My son will be starting A&M this fall, and we were so excited, but so far it seems like everything is going wrong. His NSC isn’t until Aug. 21, the only one that was available, so he will miss a lot of the Howdy Week activities, and I’m concerned he won’t be able to get the classes he needs. And he chose a roommate in advance who we were all very happy with, but when he went to select a room, there was nothing left except single spots. Everyone we know who has gone there has loved the school, but I feel like he is going to be off to a terrible start. Having regrets for letting him choose such a big school. Any suggestions?
You’re starting to have regrets-- is he? Or is he willing to roll with the punches?
A big part of the college years is learning resiliency. He’s not the big Senior anymore; he’s a lowly freshman at the bottom of the ladder. So he’ll get the last shot at classes (that’s OK-- he has lots of Gen Eds he’ll have to take.), at dorms (well, someone has to get last choice.)
My guess is that quite a lot of other kids are also at the same NSC date (Disclaimer: I had to google it. It’s orientation.)
My favorite prayer is the Serenity prayer. Whether or not you’re into prayer, it has an important message:
“Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
My suggestion? Let him know that these experiences are part of leaving the bubble of high school. OK, so he’s not rooming with the kid he chose, but I imagine they both got singles. So he has a new friend, and they can hang out together. But he has the perk of having his own space to sleep and study. Choose to make lemonade instead of concentrating on the lemons he’s holding.
I think dorm move-in is either the 17th or the 18th so he will get a few days of Howdy week. Also, there r things in the evening he can choose to do with NSC or Howdy…whichever is more appealing. Mine went for the whole Howdy week and I think she kinda wishes she had only gone for part of it.
The dorm will work out. Hopefully the boy he wanted as a roommate is in a dorm close by and they can introduce each other to friends they make.
Also, I went to a smaller private school. I am sometimes overwhelmed by A&M’s size. However, I will periodically ask my kid (going into Sophomore year) if she is happy and she replies with a resounding YES!
@Houust I’m assuming your son accepted TAMU late, by Housing and NSC details. Sadly, that is what happens at a large school, if you’re not admitted early. You can check daily to see if a spot at a different NSC opens up; same with the dorm-check ResLife multiple times a day, to find a ‘better’ dorm that someone gave up. I’m assuming the selected roommate must not have had a much higher dorm selection time, otherwise the roomie could’ve pulled your son into a room with him.
Fish Camp registration opened up yesterday, and fills up FAST! Like, I’d get on today and sign him up.
Hopefully you’re a member of the closed ‘Aggie Parents’ FB page, which is a wealth of information.
I’d call and check daily about switching his NSC, because that is not a desired time.
I agree with everyone on here. Great advice. Definitely keep checking NSC and housing. What dorm did he end up getting? There will be classes left, I promise. Don’t worry about that just yet. And Howdy week, many many many kids don’t go to everything, especially during the day. NSC is 1 1/2 days so really not missing much AND he’ll be with kids in the same boat so maybe he’ll find some comrades in arms to go to things with that week.
Sign up for Fish camp!!! Chin up momma… things are going to end up the way they end up. These are just little blips.
@Houust, this is such a tricky time for parents! Your sone is getting ready to spread his wings, and you want to make it be “perfect”. But (as @bjkmom suggests), what bothers us as parents is often very different from what bothers our kids. If your son is worried about these things, ask him questions about ways to resolve the issue. If he’s not, please recognize this as marring your idea of perfect, not his, and keep your anxiety well away from him.
I will tell you, my nephew barely used his dorm room first year- spent all his time hanging out with a pod of friends who were in a suite & sleeping on their couch. When you collect him at the end of the year and 2 of the 3 sets of sheets you are about to buy him haven’t been opened (and the open one is crusty), when the class he took b/c his first choice was full turns out to be a subject he falls in love with, when you realize that you have to phone him b/c he is too busy with his new life to remember the Sunday calls he promised to make- you’ll see that all the important things have gone right 
@Houust Sign up for Fish Camp and don’t sweat Howdy Week. If it helps you any, when my son was a freshman in Fall 2016, he moved in on Wednesday. He had been on a trip to Monterrey Motor week and didn’t get home until Monday night, the day Howdy week began.
Moving in was a breeze, with our random assigned roommate. While that didn’t result in fast friends, it was a fine experience and the boys got along and respected each other. They were just two different personalities.
It is a very big school and friendships don’t happen like they did in high school, where you went to school with the same kids since elementary or you have a class with the same kids an entire year. Putting oneself out there and getting involved is key.
There is an organization fair in early September he will want to attend. Some groups have applications and others are open. He will get out what he puts in.
There will be classes for your son. They open new sections for each NSC. Open registration and Add/drop are after all NSC are finished.
Good Luck