June 9th and 10th was my New Student Conference at Texas A&M. The NSC was a requirement for admitted freshmen and marked my official transition into the university. During the conference, we attended several information sessions and signed up for classes. My Mom and I drove up early on Thursday morning and we arrived just in time for check in. I was handed a huge bag filled with brochures and packets, I bought the official Class of 2015 shirt, and I posed for my new student ID card. The morning of Day 1 was filled with academic and financial meetings. They were boring to say the least. Once lunch time came around, Mom and I ate at Fuzzy’s Tacos (Jason’s all-time favorite spot)! We were thinking about him throughout our entire visit and knew he was missing his home in Aggieland. Afterwards, we had our mandatory college meeting and academic advisement session at Mays School of Business. This part was actually very useful, entertaining, and informative. I was handed my “business bible”, I learned all about potential “tissue issues,” and I am confident that the business school was the right choice for me! We were placed with several different academic advisors that helped us begin our search for classes and attempt to map out our schedule for next fall. We left there that evening with lots of homework on our plate! We went to the Student Computing Center (SCC) to program my computer and set up my email on my iPhone. We also accomplished plenty other “To-Do-List” items and headed to our hotel. We searched and searched and searched for classes that would work with my schedule. We made several spread sheets with different class schedule options and listened to advice from the hotel employees. After an extremely long day of meetings and several hours of researching, we had a pizza party in our pajamas. The morning of Day 2, we attended a campus service session and an on-campus housing session. Brittany, Kate, and I ate lunch at the Sbisa Dining Center for the Howdy Lunch with our parents. It was overwhelming with tasty food options and explained a key component of the potential “freshmen fifteen.” They had several booths set up that were giving away free stuff to advertise for different organizations on campus. The afternoon was set aside strictly for course registration beginning at 1 pm. It was the most stressful hour and a half of my life. I felt completely overwhelmed and I couldn’t register for hardly any of my first choice classes. They were either closed for registration or completely full. So frustrating. In the end, I created a schedule that will hopefully work well. I had to remind myself…. you’re only a freshman… this is as bad as it can get to register for classes… you always have add/drop week. Both days of the conference were very helpful and action-packed. I was surrounded by a diverse group of students that were academically driven and exceptionally friendly. I am in love with A&M, the people, and the campus! I can’t wait to see what excitement the fall will bring!!! Gig ‘Em!
