As a double major I began taking the maximum load possible my second semester of freshman year. One of my majors is Graphic Design and the other is General Music. Both require a rather large number of pre-requisites and I was kind of overwhelmed by the road ahead of me. To tell you the truth, it still seems overwhelming at times because I'm only one year into school and about to start my second and two majors can really take it out of you. I'm even taking summer courses so that I can try to complete both degree programs within four years. But every single teacher I have there is understanding of what I'm trying to accomplish. Every single class I have taken here has been informative and relevant to the degree program to which it applied and up to date! I ended the year with a 3.7 GPA and I know that the knowledge I gained from the year will carry over into the next three years and inevitably into my career!
Do you enjoy the experience at your school?
Part of Southwest Baptist University's credo is that they are caring. This is a completely true statement. I am a rather shy person at first and I always felt welcome every time I came to visit before school started last year. The students waved to me. The ambassadors were warm and friendly. Several times, doors were opened for me by gentlemanly students here. The teachers make you feel comfortable and are very engaging. Yes it is a small school and yes it is in a tiny community, but the education and the social experiences you have here are worth it! I'm making memories and gaining to knowledge to last a life time! I love the chapel services. I love the Thursday night worship service in the tiny chapel in the middle of campus. Assassins week was a blast! And all of the student faculty (RA's, etc.) really make an effort to make you feel like you're a part of a family. By the way, they have an amazing city park in Bolivar. Seriously, it's gorgeous in summer and they decorate it up really well in the winter. You are going to enjoy it a lot.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
Southwest Baptist University is a private university and therefore the price to go there looks steeper than your average state school. Coming in as a freshman last fall, the price tag was a whopping $23,000. But amazingly, the cost of my education was far less than that of some of my friends at state schools! SBU has fantastic scholarship programs. The scholarships you get for your high school academics alone make a huge dent. On top of that, I had a church matching scholarship, a dependent of minister scholarship, and music scholarship for both flute and voice. By the time it was all said and done, I only had a couple thousand more to come up with on my own. I'm so glad I was able to come here! I'm getting a great education and having a wonderful college experience and its very affordable too!
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
I only have a few tips for prospective students:
1) Bring rain boots and a large umbrella. You wouldn't believe how much it rains in the spring. I thought I was living in Seattle there for a while!
2) You may want to allot some money for you to buy staple food items to keep in your dorm room. SBU does a pretty good job with their food at Mellars (the cafeteria) but it is cafeteria food and you get bored with it after a while. Don't rely on the wide variety of fast food restaurants that are conveniently nearby. Make use of the kitchen available in every dorm.
3) Get to know your professors outside of class. They are wonderful people and have lots of things to teach you within and outside of the classroom walls.
4) You don't need to bring your whole closet with you the first day. You've got time to go home and get the things you discover you still need before the weather becomes too dramatic to handle. I learned this the hard way.
5) Don't date anyone the first couple of months. This is the time to make friends.
6) Bring a bike/longboard/skateboard/rollerskates(?) because there will be mornings you run late.
7) Keep your grades up. You don't want to lose your scholarships.
8) Second semester is tougher than first semester in every single way possible.
9) Call whoever helped you make it to college, at least once a week that first semester. They REALLY want to hear how you are.
10) You are about to get a whole ton of freedom with your time. Don't abuse it. Don't sleep in until 2pm (missing your first three classes). Don't be stupid.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
This school is great for all types. There's something here for everyone. There's a friend here for everyone. It's a small school so you get that community feel without having to know every single person on the campus. Everyone fits in somewhere and some people fit in everywhere. It's wonderful! I love the atmosphere. I'm sure you will too.
As a double major I began taking the maximum load possible my second semester of freshman year. One of my majors is Graphic Design and the other is General Music. Both require a rather large number of pre-requisites and I was kind of overwhelmed by the road ahead of me. To tell you the truth, it still seems overwhelming at times because I'm only one year into school and about to start my second and two majors can really take it out of you. I'm even taking summer courses so that I can try to complete both degree programs within four years. But every single teacher I have there is understanding of what I'm trying to accomplish. Every single class I have taken here has been informative and relevant to the degree program to which it applied and up to date! I ended the year with a 3.7 GPA and I know that the knowledge I gained from the year will carry over into the next three years and inevitably into my career!
Part of Southwest Baptist University's credo is that they are caring. This is a completely true statement. I am a rather shy person at first and I always felt welcome every time I came to visit before school started last year. The students waved to me. The ambassadors were warm and friendly. Several times, doors were opened for me by gentlemanly students here. The teachers make you feel comfortable and are very engaging. Yes it is a small school and yes it is in a tiny community, but the education and the social experiences you have here are worth it! I'm making memories and gaining to knowledge to last a life time! I love the chapel services. I love the Thursday night worship service in the tiny chapel in the middle of campus. Assassins week was a blast! And all of the student faculty (RA's, etc.) really make an effort to make you feel like you're a part of a family. By the way, they have an amazing city park in Bolivar. Seriously, it's gorgeous in summer and they decorate it up really well in the winter. You are going to enjoy it a lot.
Southwest Baptist University is a private university and therefore the price to go there looks steeper than your average state school. Coming in as a freshman last fall, the price tag was a whopping $23,000. But amazingly, the cost of my education was far less than that of some of my friends at state schools! SBU has fantastic scholarship programs. The scholarships you get for your high school academics alone make a huge dent. On top of that, I had a church matching scholarship, a dependent of minister scholarship, and music scholarship for both flute and voice. By the time it was all said and done, I only had a couple thousand more to come up with on my own. I'm so glad I was able to come here! I'm getting a great education and having a wonderful college experience and its very affordable too!
I only have a few tips for prospective students: 1) Bring rain boots and a large umbrella. You wouldn't believe how much it rains in the spring. I thought I was living in Seattle there for a while! 2) You may want to allot some money for you to buy staple food items to keep in your dorm room. SBU does a pretty good job with their food at Mellars (the cafeteria) but it is cafeteria food and you get bored with it after a while. Don't rely on the wide variety of fast food restaurants that are conveniently nearby. Make use of the kitchen available in every dorm. 3) Get to know your professors outside of class. They are wonderful people and have lots of things to teach you within and outside of the classroom walls. 4) You don't need to bring your whole closet with you the first day. You've got time to go home and get the things you discover you still need before the weather becomes too dramatic to handle. I learned this the hard way. 5) Don't date anyone the first couple of months. This is the time to make friends. 6) Bring a bike/longboard/skateboard/rollerskates(?) because there will be mornings you run late. 7) Keep your grades up. You don't want to lose your scholarships. 8) Second semester is tougher than first semester in every single way possible. 9) Call whoever helped you make it to college, at least once a week that first semester. They REALLY want to hear how you are. 10) You are about to get a whole ton of freedom with your time. Don't abuse it. Don't sleep in until 2pm (missing your first three classes). Don't be stupid.
This school is great for all types. There's something here for everyone. There's a friend here for everyone. It's a small school so you get that community feel without having to know every single person on the campus. Everyone fits in somewhere and some people fit in everywhere. It's wonderful! I love the atmosphere. I'm sure you will too.