• What’s it like to be a Baylor Bear from outside Texas?

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    Why did you choose Baylor — Class size? Quality of education? Campus beauty? When you did choose Baylor, how much of that decision was based on how close it was to your hometown?

    For out-of-state students, the decision to leave home far behind to come to Baylor may not be easy. But for many Bears, that leap turned out to be exactly the right choice. Earlier this year, the university asked on Facebook for stories from those who came to Baylor from outside Texas; here’s just a sampling of what they had to say:


    NEW HORIZONS
    “I was raised on a farm in western Illinois. I told my parents I wanted to go to college at least 500 miles from home in an effort to broaden my horizons. Baylor broadened them, and I am thankful.”
    – Allen Madison Shriver, BA ’70

    A FAMILY AFFAIR
    “I’m from Kansas City, Missouri. My sister discovered Baylor while flipping through college catalogs in the school counselor’s office. My parents drove her to Waco one weekend to visit and it happened to be Homecoming weekend. She was hooked. And then I was hooked and then my brother was hooked. My parents made the I-35 trek to Baylor for 11 years straight, 1974-1985. 29 years later, my daughter chose Baylor. We live in Colorado Springs, and it’s an even longer drive than the one from KC! I loved my Baylor experience, loved being away from home, and loved making new friends.”
    – Susan Moon Rowell, BBA ’82

    HOMESICK AGAIN
    “I won’t lie, I was terribly homesick the first few months and begged my parents to let me come back home, but they told me to stick out the entire freshman year and make up my mind. By the time I came back for my sophomore year after summer break I was homesick again… but for Waco this time! Graduated in 2011 and wouldn’t change a thing! Sic ’em!”
    – Taylor Armstrong, BBA ’11

    A PRESIDENT’S WELCOME
    “I left Iowa knowing not a soul in the entire state of Texas just to become a Bear. It was an easy choice after visiting the campus over spring break where I was greeted on campus by a very nice gentleman who could see I was quite lost looking for the admissions office. He stopped, said hi, shook my hand, asked how he could help, and sent me on my way. I walked into the admissions office and saw that same man’s face in a large portrait hanging on the wall. He, Herb Reynolds, was the president of the university at the time. It was a pleasure just a few short years later that he shook my hand again after receiving my diploma. Seemed fitting that the first hand I shook on campus was also the last.”
    – Stephanie Young Tarter, BSHE ’92

    BEST FRIENDS
    “I came to Baylor from New Mexico. It was one of the best decisions I have made in my life! Baylor and Waco will always feel like home to me. My roommate at North Russell was from California; she became one of my best friends at Baylor, and is still one of my best friends today, 19 years later. My best friend was just a couple doors down the hall, and she was from Hawaii. The girls in our North Russell hall are still just as close today as we were then!”
    – Alicia Abernathy Ward, BA ’00

    GOD HAD A PURPOSE
    “To Baylor from New Orleans. The first week there I was so unsure of my decision, but then at the end of the week at the candlelight service… praising God, I knew I made the right choice and I never wondered again. God had me there for a definite purpose.”
    – Ursula Page, BBA ’94

    A PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE
    “[From] a parent’s perspective, Baylor seemed like a crazy choice: Out of 870 class of 2012 high school students, only one student chose Baylor. First-generation college students and a school so far from Cincinnati, a logistical nightmare? Giving up a free ride from a local college? Limited parental visits, what if she gets sick, who will take care of my daughter? Will she find a church? The biggest fear was, ‘What if our daughter wants to stay in Texas’! The only answer I have, and I would shout it from the roof top, our family has had blessing upon blessing because God placed our sweet daughter at Baylor. We would choose Baylor 100 times over.”
    – Ginnie Thomas-Schlosser, parent 


    In the past year, Baylor has seen a record number of applicants from outside Texas. So if you’re not a Texan and you’re thinking about attending Baylor, know that there are plenty of in-state and out-of-state Bears in this family waiting to welcome you with open arms!

    Sic ’em, Baylor out-of-staters!

    You might also like:
    * Baylor’s Class of 2020 shaping up to be the most selective in school history (March 2016)
    * Why did you choose BU? #BecauseBaylor… (Dec. 2015)