Baylor University Top Questions

Academics at Baylor are awesome. The teachers are passionate about their subjects and are (mostly) willing to help you whenever you need it! The classes are challenging, but I've always appreciated it because it motivates you to really study and learn what you need to know for your classes. Baylor also has a ton of help for anyone who is struggling in their classes or doesn't know what they want to do for their future.

Challenging but educational

I know all the professors in my department on a first name basis and they all know my name. Classes are just challenging enough to stimulate mental growth and there are plenty of places to study. There is a ton of coffee spots and lounge areas. The education is very practical.

I'm in the business school, and I am loving it! The professors here are really there to help the students.

Almost all professors know me by name. My favorite classes have been in the Philosophy department, Psychology and Neuroscience department, and honors classes for the BIC (Baylor Interdisciplinary Core). Class participation is common and you will find the libraries crowded. If you join the BIC, yes, intellectual conversations outside of class are a given. Students are both competitive and cooperative. The most unique class I have taken is Social Philosophy. It is a senior level course that I am taking as a Sophomore and reading Rawls and Sandel has been an incredible enough. If you are looking for an intellectual challenge, I cannot recommend the BIC program enough. I spend a great deal of time outside of class with my professors. It is not mandatory though, but if you enjoy it, I would certainly recommend spending time with professors. It's a great deal of fun. The academic requirements are very flexible depending on the program you decide to pursue. The education is geared toward learning for its own sake, with an emphasis on finding one's calling. Yet, there are many students present whose only objective is to get a degree so they can get a job.

Baylor is very academically focused. I am a business student at the Hankamer School of Business and they take academics very seriously. I like to equate being in the business school to general life - if you want to succeed like crazy, there are opportunities to do so & if you want to just coast get a degree, you can probably do that too. I am rarely caught NOT talking about a new company idea, economics, etc. Students are very friendly about the material, but are equally capable of turning it all off and just having a relaxing evening.

In general, professors care about you. They make an effort to not only know your name but learn something about you. Some classes have lots of student participation, in others professors just like to lecture. Class size is usually pretty small but there are some that are bigger freshmen year or for university requirements such as religion. Oh yah, you are required to take two semester of religion classes and attend chapel for two semesters. But don't strike out Baylor just because they make you take religion. Its actually an extremely interesting class where you learn not only about Christianity but other religions as well. Plus, for most students they are an easy GPA booster. Please don't think Baylor will be an easy ride. I don't know as much about other majors, but I am a Biology major and find many classes to be extremely challenging. I know I have learned a lot and feel like my professors have prepared me for my future career.

The academics at this school are excellent. I have had a few unpleasant experiences regarding unfair professors, but overall, I have enjoyed my learning experience here. Class sizes are small and professors tend to always know your name. The workload is tough (depending on your major) and you can expect to spend a lot of time outside of class studying. Baylor tells you that you should set aside two hours of study for every credit hour you take, but I would bump it up to three hours. Attendance in class is required, but I actually enjoy that aspect because it motivates me to attend and I end up learning a lot more because of that. One thing that I feel is lacking is a liberal arts perspective. When I first toured Baylor, they made it seem like this school was very focused on learning for its own sake, but, after 2 years here, I have realized that the liberal arts education is weak. We spend 12 hours on chapel and religion when I would rather be taking an humanities course. However, that is what you sign up for when you go to a Christian University. Additionally, I feel as if Baylor students are not as intellectually-minded as most private school students. There is a large focus on the fraternity and sorority scene, and having an intellectual debate or discussion outside of class is rare. One thing that I do appreciate is that Baylor is very good about preparing you for the workforce, and the free career counseling services are excellent. After three sessions, I figured out a plan of action to help my dreams come true.

It only takes a very minimal amount of effort to have professors know your name here, because most classes are under 30 students. Study habits range the full gamut, though my impression is that most students generally try and be good, productive students and work for their grades. In the Engineering department, many students live in the same dorm and spend time outside of class studying and hanging out together. In general, most academic courses are fairly rigorous - this is not an easy school, but it is a rewarding education.

I know all the professors in my department on a first name basis and they all know my name. Classes are just challenging enough to stimulate mental growth and there are plenty of places to study. There is a ton of coffee spots and lounge areas. The education is very practical. The only major problem I have with this school (It is a Baptist university) are the required religious classes. You have to attend chapel, where the school spends an entire year making students listen to speakers preach morality, Jesus, and "Godliness". Not necessarily in a good way. I wanted to rip many of the speakers a new one and the christian music they play all the time was awful. Everyone is made to stand up and sing along. It really feels like a cult sometimes. You are kicked out and have to make it up if you are not attentive and promptly on time. If you miss 6 or 7 you have to retake it the following semester. It's ridiculous. It was one of the most terrible experiences I have had here. Along with chapel you are made to take two other religious classes, basically to read the bible and feed the Christian mentality.

Academics at Baylor are excellent. Most students take classes very seriously, and so do the professors. My favorite class I have taken was Intro to Psychology during my freshman year, and it led me to realize that my passion is psychology. My professor was so wonderful and helpful, and although I have only taken one class with him and it was nearly 3 years ago, we are still in contact and I speak with him often. I know that many students have these sort of relationships with their professors. Baylor is not by any means an easy school. Classes are tough and you have to work hard to get good grades.

Academics at Baylor are excellent. Most students take classes very seriously, and so do the professors. My favorite class I have taken was Intro to Psychology during my freshman year, and it led me to realize that my passion is psychology. My professor was so wonderful and helpful, and although I have only taken one class with him and it was nearly 3 years ago, we are still in contact and I speak with him often. I know that many students have these sort of relationships with their professors. Baylor is not by any means an easy school. Classes are tough and you have to work hard to get good grades.

Baylor is very unique. The professors really take the time to help you out. There is a lot of class discussions that take place. All of my professors know me by name. I feel really comfortable going to talk to them in their offices. Baylor provides lots of opportunities to expand my learning outside of the classroom, as well. They have many guest speakers and events that provide you with outside perspectives. You will be prepared for the "real world" when you graduate.

In general, I would say that academics are failry challenging at Baylor. If you are a science major prepare to study each day and be required to learn both in and out of the classroom. Class size is small which makes personal relationships with professors feasible, but they require a lot of you. In my personal experience, they often have greater expectations for you because Baylor is known as having a challenging curriculum, and they will state that they expect more than other universities. In addition to this, most classes will expect you to participate as part of your grade and depending on your major as well.

Baylor academics are among the top in the nation, many polls ranking Baylor in the Top 10 for Business, Top 25 for Biology, and any other of the 170(?) different majors offered here. The teacher to student ratio is pretty low, I'd say the average in my class is about what it was in high school, around 19 per class, which is nice because the professors know you by name, and in fact in my Latin class, our professor knows everyone by name and makes jokes and nicknames for everyone and makes the class much more relaxing and on a more personal level. The Baylor students are some of the brightest in the nation, obviously we have intellectual conversations outside of the classroom. Literally, today at lunch I had a conversation with three other students, who I did not know, about the current economic crisis. The students here are very involved and very interested in the topics they study, and possibly even more so than what they do not study they take up interest in, since they don't hear about it in their classes (for example, I'm a Neuroscience major, but I love discussing politics with others).

The professors are what make this school so unique. Every professor I have knows my name, and I have built great relationships with many of them. Being from out of state, it was important for me to find people here to "take me under" their wings. I have a professor friend who drives me to and from the airport when I fly home, and she fixes dinner for me every week. The class sizes are small, and you can really easily get to know people.

Academics at Baylor are pretty good. We have several great programs. I just changed my major (for the second time) to the Baylor Business Fellows major, which is a pretty cool opportunity where you can blend courses within and without the business school and not have to take a lot of the basic requirements like political science, English, human performance, etc. So now I'll be double-majoring in Finance and Economics with a minor in Statistics. The cool thing about Baylor is that there are a lot of programs to meet individual needs. If you're a motivated student and want more scope in your education than one major, Business Fellows or University Scholars can allow for a more specialized education. Classes are pretty small so professors usually know a lot of names, especially as you get into more specialized classes. I really enjoyed several of my classes, like Great Texts, which has small class size and in-depth discussion that really broadens your mind. I also enjoyed my math classes, and even a computer science course that I thought I would hate. This is a private Baptist University, so are required to take two semesters of chapel and two semesters of religion. Chapel could be pretty interesting, but it could also be deathly boring. As far as religion goes, if you get a good teacher, it'll be interesting. I liked my scriptures class, but usually wanted to gouge my eyes out during my heritage class. In every class, there would always be the students that were super parcipitative and those that would sit in the back and avoid ever speaking. Unfortunately, intellectual conversations outside of class are generally rare. Students are usually pretty bright, although there are some that obviously got in because of connections and money, but there isn't much competition between students, even in the Honors classes. Teachers usually seem very knowledgeable and are helpful most of the time, though there are a few teachers that leave students with a bad taste in their mouths. Overall, I'd say a Baylor education is a great one, especially if you put in hard work. It's a great school to go to for a successful professional career.

Of course there are those classes that you don't like, but I have enjoyed most of my classes because of the professors and the people in them. I am just now getting into classes that are specifically for my major, but some of my favorites that weren't made for my major are: Sociology with Dohougherty, American History since 1750 with Keith, and Christian Heritage with Tatum. I just got into the Sports, Sponsorship, and Sales program which I am soo excited about and definitely encourage anyone to check out. It's a really amazing program and sets you up with really cool opportunities. Even if you just want to have an awesome class to take, you should take Pro Selling I with Lehnus.

The classes are fairly small so that students can get the one on one help that they need. Teachers are fairly nice and willing to get to know their students. A large variety of classes are offered.

One thing I like about baylor is that the classes are challenging and that the professors actually take time to help you in fact most of my professors knew my name by the second day of class. You get to actively participate in your education whether that be interacting in class or studying with friends which trust me you'll spend a lot of time if you want to make the best grade possible. My advice don't slack because trust me the temptation to do so is great.