AggieLife
THE BATTALION
Friday, April 19, 2002
resh out of the wafer
reshmen remember the highs and lows of their first year at Texas A&M
By Kelcey Rieger
THE BATTALION
•Senate reie, t
ednesday thai j
‘ed how is | •
e counted. Heremy Brueggemann, a freshman nutrition
‘>posed k. najor, found the transition from high school sen-
introduced; ior to college freshman has its ups and downs.
ie Senate torf “If I had to choose between being a high school
i absence siBor again or being a college
present s\strHhman, I would have to go with
accumulate Mug a high school senior,”
they are reEprueggemann said. “[In high
nate. The poir: jchool] I was able to be involved
have made it: more, and 1 knew a ton more peo-
tnators to er pie. So far, here 1 have been reject
something large and overwhelming. I want the
opportunity to say I helped out with Aggie Bonfire.
I feel I would have met more people because I would
be working with them as a team, and I feel that is
what A&M is really about.”
Upon their arrival at Texas A&M, freshmen find
that going to college actually
means going to class and studying.
One of the most dreaded classes
freshmen face is chemistry. A
unique experience in itself, just
the word makes many students at
Texas A&M cringe. Blake
Joints decided
Internal
to remain in
be old system
or Kyle Carl
business adnu
said the old s
>een inefficien
it system, tie
trage senators
in amount of
be minimum.
j have to earn
arlton said.
Tom about five organizations,
|ause there are so many people
so much competition. The
Iple 1 have met here are great,
it it’s going to take awhile before
w fill the void left by my life-
■e friends from home.”
■The first year at Texas A&M is
crucial to what students make of
their remaining years at Texas
A&M. Being a freshman at -
means leaving home.
u
No matter what
challenge I was faced
with, mental or physi
cal, in the end, I found I Maddoux, a freshman engineering
could accomplish so
much more than I ever
expected.
99
— Brian Faughn
freshman nuclear
engineering major
feeting new people, dealing with school pres
ses and discovering the true Aggie spirit.
■ Breuggemann refused to let the first day of
enate on paillasses make him too nervous. With butterflies in
c mstomach and a smile on his face, he faced first
A ’fl ,1; j itters .
A XrMB Th e fi rst day of class was pretty crazy,”
tV LX in Brueggemann said. “But 1 said ‘Hi’ to everyone I
lai next to and just did my best to pay attention
^ . fend take good notes so 1 could start my college
' , ' career off right.”
ee eyre ■■ ^ freshmen find themselves farther into their
.■ prst year at A&M, between football games,
■ j ■tdnight Yell practice and other Aggie traditions,
f Christian sWM e ^ in< ^ t * ie ' r pl ace in tl 16 Aggie family,
schools” heffitk Tteally felt like an Aggie after I attended my
™Aggie football game,” Brueggemann said. “It
lademe proud to be an Aggie standing by my fel-
w 12th Man. When I go to events with my dorm,
[ich as Silvertaps, everything just really sets in
at I'm a Aggie.”
An important Aggie tradition that is missing
om a freshman’s experience this year is Bonfire,
lyssa Rivera, a freshman general studies major.
may not be is prey
/our kids will geb
lion."
ons officer Lari'
Delated Press lb
kico campus befe
ricans United sir
ar j n o it was tliei pressed her disappointment about the absence
cd the tape war I such a treasured Aggie tradition and the effects
[nthe Class of 2005.
» someone of lit "I think not having a Bonfire this year really has
pd a great effect on us,” Rivera said. “Every fresh-
eLay on 0 r 11 ^ at I know, including myself, was really look-
|gforward to being able to participate in it when we
got accepted here. I really wanted to be involved in
major, was one of the brave fresh
men who took the class.
..“My very first chemistry exam
was my first memorable experi
ence at A&M," Maddoux said. “1
don’t think I studied enough and,
well, I failed it. It was really an
eye-opener. Since then I have
learned how to study, but it
took a really nasty first
round of tests to force me
to take the initiative.”
Many freshmen live on campus in resi
dence halls their first year, which is where
they get their first taste of college life. Whether
Northside, Southside or the Quad, all freshmen
find themselves in the same situations. From
roommates to dining hall delights, on-cam-
pus living is a one of a kind encounter.
“I’ve sampled the delicacies of Sbisa
Dining Hall,” Maddoux said. “I’ve learned
what is edible and what to stay away from. I
always avoid the fish slabs, the lemon rice and
anything that is moving.”
Amanda Higgenbotham, a freshman
chemistry major, resides in Lechner Hall
and enjoys residence life, but she has dis
covered that it has strange moments.
“There is never a dull moment in my
dorm,” Higgenbotham said. “There is
the same couple that continues to be all
over each other in the north foyer, who really need
to get a room. There are also Lechner LAN parties
where people hook up their computers and play
video games into odd hours of the night.”
Higgenbotham found herself in a bit of a back
wards situation one night while driving her car
around campus.
“It was one of the first times I had driven around
campus at night, and I drove the wrong way down
a one way street,” Higgenbotham said.
“Luckily, no one was around that area by
the Northside Parking Garage, but I didn’t
realize I was going the wrong way until I
noticed the signs were backwards.”
Amanda Garland, a freshman business adminis
tration major, found life outside of classes at A&M is
an added bonus to her freshman experience.
“I found I have a lot more freedom in col
lege,” Garland said. “I can go out on Thursday
nights, see all of my friends, and get away from
all of my school work, without having to answer
to my parents.”
Garland said friendships have been an impor
tant part of her experience as a freshman.
“What has made the transition to college easier
is that most of my good friends are here with me
and that makes me feel pretty close to home,”
Garland said. “I also have friends that go to the
University of Texas, and they come down to
College Station sometimes. As a matter of fact,
they came with me to the t.u. game, and I made
them do all of the yells with us, which was an
extremely memorable experience.”
Brian Faughn, a freshman nuclear engineering
major and a member of the Corps of Cadets, said
his most memorable experience was at the football
game against the University of Texas.
“Marching the half-time drill [with the Aggie
Band] was an awesome experience,” Faughn said.
“The crowd was huge and when we [the band]
sawed the horns off, I couldn’t hear myself play
because it was so loud from the crowd cheering
and whooping. It was incredible.”
Although faced with many adversities in his
freshman year as a member of the Corps,
Faughn found strength through his experiences.
“No matter what challenge I was faced with,
mental or physical, in the end, I found I could
accomplish so much more than I ever expected,”
Faughn said. “By relying on your friends, family
and most importantly God, you can do anything.
Balancing academics with being in the Corps has
really been a challenge, but because I don’t have
to do it alone. I’ve been able to handle it.”
ANGELIQUE FORD • THE BATTALION
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♦
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you are eligible to live or store your
belongings in Interim Housing, ivhich
ivill be in Davis-Gaiy Hall.
Applications for Interim Housing ivill be
available May 2-3 in the Housing
Assignments Office or you may apply
on-line at http://reslife. tamu.edu
Please come by the Housing Assignments
Office for more information!!
Department of Residence Life
Housing Assignments Office
YMCA Building Room 101
845-4744
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