Worth it?

You're going to get three schools of thought on this fish camp.

1. "Fish Camp rocks!"
2. "Fish Camp is lame!"
3. " F.O.W. was my fish camp."

So it really depends on you. My recommendation is if you don't know a lot of people at A&M or/and don't know the traditions, then go. I hear people enjoy it, so up to you.

go. at least you will know for yourself instead of hearing about it from everybody else.

Fish camp was made for counselors to make friends with each other, not for campers.

Only go if you feel like wasting three days of your life and standing in 100 degree heat screaming gay cheers supporting your "color" for hours.

I hated it. I also think I got the one group with all the freaks in it, and my counselor hit on me constantly. It was awkward, especially when she talked about having an affair with a 30 year old Australian man. And she wasn't hot. If you know no one and nothing about A&M, I guess I could see the benefit. Otherwise, waste of time and money.

FOW was my fish camp.

Fish Camp!

I agree with the counselors statement. It's a semester-summer long party for them. Learn better and more accurately from attending games/traditions yourself

Fish Camp is good bull.

Like any organization, there will be good and bad.

Fish camp, for me, was a formality. Being born and raised an Aggie, and knowing exactly how i was going to get involved on campus, there wasn't much it had to offer other than time I spent with people whom i otherwise wouldn't get to know.

I'd definitely recommend going, if you hate it, it's only 3 days, and you never have to talk to those people again. If you love it, it can be the start of some great friendships.

It's really a shame that Fish Camp is bound by so much PC policy these days. The fear of "offending" one freshman eliminates a lot of the fun that used to go on in "Old Army Fish Camp" (5-10 years ago).

Fish camp is a great experience for most people and definitely worth a try. The people that are negative about it Are almost always people that went in with bad attitudes to begin with and had basically zero chance of ever thinking it was fun or worth their while. Go, and enjoy it, there is really no reason not to at least give it a try.

To the "Fish Camp is only for the counselors" crowd.

This is a note written by one of the campers in my Fish Camp last Summer:

My dearest (camp name) family, Thank you so much for making my transition at aTm so smooth.
Who knew that the 4 days that I spent with you guys would change my life completely?
With all the help that you guys have given me and the unconditional love that you guys poured out onto my life guided me through some of the hardest moments of my life. And now I am honored and proud to call myself a sophomore at Texas A&M University. I know for a fact that I could not have done any of the things without you guys. Although we don't see each other often, you guys are always in my heart. I'm always here for you guys just like how each one of you were here for me.

Upon taking my last final today, I thought of each one of you guys and quietly said to my self, "I can't do it by myself, but with (camp name) I can do anything."

Thank you guys and I love you so much.

[This message has been edited by BoerneAg11 (edited 6/4/2010 2:27p).]

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"I can't do it by myself, but with (camp name) I can do anything."

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Man I'm really glad I went to FOW instead of fish camp so none of my friends send me e-mails like that...

There is a good number of counselors who couldn't care less about the fish, but there are also a good number who really do care. If you go out there and try to have fun and make friends then you will. If you go out and believe you are too cool for the whole thing, you'll probably have a bad time.

Its a few days, you might as well go out there and see if you make any friends. You may meet someone who will be in your dorm or someone who will try to watch out for you your first semester. At the very least, you'll have the shared experience of complaining about fish camp with other people.

fish camp is dumb as hell now.




I was a counselor for three years and it used to be a great fun time to just be dumb and meet freshmen. now its a load of PC bull sheet ran by a bunch of ball-less ******* who have ruined the org

Fish Camp was just ok. Once I got to A&M though, I learned it was pretty much all fake BS. Some of the freshman would say, "I feel like ya'll are all my family." It was just too much for me. I haven't seen or talked to any of my counselors or small group in a long time. I also didn't think it helped that I didn't have as much confidence in myself as I do know. That resulted in me being less social.

Only reason why I'm glad I went so I knew what all the traditions were. I do like Texas A&M and its traditions but Fish Camp had this aura of fakeness about it.

I suggest you go just because.

Your learn more about A&M from a campus tour with a current student and a football game or two. You cant do the aggie experience in palestine. Plus, they arent allowed to discuss organizations etc. Id skip it, go to the MSC open house, and find a good MSC organization.

the only people i know who didn't like fish camp are ugly. i am completely serious.

The only people I know who liked fish camp were unintelligent ****** bags. I am completely serious.

Ags2012

Did anyone else think the skits were utterly pointless, and the only people that thought they were funny was the Fish Camp staff? I honestly dont know how people can argue that going off to Palestine to have shaving cream wars, play basketball, and sign kum ba ya increases your experience of Aggieland. The only thing it does is make the campers damn happy to be back in the BCS area. Maybe thats the plan. Honestly though, take the 3 days and go fishing.

Yawn... what a waste of time. The DG leaders only participate to get laid. Save your money. You can easily learn all the yells at your first football game.

As a former counselor and co-chair, I agree the organization needs restructuring at Lakeview. I loved Fish Camp as a freshman. I went because i didnt know anyone coming to aTm and didn't know any of the traditions. Fish Camp taught me the traditions and I have met people that I am still friends with today.

I completely agree there is a lot of pointless activities at Fish Camp (especially the skits) and I feel it is too long for freshmen to be away...however...I have talked to many freshmen in my involvement and they enjoy meeting new people and getting personal information from their counselors about college life.

Everyone's experience will be different simply because with 1000 different counselors, your going to have different camps. There are a lot of people there for the right reasons, and there are people there for the wrong reasons sadly.

I would suggest going if you were like me and didn't really know anyone coming in and didn't know the traditions. It's obviously not for everyone, and this website seems to find most people who hated it...but the overall reactions and post camp surveys show that the majority of students did enjoy the experience and benefited from it.

Either way, your coming to Texas A&M, the greatest school in the world. Welcome to the family!

Here's my opinion, and keep in mind, this is just one ag's point of view: fish camp is a waste of your time.

I come from a family of 'sips (grew up in austin, both parents went to t.u. and my little bro. is gonna be a senior there next year), none of friends from high school were coming here, and all I knew about being an aggie before showing up for F.O.W. was what I'd heard at some incoming freshman events at my local A&M club.

That said, I was a c.t. (that's a member of the corps of cadets) 'till nov. of my fish year, then punched out and moved to northside. Those two things meant that by the end of my first semester, I was correcting fish camp councilors about A&M history and traditions.

Every person I've ever met that was a councilor for the right reasons was eventually pushed out of it (sometimes literally crying) by the ones who were in it for the wrong reasons. Some people will try to tell you it's the best (or only) way to properly learn the traditions of A&M, or that if you don't go you'll be lonely your entire fish year. I say Bull****.

If you live on campus, meet the people in your dorm (yes, even on southside). Even if you don't, go to the MSC open house, wherever it is now, and get involved in a student org. early on. Talk to the people you're standing near at football games. Scope out one wearing a ring, and explain that you don't know what you're doing with the yells and whatnot. It's been my experience that people who know a lot about A&M and it's traditions love educating fish about it all.

In the end, if you're friendly (even if you're shy), and want to learn about our great school, it's a lot easer to do right here in Aggieland than in palestine

[This message has been edited by Gonzo08 (edited 6/12/2010 3:05a).]

I didn't enjoy it that much but I still recommend it to incoming students just to have the experience. I know a lot of people enjoy it and even if you don't like it then you have some first hand knowledge when you ***** about it on TexAgs.

You're going to want to sneak in some booze

I think Fish Camp is kind of a gamble. I went as a fish and made some of my best friends (to this day) in my DG...this in part made me want to become a counselor (which I did for two years).

I would say being a counselor is both for the fish and the counselors. Personally it allows you to develop better leadership skills and continue to meet new people and develop friendships. Once you develop those relationships within your camp, the goal is to take that passion and really inject it into the freshmen's experience. Some times it doesn't always translate perfectly.

My experience was good, but other people I know hated it...but even those who hated it still might have made a friend or two that they took away from the experience.

In my experience, I would rather have spent my time with people from fish camp rather than the fish corps members who are a bit too into the idea that they are the "keepers of the spirit" even though they really aren't...what about the other 40K+ students?

I'd say go, if you hate you hate it, and if you like it you like it, but you'll never know unless you go.

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what about the other 40K+ students?

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they're busy ruining the university.

They're busy running the university

They're busy rumming the university.

The average fish CT knowledge of A&M and it's traditions/history > the average non-reg fish.

Average CT fish weirdness > average non-reg fish

I attended Fish Camp as a Freshman and had a great time. I also was a counselor for three years and enjoy each year.

Garland, you must have not caught onto the sarcasm there.

hth.

The people that speak so loudly against it are the ones who went to Fish Camp with a closed mind, didnt make any friends because nobody wanted to talk to them, and didnt have a good time because they refused to drop the "too cool for school" attitude.

Sure there are those that have bad experiences. But nothing is perfect.

Go, and go with an open mind. Be ready to like some things, and be ready to not like others. Be ready to meet people you want to be friends with, people you want to date, and people you hope you never see again.

Most of all, make up your own mind. If you want to know what Fish Camp is like, this is not the place to find out. The majority of people here hide behind their usernames and say things they would never say if they had to look someone in the eyes.

I dont think anyone is benefitting from the gross stereotypes being thrown around here. First, students enjoy or dont enjoy fish camp for several reasons. The attitude that the only ones that didnt like it are the ones who went in with a bad attitude is a gross over statement and doesnt provide any type of material support for improvement. Like I mentioned above, we know there are serious flaws with fish camp. With that said, making generalizations isnt going to help anyone. Im still waiting on people to contact me with comments etc. Our annual review is approaching quickly, and id love to offer any suggestions to the committee.