University of Alabama - Top 50 Public Universities!
by - Written: Jun 08 '04
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Pros: Beautiful campus and not so horrifying tuition costs.
Cons: The Greek system has gotten quite a bit of bad press in recent years.
The Bottom Line: You couldn't ask for a better university! This review has been updated from when I wrote it about three years ago.
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| Mom2TyZick's Full Review: University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa |
The University of Alabama is my alma mater. Fall 1988 was my first semester and I finally graduated in 1994! I had my share of ups and downs, but overall I believe my experience was a good one. Any life experience worth its salt has got some good points and some bad points, right?
For the past three years University of Alabama has been ranked as one of the Top 50 public universities in U.S. News and World Report. With its beautiful location, capable schools and competitive tuition costs, this is an excellent choice for any student.
History
The University of Alabama was founded in 1831 and was Alabama's first state university.
Academics:
You can apply online for the University of Alabama now at www.ua.edu/academic/admissions/apply.html. The cost of the application is twenty-five dollars. You will also need to have your ACT or SAT scores sent to them, along with your high school transcripts. If you are a transfer student or an international student, the steps are somewhat different for application. For transfer students, an overall "C" is required on all past college work. The sooner you do this the better! I've found that priority was given to people who applied early.
I found that the University of Alabama was relatively easy to get into, but not such an easy school to stay for the duration. With freshman courses such as Biology 101, Sociology 101 and Psych 101, each taught in a classroom about the size of the stadium with no less than 200 students in each, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. Once that GPA sinks, you can spend the rest of your days with an academic shovel on your back, trying to dig you way back to respectability. I speak from vast experience!
My advice:
Attend all classes, even the ones where the instructor does not take attendance! Make yourself a study schedule and stick to it religiously, especially if you tend to be a procrastinator like myself. If you are having any trouble, nip it in the bud. Each instructor keeps office hours; use them!
Freshman Experience
One thing that the University of Alabama is famous for is its Greek life. Sororities and Fraternities are sometimes considered the lifeblood of the campus. I went through Rush my freshman year and found it to be one of the single most horrible experiences of my life. I knew girls that left school because they did not get into a sorority. I did not find it that important to my happiness, but I did involve myself in other ways around the campus. My sister did choose to pledge a sorority and enjoyed her time with the girls. It is purely a matter of preference.
My Advice
As a freshman, it seems important to get into a sorority/fraternity to fit in. It can be tough on a freshman who wants to be Greek, and is not able to for whatever reason. Stick it out, and as the years pass by, you'll see that even the Greeks get tired of that scene and don't take themselves as seriously when they get to be upperclassman. Remember that you are there for an education!
Financial Aid
Financial Aid is something for which every undergraduate student should apply. You have nothing to lose and there is grant and scholarship money available for you! Until you are age 24, or can somehow prove that you are independent, you will be asked to submit your parents W2's with your application. You may even apply online!
My advice
Fill out the applications and keep your grades up! You will lose your financial aid if you do not maintain at least a "C" average! I found the Financial Aid Staff at the University of Alabama to be unhelpful, but have read many reviews where those reviewers thought otherwise, so give them a shot!
Dorm Life
As a freshman I lived in Parker-Adams dorm and can tell you that this is by far the cheapest way to live. You will usually have a roommate, which can be difficult, but you can learn those valuable life lessons! Parker-Adams was an old dorm, so it wasn't modern looking, but the rooms were much larger than most of my friends in other dorms. My sister lived in Tutwiler her first semester and those rooms are hardly bigger than a closet. They also enforce very strict visitation policies for boys on the hall. My last semester I lived in Harris Hall and this was my favorite dorm. It was in the middle of sorority row, close to all of my classes, and right near the Bryant-Denney Stadium so that all of the parades marched right down the street. There are some bad points to living in a dorm. You usually have to park pretty far away from your front door, you have to share bathrooms so privacy is limited, and you need to wear flip flops to shower.
My advice
You should live in the dorm your freshman year so that you are able to get acquainted with the campus and make friends. Once you live off-campus, you usually just drive to the University to attend school, so you do miss out on a lot of activities.
Miscellaneous
PARKING: It's pretty horrible here, especially for off-campus students. Think of how the malls are at Christmas time and every car is circling the lot like a vulture looking for any small place to put their car. Stressful, but you learn to live with it!
BAMA DINING: My sister, who is still at the University of Alabama today, tells me they have made great strides in campus dining, but when I was there it was pretty gross. All of the food tasted the same at any cafeteria, the pizza was rubbery and the hamburgers weren't real. They would also serve food on the cafeteria line that didn't go together, such as stuffed green peppers with French fries or hot dogs with mashed potatoes. They do have some real restaurants at the Ferguson Center (our student union building) now.
Bama DiningDollars is the University's new dining card. Your student account bill will be charged $225 every semester automatically for each student with more than 9 hours. Believe me, though this may seem like a ploy, you will be glad it is there, because you inevitably run out of money during the semester, and Bama Dining Food is certainly better than nothing! Also, now it may be used for Domino's Pizza, Buffalo Phil's (a local chain serving wings and the like) and Crimson Cafe (a local coffee place).
Bama Cash is a new service supplied by the University. It works much like a checking/debit card account. You may use your card like a debit card at many different locations on and off campus. You can use it for gas, groceries, book, food, pizza delivery, laundry services, movie rentals, tanning, beauty services and more!
FOOTBALL GAMES: Football is the most important thing at this University, get used to it! Every attempt to make life easier for athletes is made, so if this makes you queasy, you just may want to try another school. Some people say it is silly, but the tradition is there and it really is exciting and fun when your team is winning. The tailgating everyone does is fun, but T-town will be wrapped up on game day. Try to go to at least one football game, see if you don't catch the fever yourself.
CAMPUS: The University of Alabama is rich with heritage and tradition. The campus is among the most beautiful I've ever seen with its tulips blooming in early spring and the huge trees that dot the Quad to make your walk to class shady and pleasant.
I look back on my time at the University as one of the most wonderful times of my life. Upon graduation, my husband and I were fully prepared for life and our careers and do enjoy success now. We are both proud to be affiliated with the University of Alabama.
Recommended:
Yes
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