By Abby Roper | Photographer
There’s no use explaining what I’m sure you already know: Baylor University is the place to be. With this year’s record number of applicants and the need for a waitlist for the fall, the signs point to the special environment Baylor has created.
Every time I have come home within the past few months, there has been someone who asks me how my time at Baylor has been. I am able to tell them that it’s amazing every time, and there isn’t even a hesitation or a stretch from the truth.
Aside from being an academically rigorous university that provides a Christian community and D1 athletics, Baylor is so much more. Throughout my time at Baylor, I have fallen more and more in love with everything it has to offer. I have made some of my best friends here — friendships that will last a lifetime. There have been many small instances and moments that have contributed to the amazing experience I have had so far, which makes leaving for the summer so difficult.
The opportunities that Baylor provides to find community are unmatched. There are so many campuswide events that organizations put on, and I can assure you, there is something for everyone. There’s a ministry and organization called YoungLife that I was a part of in high school, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it here on Baylor’s campus and in Waco. After going to YoungLife club on Thursday nights, I was able to truly find the community that made Waco feel like home for me.
The ministry organizations and chapel credit Baylor requires are such a distinct part of Baylor that wholeheartedly is set forth to create opportunities to find community. Community can be found everywhere at Baylor. The environment you step into is one of happiness and positivity. Personally, I have never met someone on campus who didn’t exude pure joy and love for Baylor.
A big contributor to the positive outlook I have developed during my time here comes from the academics and professors. Every professor I have had so far has taken the time to get to know every student, offering encouragement along the way, as well as the guidance needed to be successful. One of my professors told us that his intention is to pray for each one of us by name each week, praying for our academics and whatever might be going on in our personal lives. Baylor professors care about you and strive to see you succeed. Through them, I have received one-on-one feedback and constructive criticism, all of which have helped me achieve my goals. Due to the size of Baylor and its classes, these professor-student relationships are such an exceptional part of the Baylor experience that you can’t get at large universities.
One very special part of Baylor is how involved President Linda Livingstone and First Gent Brad Livingstone are in campus activities and events. You can truly see how much they care about and love Baylor and its students. They can always be seen active on campus, whether it’s Brad on his walks with BU, stopping to talk to students or seeing them interact with students at sporting events. My favorite part of this past semester has been taking the 6:15 a.m. F45 workout class in the SLC with them both. It was after doing this for a couple weeks that I finally asked for a selfie, because, I mean — how cool is that!
All of this goes to show just some small aspects that make Baylor feel like home, aside from the all-around Baylor spirit. I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else, and I cannot wait to see what else is in store for me in these next three years at my second home here in Waco.
