Students at the Higher Education Center at McAllen have a unique opportunity to earn an engineering degree from Texas A&M University while living in a thriving, close-knit community in the Rio Grande Valley. Check out Kassie’s vlog where she shares a glimpse into life at Higher Education Center at McAllen!
Benefits of the Engineering Academy
When I was applying to Texas A&M, I was very worried about starting classes. Being a woman in STEM can be an intimidating career path, but I didn’t want to let my fears overcome me. That’s when I got the offer to be a part of the Engineering Academy, and I was relieved. This program was the best pathway for transitioning to a noticeably big school. It made me feel more included in classes and it has many benefits.
5 things I wish I’d known when applying to Texas A&M
I didn’t grow up in Texas so before coming to college, I had no idea what Texas A&M was like. I had never been on campus visits before and I didn’t know people who went here. So the moment I landed in College Station, surprises started unraveling.
Atomic Steps Toward Continuous Improvement
I always felt that if I had more free time, I could do a lot of things before I went to bed. I thought, “If only I had a bit more time today, I could have done this, that and so on…” The thought of not doing enough in a day was less irritating than the feeling I got every night before going to sleep. I remember telling myself that ‘tomorrow is going to be a better day,’ only to realize that I had failed again. As the days passed, this routine had turned into a bad habit and I realized it was becoming more difficult for me to change my habits.
Managing Your Inbox
Our email’s inbox can be a scary place with an insane amount of unopened emails. I don’t know about everyone else, but when my email is cluttered and full of notifications, I miss important notices, dates and pieces of information. In times like this, it is more important than ever to stay on top of things.
Treading New Waters
It goes without saying that, with our new way of life, everyone from students to professors alike, has had much difficulty with the transition to online. Organizations and clubs are feeling this more, since they are formed on the basis of social interaction, and many leaders of these organizations, myself included, have felt the heavy burden of working within our new boundaries. This leads many of us to ask: How can we make our organizations appealing to students with the new online format?
Personalize Recruiting: Making it Easier to Land that Job Offer
The start of the semester is everybody’s favorite time of the year. With the Student Engineers’ Council (SEC) Career Fair marking the advent of the unofficial recruiting season for many companies, there’s no doubt that an unrecognized wave of anxiety rushes over our collective student body. While this season can often be stressful as students research companies, freshen up their resumes and try to figure out how to craft that perfect cover letter, sometimes it’s the little things that can make all the difference when landing that dream job.
The Start of College for a Cancer Patient
Being a first-generation college student is already hard, but being a first-generation college student with cancer is that much harder. My name is Evelin Pacheco Mota, an industrial distribution major with a double minor in business and statistics at Texas A&M University. Within my two years at Texas A&M, I have struggled with my health, been placed on academic probation, beat cancer and was accepted into my dream major. Here is the story of how a crazy beginning turned into a blessed reality.
COVID’s Silver Lining
I think it’s safe to say that canceled plans have affected everybody reading this post. Ring days, study abroad trips, graduation ceremonies, summer internships and surely many more incredible memories were lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Day in the Life of a Grad Student at Texas A&M
Interested in finding out more about what it’s really like as a graduate student at Texas A&M? Check out Bryton’s vlog where he shares what a typical day is like!
5 milestones for computer science enthusiasts during freshman year
Many freshmen come in knowing what they want to major in; however, most utilize their freshman year to find their passion. I always knew that I wanted to pursue computer science (CS). This post is not about why I love this engineering major, but about how Texas A&M makes me love it even more. So if you’re a freshman coming into Texas A&M next semester and you don’t yet know which island in the vast ocean of engineering you want to inhabit, I hope this article enlightens you about most of the opportunities in computer science.
Top 5 Tips to Prepare for Grad School
I was lucky to have all things go in the right direction since the day I started my grad school career. However, there’s no debating how important and better it is to have a plan in place over just being lucky. So, here are my top five tips to be considered during your preparation process for grad school.
Creating Effective Study Groups
I think most people can agree that studying in a group is always more fun, but can oftentimes be unproductive. When done right, study groups can be a powerful way to learn and build relationships. Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of your study groups.
The Experiences of an Engineering Academy Student
The transition from high school to college can be rough for many of us, not only in the learning atmosphere, but also financially. With the Texas A&M – Engineering Academies program, our university is able to provide students with a practical and more affordable way to obtain an engineering degree.
Minors and Certificates: Do They Matter?
As I think about my last semester as an undergraduate student and reflect on the last four (and a half) years, I’ve been thinking a lot about what has defined my academic experience here at Texas A&M. And I can without a doubt tell you that the minor and certificate I’ve earned along the way have greatly impacted my time here and my confidence in my education. If you’re unsure about whether or not it’s worth it to add these on to what I’m sure is already a difficult course load, please take a minute to think about the possible benefits that they can hold for you!
Leaving an Impact on Campus after Graduation
College can be a huge change in direction for anyone. This is the time when you start making decisions that readily impact your future and how people perceive you. With all of this in mind, I have made it a goal of mine to cherish these few years while also making a noticeable impact on the school and my community, and I believe that you should do the same.
The Misconceptions of Entrepreneurship
The world of entrepreneurship is vastly misconstrued today for several reasons. It’s become “trendy” and a bit of a buzzword. Some envision fame, fortune and freedom while others resent the word as wishy-washy and a waste of time. The truth is that neither of these ideas represent the reality of entrepreneurship.
A Good-bye to the Senior Class
This is a small farewell to the seniors whose time at A&M was cut short.
How I’m Trying to Stay on Top of Things in Distance Learning during the COVID-19 Crisis
After having an extended spring break and binge-watching all the shows I was putting off during the semester, starting classes again online was a pretty big jump. While I may have trouble following these tips myself, here are some things I am doing to try and be successful during distance learning.
How to Practice Mindfulness During a Crisis
We’re prone to finding what’s wrong with our situations or lives. I’m sure there’s some evolutionary background to this, but when our primary stressors have shifted from visible hulking, animalistic threats to deadly, unseen stressors, such as COVID-19 or the next lurking deadline, many of us find ourselves in a state of chronic stress. In this post is a list of things that help me cope with uncertainty (not just related to the pandemic). I hope they help you, too.
Why I chose Petroleum Engineering
When I moved to Houston, Texas in 7th grade, I had no idea what the oil and gas or greater energy industries were. As a kid, I understood that people drove cars to get places and they went to the gas station to fill up their cars with fuel. That was the extent of my oil and gas knowledge up until high school. Junior year, I started thinking about possible majors in college and became interested in energy. My source of information, Google, helped me understand our global energy demand, energy independence and energy sources. This is where I first read about petroleum engineering.
A little to a lot: The value of our student voice
I know that in the College of Engineering my voice is heard, and so is yours! Gig ‘Em!
Showcasing Soft Skills in Interviews
In interviews, it can often feel challenging to stand out from the crowd of other engineers, some of whom may be more technically qualified than you. In my last blog post, I talked about three strategies for excelling in the interview process; this time I’d like to drill into specific ways to highlight non-technical skills during an interview.
Managing What Seems Unmanageable
In this post, Haley discusses some tips for handling social distancing and tips for tackling online classes. Remember, we are all in this together!
Professional Societies – Getting Involved Beyond the Student Organization
Joining one of the dozens of engineering student organizations at Texas A&M is integral to the student experience for many Aggies. Many of the groups are student chapter versions of national and global professional societies, which you can transition to after graduation. Engaging with these professional organizations as a student can lead to unique networking and leadership opportunities!
Why I Love Electrical Engineering
Throughout high school, I constantly changed my mind on the major I wanted to pursue. I went from wanting to be a pharmacist, to a biomedical engineer, to an environmental engineer, and then a psychiatrist, but one thing led to another and I decided that electrical engineering was the right choice for me.
Vocation: More Than Just a Job
I want to encourage you, as a fellow student, to begin the process of thinking about your vocation or some of your passions while you’re in college so that you can go into the workforce with confidence in what you want to do, but more importantly in WHY you want to do it.
Bridging Engineering and Business
Juan Cardenas shares the programs and opportunities offered through the business school that have either impacted him and his engineering goals or some of his friends.
Ten Lessons I’ve Learned through Transferring
If you would have asked me my senior year of high school if I would be an Aggie engineering student, I would have laughed… But here I am, getting ready to graduate from Texas A&M with my engineering degree. As I reflect on lessons learned through my transfer experience, there are ten things that come to mind.
How a Good Ag Builds a Spaceship
Since graduating from Texas A&M back in 2017, I’ve been working for Boeing, where I’ve contributed to the design of several different space vehicles. For the past 6-months, I’ve overseen the production of Starliner, Boeing’s new manned space capsule. I’d like to share some wisdom I’ve gained along the way and offer an idea of what life can be like for an Aggie engineer post-graduation.