Whether it is the classes, people or education, Texas State has multiple elements that contribute to its current student population.

These factors may matter more to newer students who have yet to decide where to go for college or to explore much of the campus. Three incoming students shared their thoughts on how they came across Texas State and what made it their next stop in their educational journeys.

Asher Brackmann

Asher Brackmann, an incoming political science freshman, heard about Texas State from a few people in his high school, Del Valle High School, about the political science program. Growing up in a predominantly Hispanic community, he wanted to find a university with a similar cultural background and diverse demographic.

“I stumbled across colleges — Texas A&M, UT [Austin], Texas State — and I found that UT and Texas State were two of the more diverse, accepting communities,” Brackmann said. “I really value that, and it speaks a lot about the environment I will be running in.”

Brackmann’s feelings deepened when he attended Bobcat Day in November 2023. The University Ambassadors’ passion and experiences made him feel sure of his decision, and he saw students of different colors, races and genders. He also liked the campus’ atmosphere and locations, especially when he heard about the challenging hills.

“There’s this thing I’ve heard of where it’s called the freshman 20 or freshman 40,” Brackmann said. “It’s where you gain weight your freshman year, but it’s great that you have the hills to keep in shape.”

Grace Darcy

After her campus tour mid-fall last year, Grace Darcy, an incoming chemistry freshman, could see herself attending classes and meeting people at Texas State. She compared her experience with other campus tours, which felt spread out and disconnected.

“At Texas State, everything is a bit closer together, more connected, somewhat more like a college campus versus some other campuses I toured,” Darcy said. “[Other campuses] felt like a bunch of buildings put together.”

Darcy found Texas State relatively close to her hometown, Houston, Texas. She was also comfortable knowing some people she knew either attended the university or planned to go there.

Despite her initial feelings, Darcy felt a bit iffy about where she wanted to go due to her indecisiveness. She talked with one of her best friends, who already committed to Texas State, which helped
her decide.

“The more we talked, the more I felt more comfortable with it, and it really pushed me to choose Texas State, even though it was ultimately my number one,” Darcy said.

Samantha Wray

Samantha Wray, an incoming transfer junior from San Antonio College, has been a fan of Texas State for a few years. While she is not too fond of San Marcos due to the chaos of its traffic, she is familiar with Texas State since she grew up in the area.

“I absolutely love the nature feel of the campus and it feeling like a world away from San Antonio but still being close to home,” Wray said.

Wray plans on continuing her education at Texas State with its teacher education program. While looking into other campuses’ education programs, she felt they were not as organized and did not have as good intentions as Texas State’s program. She has many reasons for going into education, but her main one is the help she can give students in their lives.

“I want to be able to help students find their path and being able to tell them they matter and have a voice in the world and be another person they can talk to,” Wray said.