Waco, TX: My college prep class went on a field trip to Baylor University and since it was my first college tour, I was pretty excited. Colleges are always advertised as having modern facilities, but I suspected that behind every beautiful exterior was an outdated interior. Baylor exceeded my expectations.

Baylor, the world’s largest Baptist university with 14,000 students, was definitely up-to-date. One of the first things our tour guide showed us was the health facility. There was a doctor’s office, a gorgeous swimming pool, a large gym with modern equipment, the highest rock-climbing wall in Texas, racquetball courts, tracks, everything. I was also really impressed with Baylor’s library. It had many books and was very cozy, just the place to hang out. The classrooms were organized, and the big message of the day for me was discovering that the professors always teach the classes, never their assistants.

The dormitories were nice, though the room we saw was rather small. Apparently there are more modern ones, most of which are reserved for upperclassmen majoring in some sort of engineering. The food tasted great too, and I believe was reasonably priced.

The 735-acre campus is well laid-out. There are museums in various parts and everything is within walking distance which I was glad about because I could ride a bike and not have to worry about gas and parking. The campus is beautiful and was actually used in the Natalie Portman movie “Where the Heart Is.”

There are so many more interesting facts about Baylor. If you live nearby, take a look, and if you don’t you can visit baylor.edu.