Nards’ College Visits: University of Alabama
On January 28th, I had the opportunity to visit the University of Alabama and participate in the “Capstone Communication Day” for all students interested in majoring in communications and information studies.
In this new series, I will be discussing my experience with visiting different colleges in hopes of giving further insight to anyone in the future looking at these same schools.
When entering Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the first thing that I noticed was that the town is nothing like the northeastern cities that many of us have become accustomed to. The city has somewhat formed around the university itself, and there is an immense outpouring of pride regarding the university.
The campus is massive, the first sight being the enormous Bryant-Denny stadium, home to one of the consistently strongest collegiate teams in the nation. After seeing this, we proceeded to the communication and information studies building, Phifer Hall. The hall boasts a banner declaring the debate and speech team the best in the nation.
The event began with a check-in, in which all visitors received a gift bag of welcoming handbooks and a free t-shirt. This was followed by a general information session about the majors included within the college. They make the distinction clear that while they are within the University of Alabama, they are the “College of Communications and Information Studies.”
They include five broader majors, such as News Media and Creative Media. Next, we moved inside the Bryant-Denny Stadium to the Media room inside the historic stadium.
While inside, we met with a panel of four leaders of the production companies within the stadium. These companies provide students with internship opportunities to further their skills. The most appealing to me was “WVUA 23”. Mike Royer, who has over forty years of broadcast experience, led the panel for WVUA 23; he explained that the internships create a well-rounded individual who can find their own story, broadcast it, and edit it themselves.
After this, we explored the massive media rooms in which the news station produces their feed and the studio in which Nick Saban does countless interviews. Of course, we were permitted to take pictures at the desks, which I obliged to.
Following this tour, we went to lunch, where another panel of students in the college gave their experiences and what they have been able to do thanks to enrolling within the college and taking advantage of the opportunities presented.
A quote that stuck with me the most was when one student had secured multiple internships while in college.
She said, “When I came to C&IS (Communication and Information Studies), I found my home away from home.”
This impactful statement will surely follow me as I continue my college search. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the University of Alabama. The opportunities they provide are outstanding. I will continue to consider it one of my top options as I continue my college process.
