Baylor University
The student community at Baylor University is bound together largely by religion and service. The Waco, Texas, school is a private, Baptist institution, and its student body is particularly active in volunteerism. Each semester, students donate a collective 12,000 hours of time to service projects. Students can volunteer year round through the school's Urban Missions, which coordinates service projects in the local community, and Global Missions, which sends students abroad. The student body is also active in faith-based activities. Each year, students lead Be The Change, a week of speakers and break-out sessions and events that give religion a global focus. Freshmen are required to live on campus and must also take a semester of Chapel, attending worship services every Monday and Wednesday. Students and faculty gather daily for a campus prayer at noon, and weekly for free ice cream floats during "Dr. Pepper Hour." Students can also get involved in more than 250 student organizations on campus. There are about 40 fraternities and sororities, and the organizations compete in their own intramural sports leagues. Baylor is the only private school in the NCAA Division I Big 12 Conference, but the sports teams, known as the Baylor Bears, stay competitive-especially in football. The school mascot, not surprisingly, is a bear. Baylor University also has its own holiday, Diadeloso, a day when classes are cancelled so students can participate in athletics tournaments, attend free concerts, and relax at a block party. Waco, which is 100 miles from Dallas and Austin, is a small city with outdoor recreation opportunities like hiking and mountain biking.
