<p>Which school is harder to get into? I was recently accepted to Baylor University and am now wondering my chances at TCU. I applied early action with the following stats:
3.63 GPA UW
3.72 GPA W
26 ACT but taking again
Excellent EC's like NHS, service awards, etc.
interview with TCU and campus tour
What do you think?</p>
<p>I believe Baylor has a better academic reputation than TCU. But would also like to hear what others think. BTW, I’m a Texan.</p>
<p>I’m not sure that one school is “harder” to get into than the other anymore. A student with your numbers could easily be accepted at one, both, or neither of the schools. </p>
<p>I think that the profiles of the admitted students for TCU and Baylor are very similar now when you consider SAT (or ACT) scores and GPA. For instance, for the Class of 2017 that just started this fall at TCU, the 25th Percentile Composite score on the ACT was 25 and the 75th percentile was a 29. At Baylor the most recent ACT figures are 24 for the 25th Percentile and 29 for the 75th Percentile. </p>
<p>I agree somewhat with the above post about the academic reputation of the two schools because TCU has only recently risen in the national rankings to rival Baylor. I believe the current US News Rankings have Baylor at #75 and TCU at #82. If you look back 5-10 years ago, the difference was MUCH greater and it would have been difficult to argue back then that the two were peer schools. The gap has narrowed primarily because TCU has risen so quickly in the rankings not because Baylor has fallen.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your acceptance to Baylor and good luck to you on your TCU application. Hopefully, you will be accepted to both and then you can make your decision based on all the other factors that make the two schools so very different from each other.</p>
<p>I consider TCU and Baylor about the same when it comes to academics. I believe the real differences when you are eventually choosing between the two lies in their locations. If you like the city with lots of things to do, I’d definitely choose TCU. If you want to be in a smaller college town, Baylor would probably be the better choice. </p>
<p>Both schools are great schools. Wherever you end up you will like it. I maybe a little biased because I am form Fort Worth, but my preference is TCU over Baylor. </p>
<p>Hoped this helps when decision time comes.</p>
<p>My older sister is a third year Horned Frog. Your stats should more than suffice for TCU. As a Texan who lives basically halfway between Fort Worth and Waco, I have a pretty even view of the two and their environments. If you want to have the full “on-campus nearly every year” college experience, skew towards TCU. In my opinion, Baylor sometimes feels like a suitcase school. Most everyone I know from Baylor leaves Waco every chance they get.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>At TCU, religious isn’t as apparent or open as it is at Baylor. Both will be welcoming and easy to “find your tribe”, whatever it might be though. </p>
<p>My daughter is at TCU, doesn’t attend church but some of her best friends do. It’s no big deal and they’re all very relaxed with each other. That’s not to say my daughter would not feel comfortable at Baylor, she probably would, but there is a subtle difference in expectations and required coursework according to friends we know who do attend Baylor. That’s a plus for some, minus for others, but should NOT be the one thing that makes or breaks a school for anyone.</p>
<p>At Baylor, you’re stuck in a small redneck town and have to drive to Austin or Ft. Worth for any real off-campus entertainment or good dining, whereas TCU offers big city amenities with a small town feel. Fort Worth is a really nice city.</p>
<p>Both have great school spirit, football games that are fun even if you’re not into football, and mostly studious, serious students. Neither would be considered the “wrong” choice. The Baylor visit for us was fantastic, but after the TCU visit, it was TCU all the way, never looked back.</p>
<p>If you use the calculator on the Baylor website to check acceptance and scholarship it’s probably a good indicator of the offer that TCU will make as well.</p>
<p>Fort Worth vs Waco is a no brainer. TCU is the quintessential college experience. And very close to Baylor (and SMU) in academic reputation. The hands on opportunities at TCU are outstanding!</p>
<p>It seems that TCU has definitely risen in the academic rankings within Texas colleges from the time I lived in North Texas (1980’s). Glad to hear this. I would definitely agree that Ft. Worth has a lot more to offer than Waco (sorry Waco). Ft. Worth is so close to the metroplex area and has incredible cultural offerings- the wonderful museum district, zoo, and the only Longhorn cattle drive! My H and I have visited frequently and think it’s the second best city in Texas. Sorry, Austin is still the best hands down.</p>
<p>TCU also has a more academically prestigious reputation and higher powered alumni network.</p>
My son was accepted at both TCU and Baylor for Fall 2016. Both schools are very good. The biggest difference between the schools is the student body. We are from the East Coast and we spent lots of time on both campuses before he made his decision. He chose TCU. This is our opinion and neither is meant to be critical just one perspective. Baylor students: on the whole are definitely more religious, more Texas, less affluent and they seem to drink and party less. Much less of a nightlife, part of that is because Baylor is in Waco, but a big part of that is also the religious aspect. We met a lot of kids who minor or major in “Ministry”. TCU students: not as religious, more from outside of Texas, lots of California kids, very in to the greek system and plenty of drinking and partying. The alcohol policy is a joke. Kids drink a lot everywhere and don’t really get in trouble. NOT the case at Baylor. TCU is similar to USC and Baylor is similar to Brigham Young. VERY different. So do your homework.
Agree with @EastgoingWest. Both solid academic institutions. However, very different vibes, just need to be sure you choose the one they best fits you, your personality, social scene preferences, religious focus and academic interests.
Baylor = Slightly bigger and in small town
TCU = slightly smaller but still a big school in big city
I got accepted to both of the universities and had college visit to both of them.But I would go to Baylor University instead of TCU because of their academic stats
Fort Worth is a great college town!