Texas Christian University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Majors: Ballet and Modern Dance Double Major
Minor: Economics
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Straight Female

Summary

I’m part of the Chi Tau Epsilon dance honors society.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Public high school in Richland, WA with a graduating class of about 500 students. We were not pushed to go to college. They pushed options such as trade school, and other paths for life.
First-Generation College Student: No
Majors: Ballet and Modern Dance Double Major
Minor: Economics

Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of the Chi Tau Epsilon dance honors society.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
I have to take technique classes every day where I get graded on participation and how much my dancing improves over the semester. We don’t have written assignments. The grades are pretty subjective. We also have dance academic classes, which have written assignments. If it’s a choreography class, we have to record our choreography and turn in videos online. We also have readings that we have to reflect on. There are classes specific to my majors on functional anatomy or lighting, where we have written assignments and tests. Every student still has to complete the academic core no matter my major.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
All of the dance teachers are good at listening to the feedback we give them at the end of the year. They try to implement and make changes the next year to better suited for the students’ needs.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s not competitive compared to other places I’ve danced. Everyone in the program is super supportive and it’s a friendly place. It’s a small department and everyone knows everyone. Dances often have to be collaborative, which is part of the artform. There are projects we have to do with other students.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I love my major. I knew I was going to continue on a ballet path since I was five years old. Choosing a school was hard because each program offers different things, but I’m happy that I’m here. It’s a really good environment for this major.
What has been your favorite part of TCU academically?
I’ve never really liked academics in general, hence my major. I think all the academic classes I have taken have been beneficial. The core classes are really good at giving you a base for whatever path you follow. I haven’t had a teacher I dislike. If you want to get something out of them you can, and all of the professors are very invested and want to meet with you to get to know you.

Reasons to Attend

1) It’s welcoming, positive, and has a close-knit environment.
2) The size of the campus, and all of the amenities are really helpful.
3) The fact that they give a lot of financial aid.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) It’s really expensive. [For the 2020-2021 academic year, the total fees to attend TCU are $51,660.]
2) Don’t attend if you want to feel like you’re living in the middle of a big city. It feels like a close-knit and small town on campus.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman & Sophomore: Off-campus apartment
How was transitioning from your hometown to Fort Worth, TX?
Fort Worth is a much larger city than the town I grew up in. Contrasting to that, you can have the big city feel if you go downtown, but I can also feel like I’m home when I’m on campus or in other parts of the city that don’t have big city vibes.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It’s so safe. I’ve never felt in danger in any way. The school has a lot of safety features. The police will drive you around at night if I felt unsafe.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I’m in rehearsal most weekends, but when I do have free time, I like going to the restaurants downtown. Football is a big part of the culture, and the tailgates are fun to go to. You can walk to them and then walk to the football game. I like going to the sporting events on campus, and they have free concerts all the time which are fun.
What have been some of your favorite times at TCU?
The tailgates and the concerts they bring in. There is also a club I like going to called Senseless Acts of Comedy (SAC). They have an improv show every Thursday which is really fun. TCU also has a huge Christmas tree lighting on the commons. There’s a huge firework show, fake snow, and live music.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
If you’re not in Greek life or over 21, there are still things to do. There are clubs on campus, but I mostly just hang out with small groups of friends. I’d say that it feels like most of the school is part of Greek life. [About 41% of male and 31% of female undergraduates are part of Greek life.]
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I don’t think I’d change anything. I’m happy where I’m at, just hanging out with a few friends and occasionally going to parties or events. For someone who wants to get involved in Greek life and go to parties every weekend, that is an option.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
Since I’m a dance major, there are only about 75 of us in the school and we spend so many hours with each other during the day that you get to know everyone pretty fast. I have a few friends I’m especially close to, and I’ve bonded with them the most over doing our dance homework assignments together and hanging out after that.
How would you describe the overall social scene at TCU?
I think a lot of the majors stick together, but we do have friends outside of the department. Most people make friends depending on what dorm they live in.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
They don’t mix a lot. They do inside the dance department because it’s really common for people in the dance department to be gay. Outside of dance, I can’t say for sure. [The undergraduate population is about 68% White, 15% Hispanic, 5% Black, and 2% Asian.]
How would you describe the student body?
People are very cheerful. Living at TCU is almost like living at Disney Land. I’ve never met anyone who’s grumpy or sad. Everyone is cheerful most of the time, or at least caring. No one is too cynical that I have encountered.
How do you like the size of TCU in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 9,500] students?
I really like the size. It’s a large campus, but we only have [9,500] undergraduate students. You’ll see people going to class.
How strong is the Christian affiliation at TCU? How has that impacted your experience?
You don’t have to be Christian to go to TCU. I know a lot of people who aren’t. It’s not going to impact your social life if you’re not.

Careers

Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
We use Final Cut Pro for video editing in one of my dance production classes.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? How easy is the office to work with?
I wouldn’t have been able to go to this school if it weren’t for financial aid. Besides regular financial aid, they offer lots of scholarships and need-based grants. Any time I call or go into the office, they are nice and are good at explaining what to do. They’ll help you through it if you need help. [3 out of 4 students use financial aid at TCU.]