Samford University Top Questions

What is your overall opinion of this school?

Charles

Small student body, which is perfect if you wish to acquire intimate proof of just how small minded the Southern Baptist Elite can be. Samford's administration strictly controls the school with Puritanic policies such as 2 hour weekly limits on room visits with the opposite sex, as well as Values Violations. Heterosexual/Homosexual sex, for example, is a violation punishable by probation and a $75 fine. Interestingly, drinking is considered a worse offense carrying probation and a $100 fine.

Mandy

Samford is the perfect school for someone who wants to live inside a bubble. Not a lot of students know what is going on in the world. Its small enough to where you know a few people heading to class but not to where people are all up in your business. Samford isn't very well known outside the southeast; most people think I'm refering to Stanford. B'ham itself isn't that bad... although it can be pretty sketchy at night. People probably complain the most about visitation.

Emmerson

Samford is a beautiful tight-knit school where students are very friendly and genuinely love spending time together. It is small enough that you almost always see someone you know, yet big enough that you can't possibly know everyone. The small size allows students to be really involved in whatever aspect of campus they are most passionate about, whether it's SGA, Univeristy Ministries, or greek life. Samford's Homewood location is so close to so many cool Birmingham spots, including downtown.

Jill

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.

Mel

CHRISTIAN CHRISTIAN CHRISTIAN, and more Christian. The school is a private southern Baptist school which I understand but it seems as though no one even tries to think for themselves. Instead of using this first opportunity of freedom to question the crap that these people had been force fed their entire lives they just continue to blindly accept life exactly as their upper class parents told them. If you are very wealth, christian, closed minded, and don't mind the school not allowing people of the opposite sex in your dorm but for 2 hours per week, then Samford is perfect for you. Before you can graduate from Samford you will become very familiar with Convocation. Every Tuesday and Thursday the entire campuss shuts down (no classes held) and the majority of the underclassmen will attend convocation which is just like church. The university will have speakers come from all over the country and each will give a lecture on any given topic. Every so often on speaker will make some sense, speaking about acceptacne or equality to all people but most of the time these speakers are ignored by the students. All students are required to attend convocation 58 times before they can graduate.

Caroline

Samford is the perfect size and location for those people who want a fun college life but want samll classroom sizes. Its in a great location as far as traveling to other big SEC universities. Birmingham is definatly a great town with lots of fun things to do. The only negative thing I guess about Samford is having to live on campus until age 21. There are great apartments and houses surrounding Samford but you cant live there until your 21.

caroline

Samford is a decent school most of the time. I choose to go because it was a smaller school but still offered just about everything a big school offered. I wanted to know my peers and my professors and I also wanted to be able to obtain guidance (on classes, grades, etc.) through the years I was at Samford. I also wanted to form a great group of friends with similar morals and values as my own. Most of my expectations have been met I have had small classes and the professors have been great (most of the time) However, I feel as though the guidance in Samford's various departments is lacking. I have made some great friends but have had some issues along the way. Numerous friends of mine were experimenting with the same sex which was very hard to believe considering the type of school Samford is.

Jo

I love Samford because it is a smaller community/environment where I feel like I know a lot of people and am able to get connected easily. There are a lot of opportunities for the small school that it is, and students are able to have a quality college experience here. However, because it is so small, it is often overlooked by most people in the country, and even in the South. When I tell people I go to Samford, they think Im saying "Stanford" a lot of the time. Location-wise, Samford is in a PERFECT place. Birmingham is amazing- there is so much to do there but you dont feel lost with things all around. The campus is a little bubble in the Homewood Community, which is a nice feel for a "college experience" while still in a comfortable area.

David

The best thing about Samford is that it actually IS a real Christian university. There are many colleges in this country that are Christian in name only and allow their students to engage in open debauchery. Samford is different. If you want to know what I mean, spend a weeknight at Samford and then spend a weeknight at another campus. There is a world of difference. The administration here means business when it says no drugs, no alcohol, and no sex. Some students may go off campus or sneak around to do these things but it's not something that you have to see if you don't want to. Futhermore, Samford has an unusually high concentration of genuinely good people that I have never seen at any institution. The faculty is nice, the student body is friendly and there is real Christian atmosphere here. It is the kind of place where if you see someone and say, "Hi," he or she says "Hi" back and smiles. Oh, and by the way, we have one of the most beautiful campuses in the entire Southeast.

Liz

I love the size of Samford and I wouldn't ever want that to change. I love that the class sized aren't too big and that you can really get to know your prof. One thing I would change is the Caf... And I think it's safe to say that that is the biggest complaint on campus. I would also like to see some housing improvements. I live in Beeson Woods and we all thought that a new kitchen is VERY needed! We def don't have a "college town" but I love B'ham! As far as school pride... I don't really see that much. However, I feel our school really comes together in Feb with Step Sing! And the biggest recent controversy?? Umm... remember the "shooter" on campus?!?! yeah...

Whitney

Samford is the best university in Alabama (in my opinion). If you tell someone you're a student here (at least for me), they'll think you're disciplined, motivated, and very smart to be here and remain here in good standing. It's challenging academically, but well worth it. The size of the school and classes are just right; the people are usually friendly, and the town itself is bustling. You can find plenty to do.

Whitney

Samford is the best university in Alabama (in my opinion). If you tell someone you're a student here (at least for me), they'll think you're disciplined, motivated, and very smart to be here and remain here in good standing. It's challenging academically, but well worth it. The size of the school and classes are just right; the people are usually friendly, and the town itself is bustling. You can find plenty to do.

Oliver

The best thing about Samford is its size. It is small enough so that you can develop lasting relationships with lots of great people. Also, there are small classes so it is easy to get to know your professors on a more personal level. The most common reaction I get when I tell people I go to Samford is, "Stanford?". I just laugh and say, "No, SaMford". The administration is great and our new president Dr. Westmoreland is awesome!!!

Jonathan

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.

Shannon

The best thing about Samford is that it has a student body full of quality people. I have never been surrounded by a better group of people than in my four years at Samford. Because of my time at Samford I don't have just one but many people I consider my closest friends - people who have proven their character and loyalty over and over again. Within the SouthEast Samford has a very good reputation. It is known as an excellent school that provides a great education and solid employees within the graduating classes. Employers in Birmingham often seek out Samford students and many people in need of a babysitter only choose to hire Samford students. School pride is virtually non-existent at Samford when it comes to athletics. I think that is because most of our teams aren't very good. The basketball teams did well and they had a good crowd, but the majority of people just don't care that much.

Kaylee

The best thing about Samford is that you will never go a day without seeing someone you know. You will actually never go 5 minutes without seeing a friend. Samford is located in Birmingham, AL and it is wonderful. It is such a beautiful place as well as the campus. The city is full of great places to eat and something for everyone to enjoy.

Jonathan

Samford is a small school, but not to where you have classes with all the same people depending on the class and your major. Many students here might get on your nerves, but there are others who are truely amazing people. For the most part, students are not entirely preoccupied with their work which makes it possible to make good friends. We have strict visitation rules which are very annoying. There are plenty of places to go in the area, no worries there unless you're looking for a club. I hear clubs are harder to come by.

Ashley

The best thing about Samford is the community. It is big enough where you don't know everyone but, it is small enough that you do not go unnoticed. Within the southeastern region people normally react immpressed when I say that I go to Samford. Birmingham is a great city which certainly works in favor of Samford and more specifically Birmingham is a great medical town so really benefits the nursing school. There really is no where to hang out on campus. There have been great improvements made the in food court. I believe Samford has outstanding administration! I have really spent some time as the result of a situation working very closely with the administration and I could not have been more pleased. There is not much school pride...rather, not much school spirit. I think that is related to the lack of graveness with our athletics. The greatest thing that Samford offers is the study abroad program. There are so many opportunities. I studied in London for a semester and that was certainly one of the best experiences of my life.

Aaron

I would say the best thing about Samford from my perspective has been the caliber of the faculty that I have had the privledge of studying under. The professors in my department are quite knowledgeable about the subject matter that they teach, and conduct class in an enjoyable and productive manner. If I were able to change one thing about Samford, I would say that I would change the convocation requirements. For a person like me who is a full time employee as well as a full time student, it is hard to find the time in an already cramped schedule to attend these functions. However, for the average student, I do not think that this would be such a problem.

Whitney

The best thing about Samford is the people. Not just the students but also the faculty and staff. Everyone at Samford is very down to earth and willing to help you in any way possible. Also the christian atmosphere is a must for your college experience. I was really nervous about moving away to school, but the great christian friends I have made and teachers I have met have made my time at Samford an amazing experience so far! I love living on campus at Samford. I have easy access to my classes, extracurriculars, sporting events, and the great new gym! We have an amazing christian man for a president! He is always so willing to help with everything and he is very involved in all aspects of campus and wants to meet and interact with everyone!

Sarah

Samford is a fairly small Christian school with a beautiful campus. It sits in a convenient area of Birmingham in the middle of downtown and Mountain Brook. If I could change one thing about Samford, it would be the male/female ratio. Currently, there is about a 35/65 male/female ratio. I spend most of my time on campus in the quad. It is a beautiful grassy spot great for napping, chatting with friends and people-watching. Though Birmingham is entirely too big to be a college town, Samford is like a tiny town all by itself. This can be a positive and a negative thing. The most recent controversy on campus has been involving our campus safety officers. Basically, they have not been doing their jobs properly, and Samford's reputation has suffered. There is a bit of school pride involved with academics but little to none involving athletics. Most students complain about the price tag that comes with a Samford education.

Sarah

The best thing about samford is it's smallness. I love the close-knit feel of it.

Ainsley

Samford is an amazing school. Even though it's kind of small, it's definitely not too small. You know lots of people and always see a familiar smiling face, but there are many people you won't know. The school is beautiful. When you come on campus you automatically feel welcome and apart of the Samford family. It's very relational at Samford and then not at the same time. People always ask how you are but sometimes it's just politeness, however, there re a ton of great caring people. There is always something to get involved with but in the Fall especially, people head to other schools. Our athletics are lacking so that's why a lot of people leave on the weekends. The Spring is better and most people aren't leaving as much. If you go to Samford, you love it. There is a lot of school pride. Samford is in Birmingham, AL which has about 5 colleges so it's kind of a college town but not really at all. Even though there are lots of colleges around, it's a big city in itself and it's not some big party college town. Birmingham is amazing though. It has so many things going on all the time and it has the big city feel and the small town feel especially since Samford is in Homewood. There are lots of great coffee shops!

christina

the school is pretty small, but i feel that it's the perfect size. when i tell people i go to samford, they usually say "STANFORD?!?? good for you!!" :) when i'm not in class, i'm mingling or sitting at the ben brown plaza, a central place outside with a nice fountain and benches (everyone passes by there, and lots of people hang out between classes...sometimes during classes too). birmingham has several schools (UAB, birmingham southern, and some community colleges) in addition to samford, but it's NOT a college town. i feel that it's a young professional kind of town. people aren't obsessed with samford sports, but there's definitely school pride. people like taking advantage of campus safety, which is sometimes sad, but mostly a little bit funny. they jump in the fountains, climb all the buildings on campus, and try to get away with some goofy pranks. always fun... samford has a great spirit to it...awesome people. some downers, but they usually transfer. i have met my best friends here. maybe i'm being so optimistic because i'm graduating and feeling like i miss it already.

Ashley

The best thing about Samford is the opportunity to be involved in activites that will challenge your faith. There are all kinds of mission opportunities, althought at times I feel like Samford focuses on serving people instead of building relationships with people through service. I think that's a drawback from the same category. Samford for the most part tries to uphold the Christian values it was founded on. Therefore, there a rukes such as no visitation after 10pm (it's earlier for freshmen), no parties whatsoever on campus, and of course no drinking on campus. Administration has deleted two channels "BET" and "MTV" from the cable we recieve in our rooms because they did not uphold our values. Don't worry though, we still have "VH1" "OXYGEN" and "E". Some things that would make Samford a bit better is if we became more diverse. There are 325 black students on campus out of the 4000 students that attend Samford. IF our campus becomes more diverse that's more opportunity to be exposed to people who are not like you and learn from them. Also greek like seems to be a BIG deal on campus. Teachers will be very lax in the classroom during "rush". Also just as big is STEP SING. It's too much detail to go into, but teachers also become lax during that time of the year. As far as school pride is concerned, I'd say the students are not very prideful in their school. Samford is th type of school where the library will be packed on the night of a football game. There's not a big support for the athletes that attend Samford.

Jackie

The best thing about samford is the hospitality and the gorgeous campus. It is small but its nice to know a lot of people. When people ask me where i go to school I say "Samford" and they reply oh Stanford, wow. Its annoying. The worst thing is that there is not a lot of school spirit. No one comes out to support any of the athletics, its pretty pathetic and everyone goes home on the weekends. Students complain about the parking and about campus safety ALOT! The biggest controversy was the incident with our campus safety officer lying about a gunman on campus.

Ron

Campus for classes, lunch, and dinner, other than that not a lot going on. Studying and going to class is a dedication. Everything else can find time in between. No organization unless it is a new ministry or republican committee. Students care all too much about image they present to other Samford students and don't realize they live in a community of 3,000 homogeneous persons. It gets weary.

Rory

Samford is a small community and its awesome. The bad thing is that we can get "values" for things like boys in the rooms after visitation or without being signed in and we can also get in trouble for having alcohol in pictures even if its off campus. A lot of cool people go here you just have to find the click you fit. The biggest controversy was either the "gunman" on campus or one of our building's roofs collapsing. There is some school pride but no one goes to any of the games really, a select few... that needs to change.

Alex

Incredible school that provides an exceptional place for young adults to mature and grow in a great city surrounded by the best friends anyone could want. My favorite experience has to be the first root beer kegger I went to at the Shire, back when the original guys still lived there.

Ashley

When coming to Samford, you pretty much get what you expect. A lot of genuine friendly people and of course some that aren't so friendly. We have an amazing faculty and our president Dr. Andrew Westmoreland is perhaps the most sincerely interested president in the country. Samford is a community where I have been challenged to grow in every aspect of my life. I have learned more than I could have imagined while at Samford...much not academically related.