To begin with I chose Samford for academic reasons, and that has held true. I have received an education that is second to none. My different personal opinions does not bother me, but instead it bothers the other students. As a result my social life as a whole is completely removed from any Samford related activities and because of that the experience has been good. Personally Samford is the place of my education and nothing else.

not enough time

Samford is the epitome southern class structure. The major emphasis is on making sure that Travis and Trish emerge from college well prepared to perpetuate their parent's wealth, bigotry and hypocrisy, in that order.

Hurray for a school and student body that is dazzled with acting old, married, and detached.

I would not recommend anyone to go to Samford honestly. It's not a real college experience there is no school pride there are never any activities or campus wide events going on and partys are a huge NO. And after my whole experience with the nursing school SAMFORD IS NOT WORTH THE AGGRAVATION AND MONEY. Plus, I have never had friendships fall apart as I have at Samford (a supposed christian school).

Samford is a great place to go if youre looking for a small-school experience and one with a genuine student body in a good part of the country!

Three pieces of advice. First, challenge yourself! Don't just take the classes you hear are easiest or which you find cutting-edge. Instead, take professors who, though fair, will challenge you, and by all means, work hard for them! I think you'll find the college experience a lot more rewarding. This goes for any college. Second, get involved! There are a number of great organizations on campus - from student publications like the Samford Crimson, to social justice organizations like Oxfam, to religious organizations like UCF, to political organizations like Samford Democrats (or Republicans). Finally, expand yourself! It could be very easy to go to Samford and hang around people just like you. Instead, make friends with someone from out of the country, and take professors who don't hold the same political or religious views as you. A little diversity never killed anyone. To the contrary, for a positive college experience, it's almost essential.

I love Samford! It truly is my home away from home! Also, I went to Greece during Jan term this last year and had the most amazing time! Studying abroad is prob going to be one of the highlights of my college career!!

I love Samford and wouldn't have gone anywhere else. The school is great and Birmingham is so fun. The main draw back is lack of guys and lack of diversity. Other than that, I've been very challenged while at Samford. I think Samford is this secret. People don't really know about it or how great it is. Samford has a lot to offer in every way.

Samford is awesome! I would recommend it to anyone!

The most popular groups are sororities and frats. I am involved in varsity vollleyball so I mainly hang out with athletes. People in dorms leave them unlocked a lot, its very safe. There is barely any support at athletic events. A lot of people here don't party..but a lot of people that say they don't party really do. Tons of fake people here. There is no one outside on campus at 2 in the morning unless they are leaving the library.

Classes at Samford are usually pretty small. Most freshman-level classes will have at most 30 students. However, junior- and senior-level classes usually stay below 20 students, and I've had classes with as few as seven students. Samford's size is a blessing and a curse - compared with other midlevel universities like Furman, Samford just doesn't seem to have as many professors per department or as many course offerings per semester. However, its size also allows students to get to know their professors, and most professors will learn the students' names. I've found the intellectual climate adequate but lacking at times. Most students still seem to have the attitude of doing as little as they can to pass a class, and in most courses I've found myself to be one of the few people who actually completes assigned readings. There also tends to be low attendance at academic lectures and events. When a really big speaker comes, the teachers will bait students by giving them extra credit if they attend. However, this can often turn out to be an embarrassment for the university, with crowds of students deciding to leave the lectures early. However, college, in the end, is what you make it, and those students who want to challenge themselves will have many opportunities to do so. Samford is launching an amazing new Honors program for the 2008-2009 school year, called the University Fellows Program. The program will accept only 45-50 students per year, and is designed to attract more high-achieving students with its advanced core curriculum and nice perks such as a free trip to Rome! Samford has been needing a good Honors Program for years (it's had one in the past, but most students tended to drop out early because it didn't offer much more than the normal Samford experience), but the University Fellows Program seems to be a great opportunity. Those who don't choose to go the Honors path must complete a core curriculum consisting of freshman-level classes like "Cultural Perspectives" (a unique two-semester class which traces developments in literature, history, philosophy, science, etc. from the Greek and Roman age to present) and "Communication Arts" (another two-semester class -- and probably one of the duller classes at Samford -- which teaches students writing and speaking skills), as well as classes such as "Biblical Perspectives" (which has students think about the Bible critically) and "Concepts of Fitness and Health" (it is what it sounds like). A series of general education requirements in subjects like the natural sciences and humanities is also required. Though the courses may sound like a drag, those who are willing to learn -- which is what you should be coming to college for! -- should find an interesting and intellectually engaging curriculum. Finally, Samford is a college on the move. Students are continually learning about large new endowments to the university, which is improving the quality of academics at Samford. There are a variety of great professional programs - whether in law, nursing, pharmacy, education, divinity, etc. - for those who just can't get enough of Samford after four years. And there always seems to be another major or minor or concentration being added. The expectation is that, with all the improvements, the Samford diploma is going to look better and better as time goes on.

To begin with I chose Samford for academic reasons, and that has held true. I have received an education that is second to none. My different personal opinions does not bother me, but instead it bothers the other students. As a result my social life as a whole is completely removed from any Samford related activities and because of that the experience has been good. Personally Samford is the place of my education and nothing else.

Most Samford students are white, upper middle class Southerners. However, those who do not fit this description are also welcomed.

Samford is awesome! I would recommend it to anyone!

Weak greek systems dominates, independents are small segregated groups. Most disturbing aspect.

For some, yes. For MOST, definitely NOT. I'm not this way (we don't really have money to pay the tuition even), and my friends aren't this way. Of course you run into the stuck-up, snooty ones, but they do not constitute the majority...and you can always choose not to associate with them. People think everyone here has a "better than you attitude" probably because the tuition is so high, many students' parents are wealthy (not mine)... the location, academic integrity, and care we take for keeping up the campus. They assume you've got to be uppety to come here and remain (you do have to be on your toes academically), but it's better to see for yourself rather than believe the stereotype.

The stereotpe that says all Samford students are Christians or stiving to actually live for Christ is false. That's not true for every student here. The stereotype about marriage is very true.

Two important things you should know about Samford right off the bat: first, unlike many other colleges in Alabama, and many other colleges in the south in general, Samford is located in a great city - Birmingham. With over a million people in the metropolitan area, there is a lot to do - whether it's going to a play, traveling to the art museum, going to see a football game, cheapening out at the dollar movie theater, etc. Second, Samford is a very beautiful campus. All the buildings were built in the Georgian Colonial architecture style, and they're all surrounded by a very nice quad area. Furthermore, Birmingham is a beautiful city filled with huge hills, meaning that Samford is very nice to look at. These are things you may have already known about Samford, especially if you have visited the college before. However, there are other things you should know if you're looking at going to Samford. For instance, as I'll probably say a couple other times in this review, Samford is a college on the move. In a recent Forbes Magazine study, Samford was ranked the 27th university in the nation - with Harvard being number one, and UC-Berkeley being number twenty six. Though Samford isn't a household name, it's starting to be recognized nationally for its expanding, productive academic programs. Also, Samford is a college that's growing. Just recently Samford announced plans for an expanded University center, and there is literally always some construction that's going on around campus. This does mean, unfortunately, that the tuition is continuing to go up each month. But it means that Samford is becoming a better and better place to be. The Samford administration is also amazing. The university's President, Andrew Westmoreland, actually teaches an American Politics class on campus which is highly recommended. In fact, many people in the administration teach at Samford, they're not afraid to interact with students, and most students seem to genuinely like them. With that said, not everything is perfect, as I'll talk about throughout the review. Samford isn't a diverse place, at all. School spirit is a bit lacking, with very low attendance at athletic events. And there always inevitable complaints about Campus Safety. Its latest stunt, caused by a now-fired employee, was to text message everyone at the university at 5:30 AM in the morning to tell them an armed person was on campus. A few hours later, we learned that it was all a hoax, made up by a Campus Safety officer who was tired of riding a golf cart around campus. It also failed to catch a "creeper" on campus for several weeks, until a group of students finally tackled him after seeing him outside a student dorm room. But there are worse things you could complain about, I guess.

Academically, students truly are pushed to excel and rise to the occasion, for the most part. In reference to the stereotype that we are all sheltered and baptist, that is no necessarily true. The majority of the campus is definitely protestant but there are a diverse range of Christian beliefs.