The Student News Site of Texas A&M University - College Station

The Battalion

The Student News Site of Texas A&M University - College Station

The Battalion

The Student News Site of Texas A&M University - College Station

The Battalion

The intersection of Bizzell Street and College Avenue on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024.
Farmers fight Hurricane Beryl
Aggies across South Texas left reeling in wake of unexpectedly dangerous storm
J. M. Wise, News Reporter • July 20, 2024
Duke forward Cooper Flagg during a visit at a Duke game in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Flagg is one fo the top recruits in Dukes 2025 class. (Photo courtesy of Morgan Chu/The Chronicle)
From high school competition to the best in the world
Roman Arteaga, Sports Writer • July 24, 2024

Coming out of high school, Cooper Flagg has been deemed a surefire future NBA talent and has been compared to superstars such as Paul George...

Bob Rogers, holding a special edition of The Battalion.
Lyle Lovett, other past students remember Bob Rogers
Shalina SabihJuly 15, 2024

In his various positions, Professor Emeritus Bob Rogers laid down the stepping stones that student journalists at Texas A&M walk today, carving...

The referees and starting lineups of the Brazilian and Mexican national teams walk onto Kyle Field before the MexTour match on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Kyle Heise/The Battalion)
Opinion: Bring the USWNT to Kyle Field
Ian Curtis, Sports Reporter • July 24, 2024

As I wandered somewhere in between the Brazilian carnival dancers and luchador masks that surrounded Kyle Field in the hours before the June...

Opinion: Family Weekend ruined my study sessions

Texas+A%26amp%3BM+hosts+Family+weekend+from+Thursday+to+Sunday.%26%23160%3B
Photo by Photo by Samuel Falade

Texas A&M hosts Family weekend from Thursday to Sunday. 

Family Weekend is a great concept, but it has one fatal flaw: timing.

For those unaware, Family Weekend is one of the more self-explanatory A&M traditions — it encourages parents to come down for one weekend and spend time in Aggieland. The university’s New Student & Family Programs division puts on an array of events every year, from a Maroon & White game to an Aggie Mom Boutique.

While this may be a fun weekend activity for students whose parents came into town, it makes campus all but uninhabitable for everyone else. So, A&M, I have one question: Who thought it was a good idea to stick it at the end of April?

That’s when finals start to polish their shoes for the bi-annual butt-kicking they give to students. Q-drop deadlines are nearing. The due dates for those big group projects you’ve known about for months, but have yet to start, are around the corner. It’s about the time of the semester when students realize that all those days of playing hooky are coming back to bite them in the GPA.

At least, for me, it’s the time of the semester when I push my studying into maximum overdrive. The last thing I needed last weekend was hordes of middle-aged women swarming my favorite study spots.

Now don’t get me wrong, Aggie moms are great — in moderation. The hugs and candy they give out during finals week? Immaculate.

But when I’m sitting on the quiet floor of Evans Library slaving over 20 pages of notes for an exam that makes up 40% of my grade, I don’t want to hear all the gritty details of Cara Joe’s latest knee surgery from a woman who doesn’t know how to modulate her voice.

Regardless of the weekend, on-campus study spots are a necessity. It’s a fairly universal agreement among students that homework doesn’t get done when you’re at home. I mean, I can’t focus in my apartment — it’s far too easy to convince myself I need to clean my toilet rather than memorize the power structure of the Texas government.

Normally, it’s a problem with an easy solution. Last weekend … not so much.

I can think of only one reason as to why A&M always schedules Family Weekend when finals are imminent: Aggie Ring Day, or the tradition surrounding upperclassmen receiving their Aggie Rings.

According to A&M’s website, Ring Day is actually the kickoff event of Family Weekend. Which, sure, I guess that makes sense, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Ring Day and Family Weekend don’t have to be simultaneous. In fact, I’d wager most upperclassmen’s families would rather avoid campus when it’s going to be packed tighter than Kyle Field during a ‘Bama game.

I can understand wanting to wait until the spring so freshmen can get a feel for campus. But there are literally twelve other weekends before April — twelve other options for Family Weekend that don’t overlap with crunch time for students. Why not try one of those out?

A&M, this one’s for you: Next year, let’s consider the educational implications before scheduling Family Weekend.

Charis Adkins is an English sophomore and opinion columnist for The Battalion.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Battalion

Your donation will support the student journalists of Texas A&M University - College Station. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
About the Contributor
Charis Adkins
Charis Adkins, Opinion Columnist
Donate to The Battalion

Comments (0)

All The Battalion Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *