<p>Questions about the Corps of Cadets at a&m. Are they part of the actual military, like an ROTC program or something? If you join, do you require service after graduation? Do they help with paying for school (out of state)? Would you recommend it?</p>
<p>bump…</p>
<p>My son is currently in the Corps of Cadets, so I can answer your questions. If you are in ROTC, you are in the COC at A&M. However, you can join the Corps without a military obligation. People who graduate from A&M after being in the Corps either get commissioned in one of the services as a Second Lieutenant or Ensign, or they earn a Leadership Certificate and go on into civilian life. There are ROTC scholarships that you apply directly to the Army, Navy/Marines or Air Force for, and Corps scholarships handled at the university level. ROTC scholarships come with an obligation to military service. Corps scholarships do not. EVERY freshman will get at least a $1000 Corps Scholarship. If you are out-of-state, that makes you eligible for the in-state tuition waiver so you pay the same rate as Texas residents. My son is on an Army ROTC scholarship and has a $1200 per year Corps Scholarship and is an out-of-state resident, so his education is almost completely paid for.</p>
<p>Your college life is much more regimented and controlled by others than the rest of the student body. It is definitely not the easy route. However, it can be a very rewarding experience for the amount of leadership and time management experience you get. I would highly recommend doing a “Spend the Night with the Corps” program during the school year to get a taste of what it would be like.</p>
<p>How much time does it allow for academic study? What about sports?</p>
<p>You actually get plenty of time for study. There is a mandated call to quarters every night for freshman Sunday through Thursday of about 3 hours after dinner. The mandatory time becomes less each year as you get more senior, unless your grades fall below a certain GPA. The new Commandant of the Corps is putting a huge emphasis on grades for the Corps. As far as sports, it depends what level you are talking about. If you are a varsity athlete in one of A&M’s NCAA sports, you really won’t have time to do both. However, the Corps encourages good physical fitness. The Corps itself has several intramural sports teams you can join. And there are intramural sports put on by the university civilian population as a whole that you could take part in (as long as your grades are good). Again, this is where having to learn good time management is more pronounced when you put membership in the Corps of Cadets in the mix.</p>
<p>My son visited A&M and spent 24 hours with the COC 5 years ago. He wasn’t from Texas and decided it wasn’t for him. A bit too Texas for a mid-western boy. He ended up going to a state U on an NROTC scholarship and is now an ensign and has several friends who were in the COC. I recommend visiting and spending a day with the COC.</p>