Opinons on attending SMU

[Dark Horse]

It's gotten to the point where no college is cheap anymore. If your finances will allow it, he has to go to SMU. The other schools have their merits - even strengths - but there's no reason to choose UT or A&M over SMU. I nickel-and-dimed my way through SMU on a scholarship and a list of grants that's a mile long, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world. SMU is the greatest place there is.

First of all, he'll be close enough for you to visit him and he can visit you .... without being right down the street, leading to those awkward. As ponyte mentioned, the girls at SMU are simply ridiculous in how attractive they are, but unfortunately, I doubt you'll send your son there because of that - that's not why I ended up there. And the weather's nice, etc., but ultimately, that doesn't matter.

Neither, ultimately, does the fact that at UT or A&M, students risk getting swallowed in the shuffle and in enormous classes, etc. At SMU, your son will get the attention he needs. (I know -- I was a lazy student who .... let's just say I didn't focus on academics as much as I should have, and professors and even the dean came and found me to help me re-shape my priorities.)

What does matter is the school experience itself. SMU is as fine a degree as you'll get this side of Stanford or various members of the Ivy League (despite Pye's intention of making SMU the "Harvard of the South" - which it's not.) It has many first-rate degrees, including business. There seems to be considerable effort being put forth in making SMU a first-rate engineering school again. (I'm not an expert on the subject, but I have fellow alumni friends who were engineers, and they have used terms like "awe-struck" when they talk about how good the engineering school is going to be.)

Sure, SMU has the reputation of being a rich kids' place that's run by Greeks. Not true. Rich kids might stand out because face it, a luxury sports car stands out next to the students who actually walk places. So there are some students who have cool toys -- tell your son to make friends with those guys and reap the benefits. And it's not run by Greeks. They're a legitimate element of the school community, to be sure, but they appear visible because they do things in large numbers. Take 50 guys and put them together in the same shirt and yeelling the same thing, and they are noticed more easily than 50 other guys doing their own thing all over campus.

I would echo Florida's comment about the athletes being "humble" but modify it a little - at SMU, they don't "big-time" you. They don't strut around and not talk to the average student. But to say they're more genuine than the other students isn't fair. I still remember when I moved here to go to SMU - on my very first phone call to my parents, they asked me about the place, and one of the first things I said was how nice everyone was. Looking back, that might have been partially a reflection of the fact that I'd never been in the south before. But there are reasons I never went home (New York) again, and the people at SMU rank right up there.

You might have noticed I'm pretty passionate about SMU. If you want, you can always get your son to send a Private Message through this site (click on the little envelope at the top of each post to privately reach its author) and I'd be happy to answer any questions he has. If I don't have the answers he wants, I bet I can find out who does.

SMU is a tremendous place, and sending your son to SMU is one of the greatest things you can do for him.

[mrydel]

I attended SMU on athletic scholarship. Family was middle class. My father, who had attended SMU night school after WWII, told me that he expected me to accept a scholarship for my education unless I did not get an offer from SMU. He agreed to pay my way to SMU if that is where I wanted to go. He was willing to sacrifice the money for what he knew to be a great University. I would highly recommend SMU not only for engineering, but also for the intimacy of a small private school where you can receive hands on instruction and attention rather than just being a number on a campus larger than many U S cities. I could go on for hours about the pros of attending SMU, but the key is that your son's experience is going to be dictated by what he puts into his time on campus. I was not in a frat and did not feel dominated by the greeks. Others lived and died for the greeks because that is what they wanted. And finally, I was able to marry one of the rich girls and really make her father mad since she did not find a rich guy like he had intended. (no longer with her, and much happier now with a middle class woman) I trust your son will make the right decision for him, and wish him the best.

[EastStang]

I want to echo the thoughts that SMU is a great place and that it depends on your son as to whether he will enjoy it. It is diverse and it is a place to grow. If you have an outgoing personality you can literally get to know a decent percentage of the student body. I got there knowing literally one person. I came from the east coast and was one of three students from my state. But when I graduated, I had made many friends and some still even talk to me. I was not a greek and found plenty to do. My greek friends found plenty to do. If you like sitting in front of a computer all day, its got computer terminals all over the place. Educationally speaking, SMU has it all over UT & AM for undergraduate courses and here is why. At UT and A&M freshman/sophomore classes are taught by mostly graduate student assistants. I did not major in engineering, but that is university policy throughout the school. So, your son will be taught by true scholars, not some student hoping to become a scholar. At SMU most classes are taught by assistant or full professors. Also, at SMU even for engineering majors, you still have to take certain liberal arts courses so that you are not some automaton. You have to take humanities courses, math, a science course, in addition to courses in your major. These courses are there to help your son learn to think and to deal with life and to be able to write a complete sentence. I don't know if this is still a rule, but when I was at SMU you had to pass a swimming test to graduate. I failed it and had to pass a swimming class, which was fun, because half the basketball team was in my class. Your son will have some large lecture classes in the freshman sciences (like physics or chemistry). But most of his classes will have very small numbers of students in the class. I enjoyed it. I know some people didn't. But that is true of every school.

[NavyCrimson]

personally, i think the 'rich kid' influence or whatever u want to call it is less of a factor than people build it up as...i'm from texarkana (hick town usa) & was there in the late 70's when it was the rich kid factor then too if u want to call it that or at least it was portrayed that way then too along with rice, tcu, stanford, usc, notre dame, the ivy league, tulane, vandy & quite a few state universities as well - with the exception of rice or maybe tcu these places cost considerably more than smu then as well as now so this 'portrayal' of smu as rich is pure bs if u look at the other places...but to be honest - there are rich kids, middle class kids & poor kids...i believe over 70% of the students there are on some type of financial aid & that percentage is growing ... face it, if u want to go to a private college no matter where it may be (be it usc, notre dame, tcu, even rice, stanford or where ever) its going to cost more & there will be more kids from wealthier households as a ratio than a public university...that's the law of averages...& so what...if anything there can be more opps for your son just by the fact that smu is in the dfw area & over 50% of our alums are living there - i think?

in all honesty - i felt very comfortable there & i had friends from the upper crust to the lower end...it really depends upon your son's perspective & if that will be a factor...first of all - why should it even matter in the first place, people or people...class warfare is bs!

good luck & please look beyond the class warfare/rich kid syndrome b/c life has so much more to offer than this type of bs!

your son will get a great education @ smu like many other places if he utilizes his skils & makes the most out of his opportunities.

<small>[ 11-15-2003, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: Navy&Crimson ]</small>

[Cheesesteak]

My years at SMU were a positive experience. SMU professors were accessible and generally very good teachers.

SMU has constructed several new buildings since I graduated. Building an ever-stronger engineering department (facilities/faculty/curriculum) is a widely-communicated university priority.

SMU engineering graduates are highly regarded in Texas.

Good luck to your son.

[mrydel]

Interesting to read that East Stang says there are computers everywhere on campus. When I attended (stone age), the "computer class" consisted of one week training as part of Statistics. We had to produce a punch card program on an IBM computer about the size of a semi truck. You had to stand in line to get your turn on the unit. I predicted then that those new fangled computer things would never catch on and I stand by it today. I think they are just a fad.

[Sam I Am]

I'm a grad of SMU and UT and sent my daughter to A&M. Engineering and A&M seemed to go together. The Aggie mafia is legendary, and the undergrads have more spirit than any other school in Texas. The size problem is a draw back, although the Aggies work hard at social asimilation of students. Size is offset by being in a school that belongs to the Big 12. UT has the advantage of being in Austin with 6th Street, being in the Big 12, and has loads of academic prestige. Size is a real problem on this campus since UT does not have the same good social assimilation for students that A&M or SMU has. As for your concern about SMU being for rich kids, how do you feel about the Highland Park crowd? The Greeks are still big on campus. But you can find any social level you want at SMU, just like you can at the other schools. I like all three schools, so your son will do well at either of the schools.

[NavyCrimson]

GOOD GRIEF - mrydel !!!!!!

I remember that, too.

i think i took that same stat class as well.

Lord i hated that!!!

LOL

[mrydel]

N&C:
Were you the kid I paid to do mine?

[DandyDon]

..as a middle class, upper middle class kid from the Midwest, who did not know about button downs and polos when I came to SMU...I absolutely LOVED my experience there, one of the best things I / my parents ever did..NO REGRETS!!! I look back on my "SMU years" as some of the best of my life..today, some of my closet and GREATEST friends are SMUer's....unless it has radically chaged since the late 70's, early 80's, go to SMU.... :thumbupcool:

[ts5641]

Thanks for all the great and honest responses. I didn't even tell my son I was doing this and I had him read this thread. He seemed very impressed by the passion y'all seem to have for SMU.
We are just trying to gather as much information as possible and let HIM decide where he wants to go. After all, he's the one that has to be there, not me.
Thanks again.

[NavyCrimson]

mrydel - LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MustangSally]

....unless it has radically chaged since the late 70's, early 80's

Hate to break it to you Dandy Don, but we left the SWC and our football team isn't as good as it was back then.

[DiamondM]

I am the daughter of two middle class computer progammers from Kansas. I came to SMU with scholarships and loans, mostly unaware of the stereotypes that are so familiar down here in Texas. I absolutely LOVED SMU! The key to loving SMU is getting involved -- and there are TONS of opportunities to be involved in something at SMU. I wasn't in a sorority, but I was pretty much in every other organization on campus, in leadership roles and as a bit player depending on which one. The advantages that SMU has over large institutions like A&M and UT are (1) the class size, where the learning process can be much more personalized and interactive; (2) the opportunities to have meaningful participation in lots of aspects of the university, from student government to campus programming to service to the community; and (3) as a result of the above, the ability to be a big fish in a small pond rather than just another face in the crowd.

You don't have to drive a Mercedes, BMW, or these days, a Hummer to fit in. You find your niche and don't get caught up in the money thing (which is present at pretty much every school, including A&M and UT), and you can be very happy. I was, and so were many people.

BTW, a homecoming candidate from one of the sororities once told me how much she envied the band and the close friendships it fostered. She said it was much better that paying fees to have fake friends who you may not even like that much.

[FloridaMustang]

Let me clarify something. While I was at SMU, I REALLY enjoyed it. I was getting involved, rushing, had a great job, friends, etc. I think a LOT of my unhappiness stemmed from the fact that I was SO far from home and that the kids at SMU were so privliledged and didn't seem to be aware or appreciative of that. I'm stubborn and I don't like change, especially if I feel its change not for the better.

On the other hand, I'll be the first to admit I had a MAJOR chip on my shoulder. I have a lot of regrets.

Still, I think I've really enjoyed my friends now more than anyone I met at SMU. All my friends at SMU seemed so shallow and concerned with their image, even if those people normally weren't like that. There is so little diversity.. its just not the ideal university setting for me.

I'm still a Mustang fan though.. and we lose a lot. So SMU made SOME sort of impression on me, now didn't it?

I'll also say that SMU is absolutely gorgeous and I enjoyed walking to class every single day. The facilities are top notch, and the engineering program has really gotten an upgrade. The rhetoric program is also excellent and the class size is usually anywhere between 6-15 students. And I agree.. the KEY is getting involved and keeping yourself busy Take advantage of all there is to offer or you're wasting your money.

<small>[ 11-17-2003, 12:12 PM: Message edited by: FloridaMustang ]</small>