Texas A&M University, a college loved by all (all that go there at least). A college that has excellent academics and the best professors around. Texas A&M is a school that teaches us what we need to know to excel in our chosen careers and thrive, but it gets little recognition for what it teaches and does for us outside of the classroom. So, here is a little and long overdue thank you note to one of the best universities around.
First and foremost, I would like to thank you for making realize that I had no idea what hard work was. High school was a breeze, and boy was I in for a rude awakening when I came to A&M. When you have four tests, a paper and a project due in one week, you realize what a joke high school was. The phrase “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” applies to finals week and nothing else, because nothing comes as close to killing you as finals week. But, you power through, study for an obscene amount of hours and just chalk it up to the perks of being an Aggie.
Secondly, I’m going to thank you for allowing me to learn how to get by on as little sleep as possible. And with that, thank you for teaching me how much caffeine my body can take before overdosing. Because let’s face it, between classes, homework, meetings, Netflix bingeing and trying to maintain a social life, sleep becomes one of the last priorities, and Texas A&M has proved to us that it is not completely necessary every night.
I would also like to thank TAMU for all of the valuable skills that this school has given me. I, and much of the student body, could call myself a math expert, not from taking actual math classes, but from spending at least one-third of my study time calculating the lowest grade I can make on the test without failing the class or dropping a letter grade. I have also learned how to be the world’s most aggressive driver and that stop signs are more of a suggestion than a demand in College Station. A&M has also made me realize how fast I can get ready in the morning, how long I can go without grocery shopping and how many weeks I can go without doing laundry — all important life skills that will be used in the real world.
Thank you, TAMU, for letting me know what I definitely shouldn’t do. For example, you have taught me, by way of the campus shuttles, that I should not take up surfing any time in the near future. If I don’t have the balance to stand on a bus while holding on to a handle without falling onto innocent bystanders, I sure don’t have enough balance to use a surfboard. You have also taught me that I cannot leave all of my studying until the night before a test and expect to get a good grade. And that I can’t drink coffee after 9 p.m. if I have any hopes of sleeping that night.
Lastly, I would like to thank you for showing me all that I am capable of. Thank you for pushing my limits and making me into a better person. Thank you for getting me out of my small town and giving me a home away from home, a place to learn, a place to make terrible decisions that turn into great stories and a place to become the person I want to be.
