Tag Archives: Dining Halls

Three Things High School Doesn’t Tell You About College

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By Torie Abbott

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1. Nobody Makes You Attend Class

Unlike high school, students do not have to report absences or present some sort of excuse. Also, the university will not call your parents if you miss a couple classes. Some classes do have stricter attendance policies than others; I had one class that had attendance built into the course’s grading scale. Each specific college at Baylor has its own specific attendance policy, but most of them require that you attend 75 percent of all class sessions. Now, that does not mean that you should skip class or miss the maximum number allotted. You will be told 100 times, and I promise it is true, that there is no substitution for attending class. Even though the temptation may be there, being present and taking your own notes is the best thing you can do to learn and assure yourself that you have all the material. Many instructors also reward those who have a good attendance record at the end of the semester. With Baylor’s new grading system, good attendance could be the difference between an A and an A-. So, there is a definite bonus for those who dedicate themselves to making it to that Monday morning 8 a.m. every day of the semester.

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2. Meal Plans are Actually Pretty Great

When I was a freshman, I remember having an intense love/hate relationship with the dining halls. In high school, eating in the cafeteria was the worst. Off-campus was the way to go. Unless your high school, like mine, did not allow students to leave campus for lunch. In that case, you were stuck bringing your own lunch or eating the dreaded cafeteria food. Let me assure you of one thing, the dining halls blow cafeteria food out of the water. Honestly, though we like to complain, most of the food is pretty great. I guarantee you that it is better than most things you will make on your own. It may seem expensive, but since you can pay for the whole semester up front through your semester bill, it is super worth it. And trust me, as an upperclassman, you will miss the convenience of having a dining hall downstairs.

3. You are Going to Struggle…

…And that is OK! There will be times you are homesick. There will be times you feel alone. There will be times you are overwhelmed with class. I do not tell you all this to discourage you or make you scared. I tell you this to assure you that it happens, and more importantly, it is worth it. There were a couple times my freshman year that I missed my family and the simplicity of high school, but college is great. And student life at Baylor University is truly special. It might seem cliché, but there is a place for everyone in the Baylor Family. Go to Late Night (a super cool resource for freshman to go to and see all the clubs, organizations and employment opportunities at Baylor) on the first Friday of classes and see all that Baylor has to offer. You might just find your place at this great university!

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Ranking the On-Campus Dining Halls!

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By Brooks Goodwin

As somebody who has lived on campus for the past two years, I have had plenty of experience with on-campus dining and thought it would be nice to share some of my wisdom. While most of the food on campus is pretty good, there will be the occasional day of lackluster food. So, here are the best dining halls (in my opinion) in order of where you should go for the best possible dining hall experience:

1) East Village Dining Hall

This is the newest dining hall at Baylor, and it is definitely equipped to prepare the best food you can get on campus. I am pretty sure that it is now the largest dining hall, and because of this, it offers one of the largest varieties available. The food is always cooked well, the staff is very friendly and the facilities are new (obviously) and extremely clean. This is the place I would definitely recommend to eat when asked where can you get the best food on campus. It is especially good and convenient for students at Baylor Sciences Building, and it is also fairly close to the Business school.

2) Memorial Dining Hall

While I do rate East Village as the top dining hall, Memorial is a very close second. Some of the best things you will find at Memorial are its stir-fry, chicken fried steak and some of the best and softest chocolate chip cookies at Baylor. Other options include a tasty create your own pasta line and a nice salad bar. The great thing about Memorial, for me at least, is the location. It is a short walk from Old Main, Waco Hall, Carroll Science and many other common buildings, which make stopping at Memorial an easy choice.

3) Penland Dining Hall

First off, yes. It is true that many students at Baylor refer to this dining hall as “P-Nasty.” But, don’t let that deter you from going here. I heard that name when I first came to Baylor and didn’t try out Penland for a while, but it is actually pretty good. The sandwich station is one of my favorites on campus, and the omelets are insanely good. This is also the only dining hall that is open on the weekends, which can be really nice at times. Really, the only bad thing about Penland is the facilities themselves because they are a little dated. However, Penland is undergoing a renovation over the summer and will supposedly be almost brand new in time for the fall. You lucky freshmen.

4) Brooks Dining Hall

Now, prospective students always deem this the “coolest” dining hall because of the resemblance to the Great Hall in Hogwarts. But in reality, it doesn’t have much more going for it than its looks. I have lived in Brooks during the past two years (insert joke about me living in the dorm with the same name as me) and usually eat dinner here every night. Let me just say that I don’t feel using a meal swipe to eat at Brooks is worth it. I mainly do it for convenience, but Brooks has the smallest variety available. It is the smallest dining hall and often has a poor selection of food from the already small variety. Occasionally, there is something that is very good, but I wouldn’t really recommend eating here often.

Now, these are obviously just my opinions, but I feel that this is a general consensus among students that I talk to, aside from maybe Brooks and Penland switching back and forth between 3 and 4. I didn’t include Collins Dining Hall, because it will actually be shut down before the fall semester. Overall, the food on campus is good and you should not be worried. It doesn’t match the quality of a home-cooked meal, but you will be satisfied. Feel free to take my advice when you first come onto campus in the fall, or just see for yourself. Or…there is always the option of ditching the dining halls for the SUB.