Ask a Current Ag

Colleges and Universities A-Z Texas A&M University
1

A lot of 2023 aggies are getting results now and some engineering results have already come out. I’m 2022 ag and I’d love to answer any questions y’all may have!
For a little bit of background information, I live on-campus, went to Fish Camp, and I’m majoring in engineering. I am not doing engineering or university honors, I am not in the Corps, and I did not rush.
I can try to answer any questions y’all have about some of the things I listed, or any general information about this school (such as what the weather is like, how far apart are my classes, is it easy to join clubs/make friends, etc.).

I invite anyone to ask questions and anyone else to answer if they wish!

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@anxious_stdnt ,
Ok, you asked for it! ?
Did you enjoy Fish camp? Do you recommend it?
Are transfer students eligible for Fish camp?
What is Howdy week?
Did you attend Pre-conference day? If so, what time did it begin, and what went on that day?
How was the MPE? Did you take the MPE practice tests?
Which dorm? How do you like it? Any suggestions?
What do you wish you had known or done back then that you know now?
Thanks for your help!

3

Fish Camp:
Did I enjoy it? Yes. Was I absolutely exhausted and ready to go home by the end of it? Also yes. If you’re introverted it honestly might be a little tough and overwhelming; you’re always around people and socializing is such a big part of it. Even if you arent introverted, you are constantly yelling and getting hyped up and always doing something which is tiring. I would still strongly recommend it. You make friends there, and I went to one of the later ones so it wasn’t hard to keep in touch with them and I went into school knowing a few people that I could hang out with. It also is a lot of fun despite how tiring it is. Definitely go. And bring honey/something to soothe your throat if you do.
I think transfer students have T-camp instead of fish camp, so they probably aren’t eligible for fish camp but I’m not 100% sure on that.

Howdy Week:
Howdy week is… a lot. Basically its move-in week, you don’t have to do anything. You don’t even have to be on campus or at college station; I know a few people who moved in and then went home for Howdy week. However, if you are around for it, I’d suggest looking at the schedule, picking out events that sound cool, and bringing a friend along with you. Its a week of free food and free t-shirts if you know where to go. Use this week to find all your classes and make sure you know where everything is. Start getting organized for school; get any textbooks/homework accounts you know you’ll need, etc. A lot of people party that week.

Pre-Conference Day:
I attended pre-conference day. I don’t really remember when it started, I probably got there around 2? or 3? All I did was check in, get my Student ID, and went to a social at the Alumni Center. Nothing big that day but it meant I didn’t have to be up at 7:30 the next morning to get in line for my ID. You can also get your sports pass that day too, though I don’t remember which day I went and got mine.

MPE:
The MPE. That boy was stressful. I passed it, however, I know a lot of people who took calculus in high school and did not. If you take the practice tests its easy. Just about everyone who worked through the problems passed it as far as I know. It’s not that its super hard or anything, it’s just asking for information that most people don’t remember and refreshing yourself with the practice tests will definitely help.

Dorms:
I’m in Hullabaloo and I love it, however, it’s really hard to get into as a freshman. You basically have to/would have had to apply as soon as applications opened to freshmen to get it. I also went potluck which is a good idea bc I don’t remember any double rooms being open (at least not on lower floors). Modular style rooms aren’t bad either; they have the most floor space and you get two closets. I think most of my friends live in mods, and I know one guy in Walton and he thinks the guys there are weird (it has its own little culture) but he doesn’t complain about it too much. Honestly, it just depends on your price range and where all your classes are. Mine are spread around campus so it didn’t really matter that much where I stayed, and I have a bike that helps get me from class to class.

-I wish I had known how rainy and floody it gets here. Rain boots, a rain jacket, and an umbrella are a must here. I never leave my dorm without my umbrella and rain jacket because the weather can turn at a moments notice. It also floods badly here making rain boots a must.

-I also wish I had known what kind of relationship I wanted with my roommate. I went potluck and I filled out the roommate finding thing saying I wanted to be friends with my roommate. I actually do not want that. It’s not that I have anything against her or anything; I simply need my own space and I need to be alone sometimes. Having someone try to talk to me or do activities with me in a space that I want to feel like my own can be frustrating when all I want to do is rest and recharge. If you’re more extroverted or closer with your roommate this might not be such a big deal for you, however it is something I struggle with.

-I also wish I realized that the whole joke about only getting to pick 2/3 on a list of study, sleep, socialize was true. It is possible to do all three, I think (I don’t really know of anyone who does), but most people I know either give up on sleeping to socialize and study or give up on socializing to sleep and study. Balancing the three is harder than expected.

-The school wants you to succeed. There are so many free/included in your tuition resources available to you that you really won’t need to pay for tutoring unless you really think that nothing the school offers is helping. Honestly though, between SI sessions and Office Hours and Help Desks and tutors in the library and TAs and friends, theres a lot for you to try before paying for anything like that.

-Go to the engineering career fair. Anyone who says freshmen can’t get internships either didn’t go or only set their sights on big companies. I went and found a company that takes freshmen interns. Don’t limit yourself to Exxon and Boeing; talk to the smaller, less shiny and eye-catching companies and you increase your odds.

-You’re gonna want at least one professional outfit. There is an org on campus that lets you rent out a suit or professional wear for only $5 if it’s not in the budget, but be sure you have/know how to get a professional outfit. You’ll wear it to interviews for FLOs, to the Career Fair, and to the Industry Night you’re required to attend freshman year, and that is all just within your first few months here.

-Aggies labor on labor day and almost all other days (basically we get no days off- only 3 for Thanksgiving, a week for spring break and then I think one random day in Spring Semester. I’m just ready for that month and a half for winter break and those 3ish months next summer).

-This school is really friendly. Like, more than what I was expecting. The number of people who have started conversations with me because I was by myself is astounding.

-Only get coffee in Evans library if you have 45 minutes to kill. The line alone will take 30 minutes to get to the front of, and you could be waiting for your order for 10+ minutes.

-Everyone uses groupme. Get groupme. Avoid class groupmes in case someone sends a quizlet with test answers on it because everyone in the groupchat will be put under academic review when the prof and TAs find out.

That’s all that I can think of off the top of my head right now. If you have any more questions or want me to elaborate on anything let me know.

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@anxious_stdnt , all I can say is Wow! Great information and advice. Thanks for your thorough and thoughtful feedback and first hand experiences.

And I appreciate your comments on dorm and roommate. My son is more on the introvert side, and the roommate thing is a little worrisome. But, as they say, it is what it is. I just hope for someone compatible.

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@CamandCam Living with a roommate is doable, it can just be frustrating as an introvert, especially if he gets a more talkative/friendly roommate. If he stays somewhere with enough space to loft his bed, I would suggest doing so and making a space for himself under it. I made enough space to fit a comfy chair and sometimes I’ll pull a blanket down to kinda cover the space and just sit there and do my own thing, I have some string lights under there and its just a very cozy space that I have total and complete control over and can make myself feel like I have my own space that I’m alone enough to recharge. There are also places he can find to be alone like study rooms in Evans or quiet little nooks throughout campus that an introvert can feel comfortable in.

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@anxious_stdnt thanks so much for helping all the newbies out. I am anxious too. I am an introvert myself and had a question for you. Is college as stressful as high school where you better have so many ECs, so many clubs, so many leadership positions so many community service hours and a high GPA? If yes, what is a good number of clubs to join in your opinion? If allowed to be on my own, i am content socializing with a handful of friends but mostly burying my head in books. Please advise a nervous and introvert person like me. I will be entering engineering next fall.

Also, had heard in another university during my visit that people take some credits from community college in mandatory first year subjects (at which they suck) so their pre reqs are completed but it does not affect GPA. Is it true of a&m too?

How do you figure out which professors you choose?

How big are freshman classes?

Is doing “honors” better for graduation or is it like GT in high school (only for a notation on transcript, but doing same course work as others)?

Thanks so much in advance for your time. I am going to come back with more soon.

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Did/Do you have AP/Dual-Credit hours? How does A&M let you apply them? Can they be spread out and used to keep you above the minimum required hours?

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@Embeechristmas

Clubs/GPA/Leadership:
So I’m honestly more stressed about being involved now than I was in high school. At least then, I was top 10% so I wasn’t too concerned about needing a long list of extracurriculars or anything. Now, however, you’re basically starting with a clean slate and no real rank to keep you safe. You can’t really put anything from high school on a resume, so I at least feel the need to be involved enough to have an attractive-looking resume. As far as the importance of GPA, you’re gonna want that 3.5 your freshman year, but unless you want to go into grad school it’s not as important as it was in high school. A 3.3 versus a 3.4 won’t make a huge difference to employers from my understanding; the mostly use GPA as a sort of filter, saying they only want students with a 3.5/3.0/2.5 and above or something like that. They’re more concerned with the experience of the individual than the GPA. This doesn’t mean you should focus only on clubs and internships, school should always be first priority after your own health, but they are more important now.
As far as how many clubs, it really depends. A lot of people don’t join any freshman year- they want time to get into the swing of things and adjust and focus on school the first semester. I’m a part of three, and I’m in a committee for one of those three. My roommate is a sophomore and she is in four. I have a friend that is only in one, and he’s an officer for the club. I have another friend that is in two or three. It really comes down to time. One of my clubs only asks for one hour of my time every other week, another club asks for one hour every other week then roughly half an hour every week for the committee meetings, and my third club asks for at least 3 hours every week if not more. Don’t feel pressured to join 5 orgs as soon as you get here; if you want to start with none or only one, then go ahead. Join more clubs as you feel comfortable, leave them as you feel the need to. It’s not a huge deal.
Try to get leadership positions and internships. They’re important but also remember that everyone else wants them too so it can be tough to get them. Just try your hardest.
You can volunteer on your own or even join an org that volunteers a lot. Definitely look into the Big Event; a club you’re in will probably go as a group or you can get some friends and do it on your own.

Community College Credits:
I came into A&M with 18 hours from a community college, and they did not affect my GPA here at all.

Professors:
Rate my professor is a website a lot of students use to pick professors. I know there is also a site somewhere that shows the grade spread of a prof, so basically how many A’s, B’s, C’s, etc. they gave last semester. I don’t know what/where that site is but that can be really handy. You can also ask current students for their opinions on profs.
I think I only picked one professor for this semester. The rest of my classes said TBA and professors weren’t assigned until mid-to-late summer. It happens. You can always try to switch classes during Add/Drop week.

Class Size:
So it varies. My Texas Gov, Chem, and Calc classes are all around 300 students. It’s ridiculous, seeing as that is bigger than my graduating class. However, my lab for chem is only 24ish students, my calc lab and recitation is probably around 30, and my Engineering class is probably no bigger than 50? Maybe 60? So it just depends on what class you have.

Honors:
Everyone I know that is doing honors is doing it just so they get first dibs on classes. They take one honors class, maybe two at most. None of them ever take all honors classes. Some don’t take any and are literally just there to get to pick their classes first. It’s lowkey unfair but maybe it’s my fault for not playing the game like them. Honors classes are also smaller, I think I heard one person say their honors engineering course was only 20-30 people, and that their work was all participation making the regular class I’m in technically harder. I don’t really know if it goes on the diploma, I don’t know if it affects GPA, all I’m sure of is that anyone who does it is there mainly to pick classes first.

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@bemart14

AP/Dual Credit:
I came in with both. Dual credit is applied as soon as you send it in, meaning that when I applied I already had my 18 credit hours logged.

AP you can take the time to accept. You should send it all to the school and then talk to an advisor before accepting any. I don’t think you get hours from AP, it just basically checks off a box saying you took this class you’re fine. You can accept it before talking to an advisor but I wouldn’t suggest that. They’ll know based off your major what you should accept and when. You don’t have to accept everything off the bat, you can accept one AP credit a semester or never accept any if that’s what works best for you.
I haven’t accepted any of mine yet. I might accept one just to skip to Calc 3 next semester.
I don’t think with the way it’s set up that you can use them to keep yourself at the minimum hour requirements, however, I would suggest talking to an advisor about that just to be sure.

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@anxious_stdnt so does that mean if you need to take 15 hours a semester, the dual credit hours won’t help meet that?

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@bemart14 Probably not? An advisor knows best honestly, but from my understanding, all the hours are accepted at once.
I would suggest trying to schedule an appointment with an advisor since they will know better than me what you need to do.

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@anxious_student thank you for your time and wise advice! I am so thrilled that someone like you is ready to guide us.

Regarding community college- I think I am not able to express this correctly. A tour guide at another university said she is a political science major, and does not do well in math. So, instead of taking calc(a mandatory course for freshmen there) in the university (where they are graded hard), she enrolled in community college during summer or school year (while enrolled at the university) for calc. Since community college credits are taken as pass/fail and do not affect gpa, she said that worked out great to keep up her higher gpa at the university. (Not sure If I am making sense. If not, please ignore:)…

Is this allowed in TAMU and if yes, how do we go about enrolling in community college simultaneously. Do we all have guidance counselors as in high school?

Thank you again!

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@Embeechristmas Ah okay I get what you are saying now. I’m like 99% sure that its okay to do that. I’m not exactly sure how to go about doing it simultaneously, an advisor would know better.

In high school, I feel like guidance counselors sort of filled many roles, helping with current academic goals, creating and working towards future/post-high school plans, and helping with emotional issues as needed (at least, that is how they functioned in my high school). This is more broken up in college, so depending on what exactly you’re looking for you’ll have different people, and I’ll just go ahead and cover them all now and not just assume which one you are looking for.
You’ll have an assigned academic advisor that you can meet with (though I think you are capable of meeting with any advisor in your major) to discuss which classes to take, when/what AP credit to accept, and I think they would be who you would talk to about how to dual enroll in community college. I’m sure they can also help with post-graduation discussions to a degree, though I know the career center offers professional school advising and can also offer help with career-related things after graduating college, and then there are counselors that help with like mental health-related things at the student counseling center.

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@anxious_student thank you again!??
That answers all my questions for the moment!!!

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Good morning! Thank you for your willingness to help future Aggies!

My questions are for my son:

  1. He is majoring in Engineering; is Hullabaloo far from the engineering buildings where his freshman classes will be held? If so, what is the most convenient dorms for him?
  2. He is very outgoing; I am getting concerned, as I have read student reviews that say that it is very hard to make friends there because most people group with high school friends. He knows only 2 other people from his high school who plan to attend tamu, and they aren't necessarily friends. If he joins clubs/groups, will he be able to make friends, or is it necessary to join a fraternity?

Thanks for your insight!

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@Embeechristmas You cannot take required courses at Community College to apply towards your general engineering requirements. https://engineering.tamu.edu/academics/entry-to-a-major/general-engineering-program/index.html

Required Coursework - General engineering students are required to complete at least the following courses at Texas A&M University with a minimum grade of C or higher:

Engineering: Two engineering courses from the following list – ENGR 102, ENGR 216

Science: Two science courses from the following list – PHYS 206, PHYS 207, PHYS 222, CHEM 107/117 or CHEM 101/111, CHEM 102/112.

Math: Two math courses from the following list – MATH 151, 152, 251, 253, 304, 308; CSCE 222 (Discrete Math)

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@Thelma2 thank you. Yes, I have no doubts about taking engineering requirements at Tamu. But if US History or Government or English classes are mandatory for freshmen, can I take them at community college since they dont pertain to my major?

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@Embeechristmas My apologies for misunderstanding your question. I thought you were asking about taking Engineering Calculus at a community college

You will be required to complete the University Core Curriculum http://catalog.tamu.edu/undergraduate/general-information/university-core-curriculum/
And 6 of those hours must meet the ICD (international Culture and Diversity) requirement. Here is a link for the Core Curriculum and ICD http://core.tamu.edu/
You certainly may take any of your Core Curriculum classes at community college if you don’t have AP credit you will later accept for those classes. Just make sure they transfer for credit, using the Texas Common Course Numbering System https://tccns.org/

You will just apply to any CC and take the course you want. After concluding the class, request the transcript from the CC be sent to TAMU.

The one hiccup can be the English class. For Engineering, the only class required is 104, which is TCCNS ENGL 1302 Composition II, but a lot of community colleges will not let you take 1302 before taking ENGL 1301. So, if you have AP credit for that, you will have to accept it for the Community College in order to take 1302, then those hours will transfer to TAMU.

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@CamandCam
Here is some info on Howdy week https://today.tamu.edu/2018/08/27/photo-gallery-texas-am-howdy-week-2018/
the schedule of events can be seen from a link inside this link

My son’s freshman year, we did not move him in until Wednesday during Howdy week. He was on a trip and did not return until the Tuesday afternoon. That night, I got a text that he and his fish camp crew had gone pond hopping, where apparently,you go swimming in all of the fountains around campus.

We went pot luck roommate and while it did not result in a friendship connection (except for the mom and I) it worked. My son is not introverted to perform in front of others (I got a FB tag from a friend’s mom freshman year when he and a friend had driven to Houston to try out for America’s Got Talent) but he is shy to walk up to people he doesn’t know and make small talk. He knew a few kids from hs at A&M and his best friend, also in engineering and same dorm, but they chose to not room together. He did makes some friends outside of the BF but they did hang out a lot in the friend’s dormroom, as his roommate was also outgoing. The roommate situation is different now than when my son went through. I actually know of mom’s on this forum who got together (both out of state) and began communicating personally on FB at first then their kids communicated so they were able to pick a dorm mate suitable to them. So, I think it’s great if people want to reach out to each other privately and see if connections can be made going in.

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@Thelma2 thank you so much for the detailed response. I will look through the link soon.