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Aggielife
The Battalion Page 3 • Tuesday, July 16, 2002
CALLING ALL FISH
New Student Conferences prepare incoming freshmen for A&M experience
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By Micah Grau
THE BATTALION
They are everywhere. In restaurants around
town, invading the dorms, overflowing the
campus and on the sidewalks all around Texas
A&M. Who are these invaders? Not the pesky
June bugs that appear everywhere, but the
newest class of Texas Aggies on campus for
their New Student Conference (NSC).
Many students can remember back to their
own NSC and reminisce about times of meeting
said, is foe J fellow freshmen Aggies, meeting with profes-
n code with: jsors from their chosen major and getting a feel
for the campus. In the many years the confer-
v you tottflence has been hosted, incoming freshmen have
forsomepr [been able to visit the campus with their fami
lies and prepare for the upcoming semester.
Sarah Schuler, executive director of the
Aggie Orientation Leader Program, said the
purpose of the NSC is to provide new students
and their families with the information they
need to successfully start a career at A&M.
What exactly can an incoming freshman
expect to happen during the course of NSC,
and how has it changed over the years?
Besides numerous opportunities for fellow
racm freshmen to interact and form lasting friend-
â– liWili ships, freshmen can expect a rigorous schedule
of activities and meetings throughout each of
the three days that the conference takes place.
To set the tone of what college will be like,
freshmen wake up early to head directly into
testing areas to take placement and TASP tests.
Cynthia Hernandez, director of the confer
ences, said that the testing is necessary to help
students gauge their abilities and also to tell
student advisers which classes the student
should be taking their first semester at A&M.
Incoming freshman Lisa Garcia said test
ing was not that much fun, but she imagined
class exams will be basically the same set up.
Garcia said they made sure the rest of the
afternoon and evening are fun for them to
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BY JOSHUA HOBSON • THE BATTALION
Enjoying a break from his New Student Conference is incoming freshman Adam Warnix, second from left, with
his parents and Ryan Schmidt, sophomore mechanical engineering major.
make up for the morning testing.
Although some freshmen might be hesitant
about stating their fears, for many, anxiety
ranges from the immense size of the universi
ty to establishing a home away from home.
Incoming freshman Adam Baisley recalls
that he was one such person afraid of the size
of the university.
“After coming from a small high school, I
didn't want to just become some number or
statistic,” Baisley said. “I was afraid that I
wouldn’t be able to get the attention with pro
fessors that I had grown accustomed to in
grade school.”
Allison Jacobson, also an incoming fresh
man, said the greatest fear she had about coming
to a large university was not her grades or aca
demics, but what her roommate would be like.
“I am a pretty shy person, and I just didn’t
want to have some roommate that would
make my college career miserable,” Jacobson
said. “I was so relieved to meet with her and
her family since we had our conference at the
same time. It ended up that we both had a lot
in common.”
James Massey, now a junior mechanical
engineering major, remembers his NSC from
two years ago.
“It was really boring, but now that I think
about it, it was a good overall experience,”
Massey said. “Having the opportunity to find
out where classes would be held, meet other
Aggies and register helped ease some of my
tensions about Texas A&M.”
Most freshmen will agree that registering
with the help of advisers at NSC is a lot easier
and gives them a peace of mind.
Justin Henderson, an incoming freshman,
said he had heard horror stories about register
ing from his older siblings, but once he had it
taken care of, he felt much better knowing that
his schedule was already set and he did not
have to worry about it anymore.
With daily schedules filled for incoming stu
dents, what do their families do during this time?
Hernandez said numerous seminars and ses
sions are held for parents of incoming freshmen
to better acquaint them with the University.
Although many parents of new students attend
ed A&M, much has changed since they were
here. Events including a parent breakfast social
and seminars covering everything from housing
questions to financial concerns are just a few of
the events offered to parents.
Margie Henderson said having numerous
opportunities for parents to meet with
University leaders was wonderful.
“All of my questions were answered which is a
good reflection of the University,” Henderson said.
Behind many of the activities such as mix
ers, games and socials, there is the Aggie
Orientation Leader Program. These students
volunteer countless hours in order to make
sure that families and incoming freshmen have
a wonderful experience at their NSC.
Schuler says it is important for incoming
freshmen to interact with Orientation Leaders
because they are able to meet current students
and talk with them about any concerns they
might have about college life. She also said an
orientation leader can speak from experience,
which helps new freshmen relate to them.
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