Has anyone on this board successfully got their kids admitted from out of state? My oldest is currently in 8th grade and will be an out state applicant. He's a white male from a good financial situation, so I know that hurts his chances. What did your kid do to stand out? Obviously he needs a 4.0(or whatever it is with advanced classes), but needs to graduate in the top few of his class and blow away the sat. Anything else helpful?

My son just got accepted for Spring 2026.
He originally was accepted to the USAFA. Unfortunately his admission was rescinded due to a health issue. This happened in April so he had to start the process over for college admission.
He was accepted in October to A&M. He now loves the idea of being an Aggie.
His grades were all A's. He attended a small private school in Louisiana. His resume was strong academically with a 4.0 unweighted GPA. Valedictorian of his class. Played football and was a 3 year letterman. Golf for 2 years and his team placed 2nd in State. President of his school National Honor Society, Student council treasurer, Homecoming court., Beta Club and really a lot of academic accolades. He worked hard and just got it done. Texas A&M likes more that just grades. Involvement, leadership, volunteerism all helps with admissions. My son also volunteered in tutoring math.
He owned a pressure washing business for 3 years. This was on his application as well.

He is a white male and he is fully aware that is not a limitation or an excuse. I always taught him that school is his job so do well and that his success is not dependent on others. He knows he has to outwork others by competing only with himself.. This was engrained into him. Victim mentality was never allowed in our home.

Your son has plenty of time to work on his resume..
I truly believe you have to lead your son by your actions.
Make him read books. Also, I paid my son for A's. Because school was his "job", I paid him for excellence. He would receive $100 a semester for all A's. It would compound ieach year. So at the end of his senior year I had to pay him an additional $1,600 for four years of all A's. He was paid for his work is was an exchange.
He understands that I came from poverty. Through education and hard I was able to create a lifestyle for my family.
Kids don't follow what you say but what you do.
Hope this sheds light on what my son did and how we worked together to help him get opportunities.

Best wishes
Lead well.

I would recommend the following:

• Firmly in the top 10%, preferably 5%. TAMU still likes to use this as a barometer to understand how competitive the student is in their academic environment.
• 1360 SAT or 30 ACT places the student into the top 25% of test scores.
• Leadership. The president of a club or two, if they can create a new one and become the founder, even better.
• Service. Leadership demonstrated through service needs to be part of this as well, by finding impactful ways to help those around them. I would not count opportunities within the school, as every student has access to them. Instead, encourage them actually get involved in the local non-profit community. Have him select one where their mission aligns with his personal interests and goals, and spend the next four years creating an impact in it, and with each passing year, they should see their commitment and impact larger than the year before.
• Uniqueness. When admitting out-of-state students, they're seeking to increase the diversity of their student body. What element can your student bring to the table? Is it a sport that is rarely played here in Texas? What is the community well-known for, and how will Texas A&M benefit from them being a part of our student body?
• Strong essays. Work to intentionally create a narrative you wish to tell, personalized to them. I often tell students that if another student can claim a similar experience to the one they wrote, then the essay is not strong enough.

I hope this helps, and that in four years you will have another Aggie in the family!