<p>I've had a look at campus vibes but it doesn't really give an in depth description of what College station is like as a city. I'm from New Zealand and wanting to do an exchange for a year in 2015/2016 and I can't decide between OU and TAMU. I will be 19/20i so won't be able to drink in bars (which will take some getting used to as Ive been going out to bars most weekends for a year now as legal age in NZ is 18) so i was wondering what's nightlife like for under 21 year olds? and just other general stuff to do? i know it sounds lame but is it like the real college experience you see in the movies? thanks!</p>
<p>S1 is a freshman at OU and looked very seriously at TAMU as we live in Texas. He found TAMU to be much more spread out. Aggies in generally seem to be more ‘rah-rah’ about their school and for some people that is a turn-off (including my son). There is a major railroad line running through the campus and he didn’t like that part either.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I think the school itself is better academically. (especially for Engineering)</p>
<p>Cannot help you with the nightlife, but I feel your pain. I am old enough that the drinking ages were different in the US depending upon the state you were in. I could drink before I graduated HS, but the age where I started college was a year older and suddenly I could not drink…unless we drove 15 miles away to another state!</p>
<p>I am not an advocate for underage drinking in general, but I am also not a fan of the 21 year age. I think 19 makes more sense in the US. That would mean almost all HS students are too young, but most college students are old enough. You will be able to drink if you want, but you do risk a fine or worse if you get caught. Both campuses have plenty of night life. I cannot give you specifics, but I am sure you will find people here who can!</p>
<p>Oh really I knew it had a railway in the town but didn’t realise it was through the campus! Yeah I see a lot of the bonuses of going to TAMU is something about an aggie ring but I wouldn’t get one I don’t think since I won’t be graduating there! Although I do like that it has school spirit and friendly vibes! </p>
<p>Yeah like in New Zealand I love it being 18 but I understand why USA is older because in NZ it means the average age to start drinking is 15/16 but I assume in USA because of the higher age people don’t start drinking until they are 17/18? Its kinda good though because having already done a year of drinking and clubbing I’m kinda sick of it but obviously id still like to go to parties etc. but I wouldn’t feel the need to drink or anything!</p>
<p>Thanks for your help, its good to get a perspective from someone who had considered the two options! Also would this mean that he has just started OU? How is he finding it so far and what accommodation did he choose? :)</p>
<p>Don’t get excited about a rail line. I just spent three days in College Station for my son’s New Student Conference and had no idea there was even a rail line. This is a non-issue and there is a rail line that runs right by OU too. And yes, A&M is one of the best engineering schools in the world. My son is just thrilled to be starting classes next week. </p>
<p>My son was accepted by also accepted by Michigan, Purdue, and Georgia Tech. He loved his visit to College Station and chose to become part of the Aggie community. My high school junior was with us on our latest visit. Both he and my wife commented on how nice the campus was. Now College Station will never be compared to Ann Arbor as a college town, but you will be fine there. </p>
<p>Oh right yeah its hard to get a feel for a place if I can’t visit it myself before hand! I wouldn’t be doing engineering I would be doing history, sociology and other random interest papers! Exciting times for you son! What type of accommodation is he staying in? Yeah honestly I’m just looking forward to going anywhere in USA and will be happy wherever I end up but the adviser at my university said I should do lots of research so Im just tryna get as much info as possible! :)</p>
<p>My son is staying in an Honors dorm as a freshman, which is very nice. Most upperclassmen live off campus. Campus buses run off-campus to most of these complexes.</p>
<p>Here are a couple of useful links:</p>
<p><a href=“http://studentlife.tamu.edu/sites/studentlife.tamu.edu/files/2014%20Survival%20Manual%20final%20(Charlotte%20Website).pdf”>http://studentlife.tamu.edu/sites/studentlife.tamu.edu/files/2014%20Survival%20Manual%20final%20(Charlotte%20Website).pdf</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://studentlife.tamu.edu/sites/studentlife.tamu.edu/files/2014%20BCS_Map_0.pdf”>http://studentlife.tamu.edu/sites/studentlife.tamu.edu/files/2014%20BCS_Map_0.pdf</a></p>
<p>By the way, we are not from Texas, rather from Arizona. Still, no where near as far as you will be traveling.</p>
<p>Ok thanks heaps! Im still getting a hang of all the american terms like ‘upperclassman’ and ‘sophomore’ in nz we just call it first year, second year and so on! Oh nice, Arizona seems like a cool place 
looks like you guys did a lot of searching round for universities all over the place! I was under the impression that most people just go to universities in the state that they’re from, but its cool that lots people venture out, I think it will make it easier for me as people wouldn’t have exactly the same friends from high school to college!</p>
<p>The major publicly funded Texas universities are required to admit all Texas high school graduates in the top 10% of their graduating classes. There are 27 million people in Texas and two very good state universities and almost every Texan wants to go to one or the other of them: Texas and Texas A&M. Consequently, the two universities admit far fewer out-of-state and international students attending compared to the California universities, or other very good public universities such as Michigan and Purdue.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to the A&M International Student Services page: <a href=“http://iss.tamu.edu/”>http://iss.tamu.edu/</a></p>
<p>For what it is worth, there were six Kiwis attending A&M last year.<br>
<a href=“http://iss.tamu.edu/Webfile/AboutIss/ISreports/HeadCount-13C.pdf”>http://iss.tamu.edu/Webfile/AboutIss/ISreports/HeadCount-13C.pdf</a></p>
<p>I wouldn’t say the train runs “through” the campus. What happened is that over time the campus expanded across the tracks. There is two very nice pedestrian walk thru’s running under the road for walkers and bike riders. College Station is a college town. Most everything is oriented towards college students. There is a huge supply of nice rental housing and a pretty extensive bus system for getting around. The police are very strict about under age drinking. I wouldn’t recommend that. I went to A&M and so far 2 of my 4 kids have gone there. The other 2 are planning on it. The Aggie network is a powerful thing. </p>
<p>Oh yeah I don’t think id be classified as a international student, I will be an exchange student which means I pay fees at my uni here in nz which is good because it’s about $3000 USD a year and I can go to any uni that is a partner with my uni including $50000 private ones (not that I want to)! It’s cool that other kiwis are there! Yeah Debbie I don’t really mind the non drinking part as long as there are parties to attend but yeah I don’t think if risk drinking overseas the fines seem much more intense than here! It’s cool how everything is student orientated! </p>
<p>I did see the reciprocal exchange program with the University of Wellington. Is that what you are participating in?</p>
<p>Yes that’s it! I love it here but I don’t wanna do all my university in just one place even though Wellington is very cultural. It’s a really good program on our side but I think it’s kinda unfair (if you guys still have to pay us fees I’m not sure)for people who come here, and there’s a lot of Americans who do! </p>
<p>It is like heaven on earth! </p>
<p>I was a student in the 80’s and our first daughter is there now, second daughter is waiting for her (automatic) acceptance. When i said “heaven on earth” i meant that the students there are the most fun, friendly, genuine, and hospitable people on earth. There are so many “good clean fun” things to do. There are many great bible studies on campus, including Breakaway which has a deep, insightful teacher and close to 10,000 students attend. There are wonderful service activities to participate in, especially The Big Event in the Spring where over 20,000 students spread out all over town, and further, to do service projects for anyone who asks. It has such a small-town feel, in such a huge campus. There is no place like this on earth! It is the Aggie family.</p>
<p>“From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.”</p>
<p>Each college in the US is different, we visited many when our children were deciding which one to attend. The criteria they used to pick this school : good academic reputation, well known school, has lots of traditions, passionate student body, college town atmosphere, large campus, high job placement rate after college and great alumni network. This school is also known for having friendly students which I have to say has always been our experience from the first tour to present day… 5 years later.</p>
<p>Since you will be here for a year, a few things you might be looking for are at this school. The game day experience for football is about as American as you can get at this school. You will be swept into the action in the student section which is one of the best in the nation & for sports fans one of the ‘bucket list’ stadiums to experience a game in. The college town atmosphere promotes lots of interaction with other students, everyone lives within close proximity to the school & there are lots of college only apartments to choose from. They also rent many apartments by the room, so you can live off campus without knowing anyone & be matched with roommates (majority are 4 bed/ 4 bath). Some unique rules to TX, include the drinking age rule that you may drink underage if your parents are there to supervise. So, in this state the laws for drinking are a bit more relaxed than other states and there are far less MIP (minor in possession : you have an alcoholic product in hand) violations. So, if you’re thinking Texas will be a ‘no alcohol’ spot, you’ll find that isn’t entirely true you just need to comply to the rules. Regarding going out, no you can’t drink at the bars/dance places however you can go to them if you are over 18, they’ll just mark your hand usually with a large X to indicate you are not allowed to buy alcohol. This school is not a ‘party school’ however it is also not a ‘dry school’ either, sort of a happy medium. There are also over 800 clubs to join, tons of sports to watch and lots of activities all the time. Academically, this school is much better than some would imagine - they have a different admissions program here that quietly accepts some of the best & brightest and many people do not realize the caliber of the students at this school , however they do recognize that graduates are successful.</p>
<p>wow thanks @AGmomx2 that has given me a real insight to what its like there thanks so much for you’re help! :)</p>