Louisiana Tech
Founded in 1894, Louisiana Tech is a mid-size, quarter school where students need to attend classes from a minimum of twenty-seven hours to as high as thirty-six hours of classes per year. They have interdisciplinary classes, there is no essay or ACT requirement, and they have unique majors such as aviation. In fact, the first graduate from Louisiana Tech, Harry Howard, graduated with the major of typewriting, which is no longer offered at the school. On campus, there is a place known as Toliver Hall, where students can eat and study throughout the whole day and late at night and student committees plan the events. In Ruston, where the school is located, there will be a Bucee’s opening. One unique thing about Louisiana Tech is the tale about their mascot, the bulldog. The bulldog was said to save people from a fire but could not survive, so the location where it died is marked with a seal.
Centenary
Centenary was the smallest school on the junior trip’s itinerary with less than 600 students. The benefits of this size school are smaller classes of 12 to 15 people and a personal relationship with your professors with a 9-1 student to teacher ratio. Founded in 1825, this small school is located in Shreveport, Louisiana. They have a fantastic choir program that boasts being the first non-Catholic choir to sing for the Pope. They have an amphitheater where movie night, choir performances, and more take place on campus. They also have an art museum and a Methodist chapel on campus for students to enjoy. The biggest draw this school has is a Paris trip the first semester of any student’s freshman year. The entirety of the freshman class travels to Paris together to meet each other and explore the city. This trip to Paris is such a fun and exciting way to meet your classmates!
TCU
TCU was one of the most beautiful campuses visited on the junior trip this year. Founded in 1873, Texas Christian University has a walkable campus where the average class size is 27 students and the student to teacher ratio is 7 to 1. The uniformity of the campus and its buildings is in part because the same bricks are used to build every building, making it consistent and beautiful. These bricks are actually patented so that TCU is the only college that can use them. Students at TCU also have many amenities available to them such as student lead workout classes, a rockwall, rentable study rooms, a golf cart transportation system, and study abroad programs that 40% of students participate in. This college also has very nice dorms, ranking as the 9th best dorms in the country as well as language houses where students majoring in a foreign language can live and speak their language of choice to better immerse themselves and learn the language. The population of TCU is also predominantly female with 60% of students being women. TCU’s two level Honors college offers classes on fun topics like Disney, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift. This college requires all students to take one religion class in their time at the school and offers class options for variety. Another noticeable feature of this campus is its safety features, including emergency buttons that can be seen from anywhere on campus and metal detectors built into the entrances of many of the buildings. TCU also has a noticeably beautiful library perfect for studying and working on group projects!
Baylor
As a mid-size school in Waco, averaging at twenty-six students per class, Baylor, founded in 1845, is able to be a health-oriented school able to appeal to the benefits and interests of its students. There are two libraries located on campus, safety buttons found around every corner, and a shuttle system that helps transport students where they need to be. In terms of housing, Baylor’s students have the choice of a single, double, triple, or suite and they are roommates with other students based on their common interests. On campus, there is also their mascot, the bear, living in its habitat, a lazy river, and a lake where students can kayak, canoe, and paddle board. Some fun traditions at Baylor are their provided all-university Thanksgiving meal and Dr. Pepper hour on Tuesdays from three to four in the afternoon.
University of Texas
The University of Texas was one of the largest schools visited during the junior trip this year. Founded in 1883, this college has a population of 50,000 students (more than the population of New Iberia). This school feels like its own city with two Chick-fil-As on campus and a dozen coffee shops. UT is secured with the most research funding at any school except for Harvard and Yale. The campus is also full of unique art installations that give it its unique ambiance, as well as an art museum on campus. The Longhorns also have fun student life activities like movie nights, a bowling alley, and a coffee crawl where you visit every coffee shop on campus.
Texas A&M
As a big school, founded in 1876, Texas A&M Aggies is a school with several variable opportunities. Students have the chance to participate in any of the 1400 student organizations with one that will definitely peak their interest. Some other things offered at the school are the possibilities in the research building of being an amateur entrepreneur with investor contacts (similar to Shark Tank) and taking courses that can lead to applying to the CIA or FBI. Other notable things about the school are its vet program, seventh best internationally, and it is the top public institution in sending students abroad. Because of its size, A&M also has a multi-floored student union with food courts and a Barnes and Noble, and the school offers a bus system for off-campus. Some things you can find on campus are the five Starbucks and a six-floor library with rentable rooms for studying. Fun facts about Texas A&M is the influence it has on Disney movies like Monsters, Inc., Monsters University, Up, and Toy Story, and Buc-ee’s was established by a former student.