The University of Alabama Top Questions

There are about 130 student organizations on this campus! There is definitely everything to offer. In the fall and spring, we have Get on Board Day and all students are about to come to the plaza and sign up for organizations that interest them. This was partly how I found a lot of journalism clubs and Sigma Lambda Gamma, a multicultural sorority I joined. There are so many different events that come to campus and so many organizations that support different things. This campus is very welcoming. I think the most popular student groups are Student Government Association and sororities and fraternities.

Greek organizations are the biggest thing to be involved with on campus. As a member of Gamma Phi Beta I can talk from experience that being Greek means your going to know about everything going on in campus and have a way of being a part of it.

Lot's of parties, Lot's of bars, Lot's of athletic events to attend with lots of fanfare.

Greek life is big on campus, but that is not all that there is. Many people are involved in specialized groups, such as honoraries and service organizations. A very popular group is Yell Crew, which serves as a sort of pep squad for the football team. There is also Mark's Madness for basketball and Ten Troupe for gymnastics. Sports are a big part of campus life, and there are always intermurals going on with most dorms and a lot of clubs having teams. I am involved in Circle K International, which is the world's largest collegiate service organization, and we offer the unique opportunity to work alongside people who live in the Tuscaloosa community because we are part of the Kiwanis family. The thing to remember though is that there is always something to do regardless of your interests. Partying is mostly associated with Greek life and freshmen, so if you like it you can do it, but if you don't like it, you don't have to do it. Parties are for the most part held on weekends during football season and on Thursday nights. Due to the Thursday night trend, campus seems to really die down on away game and spring weekends. If you are looking for a party you can find one, and if not, there are other things to do. Living on campus offers a wide range of experiences depending on where you live. Tutwiler and Paty offer traditional single sex rooms with community baths where people leave their doors open and you get to know people on your floor. Riverside, Lakeside, and Ridgecrest on the other hand, are more apartment style with four same-sex people living in each unit though the floors are co-ed. You can go the whole year without ever meeting your next door neighbor, but at the same time that is preferred by some. If you want to meet people, you can take part in the floor or community activities planned by the RAs. The perks of Riverside, Lakeside, and Ridgecrest are that you get your own bedroom and only share a bathroom with one other person.

Getting involved on campus is easy. The most popular way is through fraternities and sororities. But there are hundreds of organizations to get involved in. Many churches have an student organization such as the Wesley Foundations made up those affiliated to the Methodist church. There are also organizations that deal with community service or being cheer sections for different sports. Besides football there are other events. There are gymnastics, basketball, plays, and other events around campus. The organizations help you meet new people. Even in some of the dorms you can leave your door open such as in Tutwiller, but in Riverside, Lakeside, and Ridgecrest the doors are too heavy to leave open. I meet my closest friends through a winter guard that is made up of Bama students, but the guard is not the University's. The guard is Amor Winter Guard. But I have also meet people through UnAshamed. UnAshamed is a non-dominational worship service.

There is so much to get involved in at UA. Being Greek helps, but it is not the most important move to make here at UA. We have an awesome theater department, and athletics are key. I met my closest friends through joining a sorority. The pledge classes are so big that there is a group for every individual withing the pledge class. People party quite a bit, but study when they need to study.

Again a lot of what you do with activities and social events depends on your personality. There are a lot of groups, clubs, teams, etc to get involved with. Some students in dorms leave their doors opened. Athletic events (especially football and gymnastics) are very popular. Guest speakers (ALLELE series) are prevalent all over campus throughout the year talking about a wide range of topics. The theater department on campus is amazing. I've probably been to over 30 plays. I met a lot of my friends through classes and working in the lab. If I'm awake on Tuesday at 2am I'm unfortunately studying or doing a paper that I've been procrastinating about. Homecoming is a really big deal here every year. A-day is also huge. People party all the time. If you want to party you can probably find other people to party with. Frats/sororities are here but not obtrusive. I slept last weekend. Finals are coming up. On a Saturday night, you can go to a movie, go bowling, go to dinner, or do something on campus if you don't drink.

Students don't leave their doors open for safety reasons. The athletic events are a BIG deal. The dating scene is different for everyone. I met my best friends in high school but have made more friends since I've been here. People party all the time. But you don't always have to go out. I went out a lot as a freshmen, a little less as a sophomore, and I only go out on the weekends and random wednesdays now that I'm a junior. You start to get more serious about school as you move on and classes get much harder. Greek life may be important to some people. But most people aren't that involved much past their sophomore year. Most people think they need it to meet people. But you can meet people anywhere. I'm usually either at my apartment, at the gym, or at the library. But since I work hard I party hard too.

The most popular organization on campus, I guess would have to be the fraternities and sororities. A lot of people are involved in them, but not everyone. Students will leave their doors open in the dorms. On my side of the hall, I know all the girls and they know me. Athletic events are the place to be! They are so much fun, whether it be gymnastics, baseball, basketball, or football. You will always have a lot of fun tat them. I met my closet friends through church and the BCM. Both of these do a lot of things at the beginning of the semester to help and make new students feel at home. During the week, me and some of my closet friends go out to eat and then later come back to my dorm and watch the O.C. Some of my guy friends do the same thing, except they watch LOST. On Saturday nights, my friends and I are all about finding something fun to do without drinking. We usually watch a movie, or go play Frisbee Golf on the Quad. We always find something fun to do. Off campus, you can go to the River and walk or run, go to the mall, or even go roller skating. One thing I wish we had here near UA is Putt Putt Golf, the old one closed down.

There's always something going on.