<p>Hi</p>
<p>I am applying to TAMU for spring. </p>
<p>I have heard that people at TAMU drink a lot. I don't drink. </p>
<p>I am a Pakistani and people say that there is a lack of diversity at TAMU.</p>
<p>Will I be able to fit in ?</p>
<p>TAMU has 45K students - most of them are white and from Texas but there will be more international student there than at a small school. </p>
<p>I imagine that the proportion of international students in engineering and the sciences is greater than in the rest of the university.</p>
<p>Whether you fit in is up to you. If you are open to learning about people whose culture is different than yours, you should not have a problem because TAMU prides itself on being the friendliest large university around. If you prefer to associate w/ a large Pakistani community, than TAMU would not be the place you would want to go to.</p>
<p>As for drinking, TAMU is probably no different from most other large universities. There will be drinkers and non-drinkers. W/ 45K students, there is bound to be plenty of non-drinkers that you can be friends with.</p>
<p>I understand that TAMU has substance free dorms so make sure you look in to that. A larger university is more likely than a small university to have more diversity. The best way to get a feel for how diverse a campus is is to go to the university web site and search for different cultural clubs etc.</p>
<p>hey thanks guys!... I was actually looking for a culturally diverse place because I've studied in international schools almost all my life and i find it pretty boring to hang with people from the same culture... I'll search for clubs right now. .. btw, is the fees expected to increase drastically in the future as it did in UT Austin?</p>
<p>I don't think they plan on raising tuition this year. I would think that they would have done it by now. Next year may be a different story. Good luck at TAMU. My son was accepted but will probably go to Va Tech because they gave him an ROTC scholarship.</p>
<p>which is better though? I am international so im not eleigible for any funding whatsoever..</p>
<p>waleedk, For what it's worth, I was on campus at TAMU on a weekend recently and saw a lot of guys who appeared to be Indian playing lacrosse. They seemed to be TAMU students because they weren't wearing uniforms and were just playing around on a common area (not in a stadium at an official game). I know that you may not have much more in common with Indian lacrosse players than that you are from neighboring countries, but that at least shows that there are international students there who are finding opportunities to get together.</p>
<p>As for drinking...yes, a lot of it goes on, but keep in mind that the legal age for drinking in Texas is 21, so that does limit it somewhat. The substance-free dorms would be a great idea if you can get into one. My son at A&M does not drink, and it has not been a problem for him. He still has friends, and many of them don't drink, either.</p>
<p>TAMU is probably one of the "whiter" universities, but you could look at it as an opportunity to learn more about white culture (or should I say Southern red-neck culture?). Just kidding!</p>
<p>There are tons of Indians and Pakis in the engineering school.</p>
<p>Timely made me think about something to add... I was with an Indian and Nigerian international student the other day because we were going to check out some stuff in Houston. They both felt really comfortable in the TAMU community, and hadn't had any experiences with being uncomfortable as an IS. We also talked about how they get together and play cricket on saturdays- I don't know if you play, but it sounds like fun!</p>