Does anyone have any incite on this plan? Going to Glaveston for a year, and then switching majors into A&M college station. Did you like it? Was it a good experience? What are the advantages to this? Is the campus/school nice? Any info would be great! Thanks a lot! GIGEM!

This can be a great option for many students, but it's critical for you to connect with your intended major in CS early so you can be aware of what they look for in change of curriculum students. You can view the current requirements here:

https://tap.tamu.edu/Main/changeOfMajor.pdf

Please note that these are MINIMUMS and some majors are more strict than others.

Positives about TAMUG include:

1. smaller campus which allows for lower teacher to student ratio
2. excellent programs; graduates of their maritime business program are virtually guaranteed a six figure starting salary
3. able to purchase a sports pass and come to CS for the football games
4. guaranteed on-campus housing
5. right on the beach

Negatives about TAMUG include:

1. lots of mosquitoes

I hope this helps. Have a great day!

Thank you!

Aggie 118 - my daughter visited TAMU-G twice last year for formal visits because she wanted to have it as a Plan B if she did not get accepted to TAMU -CS as a review student. Since you indicate you are considering this option specifically as a means to transfer to CS, I thought I'd share.

They treated her like a queen, had her on a special list upon sign in, pulled her out of line to speak with her, invited her to special lunches for honor students, promised her an initial scholarship and indicated there would be more where that came from. They showed her with no uncertainty that she was welcomed and wanted.

They have a pretty campus, nice dorms, outstanding professors, you are really an AGGIE with Aggie benefits and it seemed a very tight-knit group as a whole. As a mom - I was impressed and excited for this option to come up since she's refused to entertain any other school.

When we left after the last visit, she was very quiet and when I prompted her to tell me her thoughts she told me she wanted to love TAMUG, she wanted that to be her PlanB, she knew it would help us financially but she just couldn't do it. Her reasons: she felt it somehow dishonest going in knowing she had no intention of staying. She thought knowing she would be there a short time would hinder her bonding as she should to her classmates, dormmate and professors. Everyone there seemed very passionate about the unique focus of the school - the ocean. She is not. Even the core classes many times are ocean geared - Maritime Literature for English. She said she just couldn't muster the enthusiasm and would feel out of place there with those feelings.

This is probably an over the top reaction - but it was her reaction and she felt it strongly. I still think TAMUG is a great place and the administration didn't bat an eye when the subject of transfer came up in discussion groups. They know it is a step for some students wishing to move to CS.

Go visit, they have a great day long event, twice a year I believe. Good luck to you.

Thank you so much wwmom for all the info! Very inciteful! I do plan on visiting soon!

I went this route in the 80's. That was a long time ago, but it turned out to be a very good "route" for me to take. Like others said, the classes were small, so I took Calculus I and Calculus II in a class with less than 30 other students - Main Campus has very large classes.

Long story short, I went to TAMUG for one year and then with my good grades, promptly transferred to Main Campus. I went on to get Bachelors and Masters in Engineering from A&M's Main Campus, and they've served me very well.

If you want to go to A&M, and Main Campus is out of reach at this time, I highly recommend the TAMUG route to get you there . . . .

I did this route in 2000. Like the poster above, nothing but good things to say.

I went to Galveston in the early '90s fully expecting to get a marine biology degree and wound up graduating from the main campus instead. I really loved my time in Galveston, although it is a very different atmosphere than College Station (which I also loved). As was posted above, if you don't love the ocean, you probably won't enjoy your time there much, so be ready for that.

Someone posted about the small classes, which is true compared to College Station, but I don't think the classes are any easier. Maybe it was just a matter of finding the right fit for me (I went from a sciences degree to a liberal arts degree), but I found many of the classes to be more difficult in Galveston, including the science classes I took. Others might disagree.

^^^ similar story here, started in the summer at sea on the texas clipper in summer of 93 and then continued at tamug fall and spring in marine biology. Found the classes were difficult and not what I wanted to do and transferred in to CS with general studies. Graduated in 98 with a BBA in Finance. I enjoyed the one year at tamug but it was just too small a campus and decided to move to the thriving BCS metropolis!

I went this route in 2005. I began summer school the day after I graduated high school. After the summer sessions and fall session, I had enough hours to transfer to CS in time for the spring semester. My goal was to get to CS as soon as possible, so it's an option to keep in mind. I did really enjoy my time in Galveston and I would definitely recommend it.

The GAM is a great place to establish a foundation and solid GPA if you stay focused. I started there in '03 and ended up transferring to CS after a year. Graduated in '06 from Mays w/ a Finance degree. Looking back, it would have been a great place to earn a degree - just limited on majors.

A random aside, if you're interested in rugby, Galveston RFC is (or at least was) really good about teaching the game to newcomers. I wish I would have started playing sooner.

quote:

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2. excellent programs; graduates of their maritime business program are virtually guaranteed a six figure starting salary

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Are you referring to the undergraduate MARA degree?

I attended TAMUG from '11 to '13. My intentions were to attend there and transfer as I had missed the deadline to apply to main campus. I got involved with Student Veterans Association there and Galveston Rugby Football club as well. With making friends so quick through organizations and rugby I decided to stay and finish my degree at TAMUG. Turned out for the best because I met my now fianc when I was down in Galveston.

Due to the small class size you are able to get one on one time with Professors in difficult classes.
Even sometimes if you are 21+ the professors might come have a drink with you on the Strand.
When you have about a year left go to counseling services and get signed up for the e-mail distribution list.
This will lead to you getting emails of employers looking to hire Ags, specifically Maritime Aggies.
This will give you a feel of what kind of jobs are out there.
I graduated with a B.S. in Maritime Business Administration with a minor in Economics.
Everyone I know with that degree had interviews left and right from potential employers.

I have friends that did the transfer to Main and the transition was seamless for them.
Gig'em & Semper Fi

If you have any questions feel free to email me.

Galveston is a great option. I have a good friend who did it in 2009, loved it, and stayed connected to his Sea Aggie buds when they all moved up to CS. So I wouldn't worry too much about the whole starting over with friendships thing, etc. Obviously, not everyone transfers to CS, but it's a fairly common route.

Being able to do the Aggie football bit is great too. I even knew a guy who drove up every weekend for student bonfire.

After reading my post, I should add: Galveston is great for lots of reasons, and I didn't intend to imply that it's only good because you can still do stuff in college station. It's a cool experience on its own that can add to your overall Aggie experience

Yes, I'm referring to the MARA program.