I’m a Senior from California who recently got accepted as a Bio major at Baylor. I grew up in a highly asian populated community and was wondering how diverse BU is. As a Indian and Non-Christian, would I be able to fit in?
I tried searching about it online but couldn’t find anything that really helped.
Baylor has a strong pre-Med program and a high medical school acceptance rate AND they give merit scholarships so they are attracting more and more Asians (local and international) every year. You shouldn’t have any issues.
They have a small BS-MD program as well as strong ties with Baylor’s medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy, public health, physiotherapy schools and Baylor Health Network’s hospitals.
You can see proportion of Asians in the CDS linked in post #1. There are non-Christians at Baylor, but not sure how many: https://www.baylor.edu/about/index.php?id=88782
As a non-Christian will you be comfortable with their Chapel requirements? https://www.baylor.edu/spirituallife/index.php?id=870498
IMO no one should be worried about attending any chapel, synagogue, mosque or temple. It’s good to learn about other religions, lessens fear of unknown, opens up small minds and helps people understand each other. If one has any interest in humans (& which healthy mind doesn’t?), theology is part history, part anthropology and part psychology.
For some people, attending the religious services of another religion can be against their own religion. Traditional Judaism prohibits entering any place or worship which has physical representations of their deities, such as catholic and Orthodox churches, Hindu temples, etc. Participating in worship is far beyond that. I am pretty sure that the same goes for observant Muslims.
Attending religious services is, for many people, something which goes far beyond what you perceive as being their importance. For many people, religious services are their way of connected to their deities. People of many religions see the participation of members of other religions, especially for purposes of observation, as being extremely disrespectful. They are not a play or a concert, being put on for your amusement or edification. It is a solemn ceremony in honor of their deity, and participation is limited to people who share their belief system.
Moreover, for many observant individuals, attending services of other religions is betraying their own religion and their own deities.
In every religion and even among seculars, there are different schools of thoughts and levels of tolerance but it should be fine for most to attend academically strong religious school in 2020’s USA, as long as no one is actively trying to convert students. However, being a minority always has its challenges so research and visits can help families to decide if a college community feels welcoming to them or not.
IMO, interfaith interactions are as valuable for every society as interracial interactions are.
There are alternatives to chapel. No one is forced to go against their beliefs.
Simple solution…if you have a problem with Baylor’s religious foundation, principles and requirements, then don’t go to Baylor.
I grew up going to a Baptist church but did not want to go to Baylor…not because it wasn’t a great school but because I had developed ideas that differed from Baylor’s core teachings. So guess what? I went to State U. instead. That is the beauty of this country…plenty of options to choose from no matter what you’re looking for.
I am always amazed at how people are surprised or even offended because Notre Dame is “too Catholic” or the University of Alabama is “too Southern”. Many of these same people are willing to take the scholarship money or to take advantage of the great programs offered but somehow feel like these universities have some duty to change or the schools owe some apology to the general public.