Thriving through Meaningful Connection & Social-Belonging

The department is dedicated to connecting students to and engaging students while on campus with the intent to enhance their overall educational experience. Transition support programming helps students adjust to life at Texas A&M, academically, personally, and socially. DMS offers guidance, resources, and opportunities to make the next chapter here in Aggieland easier to navigate.

Freshman students seeking support in navigating campus, managing expectations, building routines, making connections, and finding resources can attend DMS Welcome Socials and Backyard Explorations trips to build early connections, engage in programming focused on self-management and personal responsibility, learn about and engage in campus traditions through Aggie Spirit Tours, and participate in Monthly Chronicles for informal engagement with campus resources.

Transfer students seeking to understand campus systems quickly, navigate college transitions, and connect socially without feeling like they are starting over can engage in tailored check-ins with staff to identify gaps, personalized support to translate previous experiences into opportunities on campus, efforts to align co-curricular experiences with remaining academic journey, and making their new campus their own through connections built through DMS Welcome Social and Aggie Spirit Tours.

First generation students who are looking to navigate unwritten college norms, build confidence in asking for help, and balance academic and personal roles can take part in one-on-one coaching to develop personal skills, learn about pathways to campus services and how to use them, decrease the potential of falling behind or feeling isolated through several program series, and access professional development through the Level-Up to Lead initiative.

Students from rural, small-town, or remote areas seeking help with acclimating to a large campus, feeling overwhelmed by pace or scale, and social readjustment and feel supported through structured programs like DMS Explorations to make Texas feel more connected, peer engagement in smaller settings to reduce social anxiety and build community, opportunities to explore leadership development and tools for managing their independence without pressure through the Monthly Chronicles series.

Any student just seeking structure, grounding, direction, or meaningful connection could benefit from developmental and holistic practices to make the most of their experience can be supported through personalized engagement focused on growth, reflection, and self-management, workshops on marketable competencies with digital credentials, coaching to build effectiveness around group dynamics and building networks, programming that cultivates community and supports positive relationships, and fostering feelings of stability through Empower Hours and Let’s Talk.