A few caveats. I didn’t attend Texas A&M University (“TAMU”) or any other SMC, and I haven’t been in the military. You can take these comments for what they might be worth. I’ve also sent you a private message. Out of state students who are members of the Corps of Cadets at TAMU pay in-state tuition (regardless of whether or not they are contracted).
Each school, civilian or otherwise, is different, and the right school or a good fit school for one person might not be a great fit for someone else. If you can, please try to visit the school or schools you might be interested in. The schools you mentioned are different. William and Mary is one of the “public ivy’s” and will have a markedly different feel and experience than an SMC. VMI is small, 96% of the instructors have a terminal degree in their field of specialty, there is the ratline, there is no place to hide but on the flip side, you’ll have up close and personal instruction from that professor. TAMU is, in some ways, at the other end of the spectrum. You’ll be in uniform and living (when compared to your TAMU ‘non-reg’ brethren, an austere lifestyle) but you’ll be one of 2,100+ in a sea of 50,000. Freshman and many sophomore classes are big. While the percentage of out of state students in the TAMU Corps is higher than the TAMU general population (where it is about 3%) it still isn’t high. The population demographics or geography of Texas is such that most students are from hometowns within a 1-5 hour drive. Even Fish (first year Cadets) get some weekends off and can have cars, so they frequently go home – if you are out of state, that’s harder. Football is a big deal at TAMU, and is a big deal for the Corps (you are required to go to home football games as a Cadet).
If you are interested, see
http://corps.tamu.edu/ . Under the “Connect” tab you can e-mail questions to cadets or to the full time Corps staff (principally retired officers). TAMU, like most schools, has a spend the night program. You can also reach the various ROTC departments. The “Contact Us” tab has way to contact the ROTC departments.
http://corps.tamu.edu/contact-us
TAMU has a graduate school of public service, the Bush School of Government and Public Service.
http://bush.tamu.edu/degree/ . TAMU also has a robust International Relations program.
The International Studies degree provides an interdisciplinary curriculum that captures the broad range of social, political, cultural, and economic forces at play in an increasingly interdependent world. Courses are linked by language, topic, and region, and class work is enhanced by a related international experience. The degree couples a thorough background in foreign language with one of five different degree tracks: Communication and Media Studies, Commerce, Arts and Culture, Politics and Diplomacy, and Environmental Studies. All students participate in a 10 to 14 week international experience in their chosen geographic region. Upon graduation, international studies majors have the language proficiency, analytical skills, substantive knowledge, and cultural sensitivity necessary for work in government, academia, or international business.
http://internationalstudies.tamu.edu/html/international-studies.html
However, to join the Corps you have to first be admitted to TAMU.
http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshmen/default.aspx
Total Number of Freshman Applications: 29,713
Total Number of Freshmen Admitted: 16,488
Total Number of Freshmen Enrolled: 8,255
Top 10% Admits: 54%
Academic Admits: 15%
Review Admits: 31%
Academic Profile for First-Time Freshmen
Average SAT Score: 1220
Average ACT Score: 27
Class Rank
Top 10% of High School Graduating Class: 54%
Top 25% of High School Graduating Class: 90%
Top 50% of High School Graduating Class: 99%
http://admissions.tamu.edu/counselors/profile.aspx
For more of the marketing type information see Aggiebound:
http://aggiebound.tamu.edu/
Good luck and Best Wishes.