Texas Tech University | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Christina

Class: Senior
Major: Communications
Gender: F

High School: Ruben S. Ayala High School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

Texas Tech is really working on expanding and growing. We are currently at 28,000 students and our Chancellor has a goal of reaching 40,000 students by 2020. That means we are building newer and more high-tech facilities. We are bringing in some national and world renowned professors and bringing in better programs and development more opportunities for our students. Tech is growing and working to make a difference. The people at Tech are some of the nicest most down-to-Earth people you will ever find. As an Asian from southern California coming to Tech was one of the scariest and most exhilarating experiences. Without a doubt I stood out like a single long stem red rose in the dead of a New York winter. But I fit in and found some of my very best friends. These people, I know, will be in my life forever. Though lacking in ethnic diversity, the school compensates in many other ways. We have diverse extra-curricular activities from chess club to habitat for humanity or Greek life we have it all. Our recreational center has swimming pools, indoor track, weight rooms, we offer belly dancing, salsa dancing, cardioboxing, and even fencing. The school goal is to help develop a well rounded student strong in both academics and extra-curricular activities. Lubbock is without a doubt a college town. The county lives for Tech and they love the students more than the students could ever love the town. It's a perfect place to study and go to college. You can always find something to do, you just have to decide what. From movie theaters, the drive-in, clubs, and the mall we have just about everything to have a solid experience. The administration really works with the students and truly cares for their success. I have met the Chancellor, President, Provost, Vice President of Student Affairs, and so many others. This is not because I am very involved but because they care. When I was trying to set up meetings with various persons their secretary went out of their ways to work around my schedule. One secretary even rescheduled a meeting because she felt it was important for me, a student, to be able to meet with my Provost. They truly care and they will always work with you to help your experience be a great one.

Academic Life

Texas Tech has a solid academic program. Just like any university unless you want to be known your professors will not know who you are. In the lower division courses the majority of my professors only knew me because I spoke up in class and stayed actively involved in various discusion. In my major courses all my professors know me by first name, last name, major and even future career goals. The professors are always willing to speak to you and get to know you on a more personal bases. There have been several times in which I randomly walk into a professors office and talk about life. They're humans and they love working wiht you. Texas Tech has an amazing career center that can help you find anything from internships in west Texas to six figure jobs in New York. Many colleges have developed their own career center so there are twice as many opportunities for students to find a good job and/or internship. Career fairs seem to be occuring every month. You will find workshops on resume writing, etiquite dinners, mock interviews, and so much more almost every week. The mock interview program at Tech is incredible. When students have an interview they can contact the Career Center and inform them of the company they will interview with and for what position. The career center will then emulate the company and perform a mock interview with the student. They will then advise the students on answers, clothing attire, expressions and so forth. College of Mass Communications is the youngest college on campus but it is the fastest growing and one of the top programs in the nation. My public relations department chair is one of the best PR practitioners in the nation today. The majority of the people in the college have real world experience and have either owned a PR firm, owned a newspaper agency, worked in some of the most complex situations. The college has four computer labs with brand new computers for students to learn and study in. Major classes can be as small as 10 students to a professor. There is incredible research occurring in the basement of the college at all times and you can always find a professor sitting around waiting to have someone to chat with. This is one of the best colleges at Tech and without a doubt the best professors in the Texas Tech University system. The only flaw of Texas Tech academics is it's lack of classes in Asian studies. They offer slim to no opportunities to study abroad in Asia. The minor: Asian Studies is lacking. There are approximately 20 classes offered in the minor but only about six classes are offered each semester. Usually of the six 3/4 are scheduled at the same time making it impossible for students to take a well rounded amount of classes. The university seems to not want to make the expansion towards bringing in more diverse courses and offer more opportunities to study abroad in Asian countries. The irony of it is that we have the Viet Nam Center which is growing to be the largest center on the Viet Nam wars in the world. We have also signed contracts with Vietnamese universities for students to attend Tech graduate schools. We give opportunities to foreigners but seem hesitate to give similar opportunities to our students. There are also some advisers who seem to forget that their jobs are to help the students receive a diverse and intellectual education. Some advisers forget that students pay their salary and they should work with the students to find the best route towards graduation and a strong academic career for the future.

Student Body

The study body consists mainly of west Texas natives and those from the Dallas area. You will find a good amount of students from Houston and San Antonio as well. There is no ethnic diversity at Tech. The demographics include 80% Caucasian, 12 percent Hispanic, 4% African American, and 2 percent Asian. Some minority students feel that they stand out a lot. But in end they always find their place and meet great people. The student body is generally very conservative with handful of students who are moderate or left leaning. But one thing is for certain there are many students who are very affluent. Never in my life have I met so many students and people who know the President of the United States of America (President Bush) on a personal bases. Many students have parents who played baseball with the president, who dine with him every so often. In my Sex and Violence class one day my professor asked how many students have met President Bush and actually spoke to him in close range. Of a class of 70 student 48 raised their hands. Never will you find that in another university. The student body also consists of many students on scholarships. There are so many scholarship opportunities for students. The financial aid office will really work with you to help you get a good education at the lowest price possible.