Would a shy kid struggle at UA? honest advice needed

LucieTheLakie
Tue, 21 Apr 2015 21:41:56 +0000

@scholarme, sorry to be late to join the discussion, but I wish your DD all the best!

My son was a shy kid too, but he was ready to step out of his comfort zone a little when it was time to narrow down his choices last year (and he’s really not shy anymore, not since heading for Bama).

He ended up not applying to Pitt, but he did apply to Penn State, and I was surprised (and thrilled!!!) when he chose UA over PSU a year ago this week. Some of it was practical (since Bama was half the cost of Penn State for us), but in the end, he just preferred the overall vibe at Bama over Penn State.

He followed much of the advice folks here are suggesting, including participating in Alabama Action. And while he didn’t go Greek, he did embrace the festivities and pageantry surrounding home football games, which he attended with his Blount friends. He’s shared a bedroom with is brother since he was six, so he wasn’t as worried about having a roommate as some kids might be, but it certainly wasn’t his original preference. Nonetheless, it all worked out great.

Living in Blount really has as much to do with his happiness and success this past year as anything IMHO. He also landed a great co-op offer and will begin this summer. There are so many opportunities for engineering students, and the Society of Women Engineers seems like a great group too: http://bama.ua.edu/~swe/.

FWIW, one of his best friends headed to Pitt, also to study engineering. (And another headed to Temple on that great scholarship @laralei referenced upthread.) I think his Pitt friend has had a good experience there, but I know his mom (who’s missed him HORRIBLY) longs for a parent community like I’ve found within the extended Bama community. (She really wanted him to transfer to UDel after his first semester.) My son’s nonstop flights from PHL to BHM don’t seem any more taxing than the drive (or train) to Pitt either.

The ORM thing (it would be URM at Bama, I suspect) is really a tough call. If she’s particularly sensitive about feeling like she fits in, I can see where Pitt might feel like a better match.