Built for Baylor

Clare McQuade knew Baylor University would be a challenge. Ranked among the top 100 national universities by U.S. News & World Report, Baylor is a rigorous academic environment with an acceptance rate under 50%. But Clare wasn’t intimidated.

“Last semester I got a 4.0,” she says. “I’ve been telling my parents how I can just feel how much Timothy prepared me. Even compared to my classmates—I’m just so grateful.”

Clare, who transferred to Timothy in eighth grade, didn’t fully realize the depth of her academic foundation until she arrived at college. From writing research papers to understanding theological concepts in her required Christian Scriptures course, she found herself equipped in ways that many peers were not.

“I was nervous about writing these huge research papers, but then I realized—wait, I know how to do this. I knew how to organize, how to find credible sources, how to use evidence. That was all Timothy.”

Even standard courses like math and introductory education came easier because of the study habits she built in high school. “Even grammar—just the basics—Timothy made sure we knew them well.”

And beyond the academics, Clare speaks just as passionately about her faith journey.

“I grew up going to church, but didn’t know Jesus personally,” she explains. “At Timothy, I saw something different. The way teachers and coaches lived out their faith, how we prayed together, how chapel wasn’t just a routine—it all pointed me to Jesus in a real way.”

“Timothy didn’t just teach me academics—it taught me how to think, how to grow, and how to follow Jesus.”

Clare credits Timothy with helping her choose Baylor, a school that would nurture her spiritually as well as intellectually. “It was important to me to have professors and friends who shared my faith, because I wanted to continue growing. I’m not sure I would have been looking for that if I hadn’t experienced it at Timothy.”

A future elementary teacher, Clare’s passion for education was sparked during an internship with a beloved Timothy teacher. “That showed me the power of what teachers can do. I want to be that for someone else.”

Clare’s time at Timothy left a lasting imprint. Now, on a bustling college campus over 1,000 miles from home, Clare is thriving—with confidence, clarity, and Christ at the center. “I think about Timothy all the time. I don’t know where I’d be without it.”