Texas Christian University

Date: Feb 28 2010
Major: Video/Media (This Major's Salary over time)
I am a Black-American male as well as a first year student. I have wanted to attend TCU since I was 5 (I went to school literally right across the street from it). For the most part, I am pleased with my experience as a TCU Horned Frog. I do have just a few things to say.

Firstly, TCU is not very diverse AT ALL! It can be a culture shock. I went to a high school where the amount of about 3 or 4 races were even (same amount of Caucasians as Latinos, and Blacks etc.). Coming to TCU was a bit of a shock at first. That's not to say that it's hard to find diversity. TCU has a whole department centered around bringing out minority groups/organizations and their events. TCU has about 5 or 6 of the historically black fraternities/sororities. They also have Latin greek letter orgs and Asian greek letters orgs as well. Know this: in an average class (about 30 students or so) it is most likely that you will be the only black student, hispanic, asian, etc. Not all the time, but the majority of the time there will only be maybe one or two other people in a class that looks like you.

TCU's campus is beautiful! Unfortunately, there is always something under-construction! Depending on what dorm you get you could wake up to the sound of bull dozers as early as 5 or 5:30 in the morning. It's not too bad though, especially if you're a morning person or if you have early classes. You most likely will get used to it. Because there is so much construction always, different passage ways and trails to get from point A to point B can/will be shut off and you will be FORCED to re-route. (by the way, this is NOT a good reason to not come here…TCU is still a good place to be).

All the dorms are nice (except for one in my opinion and they are supposed to completely knock it down and rebuild it soon). If they aren't new then they've been remodeled/upgraded/updated. No huge problems with pests (I've seen one or two bugs in the year that I've been here).

The professors and instructors I have had so far are not terrible. I did have one professor (history) who would ramble on and on and expect you to write word-for-word what he said. Then for the tests he would expect you to remember only the minute details (with no review). But, this was only one professor and the class was surprisingly manageable. I've definitely had one on conversations with ALL of my professors. It's beneficial to do talk to your instructors one on one so that way they can get a feel for who you are. If you show them that you are interested in doing well in their class (not just trying to get an A, but also learning at least one thing) then they are more willing to help you and even cut you some slack. I got a B+ in one of my classes that I deserved an F in all because I had discussions with my professor and he knew that I was trying. Overall, I would say they are very accessible. Some you HAVE to make an appointment, but they are flexible (they just to know when you're coming to visit them and what not).

As I mentioned earlier, I am a black student. When I got here I immediately began looking for black students. You can definitely find them, but it's easier when you're involved. There are so many different organizations to be a part of (even non-greek) it's not even funny!

If I had a complaint I would say that after being surrounded by the majority (Caucasians) for so long it does get a little old. I'm not at all racist, but I do realize that most black people think/act differently from others who are not black. It is easy to get along with everybody, but every now and then I do get tired of seeing the same thing when I go out: Bright neon colors, people wearing shorts and flip flops in 40 degree weather, and many other trends. Like I said, TCU is not diverse but what I have failed to mention is that TCU is also taking steps to diversify the student population. Since I've been here, I haven't directly experienced any racism (it's alive wherever you go but it's definitely NOT tolerated at good ol' Texas Christian).

Overall, good school. Just the name would look good on a resume so think about that when you're ready to find a job.

(Oh, and for those minority students, I just want to let you know that there are minorities from all different backgrounds. We have those who come from rich/well-off backgrounds, but there are also people who come straight from the hood and are first generation college students. If you are scared about attending for lack of diversity [kinda like I was] you might want to think again. Again, I'm not racist, but I have a group of friends who look just like me [color-wise] so sometimes it can feel almsot [big almost lol] like you're at an HBCU).