My son is entering his senior year in high school next month. He has completed his application to A&M on the ApplyTexas website, but his high school counselors have advised everyone in his class to not submit their applications until after they provide "senior guidance" in September.

If "senior guidance" means advice on the essays, resume, etc., I'm not particularly concerned, but are there any other reasons why he should wait? Conversely, would applying to A&M now instead of waiting until September offer him an advantage?

Here are the reasons I've come up with as to why it might make sense for him to wait:
I think his class size will increase between now and September as the population in this area (Frisco, TX) continues to grow, so his class rank will probably change a little for the better. However, he's only in the top 15%, so it's highly unlikely that he would be pushed into the top 10%.

He scored in the 99th percentile on the PSAT/NMSQT, and while I think announcements of semifinalists and commended students aren't made until September, his NMSC Selection Index is 213, which is not projected to be high enough to be a semifinalist in Texas. I guess it's possible that he might be "commended", but at worst, applying now would mean that he wouldn't include this in his resume.

Are there any other reasons?

Thanks in advance.

What were his SAT or ACT scores? If high enough he would qualify for academic admit with a 15% class rank and should apply right away. Especially if he wants the Mays business school. Another advantage of early admission is he can sign up for housing and be at the front of the line for dorms.

I believe A&M does rolling admissions so applying sooner is better.

Some majors will fill up fast so for that reason applying early is better. Any documents received by the deadline in December will be considered. So he can always send additional information a little later. http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/admitted details the different ways freshmen are admitted. He can review the section on Academic Admits.

Might be a good idea for TAMU to get the word out about July 1st being the opening for applications. Our school was also offering a "help" session for students regarding essays, resumes, etc. but it was being held next month.

A&M has done a fabulous job of selling the Apply Early mantra. He'll, many Ivy schools have yet to open their application and encourage students to wait until after the summer so they may include those experiences as well.

It's good that everything is about done. But yes, take sometime to have others review it and make sure it's the best product. Majors at TAMU will not fill up this month or next.

You can afford to wait.

TAMUAdmissions said:

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Some majors will fill up fast so for that reason applying early is better. Any documents received by the deadline in December will be considered. So he can always send additional information a little later. http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/admitted details the different ways freshmen are admitted. He can review the section on Academic Admits.

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Thanks to everyone for the replies.

His SAT and ACT composite scores were 1410 and 32 respectively, with high enough scores in each subject to meet A&M's requirements. He is also completing all of the required coursework for an academic admit.

He wants to major in Electrical Engineering. If A&M admits him, how long do you think he could wait to confirm his acceptance and still be confident that he'll get his chosen major? I'm pretty sure that he'll end up choosing A&M like the rest of his family. However, we aren't pressuring him, so he's also considering another school.

If he meets all the criteria for Academic Admits, there is no need to wait since he would be automatically admitted. Electrical Engineering might fill up in November.

Unless you're trying for scholarships which at a 1410 the student would be close to earning one.

TAMUAdmissions said:

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If he meets all the criteria for Academic Admits, there is no need to wait since he would be automatically admitted. Electrical Engineering might fill up in November.

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The College of Engineering no longer admits incoming freshmen directly into a major. Engineering majors cannot fill up for freshmen.

The College of Engineering also does holistic review of applications. Translation: You can be an auto-admit to TAMU, but you are not guaranteed to be admitted to the College of Engineering

Top 10 and Academic Admits can get automatic admission but choice of major is not guaranteed. As part of their holistic review process, Engineering will fill up due to lack of space. That is expected to occur in November.

TAMUAdmissions said:

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Top 10 and Academic Admits can get automatic admission but choice of major is not guaranteed. As part of their holistic review process, Engineering will fill up due to lack of space. That is expected to occur in November.

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When is Mays expected to fill up?

It is not an exact science, of course, but Mays may fill up about the same time as Engineering - perhaps late November or early December.

TAMUAdmissions said:

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Top 10 and Academic Admits can get automatic admission but choice of major is not guaranteed. As part of their holistic review process, Engineering will fill up due to lack of space. That is expected to occur in November.

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And they are not even guaranteed admission to the College of Engineering, only acceptance in the University.

Engineering fills up regardless of whether they do a holistic review process or not.

It should also be made clear that Engineering acceptances come in two waves. Letters accepting applicants to CoE go out in October to a first round of accepted kids. A second set of acceptance letters goes out in December. There are no longer rolling admissions to the College of Engineering

I don't recall that my parents had any involvement in my application/acceptance to A&M. Times have changed. All my Dad wanted to know was how much tuition/books/rent would cost.

And when your Dad wanted to know about the cost, the total was about 1/4 of the today's price tag. I'm class of '95 and I think the application was a piece of paper and my transcript so it's not comparable. It's not helicopter parenting to ask a question for your kid on an Internet forum so that for that $100,000 he or she can have the best shot at timing things to get in their desired major.