My son has been accepted to the engineering school and is seriously considering A&M. I’m concerned about the size of the university and a stat I read that suggested almost 95% of the kids are from TX. He also may be interested in Greek life. Is it going to be an uphill battle for him?
@mombham Not knowing anything about your son or where you are from it is impossible to predict if it will be an “uphill battle for him”. As a former student class of 92 i can tell you that Aggies don’t really care where you come from. Once you get on Campus you are an Aggie and that is all that matters. You are adopted into the family. A&M is a land grant institution and was the college for the poor rural Texas kids for much of its early history. Nobody cared where you came from it was where you where going. There is a saying for those that live off campus and ride the bus to class that I think sums up the culture of A&M well: “If you run you ride. If you walk you wait.” The bus driver will wait if you are late and busting it to get on the bus. If the driver sees you walking you miss class… A&M believes in hard work, loyalty and leadership. If your son can buy into the culture it won’t be a problem wherever he is from. Gig’em!
Not enough info. Will your son be comfortable in a fairly conservative environment ?
I can tell you that Texans are pretty friendly. My son started at UT in 2010, as a kid from Maine. He said, “Mom, everyone is so friendly here!” I think you son would love it. One suggestion: He shouldn’t compare Texas to his home state. That doesn’t go over well, no matter where you attend school! Up here, I can tell pretty quickly if someone “from away” is going to make it. The people who complain WON’T! The ones who embrace their new home and take advantage of everything it has to offer do well.
We are from the South (Alabama), and he is conservative. He really likes the state of TX. When he created a list of pros and cons for schools, the A&M numbers are what I as a mom find intimidating, although I understand and appreciate that it’s a great school.
We are in-state and I am also concerned about the size of the school, but my daughter (and husband) are fine with it. My daughter does not want to attend a small school and doesn’t really see the difference between attending a freshman lecture style class with 250 students (this is what friends at OU report) versus 350 students. She knows it will be on her to go to office hours, etc. To make me feel better (and probably herself) she is going to Fish camp and Impact. Figure the more friends she can make before the first day of school the better.
Pretty sure that South Alabama is part of Texas–at least in spirit.
@mombham being from south Alabama I assume you are familiar with Auburn. We visited Auburn for a few days and my son was accepted there and we really liked it. Felt a lot like a smaller version of A&M
@mombham your son should be fine. We moved from PA to TX just as my son started HS. He had some adjustments coming from east coast to here but adapted well. I would think already being from the south your son will be just fine. I do agree with Maine longhorn, he doesn’t want to get in the habit of comparing places. My son is also in engineering. 
In terms of the size, I told mine not to dwell on that…becoming involved with some things will make it a smaller experience.
Thanks for the responses! How do we learn about programs like Fish Camp and Impact? I tried to see if there was a day for accepted students to visit like some other schools offer, but A&M doesn’t appear to have them. We are going back to visit again in the next month or so. I was just hoping it would be something more organized with other accepted students before he has to make his decision.
Btw, we are huge Auburn fans, and it’s still on his list, but it is by far the most popular school for kids in his class, and I think he wants to have a different experience.
I am still searching. I know I saw somewhere a couple day session for prospective students. I remember thinking it sounding cool, but since my daughter had already decided to go to A&M I promptly forgot about it.
https://tamuarc.■■■■■■■■■■/whoopin-weekend.html
Found it. Says that registration is closed, but still might be worth a call.
Excellent. Thanks so much!
OOS is not a problem at all. Both of mine went Greek - guys easier than girls (only due to the number of girls that know each other & the recruitment format) but both did fine. Both were in leadership within the Greek system & in other groups.
It really is true - once you enroll everyone is an Aggie first. There is an activity fair with hundreds of clubs/organizations shortly after school starts in the fall. TAMU seems smaller the more opportunities you take advantage of - just get involved. My kids loved it there! The huge plus with the size of the school is the clubs are so varied & plentiful, so you can find your niche fairly easily.
Fish camp - there is you tube video on Fish Camp - CC won’t allow the link, but just google it. It really is a wonderful source of information and contacts. Small groups get together during the first couple weeks of school too - so you have a group that will be there from the first day on campus. Camp counselors are involved in other groups too - some will be Greeks, so that is another plus. Impact is basically the same as Fish Camp but with more religious focus. Sign ups fill up for both programs. They actually are camps – not on campus, the buses leave from TAMU & take you to the camps. TAMU has a TON of traditions & this is a great way to learn them as well as meet some other freshmen before school starts.