Students Opinions on Increased Enrollment

By: Macie Vinson

Texas State has broken enrollment records this past fall and is projected to break records again next fall. Texas State is now named the fourth largest university in Texas, but how do current students feel about this?

According to University News Service press release, 36,790 students enrolled at Texas State in Fall 2014, breaking the enrollment record for the 17th year in a row. With enrollment increasing, diversity is also increasing, with minorities making up about 46 percent of the population.

Amy Bender, photo by Andrew Potter

Amy Bender, a junior, thinks that the increasing diversity of the students at Texas State will benefit the school. “This is a strength, and adds diversity for students, faculty, staff and the organizations that will come with a students of different back grounds and foster more understanding of different cultures."

The largest minority group we have at Texas State is Hispanic population, at 11,606 students.

Candace Jackson, photo by
Natalie Walther

Candace Jackson, a junior, has seen some problems that she would like to see resolved as a result of the growing population. "It made parking way too expensive. It made traffic in the small town of San Marcos way too unbearable." Even though she does see some issues with the rising population she would still like to see the school continue to grow, because she encourages people to come to college and she thinks that Texas State's image would be better.

Liz Fraire, photo by Katherine Coleman

 The growth has made classes larger and Liz Fraire, a fashion merchandising major, thinks that this makes the classes less personable and in turn less effective. However she is more comfortable in a larger group setting so she doesn't mind the big classes as much and she likes the atmosphere of Texas State.

Joshua Hinojosa, photo by Victoria Marin

Joshua Hinojosa, a junior, has found that due to increased enrollment sometimes getting the class you want can be a struggle. "Registering for classes, it has become more tedious to actually get the classes I need." He would like to see the university continue to grow, but he also thinks that there should be more classes so that everyone can get into the classes that they need.

Jenah Stephenson, photo by
Kiersten Ehr

Jenah Stephenson, a communication studies major, said that the size of the university influenced her decisions to come to Texas State.
"Texas State is the right size, it felt like I actually mattered here. I wasn’t just another number."

Josh Mitchell, photo by Kiersten Ehr

 Josh Mitchell, a senior at Texas State, thinks that growing enrollment is a good way for Texas State to stay competitive with other schools in the state. "I do believe the university should continue to grow to be competitive with other schools like UT and A&M they need to grow."

The general consensus is that there are problems when a university grows so fast, however growing is good for the school.