Baylor University
Reviews

Diversity?!

It's a private Baptist college. It's expected of everyone to fit into a "higher standard" box. It's not generally looked-well upon to be different of "revolutionary" at all. This includes the professors.

Guys Are... Weird.

The guys at Baylor are straight up weird. They're either convinced you're to be married if you hug them, or they want nothing to do with you/have been happily taken since 1979. Lots and lots of players. Too many fratties to count. Ugh. Need I say more?

Sic' Em Bears

Baylor is the best. It provides full academic, social, and athletics needs. While students need to find a balance between fun social activities and grueling academics, Baylor has it all. The environment is wonderful, and people here are so nice. The campus is also absolutely beautiful! The Baylor Bubble is different than any other place, but it is the happiest and most wonderful college you could attend.

Parking, Parking, Parking

Parking on campus near classes is not the best. While Baylor does provide many parking garages, they are located around the perimeter of the school so you still have to walk quite a distance to class. You will always be able to find somewhere to park your car on campus, but it might be farther from your classes than you want it to be.

Stellar Academics

Baylor University attracted me because of their amazing science program. The science classes are rigorous and quite difficult, but professors are always available for extra assistance. The professors at Baylor, no matter what department, truly care that the students learn the material presented to them. The non-science classes are also still difficult, but after completing the course, you really feel like you learned much from the professor.

Football!!!

Football is huge here and everyone loves going to games! Tons of school spirit and most of our sports teams are doing extremely well!!!

Room for Improvement

Religiously, everyone seems to be Baptist which kind of sucks for me as a Muslim. Baylor is not overtly intolerant of other sexual orientations, and really the rule of thumb is be classy.

Very Diverse Community

Sometimes you've got to be creative to come up with things to do in Waco. While there is your movie theater, which isn't far from campus, and your mall, which is just a short drive down the highway, there's not a lot of variety. A few of the attractions include Cameron Park, which is huge and offers a lot of hiking, biking, and jogging trails along with great areas to picnic and hang out with friends, Cameron Park Zoo, which is one of the nicest zoos I have been to, Wild West, a local joint which offers dancing, a bowling alley, skating rink, and the Dr. Pepper Museum, which is a must see as Dr. Pepper was created right here in Waco. There is a great little shopping area called Spice Village just a short drive from campus with a lot of unique stores and items. Common Grounds right on the edge of campus is also a very popular favorite among students and serves lots of unique coffee, tea, and smoothie drinks and has live entertainment some nights which is quite good. It's a great place to study, or hang out and it has a very unique atmosphere. Overall, as long as you're willing to come up with something, you won't get too bored on the weekends.

Students Held Accountable

The students have to sign in if they come home late at night. They are held accountable for their actions or suspended from school.

People on Campus

Everyone is very nice and personable. It's all about the southern hospitality!

Not That Difficult If You Have the Grades

You need to have good GPA,extracurricular;the SAT score is around 1600 which isn't that difficult.However,if you want to get into the honors college you need have excellent academics;and sit through an interview process.

Many White/Conservative Students

It's very frustrating as a minority to be surrounded by white and typically closed-minded conservative types. The diversity that is present is usually categorized into the student-athletes.

Campus Food Is Campus Food.

As far as cafeteria food goes Baylor's is pretty good, however campus food is campus food. Students know that during high school Premiere Days food will be notably better so as to attract new students. The main difference Baylor has is the social atmosphere. At Collins Cafeteria students are sure to fall in love with Mrs. Pam. To me and many other students she is our "Waco Mom" or our "Mom away from home". The southern hospitality of the dining staff makes Baylor's dining experience a great time for socializing and making friends.

A Diamond in the Rough

Baylor is the gem of Waco. As a school in the middle of very impoverished city, Baylor's pristine campus provides students a safe and serene environment to expand their social horizons while receiving a good education. The atmosphere of the campus however alienates the students from the general Waco population. The Wacoans look at the stark contrast of the "Baylor Bubble" to their own hovel and as a result, local opinion of Baylor students is very poor.

People Are Friendly

Most people are friendly and helpful. Their are more pretty girls than hot guys. Relationships are big at Baylor. Most people are smart and care about their grades. People were all sorts of clothing from really preppy to t-shirt with nike shorts

Living on Campus Is Nice

Dorms are nice. Brooks College Dorms are the best for freshman, but you have to sign a 2 year contract. You get a suite with 4 people, 2 in each room and you share a bathroom. It is like a little community. There is even a dining hall attatched

Punishments Are Severe but No One Really Gets Into Trouble

There are signs posted in every dormitory about the consequences of drinking or doing drugs on campus. They make it pretty straightforward that if you are caught you will get a huge fine and your parents will find out. If you are to drink do it very discretely and don't make a fuss about it and you'll most likely never get caught.

Strive for Diversity, Falls a Little Short

Baylor likes to talk about its diversity, but in all honesty it's not all that diverse. Yes, there are students from around the world and of different religions and backgrounds, but for the most part, the student population is caucasian as well as the faculty.

Walking/Biking Are Best

Most apartments/dorms are within a mile or so of the campus, making walking and biking great options. Free transportation is also available for most apartments off campus, which is especially helpful since parking is a nightmare.

Its All Good.. If You Are a Christian

Baylor is one of the few church affiliated schools that actually strives to be religiously oriented. Granted that this is known at the time of registration, there are still students of other religions on campus as the academics are very good and draw in a variety of students. While most are accepting of different races and political beliefs, differences in religion are not always accepted.

Definitely Changing

I just wanted to make sure prospective students know that despite what people say, Baylor is actually comparable to the state of Texas with regards to minority percentages. After comparing the 2010 census data and the student body breakdown on Collegeboard, I was quite surprised that Baylor is not as homogenous as people say. Admittedly, there could be more international students, but the administration acknowledges this and plans to work on that during the next ten year plan.

As for political views, the conservative students probably outnumber the liberal students. If you are liberal though, don't worry, people are tolerant and there are definitely other like-minded individuals on campus (you just have to look around). Most don't bring up politics for casual talk though.

Sexual orientation is one thing that is definitely hushed up on campus. I'm sure there are LGBT students and to my knowledge, there is no overt discrimination. However, from what I have heard, I think the administration expects them to respect the university's views (which means no official acknowledgement or representation).

Nothing to Complain About

There are computers all around campus, but there can be times where many of them are being occupied so you might have to look around a bit. I am probably not the best person to ask though since I do bring a laptop to school. That being said, the WiFi connection on campus is alright. Not perfect, but it rarely causes me problems either. As for printers, they have a number of them around as well. The good thing is that you can print directly from your laptop so it definitely saves me from extra work.

Quite Satisfied

Professors- For the most part, professors care about students' success. They may be busy with research, but if you show that you care, they will gladly reciprocate.

Curriculum/Workload- A lot depends on the choices one makes. As I am in the honors program, I do appreciate the opportunity to take Great Texts classes and the First Year Seminar. The workload is definitely up to you. Just remember that in college, you have to be willing to put in the hours outside of class to do well.

Registration- Since I am in the honors program, one of the perks is early registration. Therefore, it's hard to comment in the position of a non-honors student. The process is quite straightforward though. Get advised, then on registration day, wake up early and hope you get all your classes. I do suggest taking a look at bubooks.com as that is where professor ratings for Baylor are located.

Study areas- There are many great study spaces if you are willing to look around and explore buildings. However, I have heard a few people wish for more study areas.

Strict but Not Too Instrusitve

Baylor does have strict policies, such as no alcohol on campus, tough penalties for being caught with drugs, and curfews for visitors of the opposite sex in dorms, but these haven't really bothered me because I would probably follow these policies anyway even if they weren't rules. They are not always trying to watch you to make sure you are doing what you're suppossed to do.

Baptist Bias

Being the largest Baptist school in the country there is sometimes a stigma about other religions and life choices. Although there is a variety of cultures on campus, you do not hear about other religious groups or groups such as LBGT. The school always says they are open to all religions but when you are required to take 2 baptist classes your freshman year it is pretty obvious where they stand.