Student Profile
Latrisa
- Class: Junior
- Major: Accounting
- Gender: F
- High School: Clarke County High School
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
For me, the best thing about UA is that I have met so many people from a lot of different places. I have definitely learned to appreciate the fact that I am getting a chance to see what type of people I may be working with on a daily bases. If you don't like to be surrounded by a lot of people all the time then UA is not the place for you. The enrollment is increasing every year and I don't think it is slowing down anytime soon. But the very good thing about the school is that the buildings are not that far apart from each other. Your freshmen year you may find yourself trucking from Ten Hoor to Shelby Hall in ten minutes, BAD IDEA, but for the most part once you get in your major you really won't have that big of a problem. For me this was a big deal, because where I am from most people don't attend big universities like UA. So for me it has always been a positive response. At work, lol, I work on campus. But a lot of people chill on the quad or at the Ferguson Center where the food court is. But it really depends on the person. Tuscaloosa is definitely a college town. If you come here during the summer, there is nobody here and you are always bored because fun events are centered around it. Depends on what you are talking about. In my opinion, UA have made some dumb decisions about how they have spent their money in the past year, but they have made some good ones also. Particular the Crimson Ride, transit system, has made it a lot easier for students to study late and night and have rides back to their dorms and feel safe. Gay rights. In the fall there was a lot of talk about whether or not gay rights should be added to our constitution since we were one of the only schools in the Southeast not to have it. The administration added them at the end of Fall '07 or the beginning of Spring '08. YESSSSSS...I don't know of too many places that top UA pride. It is amazing "Roll Tide" is used in place of "Hello" sometimes. Unusual, I don't know. This is the only school I know so I really can't answer that question. It would have to be my first UA football game my freshman year marching in the band. The crowd noise as I was marching in the band is the best feeling in the world as they await to hear "Yea, Alabama" for the first time in Bryany-Denny each season. It was amazing. Most complaints are about money. UA have taken a lot of "give ins" away the past couple of years but those complaints only come from upperclassmen since they are the only ones to have them.
Academic Life
Not all my professors know my name. That is more of my choice, but a lot of classes are small so if the professor doesn't know your name, he/she knows your face. My least favorite class had to be any literature related course. I HATE literature. Professors asking you to analyze writers who have been dead for centuries, but you do it because you have to. It is a requirement so there is not too much complaining. I hate to say it but that depends on your major. Science and math based majors are usually the students you see at the library until it closes at 2AM. But in general, most people don't study towards the beginning of the semester but as the semester progresses that changes dramatically. A lot of professors, use class participation as a part of the grade so you have to participate. But I would definitely recommend it, this sometimes will affect if you get a B or C in the class. Intellectual conversations happen more than you think, but lack at the beginning of your academic career. As you get more knowledgeable about current events and your own personal beliefs, they increase. In my experience, students are competitive based off of their friends. Most unique class would have to be tennis. UA has a lot of "leisure" classes students can take so you can get exercised in to your classes and get a grade for it. It doesn't weigh that much on your grade but it might help on a rainy day. The accounting department has been awesome, they have been very helpful with helping me succeed and meeting the right people. We have internship opportunities and top accounting firms in America look very hard at our program to pull for people as their next employees. I meet with my professors outside of class about 7 times a semester, but that depends on the class and difficulty. UA's academic requirements are increasing as you read this. It is good for our school because they want their graduates to be the cream of the crop. Education at UA is definitely geared towards getting a job. There is always talk about interning, cooping, career fairs that are always going on at our campus.
Student Body
There is definitely a cliques at UA. Everyone has their own group of friends. Racially, I have not really had a big problem with it since I have been here but I do know people who have. Religiously there are a lot of opportunities to practice your belief if you choose to. I don't know a lot of LGBT's personally but I know they are here, but I don't have a problem with them as long as they don't approach me. You can tell who the "rich" kids are so to speak but is not to the point where I feel inferior in their presence. I don't know of any student that would feel out of place except for someone extremely Gothic. There is not too much of that here on campus. T-shirt, jeans, pajamas, or dressed-up. It is not a "certain" way you have to dress to class, but some upper level classes require business attire. In my experience yes, but that is just because I have a lot of friends. Greek table-the black greeks who have stood their ground and stare at everyone as they enter the dining hall. Exchange Student-mostly Asians are Japanese they cling to each other but they are cool people Single Table-one person who sits by themselves because they don' t have friends or their friends are in class Everybody table-just a mixture of just about anything Most students are from Alabama of course but was have a lot of out of state kids on scholarship or their parents are alums here. There is a lot of different financial backgrounds at UA. You don't have to be rich to come to UA. Just have financial aid. UA politics is definitely a very interesting subject. You have a lot of students who are deep in to politics and others who really don't care. Earnings is definitely a subject that crosses a lot of peoples mind's, but it is ultimately about you being happy.
The Best Things
A lot of opportunities that people don;t know about
The Worst Things
Hard to start change at a traditional school
