Bama Bound is an orientation for incoming freshmen and their parents. This is held virtually or in-person. We opted for in-person and it was a great stepping stone to moving in come August.
Dorm Check-In
When we arrived, we checked-in to the Ridgecrest Dorm as our choice of
accommodations for the next two days. This is offered for both students and parents. Although the cost is minimal, the trade-off is that you bring your own sheets, blanket, pillow and towel.
The dorm is gorgeous on the outside and clean on the inside. These dorms are suite style, with individual bedrooms and a common living room and kitchen area with a refrigerator and microwave. Two rooms share a bathroom. However, there were only two people in each suite, so each person got their own bathroom – no sharing. All of the students were on one side of the building and the parents on the other. It really gave the kids independence.
A benefit to the student staying in the dorm is that they get to have a roommate and meet other kids. They also get a little taste of what dorm life is like as well as a familiarity with the campus. AND they get to see the need for a mattress topper!!
Aside from the parents at the rental car pick-up laughing at/with me for staying in the dorms, it was a great experience for me as well.
I got to see first-hand what it will be like for my daughter, got to know the campus better, and saved a lot of money not staying in a hotel. The downside is that I had to check a bag in order to fit all of the “stuff” needed for the dorm. Also, no restaurant or conveniences of a hotel. I’ll admit I was questioning my life choices at times, but in the end, I’m glad for the dorm experience.
Day 1
Good to note, that breakfast is not served on this first morning. However, there are places in the UA Student Center to grab coffee and breakfast items. We didn’t know that and walked down the street to “The Strip” and got coffee and a muffin at PJ’s. #pjscoffeeoftuscaloosa
We were broken up by school of study and our avanti leaders took students and their parent/guardian to our designated room on campus. A walk through the University of Alabama campus is just beautiful. From there, we were given detailed information about the designated major from counselors who even started meeting with students one-on-one to go over classes. Students were also given a mock-up of their class schedule with their transfer credits from high school. It was a great starting point.
Autonomy began when students left to take part in their own programming. Parents stayed and were able to ask the counselors specific questions in a comfortable small group setting. I sort of felt like “I don’t know what I don’t know”, but then moved into the “I have just enough information to be dangerous” phase.
Digesting all that we had just been given, it was time for lunch, but just parents. We got to eat in the Ferguson Center Food Court. Again, this was a nice insider view of what life is going to be like for our student.
After lunch, student leaders called “Parent Ambassadors” went through many “real” aspects of student life from their perspective. In this same small group setting, it was comfortable to ask the students real questions about their campus life experience.
All the parents joined together in the ballroom next to hear a truthful and comedic take on what parents and students really need to talk about in order to transition to the first year of college away from home. I regressed back to the “I don’t know…” stage again. Two steps forward, one step back.
Before meeting up with our kid again, more Parent Ambassadors shared key points of student life.
The day ended with a variety of break-out sessions of our choosing to attend with our child. These were very much carbon copies of the content presented at “Roll Tide” Days, but this time for us, it was a little different knowing UA is where my daughter will be attending in the fall.
Optional dinner on-campus was offered to students (included) and parents (for purchase). Lucky for us, my daughter’s roommate and her mom happened to be attending Bama Bound during this same time, so we met up with them and skipped dinner for now.
Sorority Row
While we were still in “go-mode”, the girls strolled down sorority row, connecting what they knew from the on-line sorority to real life houses. They were also able to go to their dorm building (outside only) and get a feel for its proximity to other parts of campus.
❤️ TIP: If your child is thinking about "rushing" a sorority, take a picture of them out in front of each one. I then had a picture card printed for my daughter to write a thank-you to each person from that sorority who wrote her a letter of recommendation. It was pretty cool for friends who had been in a sorority at another college, see what their sorority is like at University of Alabama.
Dorm Scope-Out
It was pretty cool for the girls to see where their dorm is located. While they couldn't go inside, at least they were starting to get a feel for the vicinity of their dorm in relationship to the rest of the campus.
Next up was REXPO, which is a fun time to play games at the Robert E. Witt Student Activities Center. Great idea to get kids interacting with each other and gaining familiarity with all that this “gym” has to offer (rock climbing wall, sports courts, cycling, group fitness classes, cardio equipment, etc.)
That led us to a late night dinner at the Half Shell Oyster House.
#halfshelltuscaloosa Excellent seafood pasta and fish. None of us got oysters, ironically.
❤️ TIP: My daughter and her roommate stayed up late to pick out their classes. They used Coursicle and Rate My Professor to get a comprehensive overview of what they might be picking the next day. This proved to be invaluable.
Day 2
Breakfast is provided for the students, but we wanted to check out the highly acclaimed Heritage House #heritagehousecoffeeandtea. It did not disappoint. The modern take on an old-fashioned tea shop décor was delightful as was the different china on which the food was served. It is a five minute drive from campus, but worth it to see the cutest off-campus apartments as well as the beautiful river and Riverwalk. Before leaving for the first session, the girls had time to review their class choices from the night before and had a game plan.
This Day 2 is “Cut the Cord” day. Parents do not see their kids at all until lunch time. When reunited, your student will have already chosen their classes. Whoo hoo!
Parents assemble in one large group in the ballroom and go through a series of helpful topics. I was able to take notes and pictures of slides with important information. This was great, because I had a list of things I needed to go over with my daughter such as: adding us as an authorized user, parent/guardian email and proxy in order for us to be privy to her account information for tuition payment as well as being able to access her grades. We were able to fill out the FERPA and get the dining account set up. Because she heard similar information, we were speaking the same language. I was glad to do this right after the sessions as everything was fresh.
Most people book it out of there in order to catch a flight or to drive home. Because it takes us all of one day to travel back to California, we had the rest of the afternoon to tootle.
Lunch at Taco Mamas #tacomamattown, some time on campus going through the “My Bama” account to-do list, a much needed nap, checking out some sights and then dinner at Depalmas #depalmastuscaloosa Italian.
As I get ready to leave tomorrow, I feel like this 1 ½ day orientation was three days. UA does an excellent job of communicating, guiding, coaching, explaining and reassuring us all that this is a great place to be. I know I can call the various offices and I will be able to talk to a live person who truly wants to help. I know I can go onto the parent Facebook pages and get lots of tips and answers to questions. What a community! I am thankful that my daughter has the opportunity to attend the University of Alabama and know that she is exactly where she is supposed to be! Roll Tide!!
And just like that she is getting ready for year two and life in a sorority house. Living her best life!