Common Concerns

Sending a son or daughter to college is a major life event for parents as well as students. As you help your son or daughter choose a college, you have so many worries and questions. The Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources is committed to helping you and your student make the most of their college years by providing answers to many of your concerns.

What should we do now to get ready?

• Preparation for college should begin well before a student's senior year in high school.
• Advanced placement testing offered each spring may help you earn college credit before you get here. Iowa accepts a variety of Credit by Exam options.
• Your student might take some of our online classes or even earn college credit while still in high school. These courses can be used to reduce the number of classes you need to take once you get to college or to satisfy a college's high school course requirements.
• For more information, visit the Transition and Engagements page.

Can we afford college?
Davis College maintains one of the largest scholarship programs among the colleges at Texas Tech. Typically, more than 40% of our students are on scholarship. Last year, the college awarded more than $1.6 million in scholarships to our students. Visit our scholarship page to read more about the Davis College scholarship program.

Additionally, the U.S. government designed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to help colleges nationwide establish a student's need for financial assistance. However, the FAFSA also is widely used to determine a student's eligibility for certain scholarships and grants. If you plan to attend Texas Tech, complete the FAFSA online as soon as possible after Jan. 1 to apply for need-based financial aid for the following academic year.

Click here for the estimated cost of attending Texas Tech.

Will they get the help they need?
The Dr. Bill Bennett Student Success Center provides resources to students majoring in agriculture. Students can visit the Center to find out about student organizations, internship opportunities, college events, university resources, and career development. The Dr. Bill Bennett Student Success Center is located in the Dean's Office, Goddard 108.

Are the instructors top-rate?
Davis College faculty have been recognized for their teaching, research and outreach excellence. Our faculty members are frequently recognized with university and industry awards including, creativity in teaching, distinguished teaching and research, and excellence in teaching.

• Twenty-one of our faculty members are in the Teaching Academy.
• Two Davis College departments have received the Academy's Departmental Excellence in Teaching Award since the award's inception in 2000.
• More than 10 percent of faculties hold endowed professorships or chairs, and numerous staff has been recognized with the university's Quality Service Award.

Our faculty members are leaders in their professions, but they are also able to relate to our students. Our professors maintain an “open door” policy and are dedicated to helping students receive a comprehensive education. In addition, we are one of the few colleges where academic advising is done by faculty members.

What's it like to be a student there?

• Studies take top priority, but we haven't forgotten that college is a time for fun, friendships and personal growth too.
• Texas Tech University and the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources offers dozens of ways for students to join and enjoy our campus community.
• More than thirty clubs, organizations and judging teams in Davis College offer chances to meet other students who have similar interests, compete in interscholastic contests, and gain leadership experience. Visit the Student Organizations website for a complete list of student clubs, organizations and judging teams.

Is Texas Tech too large? Will my student be better off at a small school?
Size is often a consideration in choosing a college. Obviously, a student should feel comfortable about gaining the most from the college experience. By attending Texas Tech and the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, your student will be getting the best of both worlds. As a large state institution, Texas Tech offers a multitude of opportunities and experiences. For example, the university offers thousands of courses; scores of clubs, sports, and special activities; music events, and an abundant social life.

Within the larger Texas Tech institution, the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources is relatively small. With an average class size around 30 students, students receive more individualized attention and teachers have flexibility to use different instructional approaches/assignments.

What do you do to help students adjust?
We start with a well-planned three-day New Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration program from mid-June to mid-July (or in late August for those who cannot attend any of the earlier dates). Davis College hosts an annual Ag Fest within the first week of classes in which students can meet professors and learn about clubs and organizations in the college.

Davis College also offers the Ag Pals Program, which provides mentors for entering freshmen. Upperclassmen volunteer to serve as the mentors and assist their Ag Pals with moving into the residence halls, finding classrooms, showing them around campus and the community, and bringing them to Ag Fest. This is yet another way we strive to make the transition from high school to college an easy one.

Still have questions? Please call the Dr. Bill Bennett Student Success Center Center at 806-742-2808.