Texas A&M University -- College Station

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Biomedical Sciences
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Southeast Asian Straight Female

Summary

I volunteer through the Terry Foundation, I’m part of the American Medical Student Association, and I volunteer at the ice rink. I lecture at my Catholic church here and I’m also in a multicultural sorority.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Southeast Asian
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Public charter school in Irving, TX with a graduating class of about 100 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Biomedical Sciences
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I volunteer through the Terry Foundation, I’m part of the American Medical Student Association, and I volunteer at the ice rink. I lecture at my Catholic church here and I’m also in a multicultural sorority.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
My sorority has had a big impact because it was a lot of people and new friends I didn’t expect to have coming in because it’s such a big campus. I didn’t think genuine and sincere relationships would develop. Because of the sorority, I joined it was easy for me to get to know a lot of people and build close relationships. I’m really close with my roommates as well and they were random people. The random dorm system had a big impact on my first year of college.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
My major requires at least two sciences, or one math and one science per semester. Currently, I’m taking an organic chemistry lecture and lab. Lectures are twice a week and labs are once a week for three hours. You have recitation which can involve the math or physics classes you take. It’s an outside aid the school requires you to take. It’s a one-credit class that goes along with the lecture. The major grades are mostly exams.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
They do well in advising. They have advising officers that are good at telling me what I should expect in the future, and how I should play out my degree. They’re accessible and easy to talk to.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It depends on the circle you’re in. I’d say I’m biased because the circle I’m in is very driven and competitive toward a goal. It’s not deterring me away from studying with other people, it’s mainly motivating me to become a better person. It’s very suitable for the study environment.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re very accessible. You can talk to them through email or just go up to them and ask a question. A&M has a big campus and a big student body – I think my organic chemistry class has about 300 students per section – but the professors stay back after class and wait for people to come to ask them questions. They’ll stay there until the last person’s question gets answered. They also have TAs that help us when they’re not available.
How do you like the big lecture hall classes? How has that impacted your experience?
I came from a high school that isn’t that big. I feel like it was overwhelming at first and I didn’t think it was an efficient time for me to spend there. After a while, you get used to it and it depends on how much you try to get out of your comfort zone. If you raise your hand, they’ll answer your question. It’s based on how you cope with your fear of being called out or asking questions in class. [In 2018-19, there were 835 class sections with 50-99 students and 458 class sections with 100+ students.]
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
There are resources. In my dorm, there were a lot of people who came over to help with certain subjects when they were in the hall hanging out with their friends. These would be sophomores who have taken my classes before, so they’d come over and ask if I needed help while I was studying.

Reasons to Attend

1) A&M has a really great campus. Everyone here is nice, open-minded, and very willing to have conversations with strangers.
2) Everyone’s very motivated and passionate about making the world a better place.
3) It’s safe relative to other campuses.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) It’s really big, so depending on what background you come from it might be hard to adjust at first, but you’ll get used to it soon.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Hobby Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Park West Apartments with three roommates
How was transitioning from Irving to College Station, TX?
Irving is much more of a city than A&M, but I do like the people around me at A&M. They’re very family-like and like to open up and help me when I need it. The transition wasn’t that hard.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I feel like there’s a high level of security here. We have a ton of blue lights here. I’ll be on campus until 3:00 AM and won’t be scared to walk home by myself. There’s also a Corps of Cadets system here where there’s a number you can call when you feel unsafe. They’ll send over a core cadet to walk you home.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I like to go out with my friends. It is a college so there are clubs to go to in Northgate. I don’t go to them, it’s just not my forte. We’ll watch movies and maybe cook something together. A lot of times we’ll just sit down and talk to de-stress from school.
What impact has your multicultural sorority had on your weekend options?
I don’t think it’s had a big impact. I don’t have anything to compare it with since I came in with the sorority. A lot of my friends are in the sorority. On the weekends, we sometimes have philanthropy events and try to raise awareness for abuse and sexual assault.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m very content with how my weekends go. I wouldn’t change anything specific about my weekends.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
Through my roommate. She was a random person but now we’re really good friends. I also met my closest friends through my sorority.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Texas A&M?
It’s very lively. A lot of people aren’t afraid to talk to each other. It’s not a scary thing to go up and ask someone for help or to ask them how their day is. We encourage being [friendly] and asking how someone’s day is going. A lot of people care about each other. Everyone cares about each other’s well-being.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
To the fullest. I rarely see cliques or anything discriminating against someone in that aspect. There are a lot of clubs here that support that group. It’s very open-minded and accessible here. People mix to the fullest extent and it’s common to see a diverse group of friends. [The undergraduate population is about 60% White, 3% Black, 24% Hispanic, and 8% Asian.]
How would you describe the Southeast Asian community on campus? How strong is it?
I’d say I don’t see that many Southeast Asians, but I don’t go out and try to find them. I feel like the people in my environment are in a way close to each other, but we’re also close to other types of people. I’d say in my sorority we’re very open to any groups and we don’t restrict based on race.
How do you like the size of Texas A&M in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 54,000] students?
It doesn’t bother me if I don’t think about it. It depends on the people you’re with. If you try to make the most out of it, it doesn’t matter how many people you know. You have to pick who you want to be close with and then it doesn’t matter if it’s a big or small campus.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
There are a lot of people trying to get into medical school and there’s a Career Counseling Center you can go to and there are a lot of counselors who can guide you through the requirements needed to get into certain careers or graduate schools.
Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
I had to take Calculus 1 and 2 which required a recitation in coding. The program we used was called MATLAB, but then they switched over to Python.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? How easy is the office to work with?
I do go to the offices and there can be a long line, but the wait is no more than thirty minutes.