Baylor University Top Questions

they are hard

Baylor's academics are challenging. Freshman year is no doubt the easiest so be sure to study and get a good GPA. Whether or not the class is fun, interesting, or easy really depends on the teacher. You can have the same class with a different teacher and have a completely different experience so it's always good to ask who to take or go on bubooks.com and see how the teachers are rated by the students. The majority of people spend a significant amount of time studying but it depends on the major, the course, and the teacher.

At Baylor most classes are pretty small, so this means the teachers get to interact more with the students, creating a much better learning environment. Most of the classes I've taken have been taught by enthusiastic teachers who really cared if the students learned.

Academics at Baylor are really great, and--at least in this area of the country--Baylor is a really well-respected academic institution. When you tell people you're going to Baylor, they're generally impressed. For the most part, classes are very small, so it's easy to get to know your professors if you want to. Pretty much all of my professors know my name. Generally, the general education classes that are required for everybody tend to suck, but if you're smart you can get most of them out of the way in community college. I'm a music major, and Baylor has absolutely got one of the top programs in the state, if not the nation. My professors all challenge me to be the best musician I can be, and the curriculum really is designed to give you the most out of your degree. The students are competitive, but the environment is also very encouraging if you make the right kinds of friends. In the end, you get out what you put in--and Baylor will return exponentially if you really work hard.

The professors at Baylor are in general very good. The classes, even freshman english classes, never reach above 60 students. In these larger classes you need to make a point to introduce yourself to your professor in the first week or two of class. Typically all of your professors will know you by name and by sight; heck you will probably run into them every once in a while at the local HEB to shop for groceries! Baylor does have this cool thing called Living and Learning Centers. I am a part of the Engineering LLC. Within each of these communities you all live together, take similar classes and such. It's good both socailly and academically, as we have free tutors available for a few hours a week. One warning, currently tenure has not been given to ANY of the professors in the Biomedical Engineering field. So I have a feeling this department will soon either turn over for the worse or go away completely. If this is your chosen major, go somewhere else.

In large lecture classes, it is difficult to get to know your professors since there is less in class participation. My favorite classes are Intro to Mass Communication and Sight Sound Motion, which are both film classes for my major. Baylor has a great film department that gives many opportunities for students. The professors know what they are talking about and have a lot of experience in various parts of the industry. The Baylor in New York program (BaylorNY.com) allows you to take 12 hrs that include an internship, while in NYC. This has led to many jobs for communication majors. Required classes for a BA degree are pretty easy if you know which professors to take (BUbooks.com has ratings for most Baylor profs) 2 semesters of Religion,which can be a little challenging, are required for everyone as well as 2 semesters of chapel (pass/fail graded on attendance).

The professors knew my name when I was a student, however I feel recently that some forget who you are when you leave. My least favorite class was anatomy and speech science for speech pathology majors. This was becasue I had an awful teacher who should not have been there. My favorite classes were baised on the person who taught it. I had several classes where the professor made the class. I feel students study quite a bit, but then maybe it depends what you are majoring in. Class partisipation is common. Baylor students do have intellectual converstaions in and out of classes. Students are competatitve. The most unique class I took was bowling. My major was speech pathology. I feel the department is good but they seem to only want a certain type of person to take on that major. I feel that they should be more open to people expereinceing the classes I was able to take. I did spend time outside of class with professors. I feel that they are very fair. I feel that it is geared towards learning but also getting a job.