December 2016
A very interesting location in Texas A&M University is the Flag Room situated at the Memorial Student Centre. It is one of the most beautiful rooms on campus and has years of history associated with it. It is one of my favorite areas to sit, relax, make friends, and study in. Therefore, I decided to dedicate a post to this beautiful student lounge which is, practically, “the living room of Texas A&M.”
If you enter the Memorial Student Centre and move down the hall, passing by Barnes and Noble, you will see a beautifully decorated room with comfortable couches, robust tables and chairs, and the excited hum of students. This is the Flag Room, a student lounge whose design has remained the same ever since the memorial Student Centre was designed. It has beautiful chandeliers shedding comfortable yellow light that accentuates the fantastic number of flags, photographs that capture years of history, and mementos contributed by different students over the years. One of the most interesting decorations of the Flag Room is an enlarged Aggie Ring sculpture enclosed in a glass box. This sculpture is a perpetual source of wonder for new students who stare at the different sides of ring, and read about its different symbols and engravings.
The best part of studying in the flag room, a feeling I experience every time I am there, is the beautiful music that surprises me whenever I am concentrating on something. This music comes from a grand piano that is located in one corner of the Flag Room. Anyone is free to come and play the piano. All through the day, students come and display their piano skills by playing beautiful classical music, as well as soft renditions of modern songs. I remember a particularly funny moment when a student played Pachelbel’s Canon for several minutes, and then, as if it was totally natural, transitioned into Still Dr. Dre. It was meant as a joke and was well received by everyone.
Mays Business School is known for its rigor and tough schedule. Whenever I am overwhelmed by the academic pressure, I always take a step back and escape to the Flag Room. In a sense, it is my happy place where I can concentrate without stressing out. I see students all around me relaxing, chatting, having group meetings, and even sleeping on the couch. Oh yes, I cannot be totally honest if I do not write about the couch! Try falling asleep on the Flag Room couch with classical music playing in the background and you will be fully refreshed in twenty minutes. In fact, I make sure that I am not tempted to go and take a nap on the couch whenever I go over there with the purpose of either finishing homework or reading a novel. One of the ways to do that is to eat or drink something. However, the Flag Room does not allow any food to be brought inside. Therefore, I go and have lunch at the Panda Express in the floor below, buy a large cold coffee from Starbucks, and sit and get my work done in the flag room.
Should you go to the Flag Room to read novels, study, relax, sleep, or listen to music? You can do any of these things, but what I find most rewarding in the Flag Room is making new friends. The school experience is as much about academics as it is about friendship. I make sure that every time I am in the flag room, I end up with at least one more friend. Texas A&M is an extremely friendly school and people love making friends. As a result, it is a wonderful experience to make new friends everyday and learn new things about the people we meet. This is one of the most beautiful things about being in school.
There are several places all over campus that are beautiful, and we all have our favorite spots. The Flag Room is my favorite spot in the school. I fell in love with this room in my first week at Texas A&M University. Years later, as an alumnus, when I talk to young students, it is the Flag Room that I will first ask them about. To me, the Flag Room has everything, from history to modernity, from work to leisure, and it perfectly captures the Aggie Spirit.
Arjun Chakrabarti | MBA
Arjun is an MBA student with an intense love for music, travel, scuba diving, tattoos and public speaking.
If you enter the Memorial Student Centre and move down the hall, passing by Barnes and Noble, you will see a beautifully decorated room with comfortable couches, robust tables and chairs, and the excited hum of students. This is the Flag Room, a student lounge whose design has remained the same ever since the memorial Student Centre was designed. It has beautiful chandeliers shedding comfortable yellow light that accentuates the fantastic number of flags, photographs that capture years of history, and mementos contributed by different students over the years. One of the most interesting decorations of the Flag Room is an enlarged Aggie Ring sculpture enclosed in a glass box. This sculpture is a perpetual source of wonder for new students who stare at the different sides of ring, and read about its different symbols and engravings.
The best part of studying in the flag room, a feeling I experience every time I am there, is the beautiful music that surprises me whenever I am concentrating on something. This music comes from a grand piano that is located in one corner of the Flag Room. Anyone is free to come and play the piano. All through the day, students come and display their piano skills by playing beautiful classical music, as well as soft renditions of modern songs. I remember a particularly funny moment when a student played Pachelbel’s Canon for several minutes, and then, as if it was totally natural, transitioned into Still Dr. Dre. It was meant as a joke and was well received by everyone.
Mays Business School is known for its rigor and tough schedule. Whenever I am overwhelmed by the academic pressure, I always take a step back and escape to the Flag Room. In a sense, it is my happy place where I can concentrate without stressing out. I see students all around me relaxing, chatting, having group meetings, and even sleeping on the couch. Oh yes, I cannot be totally honest if I do not write about the couch! Try falling asleep on the Flag Room couch with classical music playing in the background and you will be fully refreshed in twenty minutes. In fact, I make sure that I am not tempted to go and take a nap on the couch whenever I go over there with the purpose of either finishing homework or reading a novel. One of the ways to do that is to eat or drink something. However, the Flag Room does not allow any food to be brought inside. Therefore, I go and have lunch at the Panda Express in the floor below, buy a large cold coffee from Starbucks, and sit and get my work done in the flag room.
Should you go to the Flag Room to read novels, study, relax, sleep, or listen to music? You can do any of these things, but what I find most rewarding in the Flag Room is making new friends. The school experience is as much about academics as it is about friendship. I make sure that every time I am in the flag room, I end up with at least one more friend. Texas A&M is an extremely friendly school and people love making friends. As a result, it is a wonderful experience to make new friends everyday and learn new things about the people we meet. This is one of the most beautiful things about being in school.
There are several places all over campus that are beautiful, and we all have our favorite spots. The Flag Room is my favorite spot in the school. I fell in love with this room in my first week at Texas A&M University. Years later, as an alumnus, when I talk to young students, it is the Flag Room that I will first ask them about. To me, the Flag Room has everything, from history to modernity, from work to leisure, and it perfectly captures the Aggie Spirit.
Arjun Chakrabarti | MBA
Arjun is an MBA student with an intense love for music, travel, scuba diving, tattoos and public speaking.