Spring Break
Survey results show freshman class highly involved
Results show 72% of students lend at least one hour of time weekly
By: Madiha Rizvi
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: News
"My main goal in life is to be a practicing physician, and I realize that occupation comes with a lot of responsibilities," said Ahsan Farooqi, a senior biomedical science major. "The main quality I see that differentiates between a good physician and bad one is leadership. Texas A&M has definitely helped me cultivate my leadership skills [because of involvement] in this regard which I hope to apply one day in the future," said Ahsan Farooqi, a senior biomedical science major said.
Orgmatch, a program on the website for student sctivities, is one resource. It is a 15-minute survey helping students identify their interests and, based on how they answer the survey, it will match them with organizations.
"If 25 organizations come up, for example, which are well suited for you, then you can get the contact information for the organization or attend to a meeting. You can therefore take the interaction further. Looking at about 850 organizations can be daunting and overwhelming and this is a way to make the process quicker," said David Stackman, the director of student activities.
"The great thing about involvement is the ability of to improve the quality of life through the product you produce like the Big Event," Jackson said. "There are over a thousand families in Bryan and College Station areas who the students come out to help. There is an interaction within these families and these college students which leaves a lasting impression on both parties."
Jackson added: "It did not stop with just creating the Big Event. We have an outreach branch and it has helped other universities create their own form of Big Event. Our reaching out to them has made similar events on their campus."
Most of the time, they find what they want to do and they take off. Other times, people find other interest that they want to pursue as their part of their education. In this way, Jackson said, students have a chance to test their education.
"We are much more intentional here in developing leadership skills as compared to the other universities that I have worked at," Stackman said, adding, " Most of the students understand the value of their involvement and that it is just not providing a service to the greater community, but they are aware of the development of skills. This self awareness and this cultivating of skills are attributes that they will take with them outside college."
Orgmatch, a program on the website for student sctivities, is one resource. It is a 15-minute survey helping students identify their interests and, based on how they answer the survey, it will match them with organizations.
"If 25 organizations come up, for example, which are well suited for you, then you can get the contact information for the organization or attend to a meeting. You can therefore take the interaction further. Looking at about 850 organizations can be daunting and overwhelming and this is a way to make the process quicker," said David Stackman, the director of student activities.
"The great thing about involvement is the ability of to improve the quality of life through the product you produce like the Big Event," Jackson said. "There are over a thousand families in Bryan and College Station areas who the students come out to help. There is an interaction within these families and these college students which leaves a lasting impression on both parties."
Jackson added: "It did not stop with just creating the Big Event. We have an outreach branch and it has helped other universities create their own form of Big Event. Our reaching out to them has made similar events on their campus."
Most of the time, they find what they want to do and they take off. Other times, people find other interest that they want to pursue as their part of their education. In this way, Jackson said, students have a chance to test their education.
"We are much more intentional here in developing leadership skills as compared to the other universities that I have worked at," Stackman said, adding, " Most of the students understand the value of their involvement and that it is just not providing a service to the greater community, but they are aware of the development of skills. This self awareness and this cultivating of skills are attributes that they will take with them outside college."
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