Baylor University Top Questions

Right now Baylor is struggling to achieve certain academic standards, which are admirable in themselves. However, I would like to see them focus on continuing the legacy of an involved and caring faculty. The ECS department has some of the most committed and passionate educators I could imagine. The science departments, however, seem to have a majority of faculty who are absorbed in research and apathetic in their teaching. I can't stand disinterested professors.

Academics at Baylor are ridiculous. Most of the professors are great, but there are a few who should not be teaching anywhere. BUbooks.com is helpful. It has a professor ratings section that the students maintain. Lower level classes are quite large, but the more specialized you get, the smaller they get. Students are super competitive.

Baylor's academics are rigorous to say the least, but that doesn't mean that they're overwhelming. Personally, I think that it's a step up from high school, but I did go to a private, "college preparatory" school. Classes can range from anywhere to twenty students to a hundred and twenty, but each professor takes the time to make sure that no one is lost during a lecture. Students, while competitive in a sense that everyone wants to make the best grades that they can, are not suffocating. No one is so obsessed with grades that they don't leave time for plenty of social time. My major being English, I spend plenty of time in the English building. It has been a fantastic experience getting to know the various professors and how they got into teaching. I look forward to spending more time with them outside of the classroom, as well as inside.

Class sizes are small, and professors are generally easy to work with, always fair even when hard. Professors are required to hold weekly office hours during which they are available to students. Many professors are open to independent study with students, and it is not uncommon for profs to invote smaller, upper-level classes over for dinner at some point in the semester. Students here are serious about their studies, and serious about their intellectual lives outside of class. People study hard, and many also think hard outside of class, and outside of their majors. It can be as common to hear a philosophical as a social conversation walking around some parts of campus. Peopel ar conscious of the job market, but not all-consumingly.

A good majority of the classes at Baylor are smaller than a big state school. I can talk to professors easily and I have had atleast some one on one time with each of them. The classes can range from extremely easy to no one passes, it just depends on your major and the professor.

easier to get in than it is to stay! but hard work pays off and baylor is highly ranked nationally in most majors.

Professors go the extra mile to get to know you and help you when your struggling. It's a more personal experience then the basic student teacher relationships at larger schools.

As mentioned previously, the professors are wonderful. They are so understanding and helpful, but you have to take the iniative to go in and see them if you wish to develop a better professional relationship with them. Some like to have lunch/coffee breaks where they can get to know their students. At first, I thought this was creepy, but it is a great way to learn more about the class and what the teacher expects. Freshman year classes are mundane and trite. I seriously cannot wait to get to some harder and more interesting classes. I would recommend joining the Honor's College because they provide an atmosphere that is more challenging and there are certain perks that come along with honors. For example, I have found that it is easier to get into a professor's research team and you get to register the same time as grad students for classes (best perk ever!!). I truly feel that within the next few years Baylor's academic reputation will be comparable to other 'new ivy-leagues'.

It wasn't too hard for me to adjust to college academic life-if you just do your homework, keep up with your studying, and don't let things pile up you should be find. Don't let work pile up! Learn to be the anti-procrastinator. I love my professors and I really feel that I've learned so much more at Baylor than just book smarts. You grow as a person-spiritually, physically, relationally, etc. My hardest class would have to be Spanish. It is a doozie, but you trudge through it and I actually am learning-now if only I would remember it! The professors that I have had are pretty nice and really genuinely care about their students. I'm not really noticing competitive students, but I'm not in a specific academic program. I heard the Pre-Med majors were pretty competitive, but it's all good. Students will be students... Baylor's goal is to educate men and women for "worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community." I have absolutely no idea what I'll do after I get out of Baylor. I don't feel like I'm preparing for a job-more like finding a calling. To use these few years at college to connect the passions in my life, my faith, my strengths, and go out from that to make a difference somehow somewhere. Baylor wants to help their students find out what they were created for and work out of their strengths and really make an impact in this world.

Baylor prides itself on its professor/student relationships. Classes are generally small and professors learn your name and are very willing to help and give assistance. Many professors invite students over for dinner and such. Baylor is also a great school to go to if you want a good job. They offer a lot of career services.

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.