A university with over 60,000 students offers many benefits to its students, no matter what classification. I remember during my undergraduate, there were always events on campus and I loved to participate because there was so much variety (or so I thought). Once I came to Aggieland I was amazed at the amount of events, every day there is something going on that you can be a part of. I try my best to step out of my office at least weekly to “experience Aggieland” by walking on campus or venturing out off campus.

I promise you that this time outside of the office offers so many fun experiences that once you graduate, you likely will never have experiences such as these. If you have walked around Rudder/MSC, that is where a majority of the organizations and clubs have event tables or festivities. It is well worth your time to experience this! There are over 1,000 student organizations on campus and many of them host free or low-cost events all around campus throughout the year. What I love about this is being able to see the pure talent of my fellow aggies. Beyond the student organizations, professional societies and spaces on campus host many incredible events too.

Some of the events that I’ve gone through during my career in Aggieland include:

• Grad Camp (GPSC)
• Acapellooza
• International Student Association I-Week (international cuisine, performing arts show etc.)
• Ring Day (when you’re the one not getting your ring)
• Tie a Turban Day
• Republic of Texas Run
• George Bush Library seminars
• eSports Gaming Nights
• Broadway musicals at MSC OPAS
• Division 1 sports games and sports club games
• Community of Scholars (OGAPS)
• Bake sales (some organizations make killer desserts)
• Department specific symposiums
• Free ice cream and pizza socials for various groups
• Board game nights at MSC
• Game watching at The Association of Former Students
• Live performances (Jerry Seinfeld, Tosh.o)
• Lea DeLaria (Orange is the New Black)
• WOMENS weekend (great speakers, artists and meeting powerful women)
• So many more it’s hard to remember

So is this really going to benefit your graduate career? You’re likely thinking, if I’m out of the office then I’m not doing work, performing research or writing manuscripts. You’re exactly right! But you have to enjoy your experiences in Aggieland because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Especially for our graduate population who only come for 2 years as a MS student, if you are a PhD student you may have many, many (4-8) years to experience this 😊 It benefits your career to open your mind and ideals to other cultures, festivities and truly an out of the ordinary experience. So much of our time is spent in our office/labs and we forget that we are in this unique role: part student/part professional. Once you graduate, many of you are not going to be on college campus and be able to be a part of these free eye-opening activities.

You can learn all about various organizations and how to get involved at MSC open house which is at the start of every semester. Additionally, if you just walk outside and enjoy you never know what you’re going to experience!

Enjoy Aggieland! Now that I am graduating after four years I am shocked at how fast the time flew and how much I feel like I haven’t been able to attend because I work too much. At the end of the day, it is so important to live life to the fullest and one way to do that is be present in areas outside of work.

Thanks,

Kristen Hicks MS, RD, LD, PhD Candidate | Nutrition and Food Science

Kristen Hicks is a PhD Candidate and Registered Dietitian in BCS who aspires to improve the health of all Americans.