Academics
There is no doubt that students attending Oklahoma Baptist University feel a "calling" toward this small, liberal arts school. "OBU has a fantastic education curriculum. It incorporates faith and learning, which is applicable to our everyday lives." This Spanish major states, OBU "is a Christian university that focuses on the liberal arts so that students are exposed to many different areas of study [in order to succeed] in a diverse world." Nursing, education and biblical studies continue to be the most popular majors, but this well-rounded university offers more than 80 areas of study. All faculty are active Christians and professors are described as "passionate" and "inspiring." As one student explains, "professors are engaging, encouraging, and happy to help students." Outstanding academics and a prevailing respect for "amazing" professors are how most students define their educational experience at OBU. As a result of OBU's excellent teachers, "I have flourished here," says this nursing major. One glaring complaint from the student body is the lack of "communication between administration and students," which is described as "severely lacking."
Student Body
Since OBU is a Baptist-affiliated university, many of the students have a similar belief system and were raised in a Christian environment. A natural science major declares, "A typical student at my school has a passion for God." Though there is some divide between those students who are at OBU with an athletic scholarship and those who are pulled by a more spiritual calling, the groups tend to mix quite often. Undergrads advise in-coming students to "open up and share experiences with others" as the notion of "cliques" is emphatically dismissed. There is certainly room for the pocket of "hippie" leaning students—though this may be more of a fashion statement than a political slant. There is a sense that most OBU undergrads are "warm and friendly" in demeanor yet some are described as being rather "close-minded" and "quite juvenile" in character. Students at OBU do not withhold a good dose of judgment for those who inclined to break rules.
Campus Life
Many students find diversion in movies and restaurants in Oklahoma City, which is only about a half hour from campus. However, with the focus on academics and rigorous study, local campus life is what most undergrads are drawn to. "School life is a blast!" gushes one graphic design major. "If you live in the dorms, you will have a lot of fun!" Several times a semester the Residential Life Department provides free concerts, plays, and other events including "random paint wars in the fields." Intramural sports engage many undergrads as do the frequent basketball games and other athletic competitions. Granted, as a Christian school you can expect to find "Bible studies almost every night of the week." Students are inclined to get into deep spiritual, ethical, and philosophical conversations, which often prove to be intellectually entertaining and satisfying. Yet, there are a handful of students who find campus life less than thrilling. On the downside, undergrads feel that the campus needs to focus on "improving the speed/bandwidth of the school's internet." There is some grumbling too about the school's expense against the provisions, including unhealthy "cafeteria food" and the less-than ideal conditions of dorms and other facilities. Many students bemoan the fact that employment is difficult to find in such a small town.
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