She’s probably never going to “whoop” or say Howdy to anyone. She’s not that interested in football. She’s friendly, but isn’t much on tradition, anywhere. She really values diversity and wants stuff to do off-campus (places to eat that aren’t chains, and “options” of things to do.) Accepted to University Honors and Engineering Honors.
Will she fit in socially and have stuff to do off-campus?
Does she have another option? My son’s in the same boat. I went there and I would say it’s not ideal for a person that fits that description. Not awful, just not ideal. She may be what’s called a 2%er at A&M, but she’ll find her group and still have fun.
Like your daughter, I have two daughters, both Engineering and Honors. I think your D will fit in as much as she wants to fit in. As with any school of 50K+ students, there really are all kinds of people with all kinds of interests. Both my daughters found their “people” and these groups are nothing alike. They both love A&M.
@Commiserating - My son is an OOS Sophomore Engineering major in both Honors programs. He has never been to an athletic event and as far as I know, never says Howdy. For him, he’s joined a lot of clubs to meet people and do things. He meets Thursday nights with the German club for a meal with all conversation in German. He is president of the Political Debate and Discussion Club and really enjoys the lively meetings. Model UN has been fun. Honors activities were also good, especially freshman year. He even got involved in Swing Dancing. He surprised me last Sunday when he seemed pretty excited that he would have enough credits after this semester to be eligible to buy his Aggie Class Ring.
Now, you will never mistake College Station for Madison or Ann Arbor. And I will say that when my son is home and visits with friends at ASU, he has commented more than once that Tempe is a much better college town than is College Station., However, there are clubs and places to hang out.
The biggest issue is that TAMU is 97% Texans. Now Texans are great and most don’t fit the big-hat/cattle-ranch/oil-well stereotype. But many other colleges have far more students from around the US and world. However, my son has made a lot of friends anyway.
Overall, if you daughter goes in with an attitude that she won’t fit in or if she is inclined to snobbishness, TAMU will never work out for her. But it can work out if she has the right attitude. She will get a great engineering education, and she will ultimately be part of the Aggie network, one of the most rabid alumni networks in the world. Aggie engineers have a great reputation and other Aggies will support her for life.
I can see the diversity stats at Texas A&M. However, let’s go a bit deeper. Can y’all describe the level of “diversity of thought” there?
My S is a junior in engineering and considers the unique attributes of A&M - with all of their traditions - as an added asset of the school, but in no way defines all students as a certain “type”. If one wants to get caught up in all of that they can, if not, that’s OK, too. He has found plenty of diversity of political thought, activities, etc. He does not go around saying howdy, but it doesn’t bother him when someone does. He looks at it this way: If the traditions of the school make it a more friendly and welcoming and unique place, then that is a good thing. Unless you really just don’t like it, then it’s worth your consideration. I was raised the Pacific Northwest, but my kids were born and raised in Houston TX. I compare the atmosphere at my alma mater, University of Washington, and I notice a palpable difference in student interactions Both great institutions, but I love the feeling I get and my kids get at A&M, along with a great education.
From a student perspective it is not that diverse to me. Keep in mind A&M is the one of the most conservative if not the most conservative school in the country. People are friendly here and to make the most out of your experience join clubs and meet new people. If I could choose again I would probably choose a more lively town and bigger city. But that is probably because of all the work and I do not get to spend as much time as I want to with the organizations. Engineering is good here. Difficult but an interesting experience.
Did she make a choice? Sorry for coming so late to this discussion. Like Texas, TAMU has a majority of white, conservative, Christian srudents. But diversity is there and I think it finding it or not has everything to do with the interest you seek. My son didn’t go in searching for diversity be among the people who are his friends, and by that I mean people he hangs with, travels with and lives with include people from Mexico, South America, and Nepal, he has friends who are Middle Eastern Americans and African Americans. He himself is Jewish and also has Jewish friends. He has engaged in impromptu civil discussion with a Palestinian student about policy and politics of Israel. If you look at the school on the surface it may seem everyone is the same. For my son, diversity had definitely been part of his college experience. It may or may not be the best choice for your daughter but diversity can be found and not necessarily because you are seeking it.