Registration is a three-part process, designed to help minimize the opportunity for any student to get stuck with an airline ticket he can’t use, and to manage the capacity we have at our program facility. With more than 30 campuses on break most sessions, space goes quickly.
In managing our attendees, we try to maximize the number of: 1) campuses, 2) underclassmen and 3) first-time attendees. As such, we may not always be able to find room for everyone on each campuses’ reservations list. Those who do not receive seats in the first round will be placed on a waitlist in the order reservations were received.
1) The first step is for a campus to submit a list of men who are interested to attend, including their classification (freshman, sophomore, etc.), email and phone. Reservations forms are available from our website HERE. If you want to coordinate ALA participation for your chapter, consider being an ALA Ambassador.
2) If space is available, the ALA will email each student to confirm they are approved to attend, provide information on how to proceed with the purchase of airline tickets and access our online registration area. If space is not available, students will receive an email informing them they are on the waitlist for the session, and instructing them to hold off on purchasing airline tickets until space is available.
NOTE: We cannot be responsible for those who purchase tickets before they have confirmation that a space has been reserved for them. The reservations process is the only way to secure a seat for any session.
3) Once approved to attend, students purchase tickets and go online to register and pay their registration fee. Online registration will take about 10 minutes and will require a flight itinerary, parent/emergency contact information, a passport number (or date on which the passport application was submitted), and the payment of the registration fee (by credit card or electronic check). Students should have this information ready when they visit the registration site.
Student registration for all 2012 sessions is $150, with a $50 discount for those who register by the deadlines. An additional $25 discount is provided to those who submit two letters of recommendation. One letter must come from the chapter advisor or a house corporation representative, and one from the chapter president, a faculty member or employer. Letters should recommend the student based on character, good standing with the group/on campus, and leadership ability. Letters are not required to register, only to receive the additional discount. Download example letters with this link: Sample Rec Letters.
Our reservations process opens August 15. Online registration for all sessions opens September 15. The registration deadline for the January session is November 15. The registration deadline for our March sessions is December 15. There also will be an “add-drop” period in January, to fill any remaining seats in March sessions.
NOTE: Registration deadlines are set early, to provide incentives for students to get airline tickets as far in advance as possible – when they are cheapest. The reason most given for why students cannot attend is that airfares grew too high to afford, after students delayed their purchase too late into the year.
When you are ready to purchase tickets, we encourage you to contact our travel partner, Canyon Creek Travel at (866) 415-4900. Learn more about why buying from a travel agent is a wise investment HERE.
Should you have any questions about this process, please contact the ALA by phone at (877) 257-1458, or by email at info@AmericanLA.org.