Texas A & M University-College Station Top Questions

I'm not too keen about stereotypes.

Although a large portion of the campus was conservative I experienced a very open atmosphere at A&M. Usually the graphic and negative postings on campus were torn down and deemed unacceptable by the student body at-large.

lots of drunk rednecks and hicks. nothing around the city for 50 miles. less than half are future farmers and members of the Corpse of Cadets.

I met so many different types of people at A&M; if you actually look around and talk to people, you will find much more than rednecks and Corp boys. If you look beyond the stereotypes and actually get to know people, you will find that a lot of your initial judgments of people are wrong.

there is a wide variety of people

gig 'em

Not in the least. A&M is one of the top schools in the country, certainly in Texas, and I don't understand what is so funny about an Aggie joke. They all imply that we, as a whole, are dumb, but in fact it is very difficult to get into the college. It simply does not make sense. As for the farmer thing, most of my friends and classmates come from large cities and have never seen a farm or ranch unless its from the window of a moving vehicle.

Partially, but not to the extreme some people take them. There are a lot of people from small towns, and it began as an agricultural school so there are a lot of "rural folks" but we are not a bunch of redneck country people. We are one of the leading academic schools, producing leaders around the world, and therefore are NOT dumb. There is an overall conservative view at the school, as it does have links to Bush '41, and other republican figures, but there are liberals out there too. As for the cult stereotype, it is a spirit that can not be seen from the outside or explained once you are inside.

most of the stereotypes are surprisingly accurate. I am a Hispanic who looks white. No one would tell me the difference but would constantly degrade my race. It would be really disappointing

ABSOLUTELY NOT! Texas A&M is a very diverse university, with so many different organizations for every interest.

not really

Yes! Gig 'Em!

1) FALSE! there's 45,000 students at Texas A&M, and 12,000-15,000 more at neighboring Blinn. Although a few groups do carry cult like characteristics, just like frats or sororities would at any university, but almost all students have their own defining characteristics. Infact, many students are strong individuals and depend little on the groups or "cults" to get by. Everyone can find the click at A&M somewhere somehow. 2) FALSE. A&M is becoming more diverse by my standards for sure. Yes, its not as culturally influenced like maybe UT is, but A&M has several different ethnic groups these days. Just last week I met a very friendly doctorate student from India. He came to the US to attend A&M and loves every minute of A&M life. A&M does still maintain a conservative background, which is strongly appreciated by staff and students. 3) While A&M is not easy, its not hard either if you seek out the right group of people like study groups and helpful TA's. If you put in the effort, A&M will treat you just fine. However, if you are lazy, grades will kick you in the rear. A&M isn't a place to show up on test day and make an A everytime....you have to put in the effort, but once you have developed the skills to communicate well with profs, TA's, and other students, A&M is not "hard." 4) This isn't a popular stereotype, infact A&M usually carries the stereotype of being extremely friendly. I heard a few conflicting reports of this before attending A&M. I can honestly say A&M staff and students are the most easy going, friendly, and loving people I have ever been around. Once again, this is a mindset as well. If you come to A&M being lazy and never showing up to class, you will not get extraordinary treatment from staff and students in class. Once again, put in the effort to know staff and students and you will be amazed at the friendliness this university has to offer.

No

There are lots of pickups, and there are hicks, but what I've found is that there are more genuinely good people who actually care in this city then any other college campus I have ever been on.

Definitely not! 1) A&M is very strong in Agriculture, but it's also very strong in Engineering, and it has the only veterinary school in Texas. I myself was an English major, and I had friends who majored in Education, Music, Biology, Speech Communication, Architecture... the list goes on and on. A&M offers a wealth of educational opportunities. 2) Yes, the majority of students at A&M are white. But I had good friends who were African American, Asian, Honduran (South America), Egyptian, Saudi Arabian, Mexican... 3) There are certainly people at A&M (at every college, in fact) the like to get drunk instead of go to class and learn. And they flunk out. A&M is by no means a "party school." 4) No, we're not brainwashed and A&M is not a cult. We just love having the opportunity to belong to something like the Aggie Network. It's hard to go to school there and not get drawn into it's history and tradition.

I would say it's a more conservative school. But that's not the only outlook represented on campus.

somewhat but in a VERY good way!

This is not true. Most students come from regular towns and have not even stepped foot on a farm. A&M offers almost every major a person could want to be.

Absolutely not. :)