<p>My daughter will soon have to make a decision on which college to attend next fall and two schools of interest for her are Baylor University and TCU. We found both schools as really good options. Baylor ranks higher on the US News but TCU moved up five levels from the year before and seems to be on the rise. Baylor has 12,000 plus undergrads and TCU 8,000. Costs are similar but Baylor has given merit aid and TCU has not. TCU is closer to major airports and seems to have the edge in interships and ultimately job placement. Baylor seems more conservative and friendly - the Christian aspects seem real at Baylor but not at all at TCU. Both are Big 12 sports and students seem to take alot of pride in their respective schools. They both have most of their students from Texas - 25% out of state at Baylor and 36% at TCU.
I would welcome your insights and perspectives on these two schools? Quality of Life, quality of education, advantages or disadvantages, etc. Thank you.</p>
<p>What denomination is the student?</p>
<p>Baylor is Southern Baptist, while TCU is Disciples of Christ.</p>
<p>Disciples of Christ is a liberal denomination and Southern Baptist is more conservative. Baylor will have required chapel services. I don’t think TCU has a chapel requirement. Is the student OK with required chapel attendance?</p>
<p>I would consider Baylor more conservative and Southern Baptist. I attended TCU and while it is affiliated with Disciples of Christ, I did not feel much of a religious influence on the campus.</p>
<p>I’m a TCU alum but could probably give some detail since I have plenty of friends who have gone to Baylor as well and I’ve visited many times.</p>
<p>Religion: </p>
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<p>Academic “Prestige”: Around here, both are considered to be about equal. Similar test scores, acceptance rates, etc.</p>
<p>Job Placement: Equal as well. I know more TCU/SMU grads working in DFW than Baylor grads, but I believe that’s because a lot of Baylor grads actually go to work in Houston.</p>
<p>Location: TCU is in Fort Worth, a fun, friendly town with lots to do (still big city and part of the DFW Metroplex). Baylor is in Waco. Even Baylor students cite the fact that they don’t like how boring Waco is.</p>
<p>Football: Both have very good football programs. TCU just renovated its stadium, and Baylor is constructing a new stadium as we speak.</p>
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<p>Waco is indeed boring, but Baylor students might point out that they are about half-way between Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin, which might be a much better destination for college fun than the DFW Metroplex. </p>
<p>Fort Worth might be vibrant but the Stockyards are not exactly Sixth Street either. :)</p>
<p>xiggi, don’t be running down my hometown. I love the Stockyards!</p>
<p>Well, come and help me defusing the attacks on CW in the The Voice thread. The Postman does not like Blake, Danielle, and the Okie Bros! :)</p>
<p>PS Do they still have the longest bar in the Stockyards – or was it the biggest honkytonk, while the longest bar was in the Festival Market in Dallas. I can’t get my facts straight anymore. </p>
<p>PPS I like Fort Worth a lot, and never had the chance to visit it as much as I would loved. Do they still make that Lemon Pie at the Paris Coffee Shop?</p>
<p>[Meringue</a> Pie’s](<a href=“http://www.pariscoffeeshop.net/page12.html]Meringue”>http://www.pariscoffeeshop.net/page12.html)</p>
<p>I don’t watch The Voice regularly. I have enough bad habits between The Bachelorette and Dancing With the Stars.</p>
<p>I get my pie from The Bluebonnet Cafe in Marble Falls. Mmmmmmm, peanut butter. And Billy Bob’s was the world’s largest honky tonk at one time.</p>
<p>As a Parent, Fort Worth is a great town to visit. My husband travels to Waco for work and said he wouldn’t recommend it. I was amazed that the TCU Chapel, which is touted on the tour as the highest point on campus, does not actually have weekly services. However my D (a rising junior) is very involved in the Christian sorority on campus and likes it much better than her mainline Greek house (you can belong to both.) Great worship service two blocks from campus - held in a bar but don’t let that throw you off. It’s the campus ministry of Christ Chapel and while the mainline church is too right wing for my tastes the college one is not. She has found great Christian friends there.</p>