TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY: BEING AN AGGIE

I seem to be suffering from a very bad case of writers's block. And I write this post with the intention to write my way out this rut. I feel I have been whinning since the time I have got here but one thing I feel good about here is the University. Texas A&M University is regarded as one of the top universities in the USA. 

Life at Texas A&M University for an international student is about understanding of two   words "Tradition" & "History". Once you understand the context of these words, everything falls in to place like the pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. The college is over 100 years old, to say the campus is gigantic would be an understatement with no parallel. The moment you set foot on the campus the history and culture of the place just leaves you in a state of awe. Everything from a bench on the walkway to the university dinning hall has a story associated with it. 

The students of  Texas A&M as reffered to as aggies, this comes from the fact that initially the college specialised in the field of Agriculture and Mechanical sciences. Even though the university has branched out, it still retains those letters (A&M) as a link to its past. The college has every rich military tradition, with a large number of its alumni having served and serving in the armed forces with great distinction. That tradition is carried forward today by the student section know as the Cadet of Corps ( similar to the NCC in INdia but way more serious & at college level). Watching these men and women in uniform with their boots and spurs everyday can and will leave you in awe.

The core values of an aggie are loyalty, integrity, excellence, leadership, selfless service and respect. These are not just some words that go up on a board, these values are something that all students take to their hearts and really adhere to. This is evident from their helping nature, the manner in which they greet you even if they know you or not and their ability to instill the same in you. The one thing I learnt here is that age is no bar when it comes to sports and sport can be played at any time. In my first few weeks here i used to play soccer with certain older men in of the many open grounds in the campus. I was flabbergasted to find that these people where professors over the age of 50 who only play on weekdays between 12:45 to 2:00 in the afternoon( My reaction exactly, considering it as hot as vellore here).

 

I also realised that an optimistic sports fan is a personality disorder which affects a lot of people beyond the realm of cricket in India. The college football Team presently is not a powerhouse like many other teams in Texas but it once was one of the most feared teams for its punishing defense. The days of glory have long since passed but here every match brings with it an air of expectation among the fans that today things will change and we will be begin our climb back to the top ( reminds you of our cricket team does it not). The football stadium is called Kyle Field and it would not be justice done if I were to describe it in words.  All I can say you should be there to see 84000 fans wearing maroon standing all through the game cheering their team regardless of the score. 

Basically the moment you enter campus the school spirit just takes over. The feeling that you belong to this larger entity just engulfs you. Soon you will see that your wardrobe is being taken over by the color maroon, saying howdy is not something that is strange to you any more and you want to get tickets for every home game and if not even the local radio will suffice. 

I am sure you get the picture of what I am trying to say... there is a lot more traditions over here like the bonfire, yell practice, yell leaders, rivalries with Texas austin and so on I will write about them in the time to come. But as of now all I will say is this,  here at Texas A&M you will get an expeirence that you will cherish and enjoy for rest of your life. Being an aggie is a lot more than just being a student.