palmettoag
Texas A&M Corps of Cadets 2026
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Texas A&M C/O 2026 Thread
- Thread starter palmettoag
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He's going to do SNWC with N1, I think the other outfit he stayed with last fall was P2 (but I would have to confirm). I encouraged him to try a co-ed outfit this time. I'm not sure if anyone else can tell us the advantages/disadvantages of an all male outfit here or not. I asked on the Corps 2026 page, but haven't received a response. He's also trying to reach out to one H1 cadet that he knows from scouting, to get his thoughts. AND we're STILL waiting on news from USNA...
My son considered the band (he plays in HS), but he really wants to try for the fish drill team and marksmanship team so he thought it would be too much.
palmettoag
Texas A&M Corps of Cadets 2026
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How was your DS's experience with P2? I did not spend a night with them but they are my first choice outfit at the moment. That or N1
With the size of the band these days, there are many who are able to do fish Drill Team and then commit more fully to the band. Last game I went to, there were plenty of FDT and Cav cords in the formation. This would have never happened in my day with trying to keep the full block without cutting any ranks.
I think he really liked them. He's not on the forum, but maybe you two can exchange contact info? You can PM me.
They said it was definitely possible...but, I think he's decided against band.
tamucadet1803
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I was looking through the thread and thought I'd make an account to possibly answer a few questions. I am a current cadet at TAMU. I would be happy to answer any questions about outfits (their culture, differences, etc) or about special units (I noticed you mentioned the drill team), as it is usually hard to come by a first-hand perspective.
palmettoag
Texas A&M Corps of Cadets 2026
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Hey, how is P2 as an outfit? How is there lifestyle (academics, pt, military, family-culture). Also are fish allowed to travel to away games, like the UofSC vs TAMU game this year?
tamucadet1803
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So P2 is I would say definitely an all around good outfit, especially for the navy/marine units. To be honest, I don't know a ton about them, but I do know that they have pretty good academics and pt standards. One thing that is true for all outfits in the corps is that no matter which outfit you go with, you'll bond with your buddies and fully believe that your outfit is the best one on the Quad. As for traveling to away games... no outfits (except for the band and some specific exceptions) go to the away games. There is a Corps trip every year where the whole Corps goes to an away game together, and it's usually in the Dallas area. That doesn't mean though that you can't leave for the weekend and go to an away game, you just have to make sure to be back by around 7PM on Sunday.
My DS's top outfit choice was H1, so now he's making some decisions. He's SWTC again at the end of this month to try another outfit; he previously stayed H1 and another unit, P2 I believe. He's very interested in the fish drill team; he was CO of the armed drill team in JROTC.
Are most of H1 cadets going to one outfit?
What would you say are the reasons to choose/not to choose an all male unit?
Thanks in advance for your help!
tamucadet1803
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So due to H-1 being disbanded (side note: it should not have been. Its disbandment is a major loss to the special forces and SEAL communities) just about every cadet is going to either G-2 or P-2.
As for the fish Drill Team, I highly recommend it. Just about every freshman on the team has no prior experience at all, but by the time it comes to a close, they are national champions. FDT has won championships pretty much every year for many decades. It is a pretty big time commitment, but all FDT activities take place during Corps time, so he wouldn't be missing any study time or anything.
As for all-male or integrated units, this is definitely just my opinion. To me, it seems like the all-male units tend to be better in terms of PT, unity, and especially traditions. They are also a lot more rewarding (what some friends in all male units have told me). On the downside they tend to be harder in my opinion, especially as a fish, and they tend to be called more "haze-y" due to their higher difficulty (none actually do any hazing or things like that). At the end of the day, most of the integrated units will have a couple females in each class and you end up becoming great friends with them anyways.
I'll pass along the info! He's really upset about H1; I guess they had also "chosen" him after his previous SNWC as he received an email that he was slated to join one that was being disbanded. He'll survive...I keep telling him everything happens for a reason, even if we never know why.
Your info about all-male outfits is exactly what we thought it would be. He has a few more weeks to decide (barring a last minute appointment to USNA). I keep telling him, any one will be a great choice and he'll think it's #1! He did have two friends that didn't continue corps their second semester (one quit/one removed with the possible option to come back), so I hope he finds a good fit!
My DS received the TWE from USNA this morning...he'll definitely be an aggie! He's connected/will connect with some on this forum, but looking forward to meeting others heading to college station.
Not sure if this applies to anyone on this thread, but they announced last week that the official announcement of no OOS tuition for cadets should come this week. That's a big difference if your student didn't get the $4K in corps scholarships to waive OOS.
Not sure if this applies to anyone on this thread, but they announced last week that the official announcement of no OOS tuition for cadets should come this week. That's a big difference if your student didn't get the $4K in corps scholarships to waive OOS.
Wow...this would be a major positive move by TAMU - can you please advise who "they" are - that made the announcement on TAMU granting all members of the Corps of Cadets in-state tuition? And do I understand your comment above to mean all cadets - whether on ROTC scholarship or contracting (programmers) - or whether or not a cadet is on tract to commission? Thanks
Joe Hoffman, he's basically the face on social media for the corps, I'm not sure his official title. There's an aggie 2026 group and it was announced there. I tried to send a screenshot through a PM here, but I think it was the wrong format. I know they are trying to grow the corps to 3500 or so. Let me see if I can find the post and get the exact wording. He did state to not commit to another school yet, if the OOS tuition was a factor. If I find it, I'll post here.
Another huge announcement from them last fall was the Patriot Scholarship that covers R&B for all ROTC scholarship awardees. That goes/went into affect for this year. On a tour, they stated they would be reimbursing retroactively for this year's ROTC cadets.
Another huge announcement from them last fall was the Patriot Scholarship that covers R&B for all ROTC scholarship awardees. That goes/went into affect for this year. On a tour, they stated they would be reimbursing retroactively for this year's ROTC cadets.
I posted the text in a separate post, but it needs approval...maybe because it's copied and pasted?
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The post read cadets in the corps, if they are on ROTC their tuition would be paid, so it seems anyone who joins the corps. I know previously if the cadet earned $4K in scholarships, OOS was waived, but this would not require that.
So - what does "...if they are on ROTC..." mean? Typically at an SMC, every cadet takes the ROTC basic course through their second semester sophomore year. Only those on scholarship or approved by the professor of military science (PAS and PNS for Air Force and Navy) to continue to the Advanced course as a "programmer" without an ROTC scholarship, continue to be "in ROTC." So will be interested to see what the actual announcement says. It would be a real statement by TAMU to waive tuition for non-scholarship cadets enrolled in both the basic and advanced ROTC course with or without a ROTC scholarship. That would mean the non-scholarship cadet enrolled in ROTC would only have to pay Room & Board. Nice - will be anxious to see what is announced.
Sorry, if they are on ROTC scholarship. I'm not familiar with the programmer route, my son has the 4 year NROTC scholarship.
The entire tuition isn't waived, just OOS. I'll see if I can PM you the exact text. The post here is pending.