I qualify for Academic Admission from what I am seeing.
Required Coursework Check
SAT **Check/b
Class Rank **Check/b
I know that I barely qualify for Academic Admit because my SAT is just 20 points above the required.
I have 690 Math (70 points above required) and 690 Reading (30 points above required). However, my SAT score is pretty much irrelevant as I intend to take it again (in order to qualify for National Merit Finalist, I believe my low SAT score to be just a bad day).
I understand that Academic Admit does not necessarily mean I will get into my Major (which I intend to have as engineering). However, I have heard conflicting views that
A)Majors are given out on a first-come first-serve basis, and that Academic Admits receive any major they want (an engineering student at A&M told me that).
B)Academic Admits have to compete with everyone else for a major, regardless of early admission.
Which one of those two is the correct one?
A) not true - new this year. Previously, only competed for the last 15% of slots,.Prior to that, 100% first come first served. ALL of these types of admits are still current students at TAMU…lots of changes in recent years. Most students don’t keep up with the new admission policies.
B) yes, academic admits compete with all admits for engineering – holistic review for ALL engineering majors. Admitted to university first, then compete for engineering college, then after some courses at TAMU apply to specific major.
For engineering I’d check closely in June as not all admission requirements remain unchanged from year to year. Especially in highly competitive majors.
@AGmomx2
So does that make it harder to get in as an academic admit or easier? Is it harder because review admits now have better chances of getting their major?
@gogogogobruins
Where are you finding the specific college admission requirements? I can only see the university requirements. Also, I am more worried about my chances, rather than simply meeting the requirements.
http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/apply-engineering
This gives you how school of engineering does admission. Since you want engineering, your application will be reviewed holistically even if you would otherwise be an academic admit. For engineering, however, there is early action option. Just being around college application process long time plus this year with my son’s experience, I know when you show interest, there’s a better chance of admittance. Early action definitely would be a plus. The application opens July 1 this year. I strongly recommend you start as early as possible and write good essay. They’re critical for holistic admission as well as scholarship. My son got out of state waiver bc of scholarship and I can only think his essays must have stood out (not that his stats were bad, but surely there were others with just as good stats!)
Having no academic admit just makes it less certain for all! It still will help to have better stats. If you get 36 ACT AND have great EC and essays, you’d feel better, no doubt 
Is it harder for academic admits to get into engineering than before? Yes & no. Late acad. admit applicants for ONLY engineering are no longer at a disadvantage, and early acad.applicants are no longer guaranteed their major determined previously purely by date of approval. But that is the past, you can’t go back.
FYI: Automatic admits aren’t even guaranteed a spot in Engineering. A friend of mine is top 2%, decent test scores but not great. He didn’t try much because he felt he was an automatic so it didn’t matter. He only did 2 essays and didn’t put much effort into it. He was denied Engineering and will now go the Blinn Engineering route to try and get in. So don’t take anything for granted. Bust your butt on scores, essays, and application.
I wish I could but I would have to get my recommendation letters.
Engineering holistic review is also looking for your readiness for engineering. They want to see your course rigor in AP/honors physics and calculus AB/BC. What math are you taking and what are you AP classes? Do you have any EC’s in engineering such as PLTW, robotics, etc?
Besides A&M, if you truly want engineering, apply to schools that directly admit you to a major (besides UT, which is not likely since you are out of auto admit range for them). Chose schools that may offer you aid, like UT Dallas and UT Arlington. Make sure you can afford where you are accepted. Have that talk now.
At A&M, you are only accepted into general engineering and then have to apply to major at end of second semester or at end of third semester. Those will be your only two chances to get into a major in engineering.