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My daughter is interviewing at Baylor for their graduate program. They will probably offer her a tuition-free program with a residential stipend, which is a good deal and a great reward for all her hard work.
I'm trying to be delicate with my question and I certainly don't mean to stir up controversy. Please remember that I have never lived in Texas and the only thing I know of Waco is the Davidian fiasco.
So, my daughter is 1/2 hispanic with a hispanic surname. The young man she lives with is also hispanic. They are both well-educated and mature. But is there a racial/ethnic problem in that area of Texas?
I am not picking on Texas. They are currently in Berkeley, No.Cal., and have already run into quite a bit of racial profiling, especially from the Berkeley police. They were quite surprised and disappointed in this and it soured them completely on staying in the area for her 6 years of graduate work.
That being said, it is obvious that the "reputation" of an area is not always deserved (since Berkeley's rep is quite liberal). Hence the question, what about Waco?
My daughter is interviewing at Baylor for their graduate program. They will probably offer her a tuition-free program with a residential stipend, which is a good deal and a great reward for all her hard work.
I'm trying to be delicate with my question and I certainly don't mean to stir up controversy. Please remember that I have never lived in Texas and the only thing I know of Waco is the Davidian fiasco.
So, my daughter is 1/2 hispanic with a hispanic surname. The young man she lives with is also hispanic. They are both well-educated and mature. But is there a racial/ethnic problem in that area of Texas?
I am not picking on Texas. They are currently in Berkeley, No.Cal., and have already run into quite a bit of racial profiling, especially from the Berkeley police. They were quite surprised and disappointed in this and it soured them completely on staying in the area for her 6 years of graduate work.
That being said, it is obvious that the "reputation" of an area is not always deserved (since Berkeley's rep is quite liberal). Hence the question, what about Waco?
Long post, but I appreciate any input.
My daughter attended Baylor U from 1991 to 1994, so she was there during the massacre. Mt. Carmel is actually located 10 miles outside of Waco but still, too close for comfort. I worried about her all the time but not just because of that.
There was another thread about Baylor a while back and below is what I posted on that thread regarding Waco.
Baylor is a beautiful and wonderful Baptist University, but it is not in a very good part of Waco. My daughter received one of her degrees there and lived on campus for two years and off campus near the University for the other two. I worried constantly about her as things can and do happen on campus and near by.
There are homeless people and other undesirables that like to frequent the underpasses and streets near Baylor, so I would caution you to do much checking out in any areas which you're interested in living. Once while she was there, a weirdo off the street was found lurking in one of the girls' dorms.
Waco does have many great neighborhoods, but many crime-filled areas as well. Somewhere I read that Waco is becoming one of the highest-rated cities for crime in the nation.
My daughter had to work the whole time while she was in both of the universities she attended, Baylor for her Bachelor's and Dallas Baptist for her Master's. Therefore, she was on the road a lot traveling to and from her job even at late hours of the night. She also worked on campus for a while at the Ferrell Center and sometimes arrived back at her dorm at 4:00 a.m. due to getting the Center back to normal following concerts and the like. She was also fresh out of high school, a youngster.
Since your child is attempting to enter the graduate program, she is a bit older and since she doesn't have to work, I wouldn't think you'd need to worry about her like I did with Amy. She worked over 40 hours each week and managed to graduate with a great grade point average in spite of it, not a 4.0 but a 3.something. Now at DBU in spite of having to work, she did receive a 4.0. I greatly admire her for all her hard work and perserverance. She is delightful and knew at a young age what she wanted and went for it.
This is just a side note but after the fact, I found out my son and a few of his friends drove to Mt. Carmel when the standoff was going on. Of course, he couldn't get too close because of the area being blocked off but nevertheless, when I found out about it, I nearly had a stroke. He was 16 at the time, and we only live about 45 miles or so from Waco. I almost had his head on a silver platter, but boys will be boys, such bravery.
Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much. She's an adult and she'll be fine but like any place, one must use caution because there are strange people everywhere.
As far as the racial profiling goes, I doubt there would be any problem. I'm not positive about that, but I really don't think so. Hopefully, someone will come along on this thread to give you better information regarding such.
I just remembered when we went to the Baylor orientation in 1991, the campus police alerted the incoming students about using caution, carry mace, and so on because of problems that do happen. Luckily, my sweet daughter graduated from BU unscathed.
The Branch Davidian situation has absolutely nothing to do with Waco or Baylor University. Should not be included in any manner when considering a Baylor education.
My son graduated in 2006 from Baylor. He lived on campus the first year, in a downtown loft apartment the second year, and just off campus in a townhome the last two years.
There will be occasional interaction with the homeless, but nothing I heard of happening while he was there gave me enormous reason for concern. One homeless man helped fix my son's car when he had trouble at a fast food place near campus. The college students (and the organizations they are involved with) are their meal tickets, so to speak, they are not going to bite the hand that feeds them.
My son did have his truck broke inot one night, but name a college town where that doesn't happen.
The previous poster stated that Baylor was not in a very good part of Waco; that could actually be said of most any area in Waco. The City of Waco is not a pretty city, but is not terrible either. Lots of good churches, and some wonderful people who took an interest in my son. Once you know about 3 or 4 streets and learn how to navigate them, there is nothing to it.
There are plenty of nice, and safe places to stay right next to campus and others spread out across town. I see no reason that them being hispanic would impact them negatively if they choose Baylor.
My sister went to Baylor in the 80s, which was probably a completely different experience than what you would get today; however, she loved the university. I have known many people that have gone there for undergraduate studies, and have yet to find anyone who really disliked the university. It is a beautiful campus. I know very little about the graduate program experience, but would expect it to be good, as well.
As for the city - Waco is not the nicest looking city, and it has its share of run down areas; however, it has really improved since the 80s, so maybe it is going in the right direction. The campus is somewhat of an island, especially if you do not need to leave for work.
As for profiling, I cannot speak for Waco, but I find in general that hispanics in Texas are rarely profiled or discriminated against, at least no where near the degree that I noticed in Georgia. I think most people wouldn't even notice. Any profiling or prejudicial behaviour would probably be more socially directed.
Edit: I just notice you mentioned a young man she lived with. I don't know the universitie's moral rules these days, but my sister was 'expelled' (very quietly and unofficially) for becoming pregnant while unmarried. The father was a grad student (law school) at Baylor and she could not name him without him also being expelled. Now, I personally know at least one 'co-habitating' couple at Baylor, and I don't think they are aggressively sought out, but I sure don't think they would bring it up openly to faculty.
Maybe I can help a little. I am currently a Baylor student, graduating in the fall. I will stay there for grad school as well. I was born in Waco and lived there my entire life.
The south, as a whole, has a reputation for volatile relations between different races. Some of it's truth and some of it's exaggerated. One of the good things about Texas for Hispanic people is that Texas itself is largely Hispanic itself. Three of my best friends are of Latin origin, two who are Nicaraguan and one who is Mexican. While there are no problems that I have seen happen with them I know they do. For Hispanic people it's much more rare than others though, maybe a strange look from an old person or a drunk person says something rude. Most of the problems they have encountered have been from other Hispanic people. If they speak to a Latin-American in Spanish, or speak to a Mexican in English, they are likely to get yelled at. I hear about that happening a lot more often.
That being said things will happen sometimes. One of my previously mentioned friends is a very big burly guy, and he goes walking with me around the school trail at night sometimes. On these walks the cops have followed us before. They've never stopped us or actually said anything, they just sort of follow us for a little while. We usually laugh it off but things like that are known to happen.
As for the crime in Waco, it's not a pretty picture. But I can assure you it's not much different than a big city, the difference is Waco is smaller but with similar statistics to a big city. I grew up in a rougher neighborhood and you're perfectly fine as long as you don't do anything unintelligent like riding around in the ghetto at night with your doors unlocked. The problem with Baylor is that it's situated right in the middle of that ghetto. Baylor itself is a FANTASTICALLY beautiful campus and most of the outside world of Waco never filters through to the campus itself (thus it is called the "Baylor Bubble").
As far as the housing near campus being safe, that is and isn't true. It's RARE but robberies do happen. There was an armed robbery this year and there was one last year. I was on the phone with my boyfriend two months ago and we could hear gunshots nearby from his apartment. Those things do happen, but they don't happen all the time. A few times at most in a year. It's all a matter of knowing what you can and can't do. Most of the city's pretty safe and you can do as you like, there are just a few areas you should avoid like in most cities. Waco's crime rate is very high for a city it's size, but if you are responsible you'll be fine. One thing you do need to watch for, there are a ton of churches in Waco but some of them are toying with unhealthy tendencies. Just because it's a church doesn't make it safe. Some of them are a little cult-like.
As for them living together, officially it's not condoned but it's pretty much a don't ask don't tell kind of thing. I don't think they'd expel anyone for it but they may fuss about it. I can double check that for you if you need me to.
I'm currently on a study abroad in Japan and I'll be returning in early May. I myself live in an apartment off campus when I'm home in Waco. If you have any other questions about the school or the city itself then I'd be glad to help. Or if you want to come visit the campus I can show you around and let you see for yourself. Just shoot me an e-mail. SparklerGrrl@hotmail.com
I graduated from Baylor w/ my BA in 97 and stayed briefly for grad school and then moved back with my family and have been back in Waco for 3 years.
Your daughter should consider living the Quad w/ the other grad students. It is near campus and very safe as it is still 'baylor bubble'. Sure there are parts of Waco to avoid but that is true with any city this size or larger and university-towns as well.
Can unmarried couples live together off campus and attend Baylor University. They do have co-habitation rules, but I don't know if they apply to off campus living.
Can unmarried couples live together off campus and attend Baylor University. They do have co-habitation rules, but I don't know if they apply to off campus living.
Yes. I wouldn't worry about it. It happened all the time when I was there.
Different unwritten rules exist for graduate students. We even had beer (gasp) at Baylor Law School functions. It was referred to as "Dr. Pepper" by the Baylor Chief of Police.
I think it's so quaint how Baylor is stuck back in the 17th century.
It's not. It's ignorant people who think that.
Growing up in Waco and have connections with Baylor whether it was educational or casual; the school functions just like any other university. Regardless of its baptist beliefs.
The student body consists of very progressive and open-minded members and accepting of anyone.
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