Course Information & Sessions

Is it your desire to attend Texas A&M? Want to spend Saturday sawing ’em off at Kyle Field? Want to stroll through campus saying “Howdy” to your fellow Aggies? Dreamed about participating in traditions from Midnight Yell to Muster? If so, this class will help you meet your goal of getting into one of the preeminent universities in Texas and the most prestigious school in the SEC. Especially designed for rising 11th and 12th graders beginning the college application process, this course is structured to educate and equip students with the knowledge, skills, and resources to enhance their college readiness level and plan and prepare for entrance into higher education. This high-impact college readiness course includes: customized writing workshops; assistance with a writing coach in the development of resumes and generation of responses to the “Apply Texas” college application essays; personalized meetings with undergraduate academic advisors from several colleges on the TAMU campus; scholarship information; and in-depth camp activities and events that help students experience the “overall” Spirit of Aggieland.

Note: This course is NOT a traditional YAP session. Instead of our usual theming, our Attending Texas A&M session bleeds maroon and white and is uniquely themed to embody all things Aggie! Students will be immersed in College Station culture for both their class and recreation. Due to the unique nature of this session, students ARE allowed to co-enroll in this class AND another class in our YAP C session.

Have you wondered how companies like 23andMe or AncestryDNA can tell you the story of your DNA using only your saliva? Did you “Marvel” at the microscopic technology behind “Ant Man?” This special, hybrid class is designed to expose students to BOTH the modern world of Biotechnology and Nanotechnology. Through specially designed laboratories, experiments, and demonstrations, participants will be introduced to the latest scientific principles behind cutting-edge technologies including genetic profiling, molecular imaging, matter manipulation, DNA technology, and nanostructure construction – all while obtaining hands-on experience with state-of-the-art equipment and instrumentation. This course goes far beyond what can be learned in traditional teaching laboratories and highlights the exciting aspects of a career in Biotechnology and Nanotechnology related fields.

*Must be at least 15 years old by 7/14/24 to attend this course.

In this class, students’ passions for Engineering will be “sparked” as they are challenged to think outside the box with an introduction to the Engineering Design Process. Through an intensive, hands-on, skill-based learning approach, students will be tasked with defining a problem, designing a solution, making a model, testing that model, and reflecting/redesigning their creations. As a part of their design process, students will be introduced to multiple different engineering skills including designing and creating a prototype, introductory CAD design, 3D printing, laser cutting, soldering, robotics, and more! This course will certainly “lay the foundation” to see if a career in Engineering is right for you!

Got your head in the clouds dreaming about a career in meteorology? Do you love the ocean and want to sail away? Learn the basics of how the oceans and atmosphere work and how to observe these two related fluid masses of our planet. Students in this course will be immersed with O&M at A&M including a hands-on operation of our Aggie Doppler Radar (ADRAD), launching and interpreting data from weather balloons, reading and analyzing satellite data, and even venturing to Galveston Bay for a mini-cruise featuring oceanography water sampling and marine life observation. Students will be “blown away” with their new understanding of severe and hazardous weather including the combined power of the ocean and atmosphere in nature’s fury: the hurricane. After participating in this course, students will “H2Know” if a career in Oceanography and Meteorology is right for them!

The academic discipline of Performance Studies looks at performance across all aspects of everyday life. This course will help students cultivate their talents and interests in the fine A.R.T.S. (artistic representation and thinking skills). Students with interests in music, theatre, and world cultures will thrive in this course through participation in sessions focusing on music, acting, directing, performance technology, cultural history, choreography, and craftsmanship. Exciting, hands-on sessions include costume design, staging, lighting, music, and movement. A special field-trip to Houston to see the touring Broadway production of “The Lion King” will immerse students in the artistry and pageantry of professional theatre. All of these experiences will serve to cultivate and inspire a creative and collaborative environment in which participants will devise and develop a unique performance which will be presented at the end of the course.

This program will introduce participants to what it takes to get into vet school, what it’s like once you are in, and what career options you have once you get out. Get a closer look at radiology, see if you can handle herpetology, and get a gut feeling about parasitology fields. Ruminate whether you can stomach a stomach as you get hands-on (and even hands-in) experience with large animals. Sew up your interest in the field by completing a small animal surgery using plush pets as patients. If you love learning about creatures that slither, crawl, bounce, and pounce, this class is for you!

The VizKids: Principles of Design course will give students the opportunity to learn the principles of envisioning and generating new digital products, processes, services, and experiences of their own creative expression. Students enrolled in this course will focus on graphic design techniques, design research, app prototyping, and evaluating/communicating these techniques to generate valuable insights for design innovation. Through both individual and collaborative projects, students will explore and implement these principles and practices of digital creativity, innovation, and leadership!

BioFORCE is a week-long residential STEM summer program of the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM) at Texas A&M University which introduces students to the rapidly evolving biomanufacturing industry. Students will participate in lectures, tour Texas biotechnology research and production facilities, and perform hands-on activities such as liquid chromatography, cleanroom gowning, and bacterial transformation. Lectures and labs build upon biology and chemistry concepts taught in high school curricula to highlight the process of how medical research is translated into new drugs and treatments before being used with patients. BioFORCE is designed to ignite a passion for the biological sciences and encourage students to consider a career in this growing industry.

*Must be at least 15 years old by 7/21/24 to attend this course

Want to learn what the “big idea” is with Entrepreneurship? Have you thought of innovative products or services that you’re eager to develop into multi-million dollar companies? Learn all about business by creating a business of your own in just the course of five days. Whether you already have a “spark” of an idea or not, participants in this course will get an in-depth look at global entrepreneurship and product innovation. Led by Texas A&M faculty and professionals (with backgrounds in Startup Aggieland, the DesignSpark Innovation Center, and the Aggie Angel Network), students will be taught the principles of customer-focused design, marketing, creativity, website development, and more! Students will have unbelievable access to coaches from the “Shark Tank” television show and cutting-edge NASA patents. Their experience will culminate in a “Shark Tank” style pitch to a panel of experienced investors!

Designed to get a true “reaction” from participants as they explore the fun-damental elements of Physics and Chemistry, this class is programmed full of exciting laboratories and interactive demonstrations led by two of the most notable teaching professors at TAMU. Viral TikTok sensation Dr. Tatiana Erukhimova (@tamuphysastr) will magnetically attract students to the Physics domain through hands-on exploration of both cutting-edge and fundamental concepts related to motion, matter, and cryogenics. Dr. Jim Pennington (TAMU Chemistry Road show) will engage participants in explosive activities related to chromatography, color, and alchemy. This class will highlight all of the scientific aspects that “matter” and serve as a “catalyst” for anyone interested in a career in scientific research through direct “interface” with the concepts that form the “base” of these two fields.

*Must be at least 15 years old by 7/21/24 to attend this course

The YAP Mechanical Engineering course will give students a Dwight “Look” into the most popular major in the College of Engineering here at Texas A&M University. Students will have the opportunity to explore the systems design process and see their creations come to life. Utilizing the state-of-the-art Fischer Engineering Design Center, students will learn the principles of engineering design while “building” upon their 3D modeling and visualization skills in a series of challenges which will develop both students’ hardware and software skills. Through both individual and team-based projects, at the end of this week, students will have a firm grasp on what it takes to be a “mechanic-cool” engineer at Texas A&M.

The VizKids: Game Design course will give campers the opportunities to design and create their own video game with a small team of partners. Campers will be responsible for developing the game theme, art, game mechanics and interaction design using an easy-to-learn platform. A willingness to embrace technology is essential. Experience as an artist and/or programming skill is helpful, but not required. The most important criterion is that the camper be intrigued by the pursuit of making fun and creative interactive experiences.

Have a “sustained” interest in attending law school? In this class, you will take a case from the beginning all the way through trial (and even on appeal) in front of a real judge in a courtroom in the heart of our nation, Washington D.C.! After learning about and viewing the US Constitution in person at the National Archives, students will use it as a guide to study the rules of evidence and criminal trial procedures as well as the substantive law applicable to their case. Students will get a behind-the-scenes look at the US Capitol Building and the Supreme Court of the United States, and moot points will be made in a mock trial where students will argue their case in a historical courtroom venue! Led and instructed by a practicing judge and lawyer, all participants in this course will get a truly immersive experience into the inner workings of the federal law system all while being surrounded by the sights and structures of our nation’s capital. Evenings will be filled with a monumental night time tour, a play at the iconic Kennedy Center, and a dinner river cruise on the Potomac. You’ll definitely want to “capitol”ize on this opportunity to build up your knowledge of the law (and your LinkedIn profile) under the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial!