First off, if you don't know about something, don't give false information. That's one of the issues we have on D+B- people who have never participated on the Corps giving out wrong info.
I'm a 3-degree and this is my second year on Drum and Bugle Corps. I'm the mellophone section leader (and since you play french horn, you'll probably be dealing with me if you decide to join).
Drum and Bugle Corps is a time commitment, primarily during first semester, which is football season. Being on D+B puts you on LOS status- which essentially means you don't play intramurals. D+B takes precedence over things like freshman training.
This is where people who are not on Corps get the attitude that D+B uses it as an excuse to get out of a lot of things. But most other cadets don't see the work that we put in. We have practices everyday 4:30-6:55 during football season and some weekend long practices too. You also have to be up earlier on football home game days, as well as travel to all away football games.
D+B is an amazing opportunity. It gives you a chance to do something you love, which makes this place just a little bit sweeter, especially as a freshman. You get the chance to go on some awesome trips (our trips for next year include West Point, San Diego and Vegas). Playing in the stands at football and basketball games is a blast, and beating Navy at the Interservice Drum and Bugle Competition would be pretty sweet too. It's a blast, and some of the best friends you make are on Drum and Bugle with you.
Essentially everyone makes the Corps, and even if you don't play an instrument, we can teach you. We're always looking for strong players.
If you're worried about academics or athletics, don't be. We make sure that you keep up with study sessions and we have more than enough people that can serve as tutors. D+B traditionally has one of the highest GPAs of all the clubs. We also do work-out sessions everyday so that you can keep up with your PFT scores.
People have negative attitudes about everybody here- honor guard, IC athletes, etc. If it's something you want to do, go for it, and don't let someone else's attitude affect yours.