So I live in Texas but in a big city and I don’t particularly like the “cowboy” type of people. A&M offered me good aid and it would be the best choice for me, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t fit in to the campus atmosphere. I’m not liberal but I’m not conservative either, and I’m not religious at all. I’m afraid that most of the people will be crazy religious and closed minded. I love travel and I’m very interested in countries, and I’m worried that most of the students have never left rural Texas. I don’t know if this is just a stereotype or not.
Not all of the student body is a clone of the other and they do not all think, dress, or act alike. The student body is diverse. Not every person who attends is an Animal Science Major. They do have a pretty well ranked Business School and Engineering School and surely you don’t think they are all uber religious cowboys and farmers.
By closed minded, are you meaning they are so because they don’t think like you and because you are not religious and others are? That students that are different than you in that “cowboy” way, you don’t particularly like? That is pretty closed minded, in and of itself and frankly, you come off as the bigot you claim to disdain. If you yourself were truly “opened minded”, you would not have an issue about others beliefs and way of life.
I guess I took too long to add an edit to my post and it cut it off.
My son wanted UT Austin as well. It is more his vibe. Despite his grandpa being an ole country boy who played college football on full scholarship in the 50’s and his mamma a cowgirl in her youth, he is more cosmopolitan (though he gets his share of working on our weekend getaway place out in the country. Physical labor never hurt anyone). He loved the TAMU campus and traditions when we visited. So much so, that he felt a bit guilty for liking it so much because his father bleeds burnt orange and he felt a little disloyal. He would be the only one of our three to choose UT, should he get in.
Not every student at TAMU is majoring in Animal Science. They have a pretty well ranked Business School and Engineering School and they are not all “cowboys”. College station is rural and not cosmopolitan like Austin but it is not a podunk little town either. Many non cowboys types have found it tolerable for decades.
If you haven’t been there, you should take a tour and visit the town before you commit. It may not be your type of town/college but again, it might. Keep an open mind.
Friends and family there, say its about 50, 50. 50% conservative “cowboy” types and 50% typical college liberal types. Remember that this is still a public University, which tend to almost always be liberal. I go to a big Houston high school and there’s always 25+ people in our high school that end up going to TAMU. Same with other High-schools in my district.
There are people from small towns here. But there are MANY people from big cities. Most of the people I have met are from Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. If you make the time and effort you will meet people from all backgrounds
Since you’re from Texas, you’ll soon realize that A&M won’t be all “country” people. If you were the Northeast, for example, then you’d think that everyone was a country bumpkin. So I guess perception is relative. But I agree with Thelma2 – you’ll need to be the one exercising an open mind. Texas A&M is an incredibly large campus, so it’s highly unlikely (mostly impossible) that EVERYONE will be “too country”.