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A disappointing thing about Baylor is where it is located... (Waco, tx) and that's not even that bad if you are a person who likes to reach out to the community which Baylor does a lot of. Most people go home on the weekends The things students complain about most is parking, tuition, and visitation hours (hours when guys and girls can be in one another's dorms) Baylor is very traditional sometimes it feels like a cult but you learn to love it, "sic' em" There really is just a great community feeling at Baylor if you are plugged in
drea Freshman
The thing that I would like to change about Baylor is the Greek Life, if you could say there is one. At Baylor, being a private university they have decided that all Fraternities and Sororities are all equal and have a very close eye on them, so that they do not prefrom any dishonorable actions (drinking, etc...) at least when a few of the brothers or sisters are together. One of the best thing about Baylor is the campus life and the Baylor traditions/experience. Baylor is the perfect size. The classes are small, some have more. There enought student so that everybody doesnt know your business, but small enough that you would see each other on campus walking to class. When I tell people that I attend Baylor they Congratulate me and tell me that it must be nice attending such a prestigious university. That I could do a lot with a degree from Baylor University. I wouldnt say that Waco is a "college town." Waco has a total of three institutions of higher education (Baylor, McLennan Community College, and Texas State Technical College). It does how ever has some aspects of a "college town." The current administration at Baylor is a very active administration. It takes the feedback from students and faculty so they can make Baylor a better place for leaning for both parties. They take in consideration the concerns and questions of students and faculty and the Baylor community. Baylor University has a excepitonal program for school pride. The student show thier school pride constantly and the Waco community and surronding communities show thier support for thier Baylor Bears! Sic 'em! There is not anything that is out of the oridanary, that every other colleges dont have. The one of many experiences that I will always remember is "Welcome Week." This is the week that current students help incoming students move into the dorms, show them around campus, show them the ropes that they have lerned at Baylor, and just tell them about each other in general. I also will remember the day of the "Pudding War"! When Alpha Delta Pi had the war which the sisters had to bring some friends and threw pudding at each other and pudding slip and slides and water ballons The most frequent complaint among students is PARKING! Of course doesnt ever college have this. The other most frequent complaint is the attendance policy. What absence are excused and which one are.
Jeff Junior
When students here are asked if they like Baylor, a typical response is "I love Baylor, but I hate Waco." That is probably the one thing I would've liked to know before deciding to come here. Baylor, in a word, is amazing. It's the perfect size - not UT, but not Southwestern. The professors are friendly and approachable, and all are very knowledgeable about their respective fields. The campus itself, in my opinion, is probably one of the most beautiful in this part of the country. Most of the facilities are top-notch; we have an almost-new state of the art science building, a decent-sized recreation/exercise building, and brand new residence halls. Any buildings that aren't new are nostalgic and beautiful, like the Armstrong Browning Library and Old Main. Plus, we have a bear pit where our real Brown Bear mascots live. Aside from the tangible aspects of Baylor, its Baptist heritage plays a big part in student life as well. Baylor's Christian foundations are evident in many ways: we are required to take chapel for two semesters, a Christian Scriptures class, and a Christian Heritage class, not to mention the many, many service projects students put on throughout the year. The best part is that none of this is forced on any of the students. Yes, we are required to take a couple Christian classes in order to graduate, but they are taught from an educational standpoint, rather than an evangelical one. In my experience so far at Baylor, students and their beliefs have always been respected. Now, with all this good, there has to be some bad, and that brings me to the not-so-great city of Waco, Texas. Not only is it famous for housing some grade-A crazies (ahem, Branch Dividians) in the early 90s, but worse yet, THERE IS NOTHING TO DO HERE. Granted, we do have a surprisingly decent zoo, the Dr. Pepper Museum, and a large park along the Brazos River, but those are strictly daytime activities. If you are into big-city nightlife, you'll have to drive an hour and a half either north to Dallas, or south to Austin. This tends to be a given for the weekends, as you can see by the nearly empty parking lots come Friday at 3pm. And THEN, perhaps the very worst part about Waco, and the part that I wish someone had told me, is that it is not a safe city to live in. You know that park I was talking about? Ask ANYone about it, and they'll tell you "Oh yeah it's gorgeous in the daytime. But DON'T go there at night, you WILL be mugged/raped/stabbed." You'd think that such a highly-esteemed university with all kinds of funding would be in a nice little college town that caters to its every need. Sadly, no. Not even close. I hate to say anything bad about my Baylor experience, but it's important, and I'm sure parents would be thankful to know these things ahead of time. If you don't live within the "Baylor bubble" (the 5 mile radius surrounding the campus), then invest in a security system. Seriously. And even if you live close to campus, I'd do it anyway. Safety first!
Danielle Sophomore
If I had it to do all over again, I would not have picked Baylor. I thought, "Great, Baylor is a larger school in a warm weather environment with a Big 12 football team. This will be fun!" I have never been more incorrect. Baylor tricks you. They show you the pretty campus and new science building and you are sold! They show you the new renovated area with restaurants like Crickets and Ninfas and students think that all of Waco is like that. It is all a facade. In my admissions essay, I wrote about how safe I felt on Baylor's campus when I visited. My first weekend as a student, my car was broken into and my stereo was stolen. There is absolutely nothing to do in Waco. It is a gross and dangerous city. Homeless people peddle their carts around the perimeter of campus and right across from campus, homeless people live under the bridge. And don't even get me started on the Baylor Police. They did not help me when my car got broken into, they bust almost every single party (even the one day we get a year to have fun, Diadeloso), and they are on a complete power trip. Baylor does not help its students--it strangles and suffocates them. I spend no time on campus, except when I sleep because you have to live in the dorms freshman year. And the dorms are totally horrible. You have the tiniest room ever and a hall with a CL. Baylor does not call them RAs, but a CL is a community leader, because Baylor is seriously trying to promote this idea of "community." I have the worst CL ever. She does not try to get to know us or help us do things together. She is mean and rude, and I would never trust her with any information. My first semester at Baylor, I had never felt more alone in my life. People kept telling me that first semester is always hard and it will get better. So I kept waiting for sorority rush, waiting for things to turn for the good. Sorority helped a little bit, but nothing could cure the bad aftertaste Baylor had already left in my mouth. I really do not understand why people like Baylor. I am a social person, am in a very good sorority, study hard, yet I still cannot find happiness at Baylor. The best thing about Baylor is leaving it. I love going to Dallas or even home for the weekends because leaving Baylor feels great! Baylor is not the school it says it is. Beware!
Anonymous Freshman
The best thing about Baylor is the science building. It's huge and beautiful. The science building is what attracts me to Baylor. One thing I would change: well there are actually many things I would change about Baylor. For starters, when I came to orientation at Baylor, I was told that I would be taught by professors only and my classes were going to be small. So far, I have been taught by two grad students, who didn't do the best job at teaching. Also, I have yet to have a small class. I understand that I'm taking science classes that are normally large, but my science professor even commented on the size of the class. I received an email from him at the beginning of the year and he was like I know you were told you were going to have small classes, but this isn't going to be one of them. Baylor is just the right size. It's big enough to have a variety of people, but small enough that you pass your friends everyday. When I tell people I go to Baylor, I get mixed reactions. Some people are like "WOW! That's really impressive. You must be really smart." Other people are like "oh you must be some baptist girl who doesn't go out and party much." This is all false. I do go out and have fun, whether it be a party or bowling. I hate that people view Baylor students as rich stuck up kids who don't have any fun. I spend most of my time in my dorm or in the science building studying. Baylor is not a college town. Waco, is well not a place I'd be happy to say I was from. Baylor's administration. The professors are friendly and are willing to help you out if you need it. The biggest controversy right now, is that Baylor is wasting it's money on stupid logos because they are so concerned about their stupid "ivy league" image. Who cares about a stupid logo?! I don't pick a school on whether their logo is two interlocking letters or if its the whole name of the school. Who is Baylor trying to impress? It's obviously not the students who go here. If they are so concerned about image, then why aren't they more concerned about the students. I mean, hello, I'm Baylor's image. We,as students, are Baylor's propoganda. We talk bad about Baylor, then there goes Baylor's reputation. If I'm not happy with Baylor I will express it to those that are interested in coming to Baylor and tell them Baylor's flaws. For example, Baylor doesn't have enough classes or class space for people who need to take those classes to graduate. I needed to take physics and genetics to graduate and take the MCAT. I have to have all those classes done plus the other required classes by the end of junior year. Now, Baylor being a huge science school, you would think they would have more classes. Maybe, Baylor should look in on hiring more professors instead of chaging some stupid logo. Well, the most frequent complaints recently have been about the logo being changed. No one is happy about it, except for the marketing advisers who are going to be making money off of this change. And the other main complaint is how difficult it is to get into the classes that you need to take to graduate.
Michelle Freshman
Baylor... home of the rich, the white and the clueless. The only thing that i enjoy about Baylor is their academic program. The politics, the presumptions, and the copious amounts of ridiculous rules.... not so wonderful. I spend as much time OFF the campus as I can, dont get me wrong, it is beautiful and well kept... but i have no desire to spend any more time being judged by my peers than is necessary. The town sucks, there arent that many good places to go out, there arent really any good places period. I love Baylor because i know that i am getting a good education, but i wish that i would have done more research before moving across the country to go here.... i dont think that it is as good of a fit as another college might have been.
AJB Junior
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