A Visit to University of Alabama-Huntsville

[AFwife Claire]

After reading a thread on here last fall started by Attolia, I believe, we got interested in UA-H, and my second son and I flew to Nashville Thursday night and drove down to Huntsville to visit the school on Friday.  (Sidenote:  we had an interesting flight from DC to Nashville--our engine caught fire during the decent, and we had to make an emergency landing and evacuate the plane while fire trucks sprayed fire retardant foam on the plane.  We ended up waiting 4 hours for our carry-on bags to be taken off the plane and brought to us.  An exciting way to begin a college visit, no?)  

 

Anyway, I am copying and pasting this report from my blog.  We first became interested in the school because of the automatically-awarded merit aid.  Here is a link to the merit scholarship aid chart.  You can see that if a student has an ACT of 34 or higher, or a SAT over 1520, then tuition as well as housing is 100% paid for.  Well!!  Now we're talking!  This immediately moved UA-H high on our list of schools to pursue.

 

DS applied and was accepted as well as awarded the "Charger Excellence" scholarship.  I looked for tickets in mid-January and found a good deal into Nashville, about 2 hours north.  The only problem was that all the Friday campus tours for UA-H were full into February, so I called their visit coordinator, explaining who DS was, and that we were flying in from NoVA.  She said they would definitely be able to put us on a tour, so we came on.

 

Actually, she did way more than just put us on their campus tour.  She arranged for us to have a tour of the College of Engineering with a student guide at 9:00, then meet with an admissions counselor (who had been homeschooled, and was their admissions homeschool liaison) at 10:00, then a meeting with an engineering advisor at 10:30, a complimentary lunch at the main cafeteria at 11:30, and then the campus tour from 1:00-3:00.  Busy day!  Even though we had gotten in so late, we got to the college at 8:45.

 

The engineering tour was very interesting.  Engineering is by far the biggest major at UA-H, and it definitely has a ton of money being poured into it.  Since the university is surrounded by countless contractors and other research companies, the opportunities to be involved with research, even as undergrads (even as freshmen!), are immense.  They have a bunch of different labs, like the huge machine lab, where there are just tons of random projects everywhere, being worked on and tinkered with, along with tons of machines that will literally make any part you can conceive of.  When you think "lab", you might conjure up rows of empty tables, ready to do specific projects, and while there are some like that, a lot of the labs are more like some crazy Uncle Albert's garage or something, with parts and pieces all over, in some order, but an outsider wouldn't know what it is, lol.  Companies donate extra stuff, like rolls of carbon fiber, so pretty much any material you can imagine or need is right there.  There were students all over the place working on things--building rockets, printing stuff in 3-d printers, etc.  The guide said pretty much every class has projects to do.  The whole program sounded incredibly hands-on.  Plus, once you are through the intro-type classes, there are tons of co-op positions and internships with the various companies nearby.  A vast majority of engineering students do these, and something like 85% graduate with job offers from companies they have already worked for.

 

There are also a zillion and one engineering clubs, like the Space Hardware Club, and also tons of competitions that they send teams to.  Winning entries from various and varied competitions were displayed all over the hallways, making interesting conversation pieces, and there were also fascinating research project summary boards all over the walls.  Anyway, the tour was a really good overview of the program, and DS was really excited about the hands-on nature of it all.

 

We didn't really have too many questions for the admissions counselor, so that part didn't take all that long.  The engineering advisor, however, was incredibly helpful.  He was able to show us exactly how DS's AP and DE credits would fit into his program.  He is deciding between electrical and mechanical engineering, so he was able to get a better idea of exactly what classes he would be taking.  The guy was so nice.  We spent about an hour in there with him, and he answered questions not just about engineering, but about a ton of other things too.  He confirmed what we had heard about the university--that about 10 years ago, they decided to turn it from more of a commuter school into a STEM-focused university, and he rattled off a bunch of different buildings that had been built in those 10 years, including all of the dorms except one old one.  Now there are about 8,000 students, which seems to be a really nice size. He also discussed the honors college.  Instead of just being a bunch of philosophy and liberal arts classes, like it seems to be in a lot of universities, there are honors classes within each major.  The classes are smaller, and involve deeper thinking and more discussion.  He is leaning away from that, though--there's an essay to write for admission!

 

Our free lunch in the cafeteria was good.  Then we headed back over to the brand new Student Services Building for our campus tour.  I was kind of dreading the tour, honestly, because the weather was still really cold and windy.  We totally should have brought our winter jackets, not just our sweatshirts, and I regretted that every day we were down there!  It was indeed freezing, but I am of course glad we went.  Our 2 tour guides were both engineering majors, so that was helpful.  They were both involved in different Christian campus ministries, the Baptist Campus Ministry and Reformed University Fellowship, and I saw signs for Cru too, as well as various Bible studies.  One guy was very involved in his church as well, doing children's ministry with 1st-6th graders, so that was all very good to hear.  One girl on the tour, when she found out we were from NoVa, asked, "WHY would you want to come to college in ALABAMA?  There's NOTHING to do here!"  But the guides seemed busy and happy, and there certainly were plenty of entertainment options on campus, even things like game nights with the "Society for Strategic Gaming".  That probably wouldn't have appealed to her.   I got the impression we had vastly different ideas of fun, most likely, lol.  There were lots of intramural sports too, like ultimate frisbee, which Ds was interested in.  I don't think he would have trouble finding things to do.

 

The housing was another attractive thing from the get-go.  All the dorms are organized into suites of 4 rooms with a common room in the middle.  The common room has a couch and 2 comfortable chairs, plus a table and 4 chairs.  It also has a fridge, microwave, and sink.  Then on either side of the common area are 2 (small) rooms, a sink, a shower, and a toilet area.  So each student has their own room, with bed, desk, hutch, closet thing, and dresser.  For someone from a big family, this set-up looks really good!  After we left there was when I realized I hadn't taken a single picture all day.  I'll blame being tired and cold!

 

Finally we were done with the tour, but we still couldn't get too warm.  We were meeting a friend from Civil Air Patrol who is a student!  He's a former homeschooler from NoVa who is also a National Merit Scholar (they get every single thing paid for, including books and fees, an even better deal!).  We had assumed he was at the main campus of UA, but when DS was talking to his dad in December and mentioned he was looking into UA-H, the dad said, "That's where D goes!"  He is certifiably brilliant, so we knew if he was enjoying it here, it must be a good, challenging program.  We met him over at the propulsion lab, which was a space with a bunch of big rooms, and more projects everywhere.  There were also big vacuum chambers and wind tunnels, and a place surrounded by layers of cinder blocks to test rocket launchers.  Again, students were everywhere, running tests and tinkering.  D also took us over to the Space Hardware Club rooms in a different building, so we could see some of what they were working on.  Those rooms were full of kids working away on various projects, and everyone was really friendly.  We left him answering questions from another guy about some formulas he had used in some calculations, and we headed back to our car.

 

Oh, one thing I liked--students can have cars on campus all 4 years.  A parking pass is merely $125 a YEAR, and students can park in any parking lot!  Even the academic building lots!  D said that might change in the next few years, because they are running out of space, but the campus is spread out, not all crowded together, and it would be nice to have the option of driving on cold days (like the one we were touring on, lol).  One negative is that there is no nice public transportation, so you pretty much either need a car or a friend with a car to be able to go anywhere off campus, even for groceries.  D did say there was an Aldi within walking distance, though.

 

So we left the campus with DS thinking there were really no bad things about going there.  It was a very informative visit, and I am really glad we went.  The school is a strong contender, for sure.  It is hard to walk away from all that money!

[Ann.without.an.e]

DD didn't go down the UAH path but DS (just starting to look at schools) is very interested in it so thank you for posting this visit report.  Great info!

[Luckymama]

Nice visit! Thanks for sharing :)

[katilac]

My dd is in her second semester at UAH and loving it. 

 

He should consider applying for Honors College. The essay isn't onerous, and they get super priority registration - dd was registered for all of her fall freshman classes in April of her senior year! I can't remember when she was able to register for spring, but it was quite early on. 

 

It doesn't rate highly as a party school, or a party town for that matter, but there are plenty of other things to do if you have other interests. Beautiful parks and hiking trails off campus, nice shopping areas. On campus, they have lots of clubs, they bring in interesting speakers, there are live plays and performances. My dd goes to swing club, movie night, parks, and the speakers and performances when she has time. 

 

We have heard that there will be some doubles on campus next semester, they are growing fast, but they are hoping to fill them with people who want a double to save money. 

 

The food is good. Everyone, staff and students alike, tends to be friendly. They do have a free shuttle that takes students to Walmart, Target, etc every Friday, but dd has so many friends with cars that she has not needed to use it. Seriously, LOTS of people will have cars. 

 

dd is not an engineering major, but she is surrounded by them. If anyone has any questions about UAH, we will try to answer them. 

Edited January 29, 2017 by katilac

[Julie of KY]

My senior visited down there this past year. We didn't see the engineering specifically as he was interested in math and computer science. We loved the campus and the people, but it was obvious that it wasn't his perfect fit.

 

The math and CS departments sounded solid, but not what my son was looking for. He is headed to Vanderbilt next year and feels it's a perfect fit.

[MomsintheGarden]

Thank you for your very detailed review!  I am glad your flight turned out ok; an engine fire sounds scary.

 

I am going to keep UAH in mind for ds14.  He wants to go into engineering, and is likely to be NM, so the school could be a very good fit.  Please keep us posted on your ds.

[JennyD]

Yikes on the fire.  So glad you are OK!

 

Did you happen to stay over through the weekend, by any chance?  I was at UAH a few years ago for something over a weekend and the campus was deserted.  I went for a swim at the pool on Sunday and I recall that the hours were very limited, and there were just not many people around.  However, I have also heard that UAH is pouring money into boosting its profile and trying to become more of a residential school, so I expect things are changing all the time.  

 

 

Edited January 30, 2017 by JennyD

[8filltheheart]

My Dd loved UAH when we visited. She was excited all the way to our meeting with the French dept and he informed her that they had nothing to offer her bc she already at their graduation level (and that was something like Oct of jr yr.). She was so disappointed. It is still the campus she compares others to and wishes they were more like. (She loved Huntsville and all of the internship opportunities.)

[AFwife Claire]

My dd is in her second semester at UAH and loving it. 

 

He should consider applying for Honors College. The essay isn't onerous, and they get super priority registration - dd was registered for all of her fall freshman classes in April of her senior year! I can't remember when she was able to register for spring, but it was quite early on. 

 

It doesn't rate highly as a party school, or a party town for that matter, but there are plenty of other things to do if you have other interests. Beautiful parks and hiking trails off campus, nice shopping areas. On campus, they have lots of clubs, they bring in interesting speakers, there are live plays and performances. My dd goes to swing club, movie night, parks, and the speakers and performances when she has time. 

 

We have heard that there will be some doubles on campus next semester, they are growing fast, but they are hoping to fill them with people who want a double to save money. 

 

The food is good. Everyone, staff and students alike, tends to be friendly. They do have a free shuttle that takes students to Walmart, Target, etc every Friday, but dd has so many friends with cars that she has not needed to use it. Seriously, LOTS of people will have cars. 

 

dd is not an engineering major, but she is surrounded by them. If anyone has any questions about UAH, we will try to answer them. 

This is all very helpful!  My DS wanted me to point out it wasn't *only* the essay that made him not want to do it.  He just didn't think it would be worth it, but who knows.  Priority registration is definitely a very nice perk.

 

And I am glad to know about the shuttle!  That sounds perfect for being able to pick up milk, etc.  All those activities you listed sounded much more like what my DS likes to do--way more than looking for glitzy nightlife or anything, lol.  He is absolutely not looking for a party school or town, and it was a positive that this school wasn't considered one at all!

[AFwife Claire]

Yikes on the fire.  So glad you are OK!

 

Did you happen to stay over through the weekend, by any chance?  I was at UAH a few years ago for something over a weekend and the campus was deserted.  I went for a swim at the pool on Sunday and I recall that the hours were very limited, and there were just not many people around.  However, I have also heard that UAH is pouring money into boosting its profile and trying to become more of a residential school, so I expect things are changing all the time.  

 

We were just there on Friday, but there were lots of signs up all over the place (even a big list on the back of bathroom stall doors) for various weekend activities (including a huge Chinese New Year thing that I saw advertised on billboards all around town as well).  I think you are right about it changing to be more of a residential school now.  They've built like 4 new dorms in the past several years, and another one is being built now that will be done in 2018 or 2019, I think.  

[TravelingChris]

If the student has a car, there is so much to do in Huntsville that I am always regretting I can't do more.  From free concerts (reggae to blues to rock to ?) at Concerts at the Dock in a mill that has been refashioned into an arts place with local artists, some food places, and performances places to great food truck festivals downtown to lots of opportunities for hiking to so many performances around town to hockey games, etc, etc.