Samford Latin American Studies Major

That Samford students are very rich and very religious, that the girls are very pretty, that Samford people don't date, but somehow they all get engaged by the time they graduate and that Samford is not very diverse.

I've graduated from Samford, and I have to say that most of my friends were very different. Some of them were very rich, and some of them were on scholarships. About people being religious, I would say that I met more people that were struggling with their faith or had nothing to do with the Gospel than religious ones. It is true that Samford girls are beautiful in general =) . . . and well, about the diversity, we are still working on that. But the fact that I am from Nicaragua, and that I had friends from Croatia, Jordan, Lebannon, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, England, and Scotland and all of them went to Samford shows that Samford is moving in a positive direction.

The best thing about Samford is the sense of community that you get. Even though, there are at least 3,000 or more students, I still felt like an individual and every teacher knew me by name, including the president of Samford. Having this close relationships to faculty, staff, and students has been very important in the development of my future.

Besides the sense of community, Samford's architecture and landscapes will captivate you. It was a pleasure to walk to classes because everywhere you looked, no matter what time of the year, the grass looked always green enhancing the beautiful architecture that characterizes Samford. Such beauty would put me in a good mood, especially when I saw people laying on the "quad" (university quadrangle) and playing like little kids with ropes, balls, or freesbees.

Another thing that characterizes Samford are its traditions. I loved Homecoming weekend, Step Sing, midninght yells during finals, talking to the statue of Mister Beeson, Crawfish Boil, the Beeson Ball, the Lighting of the Way, etc. . . .

It is hard to describe this place, but there is something magical about it that you are just going to have to experience by yourself.

I transferred to Samford and compared to my previous college, the Academics were superior. Just about every professor I had was a a PhD in the area that he or she taught. Besides that, the classrooms were fairly small (25-40) and teachers knew me by name and made me participate in their classes actively. If you go to Samford, you are going to be very well rounded by the time you get out. I am still friends with many members of the faculty and that has been very positive especially now that I am applying to medical school and need some good recommendation letters =).

The student body is just the right size. By the time you graduate, you will recognize most people by face, yet you will still be meeting new people.

Samford students, in general, seem to be very concerned about the world, and they will support and sponsor fundraisers to change poverty, save the environment, save Darfur, etc. Whatever it is that you care about, I am sure that you will find at least 2 or 3 students that will care for the same thing. I really admire how pro-active Samford kids are about the world's problems.

Over all, Samford students are very studious and athletic. The library seems to be full of people all year long, as well as the gym. You will constantly see people running around Samford, riding bikes, or playing some sport in the quad.

If you want to meet people, the cafeteria is the place to go because that is the most visited place by students. Every table has its own unique flavor. It won't be hard for you to find a table where you fit in.

The most popular groups and organizations on campus are the sororities and fraternities, and the many academic and service honor societies that Samford offers.

I was very involved with the Pre-medical Honor Society and that was very influential in my life because I learned all I needed to know about being a competitive applicant to medical school on top of getting cheap science books from members of the society, as well as great advice for the MCAT.

Social Life at Samford occurs mainly in the cafeteria and the quad. I met all of my best friends in the cafeteria.

During the weekends, most people go to nearby cities such as Atlanta and Nashville.

People stay up late, and you will easily find students running or playing at 2 am around Samford's campus.

Dancing is quite popular, and on Saturday nights you will find one third of Samford salsa dancing at Work Play.

If you love good music and theatre, you will love our Fine Arts deparment because they are always coming out with amazing productions such as the Secret Garden, Cinderella, operas, etc.

If you get tired of being in Birmingham, you can easily drive to the beach, Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, and other places because they are all failry close to Samford. I am sure that every weekend you will find something fun to do.

I