<p>specifically TCU and Baylor! My friend and I have full-ride scholarships to TCU and Baylor and are strongly considering attending these schools BUT:
* i'm neither disciples of christ (tcu) nor baptist (baylor)
* she's not christian at all!
and we're wondering if that could be a problem. We're not majoring in theology :) (pre-med actually) but we are concerned about what it would be like. What do you think? Should we accept? We're juniors, so we've got time to decide.</p>
<p>visit the campuses when the kids are in and get a true feel for who your peers will be.</p>
<p>thanks! both of us have been to tcu and sat in on a comp sci class
didn't seem bad really, no one seemed to notice or care :D
but neither of us has been to baylor... anyone from there?
also, she's vegetarian for religious reasons - would that be a problem?</p>
<p>TCU is Christian in name ONLY...Baylor is a bit more religious than TCU, but honestly, I think you'd both be fine at either one. The denomination of a school shouldn't matter at all. I graduated from a Wesleyan school (grew up charismatic, Baptist and E-free) and we had Catholic profs teaching in the school of theology!
TCU is a party school and has never struck me as particularly respectable from my experience; seemed super unselective. I would go to Baylor out of those two. It's a great school from what I've seen and heard.</p>
<p>Outside of the super-Christian schools like BJU, Liberty, etc., most religiously affiliated schools are not in any way hostile to people of other religions or atheists/agnostics</p>
<p>I don't know much about TCU, but I go to Baylor. I'm definitely not Baptist nor are most of the students (and teachers) here. You won't have any issues whatsoever. </p>
<p>If your friend isn't vehement about her beliefs she's likely to be fine too. Everybody has to take 2 semesters of chapel (95% of students skip the max number allowed, though it's not horrible) and that is directed as a Christian 50 minutes with Baptist tinges. And ever student have to take 2 semesters of religion, some profs teach it very objectively though others get in a preachy mood every once in awhile but there's no "turn or burn" stuff. I have several friends who aren't Christians, though I would say the great majority of people are. Anything else remotely religious is completely optional. </p>
<p>I got a full-ride to Baylor and am definitely glad I'm here, though Texas Baptist almost scared me off of coming in the first place. The pre-med program is quite tough and pretty prestigious. I'd recommend Baylor to you without reservations and tell your friend that if she wants to be an outspoken advocate for her faith she'll probably be met with a rude comment or two from a couple fringe students but she'd still probably have quite a few friends. If she's okay with being in a predominately Christian environment then she'll be fine.</p>
<p>thanks for the replies! i feel more comfortably informed about these schools now.
tcu is looking more appealing, considering what they're offering me when i'm only a junior!
tcu is also near where i live, possibly meaning i could skip the dorm and save money :D
but i do have a few more questions about baylor, especially for my friend
she never gets preachy (she is morally opposed to conversion, believing instead that people should find God within their own hearts and not by someone else's coaxing) but she gets offended by rude/ignorant remarks against her religion. she won't be the one to start anything but she is not afraid to defend it, even if it means heated debates which she hates. unfortunately she is more strongly considering baylor. how bad will it be for her?</p>
<p>I'm an atheist myself and I say go for it. It's a free ride and a little theology won't harm you. There's always a likelihood of being put to sleep by it, but there's no damage caused. Personally, I used to love debating people but as I got older it turned into constant reiteration considering many argue the same points. If you can avoid really bringing up religion anyways, not that it should even be a challenge, I doubt you'd have any problems. </p>
<p>Theology class won't kill so just focus on your pre-med studies, whatever they may be, and I doubt it would feel like a nuisance unless the students or professor preached rather than taught the religious "ideals" humans have conceived of supernatural powers and other things like the religious traditions that belong in theology. :P</p>
<p>how did you guys get scholarships as juniors?</p>
<p>
[quote]
how did you guys get scholarships as juniors?
[/quote]
Pure magic! (I kid, I kid) To make a long story short just good grades and a few lucky accidents :D Although honestly my dreams lie in attending an Ivy League or comparable school, TCU is looking like a very solid safety for me. They've offered me quite a bit - just about everything except room and board, and they will look at my senior year stats before they give me that, but even if they don't give it to me, TCU is just a few minutes' drive from my house. problem solved :D thank you so much for the replies! and i'll definitely let my friend see this...</p>