Your growth experience at The University of Alabama is important to us, and we want you to document every step! Through the REAL Tide Record of Engagement and Learning, we have designed a roadmap of opportunities to help you find your way through college and connect the dots along the way via our five engagement waves.
These engagement waves help you build meaningful connections with campus personnel, discover new opportunities, and enhance your degree beyond the classroom. By curating your personal journey in REAL Tide, you create a powerful record of your learning, leadership, and impact.
How REAL Tide Works
REAL Tide helps you track your growth in five core areas—our engagement waves—which connect directly to skills and competencies that resonate with graduate schools, employers, and future opportunities. From day one at UA, your participation in REAL Tide–tagged activities, programs, and positions will showcase your growth and development throughout your college journey.
How to Sign Up
Getting started is easy:
- Sign up using our online form.
- Once you opt-in, you will receive a welcome email with more details.
How to Find REAL Tide Experiences
Look for the REAL Tide tags on events, programs, and positions across campus.
- Browse the Engage UA event calendar and filter for “REAL Tide” or filter by each specific engagement wave category.
- Ask student organizations, offices, and departments if their opportunities are REAL Tide–tagged.
- Participate in involvement fairs, service projects, leadership programs, and more that connect to the five engagement waves.
Have a specific area of interest? Browse all REAL Tide events or check out the categories below to get started on your next experience!
Community Engagement
Community engagement is all about stepping outside your routine and getting connected with the world around you. It’s a chance to meet new people, build real skills, and contribute to something bigger than yourself.
Global and Intercultural Learning
Global and intercultural learning is about expanding your perspective and connecting with people, ideas, and cultures beyond your own. It challenges you to think critically, communicate across differences, and see the world through a wider lens. You don’t need a passport to start—you can do it on campus.
Leadership Development
Leadership development is about more than holding a position. It’s about building confidence, learning how to work with others, and making things happen. It gives you the tools to speak up, take action, and create positive change in your community.
Holistic Development
Holistic development is all about becoming the best version of yourself in every area of life. It’s about growing not just as a student, but as a person—mentally, emotionally, socially, and physically. It helps you find balance, build self-awareness, and figure out what really matters to you.
Professional Development
Professional development helps you get ready for what comes after college. It’s about learning how to communicate, network, and present yourself with confidence. You’ll gain real-world skills that set you apart and help you feel more prepared for whatever path you choose.
Events and Experiences
You can earn REAL Tide credit through engagement wave-tagged events and experiences. These tagged events will offer credit in on or more of the five engagement waves.
Faculty and staff can submit activities to be approved that relate to one or more of the five engagement waves. Once approved, the faculty or staff member facilitates the activity and can recommend a REAL TIde credit level to be awarded based on their evaluation of the student reflection. For more information on faculty and staff REAL Tide processes, visit REAL Tide for Staff.
- Student Organizations
- Students participating in or elected to the leadership of student organizations have the opportunity to earn REAL Tide credit when they submit reflections about their experiences.
- Leadership Roles and Campus Employment
- The student is questioning, planning or beginning to expand upon previously held understandings and is embedding themselves in experiences that expand their knowledge and understanding of this wave.
- Out-of-Class Projects
- UA Students may be participating in out-of-class projects where they are working to gain experiences and skills across UA’s five engagement waves. These positions may be on-campus or off-campus endeavors. Students can submit these for REAL Tide credit by requesting evaluation of that project and submitting a reflection of their experience.
- Locations
- UA students may be able to earn REAL Tide credit by using their Event Pass or Action Card to record participation and visits to certain approved UA locations.
- One-on-One Reflection Appointments
- If you’ve had learning experiences which you believe have expanded your perspectives in one of the five engagement waves, but the experiences weren’t REAL Tide-tagged, were a compilation of multiple experiences, and/or were not provided by UA, you can meet with an evaluator during a one-on-one reflection appointment to discuss your experiences and potentially earn REAL Tide credit.
- Online Activities
- Official REAL Tide-tagged virtual, live or asynchronous activities which address at least one of the five engagement waves may be eligible for REAL Tide Discovery-level credit.
Engagement Wave Areas and Depth of Learning Levels
To help students embody the five engagement waves in the measure and amount that will propel them to their greatest success, REAL Tide provides three learning levels of credit: Discovery, Integration, and Transformation. Evaluators look for evidence of growth in students to determine the credit level.
- Discovery
- The student displays a willingness to learn and grow by participating in the experience. They gained an awareness of their current perspectives related to the wave and may be developing an understand of what that wave entails.
- Integration
- Students participating in selected campus leadership roles or hired positions can submit reflections about their experiences for an opportunity to earn REAL Tide credit. Service in these positions will be verified by the department or organization hosting the opportunity.
- Transformation
- The student provides strong evidence of a learning experience that resulted in a growth or a shift in values, beliefs or perspectives in the wave, and this may be evident through changes in behavior, speech or ability or through tangible experience.
Other than for certain specified REAL Tide-tagged events, experiences and locations, a credit level is not guaranteed. REAL Tide levels are awarded by evaluators who consider a demonstration of learning and reflection by the student overall, and not merely for participation.
No amount of credits at each level, once reached, bumps a student to the next level. A recommended activity amount per level can be discussed with engagement record evaluators, who can provide a more comprehensive and individualized look at how a student can grow toward the next level.
Benefits of Participating
By documenting your experiences in REAL Tide, you will:
- Build a personal engagement record to share with employers and graduate schools.
- Connect classroom learning to real-world skills.
- Identify and reflect on your growth in leadership, service, and community engagement.
- Gain recognition through The REAL List, celebrating top student achievers each semester.
REAL Tide is more than a checklist—it’s your story of growth at UA. Start tracking your journey today and see how far you can go!
The REAL List: Your Next Level in REAL Tide
The REAL List is where your documented involvement in REAL Tide transforms into official recognition from The University of Alabama. While the main REAL List page covers the criteria and award details, here’s what it means for you as a student:
- It’s proof of your impact. Making The REAL List shows you’ve consistently engaged in high-quality experiences that span our five engagement waves.
- It’s a competitive edge. Employers, graduate schools, and scholarships value evidence of leadership, initiative, and applied learning—and The REAL List provides it in a tangible way.
- It’s a motivator. Tracking your involvement in REAL Tide keeps you intentional about the opportunities you choose and the skills you’re building.
- It’s a community. You’ll join other high-achieving students recognized for their commitment to being Built by Bama, Defined by Impact.
You don’t have to apply separately for The REAL List—your REAL Tide record does the work for you. Keep logging your tagged experiences each semester, and you could see your name among UA’s most engaged students.