U.A.H. When I attended school here it stood for "University At Home." Most of us were locals with…read morea few recruited athletes from other counties and countries. Back then, the duckpond south of Holmes was called "Bra Lake." I spent countless hours on campus, in the Art building, in the library. and even rented a bed in the old old dorms before attending full time. The gym used to be a concert venue and they also hosted a spring outdoor concert series each year both of which were open to the public. My favorite show here was Billy Idol! Rumor has it he swam in the gym pool, without a swimsuit, after the show. It was a great show!!!!! I was fortunate to get a tennis scholarship and for the most part, enjoyed my teammates and the whole college athlete experience. We had exceptional trainers, good facilities, and adequate benefits [per diem meal money when we traveled, free athletic clothing, meal money on campus, 100% books and I believe, 100% tuition.] Academically, UAH is no cake walk! I was completely unprepared my first semester [and UAH was on the semester crammed into a quarter system at that time, I don't know if it is still like that now]. Let's just say I started off on academic probation, when I finished my first term. Again, I didn't really know how to study, and never really had to try in my prior education and did not have or seek out proper guidance to understand how to drop classes in a timely manner. This situation sent me to Calhoun Community College where I upped my GPA and earned 2 Associate degrees. Key in this situation is to always get your community college classes approved for transfer to a school like UAH prior to taking the courses. I did this and only had to contest maybe two Calhoun classes [which I successfully contested and did get the credits approved to transfer to UAH]. This was a huge win because Calhoun was way way less expensive than UAH. Fast forward a few years and I was back attending UAH. I was "undecided" for forever it seems, as I'm not engineering minded, nor gifted in math at all, and was thrilled when I found my niche at this primarily engineering school, in Liberal Arts. It took a lot of work, some help from tutors, and then more work and I finally graduated cum laude. Who hoo! I'm happy UAH is here. Two siblings got degrees here, and our Mom used to volunteer at the OLLI, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, at UAH. I've enjoyed classes which were extracurricular development and not part of my official college curriculum such as yoga, which were held at UAH, and also professional development courses I have taken here. All were organized, well done, and beneficial. U.A.H. is a reputable accredited university with, for the most part, good professors, and a nice campus. Don't rule out their Liberal Arts program, it's legit! U.A.H. is really growing, too! It looks like U.A.H. is rapidly adding more housing and parking facilities on the south side of Holmes east of the fitness center.

UAH Campus Pond is my hidden gem for free, feel-good family time. My son and I love coming here to…read morefeed the ducks, fish, and turtles--it's like a mini wildlife retreat in the middle of campus! The peaceful setting is perfect for soaking up some sunshine, and the excitement on my son's face when the animals come up for a snack. Priceless. If you're looking for a laid-back outdoor activity, this place is a win every time.