Texas A & M University - College Station

My experience at Texas A&M University has been a very good one. I won't lie; I was hoping for acceptance into the McCombs School of Business at UT during high school, but it didn't work out for me and they selected me for Communications, instead. Going to Texas A&M has been a humbling experience. There is not a lot of arrogance in the students and faculty here. Sure, the environment is and can be competitive, but that is necessary for such a fine university. To give a more complete picture of my experiences, I will break down the school into certain subjects.

Academics: If you are aspiring to be an engineer, Texas A&M should be one of your top choices. I can't really elaborate on engineering, though, because I'm a business student. The Mays Business School is ranked highly nationally, a fantastic school, and has an extensively large business alumni network. If you can pull off a 4.0 your first semester as a freshman, I would strongly advise you to shoot for the Business Honors Program. The Business Honors Program gives students in the program the opportunity to meet with CEOs, visit corporations, and enroll in classes that are patterned after the MBA. The Business Honors Program @ Texas A&M may not be able to directly compete with the Business Honors Program at UT McCombs, but it definitely competes with the UT McCombs Business Undergraduate program. If you want a strong foundation in business, go A&M or UT. The cost is more than worth it. I have been thoroughly impressed with the faculty and prestige of Texas A&M.

Sports: Sure, Texas A&M may not win all the time, but the events and games are incredibly exciting. Personally, my favorite is basketball, closely followed by Aggie Football. Just experience Kyle Field once, and you'll understand.

Campus Beauty: Texas A&M isn't known for being the most beautiful, but it does have its fair share of nice areas. Don't expect a Notre Dame-esque scenery.

Tradition: A&M is full of them. Personally, I wasn't all gung-ho on tradition when I first came here, but they slowly started to grow on me.

Political Environment: Yes, Texas A&M is conservative overall, but I know plenty of liberals here who love Texas A&M. I am not a "100% white" student, and I have not experienced any racial slurs (or anything close to the sort). People here are friendly, overall, and I still notice people saying "howdy" on a daily basis here.

One of my favorite things about this university is that many of the students and professors possess very humbling personalities. Nothing bothers me more than arrogance and narcissism in college students, and I am happy to say that I have noticed very little of this at Texas A&M University. This is one reason I am happy I went to Texas A&M instead of UT. Many of my friends at the University of Texas tell me that many students are completely arrogant at the school. I can understand that to be true since it is such a good school, but to be honest, I don't think I would be able to handle the narcissism and arrogance very well.

Anyway, here's what I mainly have to say about A&M. It is a good school. UT is a good school. Make a decision that fits right to you. I can tell you, though, after giving A&M a try, you won't be disappointed in the long run.

1st Year Male -- Class 2011

Friendliness: A+, Campus Aesthetics: B-

I transferred to A&M from an out-of-state prestigious small college and I have no regrets! The funny thing is that I never even considered applying to A&M for freshman admission. I always thought I'd be pro-UT (or should I say TU?).

What I love about the campus is that it is truly a welcoming and safe environment. I appreciate the traditions and conservative principles. It seems that everyone is respectful and has good manners.

What is most important to me is my personal happiness in college. No matter what people say about how "cool" or "intellectual" their college is, at the end of the day, it's all about whether I'm enjoying myself and getting an education. For me the simple lifestyle at A&M helps me to achieve a healthy balance in my life without too much stimulation, emotion, or drama. I probably sound like a boring person but whatever...

Uhh... another concern of mine back in the day when I overlooked A&M, was the country-ness and dare I say "redneck" aspect of the university. Sometimes, my brothers will tease me about going to a WHITE school (I'm not white) but it really isn't the way people make it out to be. There are a number of country folk but also there are lots of "normal" people too :)

Now for serious talk: the engineering school at A&M is great. They will make you work hard for your degree and they prepare you well. There are many bright and hardworking students in the engineering school. Also, all of my engineering professors have been great. Some better than others but all are interesting and qualified people. I especially appreciate the old white ones, with Texan accents, who have been around the university for decades; nice old people and very smart too!And lastly, this is life and this is college. You can't get those things mixed up with what is A&M. It is a changing time for all students so you're bound to have bad days. Also, we are still living on planet Earth so you can't expect the people around you to be perfect either. That said, I'm so glad to be at A&M and I'm having a blast! I never thought I'd be coming here but somehow it happened and I love it.

1st Year Female -- Class 2012

Education Quality: A, Innovation: B-

1st Year Female -- Class 2013