University of Alabama at Birmingham Top Questions

I wish I had known how research-oriented this university is. It's an R1 university, and research is huge. That means great opportunities for students to become involved in research much earlier than other students, and in a much better institution.

I wish I'd known that slacking off is a downward spiral-- keeping the dedication and passion that you feel on day one is totally crucial to doing well.

I wish I knew how to campus looked before I came.

Get focused early and start reaching out to companies you would like to work for in the future. Volunteer or get into an internship. That way, when you do graduate it will be much easier to get a job. Do not wait until your sophomore year to decide on a major. Take your classes seriously. Just because you can skate by and get a B does not mean you should. You might need that A that you could have earned to cushion your GPA later in your college career when the course load gets harder. Every class counts, even electives.

Before I came to UAB, I wish I had known about the somewhat difficult transition there would be from my community college to UAB.

How Financial aid deals with people, I wish that they were easier to get in contact with and would respond to emails and phone calls in a prompt manner. Granted, for the size of the school I guess they do a good job. They aren't very helpful with housing, everything has to be done on your own accord.

Before I came to college, I wish I had known how many different opportunities I would encounter once I entered school. I also wish I had known how many different cultures I would encounter, and how the setting in the city would be so different from where I came from.

I wish I would have known the exact amount of tuition and I wish I would have applied for more scholarships at the school. I really need this scholarship to pay off my tuition so I can register for the next semester. If not, I will be kicked out of school and I don't want that to happen. I want to prove to my family that we can graduate from college and so on to be intelligent people.

That the physical therapy program would be phased out at the bachelor's level.

The importance of grades, at an earlier age, especially now that I am in gradate school

I wish I would have known that having my own mind and point of view is actually a good thing. I wish someone would have made sure I knew that time management is the key to survival. I wish I would have known, without a doubt in my mind, that I can actually be anything I want and someone will be there to help me reach this goal. Above all, I wish I would have known that I would form some of the best friendships of my life here.

Before I came to UAB, I wish I would have known more about the amazing services and opportunities available for me and all other students at UAB. Even though I am somewhat involved, I wish that I would have known more about the numerous organizations offered so that I could be tremendously involved like many of the people that I have come in contact with in my few months a UAB. I feel that if I would have been more interested in learning about what is offered, it would have been easier for me to get involved.

UAB charges a lot of money for out of state tuition and I wish I would of known this before hand, because they also don't give out that much money for loans, and now I'm stuck being able to pay for school.

Before I came to UAB I wish I had known that you could major in whatever you like to be on a pre-med track and also that housing on campus was so expensive after freshman year and off campus housing is also.

I wish I had known the difficutly in getting financial aid. Minorities have no problem getting aid however those whose parents are still together and make a fair income usually do not recieve as much aid as the minorities with the same financial situtation.

I wish I had known how easy it was to approach teachers about my own conflicts. I was having trouble with a teacher's assissant who was not teaching my Biology lab well, but I felt like it was too small of a deal to approach my professor. After the semester I approached my professor about the problem and she said she would have remedied it immediately if I had come to her. Unfortunately my grade and GPA were already affected because I was reluctant to speak out about problems in my lab.

The only thing I wasn't prepared for was the lack of parking.

I pretty much knew what I wanted because I researched and visited the whole time I anticipated coming here. The only surprise to me was the dorm/meal plan prices.

How to prepare mentally and physically for the road ahead. Grades can slip if you're not careful.

How much I needed to study!