College visits can be one of the most helpful ways to find out if a school is right for you. Often times, these trips mean driving for hours or taking a plane, getting a hotel, renting a car. These things add up, so it makes sense to carefully plan your trip ahead of time. For a school you are serious about (or think you are serious about) it's never a good idea just to show up on campus. Instead, plan at least two weeks in advance and make sure the school knows you are coming. Not only will you get a better visit, but the school will know you were there which is important for demonstrating interest. Read on, aspiring Aggies! 

Address: 
Office of Admissions, 
750 Agronomy Road, Suite 1601, 
0200 TAMU, 
College Station, TX 77843-0200 

Phone: (979) 845-1060

Recommendations:
1.     Take an official tour
              a.     Can schedule online: http://campustours.tamu.edu
2.     Sit in on a class, departmental information session, housing seminar, etc.
              a.     Departmental seminars and housing tours can be scheduled using the regular tour link. 
              Information on all options here: http://visit.tamu.edu/visitor-center/visits.html
              b.     Arrange a possible class visit through admissions: [email protected]
3.     Contact members of the department of your intended major prior to your visit to see if any have a couple minutes to meet with you while you are on campus or any recommendations for you to check out while you are there.
4.     Check out the student newspaper
              a.     Online here http://www.thebatt.com
5.     Go to the bookstore and get a pendant/sweatshirt/etc: http://tamu.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/BNCBLocationAndContactView?catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=17552
7.     Events calendar – See what’s happening on campus: http://calendar.tamu.edu
8.     Eat in the dining hall on campus: http://www.dineoncampus.com/tamu/
9.     Record your reflections in a journal (sounds cheesy but will be helpful to you in a couple months)
10. Take pictures, if possible
11. While on campus, chat with current students (or these can be good to ask your admissions officer, if he/she is an alum). Good questions to ask:
            a.     Why did you decide to attend Texas A&M?
            b.     What other schools were you considering?
            c.      What have you most enjoyed about your time here so far?
            d.     Is there anything you don’t like about the school? 

Happy visiting! 

Mornings at the pool followed by lazy, long afternoons watching “Gilligan's Island” reruns were the best of summer days for me. I worked hard during the year, so I took this time to relax and enjoy myself.  Some (my mother) may argue that I took this relaxation a little too seriously.

Your student probably doesn’t even want to hear the word school! I know!

However, increasingly, studies show that these dog days of summer can lead to a decrease in the retention of the previous year’s learning achievements. There are a few (hopefully painless) strategies that you can help students develop during the summer that can can lead to a more successful school year.

1. Obtain the school’s reading list for the upcoming school year.  Ask your student to choose the order of the books and read alongside the student to help develop the expectation of reading.  Yes, the student might want to re-read the text during the year, but s/he will have a leg up on the competition come next year.
2. Practice note-taking while reading.  Ask your student to take on the content of each chapter.  For example, a character list, major plot points, and predictions are some of the ways that a reader can more fully understand the material.  
3. Create a daily to do list.  Each day, ask your student to write down all of the tasks s/he needs to complete during the day.  Include chores, appointments, reading, etc.  As your student completes the tasks, ask him/her to check off the completed assignments.
4. Break up the to do list with rewards.  Ask your student to list the tasks s/he wants to complete during the day.  This might include hobbies, time with friends, tv, etc.  As your student completes a “to do” task, ask her to move to the “rewards” list and complete an item off of that list.  Again, checking items off when completed.
5. Practice using a planner.  Once your student becomes proficient at #3 and #4, ask him/her to write the list in his/her planner for each day.  Move towards entering future activities and breaking up larger tasks into shorter ones.
6. Buy matching school supplies.  Once August rolls around, ask your student to go school supply shopping with you.  Ask your student to assign colors to classes (e.g., math is blue, English is red) and purchase supplies for that class in corresponding colors.  This way, your student can quickly find materials for an assignment.

When you work with your student a little each day to develop these skills, you’ll find that the dog days of summer won’t come back to bite your family. In fact, these skills will become your best friend!

Happy summer!