Superfluous school zones--where speeds go down and fines go up. One Monday morning. I approached the intersection of Royal and Arborside, pressing on the brakes, irritated that I had to slow down. School zones and running late don't mix well. It would, of course, have been worth it if I had seen some little schoolgirls and boys parade into school with their Hello Kitty and Spiderman backpacks, their lives perhaps saved by my twenty mile per hour speed. However, in...

Whether studying the periodic table of the elements, understanding the effects of the Stuart monarchs, or learning how to take a derivative, oftentimes school-work seems irrelevant to my day-to-day life or future career. Even Spanish class, which could someday allow me to communicate with hundreds of millions of people, seems ineffective when we are asked to read poetry in Spanish or learning how to order food at a German restaurant theoretically located in Madrid. Luckily, I had the opportunity to...

What I love most about Texas A&M is the community. As big as my school is, it has always felt like home. As you head to college and leave pretty much everything you know behind,...

I didn't have anyone review my entrance essays. People told me again and again how many times I should get it looked at and review it, and of course I knew I should, but I just completely ignored their advice. It was utterly...

My junior year English teacher wrote one of my recommendation letters. She was excellent because she had pretty in-depth forms for us to fill out which allowed her to write recommendation letters that weren't too cookie-cutter. I also had recommendation letters...

If you're applying at Texas A&M, you'll definitely want to mention the traditions that are drawing you towards our school, but I...

Google is pretty much your best friend for finding scholarships-just Google scholarships in your area and through your school. Make sure to fill out FAFSA, but scholarships outside of that are also great. I would advise looking for scholarships that are less well-known...

I used an admissions counselor from my school. (Does that count as a private counselor?) She advised me to aim a little higher, as I was mostly looking at state schools and I could have gotten in to much more competitive schools. Her advise was well-meaning, but I didn't really take it. I knew that I wouldn't really be able to afford anything...

There are hundreds of colleges out there, at some point you can't look into every single one. So I think my most important resource wasn't researching all of them, but instead just...

I volunteer with Texas A&M Emergency Care team, which provides emergency medical assistance at school events. I'm also involved...

I am currently considering pursuing a Masters in Nursing through a...

I honestly am a big fan of working during the summer. Saving for college is really important-that money goes fast. Outside of that, I definitely recommend taking a couple college visit trips either during the summer between sophomore and junior year...

Texas A&M does automatic admit for the top 10% at each school in the state, so that is the very best way to ensure that you will be admitted. Outside of that, Texas A&M will automatically admit you if you meet the academic admit requirements (that's how I got in). Here are the details about academic admit: Applicants qualify for automatic academic admission (but not necessarily to the major of choice), if...