The Legacy Collective (TLC) is a multi-year, immersive experience for BRIDGE & Lucy’s Legacy students that grows with you from your first days on campus through graduation. Whether you are learning the ins and outs of college, building strong academic habits, forming friendships that feel like home, or stepping into leadership roles as you advance through college, TLC will support you every step of the way. Across your time at UA, you will experience shared courses, mentoring, service, and opportunities for personal and professional development that help you feel confident, connected, and ready for whatever comes next.
The First-Year TLC Experience
Your first year in TLC is all about building community, strengthening your academic skills, and getting the support you need to feel at home at UA. From TLC Week to getting paired with your mentor for the year, our TLC Legends course to monthly service experiences, TLC surrounds you with people and resources designed to help you thrive at UA.
- TLC Week (Early Move-In): TLC Week is a high-energy week to meet our staff & The TLC Ambassadors, get campus-ready, find your classes, and learn about campus resources. The first-year TLC cohort will move to campus early and participate in TLC Week. You can expect team challenges, skill-building sessions, a community service day, a lot of new merch, a lot of new friends, and a lot of fun. Attending the full TLC Week is mandatory to be in The Legacy Collective
- TLC Legends Course: The new TLC cohort will enroll in a shared UA 101: UA Legends course. All new freshmen and transfer students must take UA 101 during their first year at Bama. As a part of TLC, you will take our TLC Legends Course this fall with Dr. Summerville, titled Hip Hop as Discourse, exploring & analyzing old-school classics to hip hop hits of our time and learning the history of hip hop as a music genre.
- Mentors and Study Hall: All first-year TLC students will be paired with an upper-level TLC mentor and have access to academic coaching, tutoring, and weekly study halls with targeted and informational workshops.
- Living-Learning Community in John England Jr. Hall (optional): A group of TLC freshmen will live together on a dedicated floor in John England Jr. Hall – with two upper-level TLC resident advisors, monthly events, and faculty/staff mentoring. All freshmen living on the TLC floor in England will not have to participate in regular room selection in May 2026 because the TLC staff will work with UA’s Housing and Residential staff to pair roommates and assign everyone to their room.
- Advocacy in Action: The TLC first-year cohort will learn leadership through service in Tuscaloosa and West Alabama – starting with Service Day until TLC and continuing throughout the academic year in partnership with UA’s Center for Service and Leadership and community partners.
Years 2-4+ TLC Experience
As you move beyond your first year, you will still be a part of TLC (BRIDGE & Lucy’s Legacy) until you graduate. Each first-year cohort advances together, as a collective group, until graduation. Our staff will continue to work with you and support you academically, socially and professionally.
- Upper-level TLC experiences include:
- Joining a year-specific leadership & professional development cohort that will help you grow with peers as similar stages in your college experience
- Eligibility to apply for the TLC Ambassadors (the team of student leaders for TLC Week)
- An optional second-year living-learning community in the Ridgecrest East campus dorm
- Mentoring the incoming TLC cohort through Engagement & Academic Mentors
- Deepened academic connection within your major and college
- Built-in experiences for connecting coursework to future career paths and building professional skills
- Exploration of experiential learning opportunities such as study abroad, undergraduate research, internships, and industry immersion trips to nearby Southeastern cities
- Networking experiences with alumni, industry partners, and community leaders
- Participation in graduation and degree-completion celebrations that honor the work, community, and legacy you’ve built throughout your TLC journey