Dr. Maggard/To Whom It May Concern,
The following report is intended to explain my experiences while attending Texas A&M University at
Qatar in the fall of 2010. I will try to keep this very simple and talk first about why I wanted to do the
program, and then get into what I liked and what I didn’t like.
Why I wanted to do the program:
First, this program attracted me for one very specific reason: It brings insight into the life of an
expatriate working in the Middle East. I am interested in working abroad at some point in my life, so
naturally I jumped at the opportunity to get firsthand knowledge on the lifestyle. While I was there, I
had the opportunity to meet with OXY Qatar, see their office, talk to various American employees, and
hear about their experiences and opinions first hand. All of these things allowed me to accurately form
my own opinions on whether or not I felt like a move to the Middle East was something I could really do.
Secondly, I was looking for something to set me apart from other students. This program definitely has
brought about many great conversations with former expats/industry professionals as well as various
interviewers. Also, while I was there I benefited from the tremendous access to funds the professors
have and was able to receive full funding from Shell Qatar to attend the ATCE in Florence, Italy. Dr.
Aggour was responsible for that incredible opportunity; both Kyle and I (the other PETE student) were
very appreciative of that generosity. It was quite an experience and we both learned a lot. And last but
not least, I wanted to ease the financial burden on my family and myself, which this program generously
contributed to.
What I liked about TAMUQ:
The professors were very nice and willing to work with you if you had questions. Also the labs were all
brand-new and state of the art. Many of the labs that junior students have to simulate in PETE 310 are
actually conducted at the Qatar campus due to their very specific and versatile PVT equipment. I liked
being able to see the industry from a different angle (i.e. not horizontal shale gas) because they focus on
what is relevant to the students there. I also liked the ability to travel and see that area of the world im
greater detail. I was able to fly to Dubai with some of the other American students and spend several
days there over my birthday weekend and that was quite a good time. Lastly it was neat to build
personal relationships with the professors. On several occasions we had dinners and other sort of events
at their houses, which was neat.
What I didn’t like about TAMUQ:
The main thing that you’ll hear from any American student that has been over there is that the cheating
is rather rampant. This has been an issue at the campus for some time, and the faculty and Dr. Weichold
are working to try and improve this, but it is definitely not there yet. It is very disappointing when I see
students openly cheating on quizzes, tests, homework, etc. This type of behavior is in direct conflict with
what it means to be an Aggie. It just concerns me that our departments are supposed to be held equal
and when these students graduate, they don’t really know anything because they cheated the whole
time. I once heard a senior student, upon being asked by a speaker from Shell about the purpose of
casing, say, “Casing is just casing. You just, like, run the casing.” I was quite embarrassed, to say the
least.
On a more general note:
Not that it is TAMUQ’s fault, but it is difficult to get a summer internship with regards to interviews
because you are not on campus in College Station. I had about 10 companies select me for an interview,
and only 3 followed through with a skype or phone interview (Cabot, Newfield, Chesapeake). I was very
disappointed that I missed out on the other opportunities but I was also fortunate to get one of those
three. So students heading there in the fall need to make sure they are aware of that difficulty, and if
they can at all control it, try and have one lined up before they go.
I hope this report has helped make clear some of the positive and negatives of TAMUQ with respect to
my personal opinion. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Wade M. Rodgers
Texas A&M University ‘12
Petroleum Engineering