Taylor University
Reviews

Faculty

Most are extremely dedicated, not only to their subject but more importantly to their students. They realize that there is a unique story and personality to each individual and are open to developing more meaningful relationships than just a professor you see three times a week.

Parking Is Easy

It is not hard to find parking spots on campus, but whether they are good spots or not is a different story. Buying a parking permit only costs ten dollars for the whole year. It is easy to get a ticket though, so it is important to make sure that you have parked in a legal spot in the correct way. I personally do not have a car on campus and just get rides from other people. However, since everything is so far away from campus, it would be nice to have a car.

Poor

In terms of representing the body of Christ, Taylor doesn't do a very good job. We have like 9% diversity. More should be done about diversity. Any other religion besides evangelical Christianity is looked down on. There is definitely tension between ethnic and racial groups. I think most of the students who are not white feel like they are highly stereotyped. The majority of students are white, middle to upper class, heterosexual, evangelical Christians that would claim to be republicans. Anyone not fitting those descriptions either keeps quiet or isn't as accepted as those who do fit the descriptions. This is definitely a weak point for the school.

Positives and Negatives

I don't really have any issues with strictness at the school. There is no drinking or doing drugs or having sex and no dirty dancing. People usually freak at the dancing rule but it's really not that bad or strict!

Not Really Existent

Unless you're an athlete or something else then there aren't scholarships. The school is extremely expensive and as far as I know Financial Aid doesn't do much to help people out.

Striving for Diversity

Taylor strives for diversity. The international student groups always strive to bring in more international students and with the exchange programs to Korea and Equador many more students are coming all the time. This gives a great feel to the campus that we are not just privileged white kids but a group of students reaching out to the rest of the world.

"Intentional Community"

There is a generally diverse collection of people and interests. There are however, dorm stereotypes. Generally students will stay in the same dorm year after year, thus adding to certain repeated behaviors and norms. However, dorms interact with each other in the context of special activities, open hours, and special events. One thing that Taylor strives to encourage is the mindset of an "intentional community."

Get Out of the Dorms Early!

The cost of the housing process is terrible, because they make you live in dorms for three years, and force a complete meal plan on you when you do. Living in the dorms is great as a freshman and sophomore; the community is great! But it is difficult as a junior and senior; college is supposed to teach you independence, and it's difficult to learn in a dorm setting where everything you do is controlled.

Excellent Place for Learning

I came to Taylor because of it's excellent academic reputation, and I wasn't disappointed. They encourage learning the subject matter while enforcing critical thinking in the classroom. The professors really make you think for yourselves, and most classes are stimulating. The only critique I have is the administration... Though they're getting better, it's hard to communicate with them and all the forms they have are confusing. They don't offer enough help.

Most People Live on Campus

Taylor's Residence life is a really big and important part of the Taylor experience so most people live in the dorms until their senior year...even seniors still live in dorms.

Nearly Non-Existent

At Taylor, we have few rules that are absolutely set in stone, but one is that we are not allowed to drink while we live on campus. The vast majority of students follow this rule, and there is much less drinking at Taylor than there was at my high school.

It's Not Winning, It's How You Play the Game

Taylor has nearly any sports team you could want (except ice hockey, but we haven't got a rink or enough interest so that will never happen). But TU sports are well-respected on campus in a very low-key fashion. Some teams are actually quite good (especially given the small size of the school) but games are not well-attended by the student body.

Brrrrrr

Since Taylor is in the Midwest the winters are brutal. The cornfields result in wind tunnels that makes students dread walking across campus to classes. However, everyone appreciates the nice summer weather and the entire campus flocks to the front lawns to hang out during the beginning and end of the school year. Just watch out for those middle months!

Can Be Difficult

Most available aid is merit based so all of it has it's difficulties though it is available

Campus Is Easy to Get Around

Most of the activities on campus are within walking distance. A bike may be helpful for convenience, but a car is not needed to get around quickly on the campus.

Computers Are Usually Available

The computers at Taylor University are located in the library and in there is another separate lab. You can survive without a personal computer, but it is much easier to have one of your own.

Diversity on Campus

Most students at TU have the same core Christian beliefs. There are students from an entire scope of economic backgrounds, though most appear to be in the middle class. Political beliefs can be frustrating because of the lack of diversity. Students are very accepting to those of other ethnic backgrounds. We have a fair amount of international students.

It Is What You Make It

On paper, Taylor might not sound like a great school. Most of our facilities are older, we only have two dining options on campus, and there is little to no night life. However, when you visit campus, you'll find that the people and the academics make all the difference. My program (the professional writing program) is ranked number one in the nation, and the people I have met during my two years at Taylor thus far have been absolutely incredible. It's definitely a campus about community, and our community is our strongest selling point. It makes everything else seem insignificant.

Parking No Problem!

Freshmen are not allowed cars on campus until their second semester. Parking permits are only $10 for the whole school-year. They are pretty strict about parking in the correct places, you will get a ticket for parking overnight in a place that is not designated as student parking. It is not necessary to have a car on campus as people are very generous about giving rides.

It's Either Comfort or Popularity.

I love living on campus. Although for Taylor, girls have to live on campus for two years, but most stay on until their senior year. The not so fun thing about Taylor is that the "popular" dorms are the ones with the super small dorm rooms. So you really either have to pick a small room and make it work, which is what i'm doing, or you deal with not living with the popular kids and live in a bigger room. You are kind of judged by where you live on campus.

Unfair Restrictions for Scholarships

I receive $2,500 scholarship every year at Taylor, if I keep above a certain GPA. This scholarship came from my ACT score, a test I took as a Senior in high school. Taylor usually won't give out a scholarship to a student who scores less that a 27 on the ACT, but I scored a 26 and had above a 4.0 GPA in high school. My family did not think it was fair that I was going to get nothing because of being one point off in my ACT score, so we talked to my admissions counselor about it and she recognized that my GPA was very high and I was close to the accepting score for the ACT. She was able to give us the $2,500 scholarship, which is less than what I would've gotten for having a 27. What is frustrating is that the next year the restrictions changed for scholarships, and focus more on GPA than ACT score. It upsets me because I could've received more scholarship money if they would've done that for me. Like I said, unfair restrictions.

Puts Much Emphasis on Ethnic Diversity.

Taylor often emphasizes the importance of ethnic diversity at Taylor. It welcomes many students and professors from different countries and backgrounds. There is an event at Taylor dedicated to representing ethnic diversity. This event is called Mosaic Night. It features dances, readings, skits, and other performances from students from different countries, and also those from the U.S. Taylor also is accepting to a diversity of political beliefs, religion, etc. It seems Taylor is more proficient in ethnic diversity though.

Computers Galore.... in Certain Places

It really doesn't get too crowded anywhere. Computers are normally fast and rarely shut down for maintenance. Network is normally up and fast. Where there is a group of computers there are at least 2 printers. Waiting is not too much of an issue since a lot of people also bring laptops.

Strict but Practical

Taylor strives to create a community where everyone supports one another. This means that the rules are built around keeping fellow students from breaking rules. There are rules about no drinking and no tobacco use since so many of the students are underage. There are also rules about no dancing with certain exceptions. This rule often freaks people out but on campus it really is not as a big of a deal as it seems to the outside world.

There Are a Lot of Fried Food Options.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of variety in terms of healthy options. You can either get fried foods or a salad. There is also the deli/sandwich bar, but that gets old after eating a sandwich everyday. I only pay for 7 meals at week at the dining commons, because I get sick of eating the food there too often. However, it is not that bad really. It is probably better than a lot of other places.