Texas Tech University (TTU)

Students from across the Lone Star State and beyond come to “affordable” Texas Tech for “the benefits and resources of a large university,” such as a “huge variety of majors and classes” and “a lot of organizations with opportunities for internships and networking.” Students believe the university, as a whole, “truly cares about its students.” They describe professors who are “very intelligent,” “experienced,” “passionate” about what they teach, and “always available.” They describe an administration that “has a vested interest in the success of each student.” Still, at such a big school, students must take total responsibility for their education. “Classes are what you make them. You can fall asleep, or you can participate. The more advanced your classes are, the more your classes will be discussion-based rather than lecture-based, and probably the more you’ll get out of them.” Some students complain that they “usually have teaching assistants and graduate students that teach” their classes, that does not seem to be a problem in the Honors College. “Because Lubbock is the ‘hub city’ of west Texas, businesses from all over the area come to Tech to recruit and inform students on opportunities. While many students decide not to attend Tech because it is in a somewhat isolated location, it seems this is actually beneficial when it comes to enticing recruiting, career fairs, and special guests because such a large surrounding area is drawn to Tech.”

“The typical student here at Texas Tech is a white person from somewhere in Texas.” Though many students seem to hail specifically “from either Dallas or Houston suburbs,” “there are still a lot of students who are from small towns all over Texas and New Mexico who still wear cowboy boots and drive huge pickups.” Most students are “religious to some extent, and of a right-wing political affiliation.” They tend to be “involved in some kind of organization, whether it be religious-based, sports or fraternity.” “‘West Texas’ hospitality is dominant on campus,” meaning that most people are “very welcoming to new students.” All the foregoing “is not to say that there are no liberals, no minorities, and no atheists at Tech—and certainly that is not to say that such students, which may be defined as atypical for Lubbock, Texas, are discriminated against. As long as students are respectful of others and their opinions, all are treated equally.”

“Life at Texas Tech is like any typical college experience. Sports are a very big part of this college, particularly our Big 12 football and basketball teams. Students also participate in a variety of intramural sports on campus.” If athletics do not appeal to you, don’t fret. “There is a campus organization for anything and everything, and more pop up every year.” Between classes, “Some people go to the new game center that just opened. It has pool, bowling, and arcades.” “Drinking is a big thing in Lubbock,” “but if it’s not your thing you can easily find other people [who] don’t drink.” For those who do drink, they do so either at frat parties or at bars. Hometown “Lubbock can really suck if you don’t take advantage of all the cool things here.” Suggestions: “go play midnight bingo at one of the halls…go to the drive-in movie theater ($5 for two current movies: Can’t beat that!!!) and the $2 movie theater, and…go to the more artsy things like the free art tour at the museums the first Friday of every month.” Students would like to see “better dorms” and a better parking situation; “The parking on campus is awful.”