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One of the most common stereotypes at Texas Tech is that "everybody who is anybody is greek". As someone who chose not to rush a sorority, hearing this in the beginning of my freshman year certainly caused me to look at my fellow students through the lens of being either greek or a non-greek. However, after the first semester of my freshman year I began involve myself more in both academic and extracurricular programs, and I realized this stereotype is not very accurate. While Tech does maintain a high population of greek students, it is very possible to form strong, lasting friendships outside of a fraternity or sorority. Looking around campus it oftentimes does still seem like everybody in sight is greek, however getting to know fellow students in my classes has led me to see that this stereotype is inaccurate.

I appreciate the way classes are set up at Texas Tech because, for most classes, you have the option of registering for either small, intimate classes or large lecture-style classes. This makes it possible to form your class schedule around your learning style and your academic interests. For example, I chose classes of 30 or less people for my English classes because I knew I would benefit from class discussions and having a professor who knew me personally, but chose lecture classes of 200 or more people for classes such as history and political science, where I was only interested in passing the class to fulfill my core requirements. My favorite classes at Tech have all been my American Sign Language classes. I have had three different teachers in three semesters, and every one has taken the time to get to know me as an individual rather than as just another student. I feel this has been especially beneficial because it is much easier to pick up on a foreign language when you feel comfortable with the person you are attempting to converse with. My least favorite class was probably political science. I am not a fan of politics in general, and the fact that this was a class of 250 students where the professor still insisted on a seating chart and taking attendance every day made me feel like I was attending a giant kindergarden class. Luckily, most professors I have had treat the students as competent adults interested in learning rather than small children who need to be babysat and guided step-by-step through the year. Student participation and competitiveness has definitely depended on the class. My major is communication studies with an emphasis on interpersonal communication, I am an English minor, and, were I not graduating a year early, would also be an American Sign Language minor. In the two and a half years I have been here, I have found that in core classes such as history and lower level math classes, it is clear the students are interested only in passing and moving onto classes they are more interested in. However, in all of my major/minor-specific classes the students have been very engaged, ready to learn, and come to class prepared. The professors in these classes especially take an interest in not only teaching the curriculum, but in really passing along knowledge and skills necessary for the students to succeed in their future careers.

Upon first arriving at Texas Tech, students are often given the impression that the only extracurricular activity is partying. Greek life is big, and there are often any number of fraternity parties open to those looking for a good time. Likewise, there are plenty of bars close to campus and many would consider Tech a "party school". However, there are certainly a large number of activities which do not involve drinking available to those who are interested. Texas Tech has a long list of clubs and organizations, including Christian fraternities and sororities, the young Republicans club, and the American Sign Language club (the Silent Raiders). During the fall football is one of the biggest events of the weekend, drawing in tailgaters from across West Texas and packing the student section full of cheering fans. In the beginning of December, one of the most popular traditions is Carol of Lights. Every year, students, faculty, and alumni gather in memorial circle to watch as Tech lights up the campus with Christmas lights. It is also an honored tradition to propose at this special event. The spring is often the time for most who missed fall rush to join in the fraternity or sorority they've had their eye on all year. No matter your interests, Tech certainly has a place for you.

Dorm life at Tech is very different based on which dorm you live in. I was fortunate enough to live in one of the nicer dorms. In mine, the rooms were pretty decently sized with move-able furniture and walk-in closets. There were other girls dorms similar to mine, but with hard-wood floors. There were many other dorms which were also decently sized, with walk-in closets, which did not have move-able furniture, but did have a lot more storage space. Of course then there were also the lower end dorms, which were very small, had cinder-block walls, very little storage space, and built-in furniture. As long as you sign up for a dorm early and do your research into which dorms are the better ones, it's very easy to avoid the sadder dorms.

When you first arrive at Tech, it seems as if the greek kids overrun the school. In actuality, greek students are probably a pretty small percentage of the overall student body. However, those who are greek take their fraternity or sorority life very seriously. It's easy to spot the greek students because, for the most part, they all fit easily into the stereotypes. The boys wear frat-wear and the girls are always wearing their sorority shirts. The frat boys do redeem themselves however, by making an effort to represent their frats well through behaving as gentlemen.

The library really is the best place to work, especially now that it's open 24 hours a day 5 days a week. There are different levels based on what you plan on studying. The floor level is good for quick printing or group projects because there are a lot of computers, an express dining hall, and a lot of areas for group work. The basement is good for group or individual studying because there are a lot of big tables and cubicles, and everyone stays pretty quiet. The upper levels are the best for those who need a quiet environment because everyone does their best to stay silent and there are a lot of very small study rooms which are perfect for one person studying for exams. The student union building is also a good place to get homework done because there are a lot of study rooms available, as well as many open conference rooms where students will often get together to work on group projects or to study as groups.

Honestly, I chose Tech because all of my best friends were going there. This turned out to be a terrible choice because everyone changes once they graduate high school. Some people change in good ways, others in bad ways, and when you're with the people you grew up with almost 24/7 while they're in the process of learning who they are, it leads to a lot of problems. Luckily, Tech turned out to be a great school on its own despite the fact that I lost my group of high school friends. A few became lost in the greek world, a few fell into the drug crowd, and a few just grew apart. My advice, if you definitely want to go where your friends are going, make sure you love the school for itself. My very best friend ended up transferring to another school and if I didn't love Tech I would probably be really miserable without her.

At Texas Tech, football is considered the most important part of the college experience. When asked our school "logo", most students would point to the double-t, our athletic department's emblem, while being completely unaware of the fact that our school has its own crest. During football games, the student section is on its feet the entire game, cheering the whole time. Basketball and other sports are considered very important as well, but football is what most Texans, especially West Texans, live and die by.

As far as eating on campus, the options are relatively varied. Almost every dorm building has a dining hall inside, and every dining hall is different. The freshman have the option of 3 different meal plans, each meal plan has a different amount of money on it. Based on the meal plan, you also receive certain discounts at different dining areas. For example, the highest meal plan gives you a 50% discount at one of the dining halls. The lowest meal plan gives you a 10% discount at the student union building. It's very easy to build a meal plan and base dining choices around how much money you're willing to spend and what kind of food you want to eat. The options Tech gives for eating on campus were definitely one of the benefits of freshman year.