Baylor University

Baylor was fantastic. I loved everything about the engineering program. It was challenging, yet encouraging. What stood out the most to me was the availability of the faculty. No only were faculty always available to answer any questions I may have, but they also cared about me personally and my education. I developed great relationships with my faculty and peers that I treasure today.

I decided on Baylor University for its well known reputation in the state of Texas and how beautiful the campus is. Coming from a small town, Baylor was the perfect size, big enough to feel like a college, but small enough so that you wouldn't feel as though you were no one in a sea of people. The nursing program is one of the best in Texas and again, offers smaller class sizes so you can get the attention needed for such a vigorous course load. However, this school is expensive! Keep that in mind when applying. Loans seem easy when you're eighteen and need them to make ends meet, but when you become a working adult and have to repay, they can really take away from you financially

Overall Baylor is a great school for many! The campus environment is very welcoming and really champions incoming freshman. It truly is the perfect size for a university, in which you get the big D1 experience and yet run into your friends all around campus. Good class programs and many of the professors are very helpful and love to mentor students. I would highly recommend looking into the Honors program or BIC to get more out of your coursework as some of the freshman level classes are not as rigorous. Great student life activities and plenty of opportunities to get involved. Waco is a cute area that many students fall in love with. However, you are somewhat limited on options of activities to do, however, I've found many students get creative and still have lots of fun. Baylor could improve on its diversity and safety around sexual assault. However, they have taken significant measures in recent years to improve on these.

The environment and the academic rigor at Baylor is what you would find at other top schools. I know since I transferred from a top 25 school after needing to leave the state due to personal reasons. Baylor has everything you need to be able to succeed in what you are striving for. Baylor is making strides in to push towards a top 50 ranking with their R1 goals. Normally, you don't find universities ranked as high as them without that distinction, so them adding the extra research will help the prestige. As I mentioned prior the academics are already really good and as you progress in your major the classes start becoming as small as 5 individuals. The small classroom settings are where I feel you get the most out of attending lectures, so they were definitely a major plus for me. Outside of the classroom you can find a social group that fits everyone. There are a couple stigmas but from my experience you'll find that at other top universities too. The student body seems to definitely be transforming from what it used to be, as the quality of students are getting better. While the student body in prior years wasn't anything bad by any means the average student at Baylor is starting to more closely resemble what you'd find at other top 40-50 institutions. One of my favorite aspects about Baylor was the sports. Being able to witness the mens national title in basketball was really special. You cant find a lot of other universities that give you a small classroom setting and elite sports all while trending towards a top 50 ranking. TL;DR - Baylor is trending upward and all signs point to it being a top 50 university one day. The academic setting is rigorous and rewarding that includes many small classes. Sports at Baylor are awesome! The school is the perfect blend of of academics, social environment, and sports. Do your own research but you'll find the writing on the wall that the school is definitely trending in the right direction.

The university has been on an upward trend for a few years now but things are starting to look brighter than I had anticipated. All I can say is do your own research but with the new R1 status and the future plans that Baylor has, the Universities footprint on the national stage is really starting to take shape. Add the fact I'm a huge sports fan gives me another reason to love the university both during my time here but even after I graduate. I will say the type of individual that prospers here is one with high ambition but you can find a setting for just about every one.