Baylor University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Public Health on a pre-med track
Minor: Business Administration
Student Self Identifies as: South Asian Straight Female
Summary
I’m in the Indian Subcontinent Student Association and the American Medical Women’s Association.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: South Asian
Sexual Orientation: Straight
High School Experience: Public school in Houston, Texas with a graduating class of about 1,200 students. There was a culture of going to college there.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Public Health on a pre-med track
Minor: Business Administration
Extracurricular Activities: I’m in the Indian Subcontinent Student Association and the American Medical Women’s Association.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
The Indian Subcontinent Student Association did because growing up I wasn’t around people of my culture because of the area I lived in. It was a big culture shock getting to meet people who eat and speak like me. As for the American Medical Women’s Association, it felt good to see so many different diverse women in healthcare, and how women are changing the healthcare system which I didn’t think was as advanced as it currently is.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
I have a three-hour lab every week, and I usually have a test at least once a week for all my classes. I’m taking 18 credit-hours, so I’m full time. I usually study two to three hours a day because of the course work I have. Exams make up about 60% of my overall grade in most of my classes. Every week I have a pre-lab and post-lab, along with a pre-lab quiz to make sure you know what you’re doing. For chemistry classes, we have online homework due every five or seven days that take me about three hours to complete.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
Our Public Health master’s program is only one year. I’m ahead of my graduating class, so my projected graduation year is 2022 because I’m doing the dual-program to get my masters at the same time.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It depends on the subject you go into. If you talk about the pre-med courses like chemistry and biology, it’s very competitive and no one really wants to help anyone. We have supplementary instruction, which is extra learning where a student who previously took the class comes in and teaches you. They work closely with the professor so you have an idea of what the tests will look like. As for my Public Health major, it’s more of a group effort. It’s collaborative, we talk a lot outside of class, have group projects, and interact more with each other.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re pretty accessible. Most of them have office hours at least twice a week and you can walk in whenever. They usually reply to an email within 24 hours.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
It was very hard in the beginning. I felt in high school it was much easier. During my first semester of college, I always procrastinated and waited until the end to study for my exams. I realized that’s not the best thing to do, so I decided to go to supplementary instruction which is after school tutoring. I used to go to the library, go to office hours, email my professors, and that all really helped.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I chose my major because I love helping people, and Public Health is a very diverse major. You can do so many things like epidemiology, biostatistics, or hospital administration. I was always torn between wanting to do hospital administration or going into the medical field. Luckily with my degree, I can take it as a major and do pre-med along with it so I can decide when I graduate if I want to go to med school or not.
Reasons to Attend
1) Our campus is very beautiful.
2) We have a good pre-med program.
3) Our business school is its newest edition so it’s really nice.
4) Baylor gives out a lot of scholarships. Most students don’t pay full tuition. [Over 90% of Baylor students receive some sort of financial aid.]
5) We have good school spirit.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you really like city life and are used to that, you probably shouldn’t come to Waco.
2) All of the sexual harassment and it’s not the safest campus. [Baylor has a self-recognized track record of sexual assault, see the school’s latest news and updates here.]
3) If you can’t handle the heat I wouldn’t recommend coming here because in the Summer it’s really hot, but it also gets really cold in the Winter.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Kokernot with one roommate
Sophomore: Off-campus apartment in a single bedroom with three roommates
How was transitioning from Houston to Waco, TX?
It was hard. Waco doesn’t have much to do, so I’d often find myself missing home a lot. First-semester freshman year I went home almost every weekend because I missed it so much. I’m Hindu and there are no temples or Indian food nearby Waco, you have to drive over an hour to get something close to that. Not being able to see my parents and my family was hard, but I think it was more so the isolation of the place. Even if I want to go out at night there’s not much you can do besides go bowling or watch a movie.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
They were better last year than this year. Baylor isn’t the safest school, but last year they had a program where after 8 PM if you wanted to go anywhere on campus there were shuttles that would take you. This year they don’t have that service, so for me, it’s far more unsafe because if I need to get to one place or another I think twice before leaving my house. As far as verbal and sexual harassment, Baylor has a policy that they say they’re good at acting upon, but based on my experience they’re not the greatest. [See Baylor’s after-hours shuttle service here.]
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
Fraternities throw parties every weekend, so I’m either going to that or a club in Waco. If nothing else, I just stay home and watch a movie. I usually go out on Friday and Saturday.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
I’d say there’s a major impact. Usually, there is no nightlife without Greek life. I’m not in a sorority, but all three of my roommates are. As for going to parties, the fraternities and sororities have group chats with each other where they send addresses and text messages for the party and everyone just passes it around. [About 20% of undergraduates are involved in Greek life.]
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
Our library, which is open 24 hours has projectors you can rent, so my friends and I have movie nights in, there is bowling, there is a movie theater, and lots of local food places open till three or four in the morning. Waco has Cameron Park which is beautiful, we have a suspension bridge, and a zoo. There are alternative activities to do, they are just predominantly not during the night.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Baylor? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I’m okay with them. I don’t go out much, so if I’m in the mood I will but if I’m not, I won’t. I don’t care enough about them to have an opinion.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I had a class with one of them and I moved across from the other two.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Baylor?
It’s very based on who you know. If you don’t know anyone in that fraternity or sorority or group of friends, you most likely won’t be included. I think it’s very important you at least know some people. At parties, it’s not like that because people are trying to mingle, but if you try to go hang out with someone on a day to day basis it’s usually cliquey.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
LGBT people are a very small population within our school. Usually, if someone comes out and says they’re part of that community, they usually get frowned upon and have fewer friends. I’d say on that basis my school isn’t that great because of our values as a Christian community. There is also the fact that Baylor is predominantly White, so the minorities are very small populations. In high school, all of my friends weren’t the same race or ethnicity as me, but now in college, the majority of my friends are the same race and ethnicity because if you’re from a different skin tone it’s harder to make friends because people want to be friends with someone of their kind. [The undergraduate population is about 16% Hispanic, 6% Black, 63% White, and 7% Asian.]
What is the impact of the school’s Christian affiliation on campus?
It’s very strong. We have something called [FM72] which is 72 hours of non-stop worship. We’re required to take a Christian Heritage and Christian Scriptures [class]. We also have to take two semesters worth of Chapel. We sit down and listen to someone speak, whether that’s about Jesus, life, and even in Chapel we’re required to sing songs, sermons, and gospels. It doesn’t have much of an impact on my individual self, but I can tell the schools tries to make an impact on the day to day life because they require you to take these Christian classes and try to recommend you to go to live warship. We have Vertical Ministries, which is worship at night every Monday. There are lots of Christian affiliated things going on in the school, but I stay true to myself.
How would you describe the student body?
They’re really nice for the most part, but some people are very cocky. Many people who I go to school with have someone like a grandma who has a building at the school named after, so for those students, they’re uptight because if you look on campus you’ll see nice cars. Students who go here are mostly financially well-off, so when you first meet them they can seem snobby or rude because of their financial background. I tend to avoid people like that, and the majority of the population isn’t like that. [Socioeconomically, about 7% of students come from the top 1%.]
How do you like the size of Baylor in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 14,000] students?
I love it. I think it’s the perfect size. Because it’s so tiny and beautiful, I can stop and smell the roses or enjoy walking from one side of campus to the other, which is a twenty-minute walk. I’m not trying to rush from one class to the other because the campus is small. Because my classes are so small, I know most people in the class and our professors know us by name.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
They usually don’t really mix. At Baylor, fraternities and sororities take up a lot of your time. My roommates will go to class, come back, then go to chapter meetings, or have other stuff to do for their sorority. They usually don’t have time to mingle with people outside of class. Unless you’re friends with people you meet in class or happen to be somewhere, it’s hard for non-Greek life to mix with people in Greek life because fraternities always host events with sororities. For example, we have homecoming in two weeks so every organization will build a float together.
Careers
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
We had a career fair where a lot of businesses came to Baylor to discuss our options for internships, but there wasn’t anything for my major so I didn’t get much out of it. There was a lot of stuff for business majors.
Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
Because I have a Business Administration minor, I have to take a whole Microsoft class using Excel, Word, Access, and PowerPoint. We have a class called Business 1305, which teaches you about Excel and Access. You get projects to work on, have homework, and take tests.