Rebecca Neumann
Staff Writer
On Feb. 20, an estimated 10,000 parents and students from across Texas gathered on the Texas A&M campus and learned about the majors, facilities and atmosphere.
When most people arrived in College Station late Friday night or early Saturday morning, they did not know what to expect. Some people only know that Texas A&M is an agricultural school and came to learn what else it has to offer. For others, it was just one of many college trips they will be taking.
Class of 2011 and Aggieland tour guide Lori Ellis believes that visiting the college is the most important steps to choosing one.
“We have a lot of juniors and we have a lot of seniors who are come to visit throughout the year,” Ellis said. “The seniors are making sure that they’re in the right major and if they have a choice between a few colleges, they gather information to help them decide.
Atmosphere, she said, is the most important consideration.
“Students need to get a feel for the school and the campus,” Ellis said. “They need to know if they like the people that are here, if they like the setting, if they like the environment. It’s also great talking to current student who are already here and could answer question.”
For junior Sarah Hillier, the experience helped her compare A&M with other colleges she’s visited.
“It was my first time to go to A&M and so overall the whole experience left a really good first impression with me,” she said. “Everyone there was really friendly and I got a good chance to look at the school.”
She visited other colleges such as California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. and Pepperdine University in Malibu Calif., but she found that A&M had a friendlier environment.
“If you look lost, someone will help you at A&M and that’s rare,” Hillier said. “On other campuses everyone seems to be consumed with what they’re doing. It’s also got a good environment. It’s a lot bigger of a campus than anything I’ve ever looked at before.”
Senior Alonzo Barraza also took the trip down to A&M and liked what he saw.
“I loved A&M,” he said. “It was really cool because you were able to visit all the separate colleges there and get to know more about the different schools and the different majors that they offer. I got a lot of helpful information.”
Sophomore Wynn Cary has already begun looking at colleges, such as A&M, and is hoping to get a head start over his classmates.
“I was interested in the school and I was really just trying to experience as many colleges as I could before choosing which one I wanted to go to,” Cary said. “I really liked the professors and how open they were. I went to the architecture school and it was a very friendly, open environment that I enjoyed. It’s cool seeing the school while all of the students are still there as opposed to going during the summer and I wish more colleges would do that.” 
