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Regina Nishiyama

Dr. Loren Higbee

English 1301

3 October 2021

The Same but Different

Texas A&M has eleven sister colleges; each branch has unique qualities while still

having similarities that tie them back to the original one located in College Station. Anyone

interested in learning about any of these branches can look at the school's website, and future

college students can see just how different each of these schools are. The websites of these

schools advertise distinct points to enhance their differences and appeal to the different types of

prospective students. Texas A&M, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and Texas A&M International

University each advertise various aspects of their resources, environment, and community to

attract students looking for the perfect college.

Texas A&M University was founded in 1876 in Brazos, TX ("History of the

University"); as the school gained popularity and students, they started branching off into

different parts of Texas. These other systems of TAMU were due to two reasons: money and

resources. As time went on, TAMU started to see that they could not offer everything, but if they

were to branch off into different parts of Texas, they would be able to use the outside resources

to provide to the different types of students. Money is also a factor because TAMU became so

popular and could not accept all of the students applying; it had to become more selective and

more expensive due to its surge in demand. To still attract students, they decided to expand and

create more affordable branches to level the supply and demand. These two factors contribute to

why these schools are so different from each other.

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TAMU's website for prospective students greets them by telling them why they should

pick TAMU. They highlight the concentrations they are known for by saying, "Maybe you've

wanted to be a veterinarian since you got your first dog, or your childhood Legos have inspired

you to be an architect. Whether you want to explore the stars and the outer corners of the

universe, find a cure for a disease threatening mankind, or bring your digital art to life at a major

animation studio, you can make it happen at Texas A&M" ("Why Texas A&M?"). Out of the

three schools, TAMU is funded by the most sponsors and grants, which allows them to offer all

these studies and more. Unlike the other two schools, which offer a select amount of majors, this

school can appeal to future vet students or architects, or even animation majors because of their

economic status; because the other two schools have a stricter budget, they are not able to

highlight how many courses they offer like TAMU is able to do on their website.

TAMUCC's website welcomes visitors with a picture of their campus that says "welcome

to the island" and emphasizes that it is "the only university in the nation located on its own

island" ("Welcome to the Island"). Clearly, they try to hook future students by seeming exotic

and fun because they are located on a beach with many bays and natural wetlands nearby.

TAMU's environment is that of a city; the entire location is made to be a city for college

students, hence the name "college station." TAMIU's environment is in the south Texas region,

so it is very desert-like and almost like a ranch. The other two schools mentioned do not have

such a unique environment, so it would not make sense for them to advertise it as the first thing

on their website. TAMUCC's school website also gives readers a look into the different areas of

study they offer. Marine biology, biological and biomedical sciences are just a few of the

concentrations the website provides. The website makes it a point to remind prospective students

that "the university's unique research institutes allows students to explore the issues facing The
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Gulf of Mexico" ("Be a Part of Something Bigger"). This appeals to future marine biologists

because they can study aquatic life while sticking close to the campus. The campus placement is

a recurring topic on their website because they have marine life close to them, so it makes more

sense to offer concentrations in this field. The other school would not be fit to provide oceanic

courses because they are nowhere near the coast. Overall, TAMUCC can use its location to its

advantage and advertise an exotic site and marine studies to outshine the other two schools.

The TAMIU website greets visitors by informing readers that they are "givers" because

they are "ranked 1st in State and 2nd in Nation for Lowest Student Debt" ("We are Givers").

They imply that TAMIU values affordable education by emphasizing that most students will

graduate with little to no debt. They do this because TAMIU is located in a predominantly

Hispanic area, where people typically think higher education is out of reach for them financially.

Hence, they use evidence to show lower-income students that an education is possible at

TAMIU. Because the communities of the other two schools do not particularly look at money as

their first issue when applying to school, they have less of a reason to advertise this as a priority

on their website. TAMIU's Hispanic community is why the school tries to stay as affordable as

possible; they promote affordability and little debt to try and get the Hispanic community to

strengthen their enrollment numbers.

Even though all these schools belong to the same name, they each have different qualities

that they feature on their website to bring in more students. TAMU can showcase its wide variety

of majors due to the funding and available resources. Unlike the other two schools, TAMU can

offer majors ranging from veterinary studies to animation and graphic design work. Because

TAMUCC is located along the coastline, they can push for marine-related majors and attract

students through the beauty of the campus's environment, unlike the other two schools. TAMIU,
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on the other hand, shines its light on the affordability of the school; because of the concentration

of Hispanics in the area, TAMIU makes it a point to reach out to those in their community and

help them attain an education.

In conclusion, TAMU, TAMUCC, and TAMIU put their best face forward through their

websites. These schools use their resources, environment, and community to get prospective

students to apply at their schools. TAMU uses its array of majors, TAMUCC uses its beautiful

location, and TAMIU uses its economical prices to catch the eye of prospective students. They

each are able to use the qualities that pertain to them specifically to stand out from their sister

schools and attract students looking for the most suitable education. All in all, their website

designers were able to capture their individuality in a way that would attract future students.
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Work Cited

“About.” SYSTEM OFFICES, 29 Sept. 2021, https://www.tamus.edu/system/about/.

College Enrollment Rates - National Center for Education ...

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/pdf/coe_cpb.pdf.

“Future Students - Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.” Texas A&M University,

College Station, TX, https://www.tamu.edu/future-students/index.html.

“History of the University - Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.” Texas A&M

University, College Station, TX, https://www.tamu.edu/about/history.html.

King, Rory. “Texas A&M International University.” A White Block Letter U with a Banner

across the Front Reading 'The International' in Uppercase Lettering.,

https://www.tamiu.edu/.

Libassi, CJ. “The Neglected College Race Gap: Racial Disparities Among College

Completers.” Center for American Progress,

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-

postsecondary/reports/2018/05/23/451186/ne.

“Welcome Home.” Welcome Home | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi,

https://tamucc.edu/.