Aggie Quick Connection September 2011 - Family Edition Message from the Office of New Student and Family Programs Howdy! Campus is buzzing with excitement as we kick off the Fall 2011 semester here in Aggieland. This summer we welcomed over 10,000 new Aggies and have the largest enrollment in school history. Classes are starting, football games are on the way, and students are preparing for a new academic year. Whether your student is a senior or a freshman, we strive to provide as many resources as possible to create a smooth transition into the collegiate environment. We encourage you to visit the Aggie Family web site for additional updates and helpful resources. You can visit us at http:// parents.tamu.edu. Please feel free to contact the Office of New Student and Family Programs at (979) 845-5826, or email us at AggieFamilies@tamu.edu if you have any questions. Thanks and Gig `Em!
SAVE THE DATE! NEW FAMILY WELCOME October 14-15, 2011
Texas A&M University vs. Baylor University Football Weekend Texas A&M University’s New Family Welcome is an opportunity for the family members of new Aggies to meet and interact with A&M staff and administrators, learn more about A&M history and services, and provide a chance for families to visit their student in a unique college atmosphere. You can find more information about the event on the New Family Welcome website: http://studentlife.tamu.edu/nfw
Purchase Your Tickets Now! Tickets will grant you admission into the Friday night dessert reception, and the Saturday social BBQ. Adult Family Member & Students (over 12): $16 each Child (12 and under): $10 each Purchase tickets (does not include football ticket) at : http://studentlife.tamu.edu/nfw/registration
**Registration closes at 4:00PM on Friday September 30th.** 2011 New Student Conference Evaluation If your student attended a New Student Conference this summer our evaluation is now online. We value your feedback in helping us improve our conference experience for family members. Thank you for a great summer! http://newaggie.tamu.edu/nsc/evaluation
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Amplify Helpful Hints Career Center: Make it Work for You! Upcoming Events and Programs
On The Calendar... Sept. 2nd - Last day for Adding/Dropping courses Sept. 9th - Last day to apply for all degrees to be awarded in December Sept. 16th - Academic Convocation and Aggie Ring Day
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Featured Services: New Student Programs Amplify! Amplify is a collaborative, campus-wide effort to help first-year freshman, transfer, and To Stay Connected sophomore Aggies gain the skills and become aware of resources to help them overcome with the Latest challenges they may face throughout their time in Aggieland and to make the most of Campus News their Texas A&M experience. Programs offered through Amplify include academic success strategies, health and wellness, life skills, and personal development. To register for any of the Amplify Workshops, have your student visit the website http:// amplify.tamu.edu/workshop and click the ‘View Details to Register’ link next to the appropriate workshop. The programs are FREE to attend so have your student look into these fantastic opportunities. This month’s program listing can be found below: September 6th Shot’s Fired Presentation 4:00PM-5:00PM September 8th Personal Safety in the Workplace 1:30PM-2:30PM September 12th How is My Credit Score Determined? 12:30PM-1:30PM What You Need to Know About Credit Cards 1:30PM-2:30PM SHARP: Sexual Harassment & Rape Prevention 6:00PM-9:00PM September 13th Money Management for College Students 11:45AM-12:45PM Identity Theft 1:00PM-2:00PM September 14th I’m Graduating: Now What? 11:50AM-12:50PM Money Management for College Students 5:00PM-6:00PM September 15th Workplace Etiquette 11:00AM-12:00PM Buying Big Ticket Items (cars) 12:45PM-1:45PM Saving and Investing 2:30PM-3:30PM
September 19th Buying Big Ticket Items (homes) 12:50PM-1:50PM Quality Customer Service 3:00PM-4:00PM Saving and Investing 5:00PM-6:00PM
http://thebatt.com Texas A&M News and InformationAggie Hotline: The Division of Marketing & Communications produces Aggie Hotline, an email news brief service that is distributed to subscribers each weekday. News briefs may also be found online at:
September 20th How is My Credit Score Determined? 11:50AM-12:50PM What You Need to Know About Credit Cards? 1:00PM-2:00PM September 21st Overseas Day 10:00AM-2:00PM Car Maintenance 101 12:50PM-1:50PM Study Abroad General Informational – Student Panel 2:00PM-4:00PM Study Abroad Travel Health 4:15PM-6:15PM September 22nd Volunteer Opportunities Fair 10:00AM-2:00PM Financing Your Study Abroad 11:50AM-12:50PM Study Abroad Transfer Credit Informational 1:00PM-2:00PM Money Talks – Scholarships 3:00PM-4:00PM
http://tamunews. tamu.edu Bryan/College Station News Outlets: KBTX: http://kbtx.com
September 27th Time Management & Procrastination 11:30AM-12:30PM
September 16th September 28th Love & Money: What You Need to Know Before Getting Presentation Skills Married 11:00AM-12:00PM 1:00PM-2:00PM Stress Management & Test Anxiety 3:00PM-4:00PM
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The Battalion: “The independent student voice of Texas A&M since 1893.”
The Eagle: http://theeagle.com
September 2011
Helpful Hints
Information for a New Year! The 10 Habits of Top College Students Adapting to the collegiate environment can be a difficult transition for both new and returning students. Many times students do not know how to develop proper habits to maintain a successful academic career. We wanted to provide some helpful tips to share with your student so they can be successful throughout their college career. 1. Have a schedule. Students should not only know when tests and papers fall in the semester, but have a good sense of what work needs to be done each week as the semester progresses. Encourage your student to invest in a planner to develop a timeline for each test, project, or homework assignment. It will keep them responsible for their actions and serve as a daily reminder for what they need to accomplish. 2. Divide up the tasks. One of the biggest mistakes students can make is to wait to the last minute and try to cram information in one sitting. Readings should be broken up into manageable chunks as it is much more effective to read a chapter per night over the course of a week, than trying to read and retain two hundred pages in one night. Students can use a similar strategy when studying for quizzes and tests. Students who pull ‘all nighters’ tend to score much lower on assignments than students who gradually pace their studying throughout the week. 3. Be organized. It is important to make sure your student understands the importance of being organized. This includes having the right mindset and materials to accomplish the task at hand. Creating a notebook for each class allows students to keep their information secured and organized so it cannot get mixed up with any other coursework. Students will also need to have the right software to complete assignments, which is available to them across campus. Part of your student’s fees pay for the use of campus resources so encourage them to take advantage of the computer labs, libraries, and writing center throughout the year! 4. Hang out with smart friends. Balancing a social life with academics is a tough task for any student. Encourage your student to become friends with students they meet in tutoring sessions and study groups. Having friends that strive for good grades is a great resource and a way for your student to stay focused throughout the year. 5. Don’t kid themselves. For instance, when they think they’re studying, but they’re really tweeting or chatting on Facebook…they haven’t studied at all. Make sure your student understands how to study successfully. Encourage them to turn off their cell phones and block social network sites for that small amount of time it takes to study. They will find this simple detachment allows them to be more efficient and they will retain more information. 6. Manage their feelings. It’s difficult to excel in a course if you’re feeling inadequate, bummed out, or doomed to fail. Always support your student in their coursework and don’t allow them to get upset after a single quiz or homework assignment. Always have their focus on improvement and moving forward, not looking back and dwelling on past assignments. 7. Challenge themselves. Good students are intellectually energetic. When they read, they think actively about what they’re reading. When they go to class, they take notes and ask any questions they may have. Papers allow them to look for deeper levels of meaning and more nuanced points which can distinguish them from their peers. Encourage your student to participate in tutoring sessions and study groups to help engage the material outside of the classroom. 8. Are open to feedback. While it’s easy and more fun to toss away your graded papers and exams, or conveniently forget to pick them up, the best students carefully study the comments and go over any mistakes they’ve made. In the collegiate environment, students are expected to learn and grow with each assignment, and the only way to do that is to learn from previous work. Check in with your student from time to time to make sure they are keeping their work and developing their skills within the classroom.
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Helpful Hints
The 10 Habits of Top College Students (cont.) The 10 Habits of Top College Students (cont.) 9. Aren’t too shy. One of the hardest things for any student is to approach professors. Encourage your student to go out of their way to meet their professor and speak with them on a regular basis. Professors often offer help on papers, preparing for tests, and even finding topics for future work like a junior project, senior thesis, or internships. Most professors enjoy speaking with students and can be a great resource not only in that class but throughout a student’s time at Texas A&M. 10. Have a goal and a plan. The best students know why they’re in college and what they need to do to achieve their goals. The career center is a free resource on campus that students can utilize to review their resumes, practice job interviews, and find internships on and off campus. Push your student to begin looking for internships for the upcoming semester so they can gain practical experience in their field. **Article adapted from University Parent Media, 2010. The excerpt is from the book “The Secrets of College Success: Over 600 Tips & Tricks Revealed” by authors Dr. Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman. The original article can be found at: http://www.universityparent.com/2010/04/26/the-14-habits-oftop-college-students
Students lay pennies, or IOUs, at the feet of Sul Ross for good luck on tests and exams!
Mandatory Pass/Fail Course--Rail Safety Whether you realize it or not your student is already “enrolled” in a crucial non-credit Pass/Fail “course” called Rail Safety. It meets several times a day as he or she encounters the railroad tracks around campus and elsewhere in the Bryan/College Station area. Your student’s future depends on a “Pass” in Rail Safety, so please make sure they understand and follow these simple rules: 1) Play Smart -- Former students who have “train hopped” or gone “under the bridge” so a train could pass overhead have been killed, paralyzed, or have required a dozen surgeries. A deadly encounter with a train is not worth the risk. 2) Walk this Way -- When walking around tracks students must use only designated railroad crossings and must obey all posted signs and warnings from trains. Students who are on a railroad bridge or on the tracks someplace other than a public road crossing are committing a crime, and that crime is a felony if someone is injured. 3) Look, Listen and Live -- When driving, students must not stop on the tracks or try to beat an approaching train. When walking and crossing the tracks at designated crossings, if a train is blocking the way they should NEVER go under or cross over the train. Better late than never. 4) Remember: Anytime is Train Time -- Trains don’t come through campus on any set time schedule, so students must ALWAYS expect a train. Your son or daughter’s future depends on their following these rules, so please take the time to make sure they understand Rail Safety!”
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September 2011
Career Center
Make it Work for You! Over the next few months, we will be highlighting a service of The Career Center here at Texas A&M University. The Career Center is a great resource on campus for your student to utilize, and it is never too early to start. The mission of the Texas A&M Career Center is to educate and facilitate the job search process for all Texas A&M students, both current and former. The Career Center offers many different programs but they require participation from the student to be effective. Start encouraging your student to visit now and speak with their respective Career Coordinators who work based on their academic departments. There are a multitude of services that the Career Center provides and the best way to learn about them is to visit their website at http://hireaggies.com Listed below are a few of the great services they have to offer.
Career Assessment & Advising
The Career Center has web-based career assessments that provide students with the opportunity to create career profiles based on their knowledge, interests, skills, and abilities. Career advising is available on a walk-in or appointment basis.
EPortfolio
EPortfolio is a web-accessible portfolio designed as a tool for you to record and track mastery of concepts, knowledge, and skills throughout your years at Texas A&M. It introduces you to competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) that are important to your academic, personal, and professional success and helps you link in- and out-of-classroom learning experiences to core competencies.
Resume & Cover Letter Critiques
Career Advisors are experts in academic and professional fields and are available to review your student’s resume and cover letter before they hand them to potential employers. With the multitude of career fairs that take place early in the semester, we encourage your student to utilize this service when the semester begins so that they can be prepared to make any necessary edits.
Experiential Education: Cooperative Education (Co-op), Internships, and AggiExternships
One of the biggest goals of the Career Center is to have students obtain career-related work experience before graduating. If you can’t spend an entire semester in the workforce, AggiExternships are available, which are opportunities to visit companies within your field of study during the winter break. Career Advisors are available to help find each of these opportunities and the Career Resources Library has a host of internship directories and summer job listings in every field.
Career Fairs
Career fairs are held in a variety of locations and are open to all Texas A&M University current and former students. Fairs provide an excellent resource for making contact with recruiters and learning more about companies, governmental agencies, and graduate/professional schools.
Interview Preparation
The Career Center holds Mock Interviews Days throughout the year to prepare students for interviewing for internships or jobs. These days are designed to provide students with candid and helpful feedback from industry representatives regarding their performance. Students can also schedule mock interviews with Career Center staff at any time to hone their interviewing skills. For more information about any of these services, or if you would like to speak with Career Center Advisors, please visit their website at www.HireAggies.com
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Upcoming Events and Programs What’s Going on in Aggieland SILVER TAPS Silver Taps is that final tribute paid to an Aggie who, at the time of their death, was enrolled in graduate or undergraduate courses at Texas A&M. It began in 1898 when the first Silver Taps was held in honor of Lawrence Sullivan Ross. The ceremony begins on the day of Silver Taps when the flag in front of the Academic Building is placed at half-staff. At 10:15 p.m., chimes from the Albritton Bell Tower begin to play. The ceremony begins at 10:30 o’clock as the Ross Volunteers Firing Squad marches in slow cadence to the statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross. Three volleys are fired. “Silver Taps” is played by six buglers three times – to the North, West, and South. This concludes the ceremony, but not the feelings of respect and honor. During the academic year, Silver Taps takes place the first Tuesday of each month when it is needed. We encourage students to attend to pay their respects to their fellow Aggies and their family members. The next Silver Taps will take place at 10:30PM on Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 in memory of Andrew James Graf, Mark Tyler Johnson, Kevin Lee Kwiatkowski, Sina Masihabadi, Jeffrey Allen McFarland Jr, Anisha Premal Patel, and Alex Camden Sandel.
AGVENTURE Is your student looking for a fun trip with new Aggies? The AgVentures program provides students with the opportunity to expand their interests while meeting other new students. This semester AgVentures will be traveling to Houston on September 10th (non-football game weekend) and will include visits to the NASA Space Center, Museum of Natural Science, Museum of Fine Arts, and the Downtown Aquarium where they will eat dinner. The trip costs just $20 which covers transportation, meals, and entrance into every location. If your student is interested in participating, have them register online at www.atmentors.tamu.edu/agventures today!
FIRST YELL 2011 FEATURING BRIAN REGAN First Yell 2011 featuring Brian Regan – Last Chance to Purchase Tickets! The Texas Aggie Yell Leaders are excited to announce Brian Regan (www.brianregan.com or www.youtube.com/brianregancomic) will be the headline entertainer for First Yell 2011. The 13th annual event will be held Friday, September 2, 2011 at 8:00 PM in Reed Arena. In keeping with the First Yell tradition, the show will open with performances by some of the top student performers on campus including the Aggie Wranglers, Percussion Studio and the Singing Cadets. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the 12th Man Ticket Center at Kyle Field or Reed Arena, by calling 888-99AGGIE (9924443), or at http://tickets.12thmanfoundation.com/. Tickets will also be available at the door on Friday evening. For more information regarding First Yell visit at http://yell.tamu.edu or call 979-845-3534. Don’t miss out on participating in this Aggie Tradition!
MSC OPEN HOUSE MSC Open House will take place Saturday, September 3rd from 2-6PM at Reed Arena and is a great way for students to find organizations to get involved with. With over 400 student organizations represented, students will have an opportunity to search through both professional and leadership organizations that fit their interests. Have your students start researching organizations early by visiting the Student Activities’ online database at http://studentactivities.tamu.edu/online/search/index
AGGIE RING DAY Aggie Ring Day will take place on September 16th, 2011 at the Clayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center. The Aggie Ring is one of Texas A&M’s most sacred traditions and is received once a student has earned 90 undergraduate cumulative hours with 45 being resident hours. Ring Day will kick off with a yell practice (at the Alumni Center) at 1:45PM and then rings will be distributed starting at 2:00PM. The time to get the ring will correspond with your students ring ticket which they will get starting on September 12th. Professional photographers will be available to capture all the memories but we encourage you to bring your own as well. For more information about Ring Day, visit their website at : http://www.aggienetwork.com/ring/ringDay.aspx
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Upcoming Events and Programs What’s Going on in Aggieland (cont.) ATMentors
ATMentors are TAMU faculty, staff, and administrators who advise students in various topics including professional insight, referrals to resources, and general concerns. Mentors advise students in their area of experience and compentence while staying informed about current TAMU services so they may act as effective referral sources. They provide a caring, nonjudgmental ear when a student just needs to talk. To find and/or request a mentor, please visit: http://atmentors.tamu.edu or email us at ATMentors@tamu.edu
COLLEGE COLORS DAY
Aggies will be able to share their school pride by participating in the national celebration of College Colors Day on Friday, September 2, 2011. “College Colors Day provides an excellent opportunity for Aggies to visually show the true power the Aggie Spirit,” said Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin ’71. “I encourage Aggies everywhere to join in on this celebration of spirit. Wear your favorite maroon T-shirt, polo, hat, or in my case, bowtie, to show the world you support Texas A&M.” Whether it’s at the office or school, work or play, running errands or running the company - wear your favorite Aggie gear wherever you are!
AGGIE FOOTBALL Fightin’ Texas Aggie Football is only a few days away…Whoop! The Aggies have three home games at Kyle Field this month as indicated by an ‘*’ below. 09/04/11 vs. SMU - 6:30 PM - College Station, TX* 09/17/11 vs. Idaho - 6:00 PM - College Station, TX* 09/24/11 vs. Oklahoma State - 6:00 PM - College Station, TX* Times subject to change. For up-to-date information about the schedule, game times, or ticket information, please visit http://aggieathletics.com Tips for Football Games Helpful Hints -Stay well hydrated – drink plenty of water. Start two hours before you go to the game. -Wear proper clothing – loose and light colored. -Apply sunscreen – wear a hat. -Protect your eyes – wear sunglasses. -Avoid beverages that contain alcohol or caffeine. Cool Zones at Kyle Field -East side for both 2nd and 3rd decks. -Misting fans between 2nd and 3rd decks. -Main First Aid station on ground level west side -Netum Steed and McFerrin Indoor Track Stay Healthy Dehydration – When your body loses water, you can’t cool off fast enough. You feel thirsty and weak. Cramps – You can get muscle cramps from the heat even after the event. Heat Exhaustion – You feel tired, nauseous, headachy, and giddy (dizzy and silly). Your skin is damp and looks muddy or flushed. You may faint. Heat Stroke – You may have hot dry skin and a high temperature, or you may feel confused. You may have convulsions or become unconscious. Heat stroke can kill you unless you get emergency medical help, so please utilize the resources listed above. Do you know other members of the Aggie Family who might want to receive this newsletter? Please feel free to forward it to them, or tell them about how to sign up for the listserv. Visit http://parents.tamu.edu/listserv for instructions of subscription/unsubscription.
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