<p>My son's first choice is A&M and he wants to major in computer science. He is also interested in the engineering honors program but not sure about university honors. He is beginning his junior year and already meets the test score/class rank requirements for engineering honors. He has regisered for the corps JCAP event to check out possibly joining the corps as well. We are out of state and he knows that being in the corps would get him instate tuition also.</p>
<p>My question is, how compatible is CS and honors with also being in the corps? I know about 1/4 of the corps are engineering majors but it seems like the demands on ones time could be come too much.</p>
<p>My S just started as a fish in the Corps and is majoring in petroleum engineering. Since classes just started this week, you may take what I have to say with a grain of salt since its not based on a lot of data, yet. However, so far my wife and I LOVE TAMU and the Corps! </p>
<p>If, as a parent, you are compulsive and semi-control freaks (as we are) you will be happy with the Corps lifestyle. The kids are up early and have already done PT and eaten with the Corps before any classes start. Academics are given priority; many of the cadets privileges are based on their grades so if they do well academically a lot of opportunities open up for them. On the other hand, if they are not doing well, there is a lot of motivation applied to get them to improve.</p>
<p>The Commandant wants to Corps GPA to be higher than the overall TAMU GPA, and he wants that to happen while increasing the percentage of engineering majors. To help make this happen he is paying for “mandatory” tutoring for ALL fish cadets through their first exams of the year. After that point, cadets who are not doing well will have to continue to mandatory tutoring while others have the choice. Also, so far I count 3 separate Corps academic advisors that my S has talked about. The Commandant is clearly doing everything in his power to help Cadets succeed academically.</p>
<p>Lastly, the leaders in his squadron are always emphasizing academics. They will reduce cadets’ Corps requirements if they need more time to study. They also have a lot of traditions that force cadets out of the dorms and into the library – once again facilitating studying.</p>
<p>Overall, we could not be happier with our S’s decision to major in engineering and joining the Corps. One point to keep in mind however is that if your S wants to be in the Corps band, they practice so much that it is reportedly very hard to do that and major in engineering. </p>
<p>PM me if you want any more details.</p>
<p>Best, JR</p>
<p>jroback, Thanks for the feedback. It is good to hear someone saying the recruiting line is the same as what is actually going on. We have a friend whose son just started as a fish this year also but have not yet talked to him.<br>
The mandatory tutoring is something I had not heard of. That could be a good thing to help with the transition from HS to college.
My son and band should not be used in the same sentence. He gets his musical talents from me.
Thanks.</p>
<p>You might want to consider one of the Spend the Night with the Corps programs so your son can see first hand what he will be getting into.
[Spend</a> the Night with the Corps | Texas A&M Corps of Cadets](<a href=“http://corps.tamu.edu/spend-the-night-with-the-corps]Spend”>Spend the Night with the Corps)</p>
<p>He is registered for the JCAP program for the first of November.</p>
<p>Awesome, ya’ll are doing all the right stuff.</p>