Hi! I am currently a rising senior and between TAMU and Baylor. I want to major in Computer Science of MIS and when you hear computer science TAMU seems like a obvious choice but the engineering school is so difficult to get into I was planning on applying as an MIS major to TAMU. I have also heard that the engineering school at Baylor is not so great.
At Baylor, I’m also really concerned with the religious situation. I’m not a very religious person and don’t really like the idea of being forced to go to chapel my freshman year. I’m also concerned about Baylor’s dry campus rule. I’m not a crazy partier or drinker but mistakes happen and I don’t want to be in huge trouble when it seems like partying and drinking are part of a college experience. I also don’t want to have to worry about coming back to campus after a night out. I have searched high and low for information about Baylor’s dorms and their isn’t a whole lot. It seems like if I do go there I should live in collins because I want to rush but I’m very worried about the tiny rooms and community bathrooms but I also don’t want to be an outsider going into rush if I live somewhere else and I honestly don’t know where else I could live. I’m not very excited about living somewhere with a focus about my major or an interest and none of the topics sound very interesting to me. With Baylor, I’m very concerned about potentially sabotaging myself because the engineering school isn’t as great. I’m very worried about not being able to get a job after graduating.
At TAMU, I am already very worried about getting in among other things. My main worry is the student body size and campus size. When I visited TAMU I was very intimidated and overwhelmed. The campus is huge and I don’t understand how the students don’t feel swallowed alive. The academics are also very challenging at TAMU so I’m very worried about not being able to keep up. College Station is also bursting at the seams and my home town is currently going through the same thing so I would like to escape that situation. I also couldn’t figure out what dorm was like the collins of TAMU. On the residential hall tour I thought Hullaballoo or the modulars would be the best fit for me but couldn’t figure out where I would be able to make the most friends. I can’t find much information about the Greek life at TAMU so anything would be good to know. I also can’t find much information about the party scene either. I know being apart of the aggie community would have life long benefits but I’m not sure if the stress of the academics and huge campus would be worth it.
A student from Baylor called our home from admissions. My son wasn’t home so I talked to the student and was quite candid with my questions which were along the same lines as yours. After talking to the student I had no concerns about the social or religious situation. Honestly, I think attending chapel and using it as a time of reflection or just peace would be a good thing for a busy student. Remember, you can think about whatever you want while you are there.
But for us, what took Baylor off the list is that they have a 4 semester foreign language requirement. DS just doesn’t want to study more foreign language especially for such a long time (first 2 years). I agreed with him - its our money and we don’t want to spend it on language classes.
Any more thoughts on TAMU? Have you considered other schools?
Don’t know anything about T A&M. Just that it is a large university. I know it is supposed to be wonderful.
I heard you can take those in community colleges and transfer the credits but that is still a large requirement!
I’m also applying to SMU, TCU, and Arkansas
I am currently a freshman at Baylor and so far I love it. If you want to go somewhere that isn’t too big but has a big sports program to follow I would highly recommend coming to Baylor. I don’t know much about the engineering school mainly because I’m currently a pre-business major but you could always contact Baylor to learn more about it. Also if you decide to enroll into to Baylor I HIGHLY recommend going to the Baylor Line Camp in the summer. At the camp, you get to meet new people and make a whole bunch of friends which makes the move in process that much easier. I have heard mixed reactions about living in Collins so I wouldn’t be able to tell you about it but I do know it’s six stories tall. Also there are people on campus who aren’t Christian or religious in general so you won’t feel alone if you’re not religious. And lastly, there are 28 chapels in the fall semester and you don’t have to go to all of them. You are required to go to 75% of them which is 21 out of the 28 sessions. So if you come to Baylor I would highly suggest you go to the first 21 chapel sessions and then skip the last 7 cause they won’t count against you and that’s extra time to study or hang out with friends.