Student Profile
Katie
- Class: Alum
- Major: English
- Gender: F
- High School: Naaman Forest High School in Garland, TX
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
A&M is definitely a very large campus. I think there are roughly 40,000 students. That may be too big for some people, but it allows everyone to do whatever it is that they're interested in. A&M does not require the freshman to live on campus, because there simply is not enough space to house all the freshmen, but I do strongly suggest that you live on campus for at least a year. It's an amazing experience! College Station is definitely a college town; it's right there in the name! The school was there first, and there are train tracks that run through the campus. The story goes is that College Station got its name because when riding the train, students and visitors sometimes didn't know at which stop to get off. So at the train station, someone took a board and wrote "college" on it, and nailed it above the sign that said "station." And thus College Station was born. So everything in College Station revolves around A&M. The students at A&M have tons and tons of school pride. There are certainly "2 percenters," or people who are uninterested in A&M's tradition and are only involved in the university about 2%. But most Aggies are incredibly proud to be Aggies, and they are very involved in all things A&M. A&M is a place to feel welcome, invited and loved. It's like a big family. There is a comaraderie at A&M like no other school I've ever seen. If I see anyone on the street wearing an Aggie ring, I've made a new friend. Aggies will gladly go out of their way to help another Aggie, and that's one of the main things I love about A&M.
Academic Life
A lot of freshman classes are huge - 250 students or so. But as you get further in your major, the classes become smaller and the professors learn your name. Even in the huge classes, though, if you make an effort (i.e. meet with your professor during office hours, ask intelligent questions, and work hard) the professors will bend over backwards a lot of times to help. Of course there are some professors who aren't very helpful, but the majority are teaching because they like it, and if you show an interest, they'll meet you half way. Many things vary from class to class, like: Is class participation common? Do you spend time with professors outside of class? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It really depends on the subject matter of the class and on the professor. And the same goes with individual students: Some are really competitive, others aren't. Some don't have to study much, and some spend hours each day studying. The studying also depends on what type of class you're taking. Some students have intellectual discussions outside of class, and others don't
Student Body
Almost all students at A&M wear the Aggie uniform: An Aggie shirt, blue jeans/shorts, and flip flops. There are always freshmen at the beginning of the year who dress up to go to class, but about halfway through the first semester, they realize that it's really not necessary. There are a fair amount of pajama pants worn to class as well, although moreso in the morning classes. I would caution wearing pajama pants too early in the semester, though: you don't want your professor to think that you're lazy and/or you don't care about the class. Probably 75% of Aggies are from Texas, but there are also students from out of state and international students. "Howdy" is a dwindling tradition at A&M, but still somewhat prevalant. At A&M, when you pass someone on campus, instead of just smiling or nodding to them, we say "Howdy." It's a little thing, but it goes a long way to make people feel welcome on campus.
The Best Things
Way too many to list. Everything!
The Worst Things
I can't think of anything. Really.
