to Alabama, Louisiana, is Piyush “Bobby” Jindal.</p>
<p>Alabama does not share a border with Louisiana or South Carolina, but both have Indian-American governors.</p>
<p>There is a large amount of Indian students at UA, particularly in the hard sciences, engineering, and business. The majority of them have adjusted well to life at UA. </p>
<p>I will say that there are some fraternities at UA that do not accept members of certain races and/or states/countries of origin. However, there are some great fraternities that would most likely accept you as a member.</p>
<p>Our hometown has a very large Indian and Asian population. Most of my son’s friends at home are of Indian or Asian descent. Home for break, he visited his high school last week. Says he saw more Asians in an hour than he has in 4 months at UA. To be fair, while there may not be many Indians at UA, everyone is treated like family there. If you are outgoing, you will fit in.</p>
<p>I had the same fear if our S went there. He attends a public HS in SF. I would say the student population is around 75% Asian, but little to almost no Indian. It might be a huge culture shock. S friends are about 50% Asian at this time, and that might just be the demographics, there aren’t many non-Asian to be friends with.</p>
<p>On top of that he is such a nerd. Really in D&D, scifi, and Minecraft. So hmmm a lil afraid of how it would turn out.</p>
<p>quick side question we got the letter for the $2500 engineering scholarship, does that mean we have the presidential scholarship as well? We never got anything in the mail for the presidential scholarship specifically.</p>
<p>Yes, you should have the Presidential. Please send an email to scholarships and ask why you never received a letter about the Presidential. The office should open after the New Year. Include CWID with the email. </p>
Tuscaloosa is not San Francisco, Portland, or Miami, but it is a still diverse and accepting.</p>