Texas Christian University

Date: Mar 19 2012
Major: Journalism (This Major's Salary over time)
The first time I toured TCU, I knew that it's where I wanted to go. Beautiful campus, attractive girls, and amazing facilities. However, you can't always judge a book by its cover. TCU is a school that doesn't really show its true colors until you actually become a student. I'll start with the positive aspects though.

The facilities are amazing. They are new, always clean, and above average when it comes to comparing them to other schools. Lots of technology and modern equipment is found everywhere. Flat screen TVs in the dining hall, computers in every building, etc. Very clean campus. It's always nice walking through and feeling like you're in a place that's well kept. The rec is nice, the BLUU (dining hall) is nice, and the library is nice, but kind of cramped for space. The academics are challenging; even if you choose an easy course that you think will be a blow off, the teacher somehow finds a way to make it difficult. If you're pre-med, you better be serious about it, because majority of pre-meds drop their major after the first semester. Don't be fooled, you WILL need to study a lot if you plan on making good grades. However, if you want to go to a school where you're challenged academically, then you're good to go here. A good majority of the students are nice, and everyone is a good looking bunch. Most people are fit, and you don't feel endangered by the kind of people that you're surrounded with.

Time for the negatives. Most of this is regarding social life. I wanted to go to a school that had good facilities and academics, but also provided the college experience that we all crave. TCU isn't the social life that you expect. Greek life is EVERYTHING. If you want to have a social life, you better go Greek, or you are doomed. Everything involving social life revolves around what sorority or fraternity you're in. At times, you feel like you are going to college with a bunch of clones or look-a-likes. Everyone dresses extremely fratty: polo shirts, sperries, khaki shorts, etc. It gets pretty annoying. Guys do not venture outside of their fraternities. They sit at the same tables every day, and are so stuck in their little circles that they don't have friends outside of that. They start acting the same as the other guys in their fraternity, and basically don't travel anywhere else without them. If they are ever in a situation without their "brothers," they look awkward, scared, and out of their element. This school is EXTREMELY clique-ish. There is no sense of individuality, and everyone only cares about/talks about what sorority or fraternity they're in. Once they graduate, they won't know what to do with themselves. I thought this would eventually die out, but it doesn't. The social life is pretty lame. People either stay in their dorms, go to their frat houses to get drunk with their little circle of friends, or go to the bars—and by bars I mean Old Rips: a boring, overpriced bar where people act like idiots and get drunk and socialize with, who would've guessed, the people in their fraternity or sorority. There is never any other social event except for an occasional mixer or house party, which, yet again, is based on your fraternity. I plan on transferring, because the people here are so close-minded and way too involved in Greek. I want a place where people can make friends outside of their little social groups, which are extremely pointless in the end. If you want to be a frat star and spend four years with the same group of guys, have absolutely no individuality, and become engulfed in a life that has no variation other than dressing fratty and drinking, then by all means, come to TCU. It's a shame that such a nice campus is ruined by people like this.