Houston Baptist University

Date: Aug 16 2017
Major: Unknown (This Major's Salary over time)
HBU is not a bad school. It's underwhelming, disappointing, and overall not worth the cost in any kind of way…but I'm not actively trying to escape either.

The business school is filled with (from my experience) nice professors that want you to succeed in their classes and beyond HBU. The accounting department specifically needs some more professors so they can offer more diverse accounting courses. But although the accounting department and student body is small, we are closer because of it. And I do feel like I'm learning. I have no idea if it the 5-year Master's program is properly preparing me for the CPA…I guess I'll find out.

I was also a student in the Honors College. Now THAT was a mistake. It's terribly constructed. I had to buy like 20 books a semester and we didn't even fully read 90% of them. We had a 2-hour discussion class twice a week that was mostly people asking dumb questions about the books and then judging each other's answers. The material could have been so much more enjoyable and worthwhile if we actually learned something and didn't just have dumb, myopic discussions with each other even when half of the students just Sparknoted. Hardly anything I "learned" in honors is applicable to my career or anything. And I was sort of stuck in it after freshman year because the credits you get from honors don't transfer for crap. The most close-minded people I've encountered at HBU have always been honors students. It attracts weirdos. People will judge you for not being super into every book or for not being involved in their weird, cult-like events. Even if you like philosophy and writing…don't join it. There is only one thing I legit HATE about HBU: The Honors College.

People like to complain about the lack of resources and opportunities at HBU but I think there's enough. The ASC has free tutoring and as a former tutor myself, they're all mostly good at what they tutor for. The Career & Calling department works its butt off to get connections. I've gotten 2 different accounting internships through Career & Calling. Some of the professors and faculty can really hook you up. The faculty in just about every department is nice. Just be active and ambitious.

My one BIGGEST complaint (other than The Honors College wasting my time) is that the campus is boring. The events are all religion-based or educational. Half the clubs on campus are dead or dying. And the sad thing is…the students have accepted that their school is boring as hell. There's no enthusiasm. Everyone is too lazy to run clubs well or to try and infuse some life into the school. The campus is a ghost town on weekends because everyone knows it's better to just go home. Luckily, Houston has many great areas to hang out but it sucks that you need to leave campus to have fun. You'll make friends because everyone is super nice (from my experience)…we're all just a tad broken-spirited. And bored out of our minds.

My advice to anyone going to HBU: get involved. Some organizations are still pretty active. Join them. Become a tutor, work in admissions…anything. I hated HBU in my early years because I went to class and went to the dorm and that's about it. You'll go freakin' INSANE if you do that. Get involved on campus and go out on weekends and you won't even be thinking about how there's nothing happening on-campus. That's the key.

And I'll say it again…DON'T. JOIN. THE. HONORS. COLLEGE.