Talking with Bears is a series where we take a few minutes each week to talk to some of the current graduate students at Baylor and discuss their experience at the university and in Waco.

 

Name: John Miller

Hometown: League City, TX

Undergraduate Degree: Math

Undergraduate University: University of Houston

Graduate Degree: Ph.D. in Mathematics

Expected Year of Graduation: 2017

IMG_4082

What was the biggest factor that persuaded you to attend Baylor for graduate school?

I like the low student to faculty ratio, and I received a full scholarship.

What is one thing that has surprised you about graduate school at Baylor?

The varying backgrounds of all of the students in the graduate school.

If you had to describe your graduate school experience (so far) in three words, what would they be?

Engaging, entertaining, and intense.

If you were Dean Lyon for a day, what would be two things that you would change?

I would give graduate student TORs unlimited meals in the campus dining halls, and I would start an interdepartmental ice cream social hour so that students from different departments could meet.

What activities are you involved with outside of the classroom?

I enjoy playing basketball, racquetball, and tennis. I like watching sports and hanging out with my friends, my cat, and my hedgehog.

IMG_4081

What does your average Saturday look like?

I wake up and turn on football and then go to the Baylor football game if there is one. If there isn’t a game, I go to the Dancing Bear Pub and play board games with my friends. Sometimes I go to Bed Bath and Beyond and walk around (sometimes Academy). In the evening, I have dinner with my fiancée.

How has the city of Waco impacted your time during graduate school?

Some of Waco’s attractions have helped me get off campus, like Cameron Park and the Waco Downtown Farmer’s Market.

What is your go-to lunch spot in Waco?

Papa Rollos Pizza.

If you could give one piece of advice to prospective graduate students that are interested in Baylor, what would it be?

My advice would be to find a balance between you schoolwork and your social life so you don’t go crazy.

Compiled by Matthew Doyen