Student Profile
Brooke
- Class: Freshman
- Major: Economics
- Gender: F
- High School: Vestavia Hills High School
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
UA is a fantastic place to go to school. Tuscaloosa has enough to meet any college student's needs, and Birmingham is only 45 minutes away for concerts, good shopping, and nice restaurants. The campus is gorgeous, and although the enrollment is bigger than some nearby towns, I have never felt overwhelmed or crowded on campus. No one can have enough school spirit during football season, and about half the student body can be seen wearing some type of school logo on a daily basis. The Administration is really making efforts to improve the University's reputation academically, as most people think of UA just in terms of football and partying. The Honors College has a minimum ACT score of 28 and makes up about 20% of the student body. Although the University is not normally thought of as an academic powerhouse, it definitely is. UA students regularly win numerous awards like the USA Today scholar award and Hollings Scholars.
Academic Life
Most professors I've had have made some effort to know my name. They are particularly friendly in Honors classes and in the Spanish Department. The math department is largely foreign is leaves a lot to be desired. Honors Students study decent amount but probably less than at a lot of universities. It also depends on a person's major. Class participation really just depends on people. I've taken Honors classes with little to no participation, and non-Honors classes where everyone has something to say--- all in the same department. The University is so big that there's not really a need for students to be that competitive, those that are are kind of shunned. Everyone an find a place. Many students are pre-law or pre-med, so the departments those people would fall into are excellent. The business school is also very good. However, a lot of classes seem to be oriented more towards getting a job or preparing for other classes in the major than actually learning.
Student Body
There are so many students on campus that everyone can find a place. However, the majority of students are preppy and a little more conservative than most. Students can be seen wearing anything from a UA sweatshirt and sweatpants and a business suit to classes. Most UA students are middle to upper-middle class and come from suburbs or rural areas. There are a lot of nice cars on campus and namebrand clothing is very popular. The students are moderate-- which is more conservative than most college campuses. There are activist student organizations for both parties of political candidates, but most students are apathetic.
The Best Things
friendly professors and students, social life
The Worst Things
predominance of Greek life, popularity of church
