I am so glad I happened to be awake when this came through!
I can tell you that if your son's ACT/SAT scores are good and his transcript looks good, APPLY. When I say that we are from a small school district, think "23 graduating seniors." Seriously. And out of those 23, two are now Aggies. (They are the only Ags from our town in the last 15+ years - it isn't like we're an Aggie town, quite the opposite!) My son is an aerospace engineering major, and his math was good on the ACT - but he ended up taking a "pre-calc for aerospace engineering" course at A&M because his math wasn't as good as it could/should've been. But the course was there for the taking - they know that some districts aren't up to par, and have options available to get them there. Pretty amazing, really.
I honestly believe the trick is letting A&M know that you're serious - go on a visit, apply the minute you can (even before the final ACT/SAT scores are in) and above all, make sure they know you're interested in the Corps.
We were.. well, we were scared he wouldn't be accepted. There's no other way to put it. But tonight he's in Arlington with his "fish buddies" having some fun at a buddy's house before tomorrow's big A&M/Arkansas game at Texas Stadium (they march in - WHOOP!) and I have got to tell you something my husband spotted on campus somewhere: And if you want a little more... Join the Corps.
We're six hours from CS, so I know as well as most how long the drive seems - but I guarantee you this... if you schedule a SNWC visit, that'll be the end of it - you'll all be bending over backwards to get your son there, and then YOU will be making the drive every chance you get. I'm sure your dad has told you, but it's something that must be experienced... It's something you can't understand from the outside, but can't explain from the inside. And I'm just a MOM - I'm not even there! LOL
Two other bits of info - there are two other
killer pathways into A&M. Blinn Community College and A&M Galveston. If his grades are "iffy" apply to Galveston. They have a program where they can move into A&M seamlessly after a year - it isn't even a transfer, it's just a "move" - and they are considered full Corps members from the start. Blinn team is another pathway - the students live on campus (guaranteed Corps housing, no less) and can move into A&M if their grades are up to snuff. I've forgotten most of what I knew of those two programs, tho - so google them as a backup.
I have to say, though... we're just past mid-terms and there is absolutely nothing - not one thing - I'd warn you about. The Corps is simply amazing in "making" your kid join into something bigger than themselves, and expecting them to excel. Period. I look at our friend's kids and just wonder how I'd ever manage being anything but a Cadet's mom. The thing that amazes me over and again is that while so many ppl have to worry about what trouble their kid may find, I have to worry ("worry") that he's involved in too many campus activities. And in all honesty, all of that without a HINT of hazing. The thing I've come to trust is that he's in the hands of his cadre - and his cadre knows that they're responsible for creating good Aggies. It's just amazing. Really. It's like not only does he have a unit helping him succeed, and 2000 cadets, he has a 49 thousand member student body expecting him to represent A&M. They WANT him to succeed. They're watching his back.
I'm just not sure you can find that anywhere else but Aggieland, and obviously I will shout it from the rooftops.
Oh, also... your son needs to check out the S-1 Spartans when he comes down to visit. Apparently there's a good kid or two there.
edited to add: So funny... I'm sitting here in my Corps Parents t-shirt, drinking from my A&M travel mug.. and 11 months & 1 week ago.. we hadn't even been down to visit yet. They tend to make an impression on you in a hurry. lol