Is SMU no longer a "cool" school?

ponyte · Post by **ponyte** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 2:15 pm

As long as SMU can attract hot babes, it will be a cool place to go. If the hot babes go, then the cool will definitely go away.

Longtime · Post by **Longtime** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 12:27 pm

Word.

RednBlue11 · Post by **RednBlue11** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 9:20 am

i remember buying fireworks just outside austin wearing my smu t-shirt right after i had been early accepted and the guy running the place asked what smu was and where it was.....i was a bit surprised but i was happy to inform him...

smu still isn't very cool academically right now, and to parents thats what counts.

and we're bleeping expensive for middle class and upper middle class fam's to justify when they can get a better education for 1/4 the price down in austin and bryan.

Mexmustang · Post by **Mexmustang** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 9:21 am

Years ago, TCU was not seen as an option by most of the better students. However, in addition to maintaining competitive intercollege athletics, they have really upgraded their educational experience and reputation.

There were a number of wealthy alumni that got behind the school and set out to change things--new buildings, dorms, athletic fields, quadrangle and most imortant of all their faculty and programs. Their business school has seen the most dramatic improvement. As the facilities and programs improved so did the qualifications of their incoming classes. As an employer in Dallas, fifteen years ago we never recruited at TCU, Baylor or UH, preferring Big Ten graduate schools (IN, IL, OH, MI and Northwestern) and SMU, UT and A&M and Vanderbilt. But today that is no longer the case.

As an SMU alumni and one that has paid for four children, plus myself it is a hard thing to compliment the Frogs, but I beleive the grades and test scores of incoming freshman really isn't as far from SMU as we would like to think.

NickSMU17 · Post by **NickSMU17** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 10:58 am

It is actually still 3 or 4 ACT points away, which is a pretty big spread...

All private schools cost fairly close to SMU now, and there is no private school in Texas from a business school perspective that can compete with SMU.

Obviously Rice is in a different league, but to say you can get a better education at UT is BS...They may have higher rankings but having the personal relationships you develop at SMU is easier said than done.

Also, TCU has changed a lot from the shithole it was...but SMU is constantly upgrading as well. If you haven't been to campus lately, you should take a drive around, you might not recognize much.

I think SMU is up and coming nationally, when you think about admissions standards going up and an ever increasing endowment, far bigger than TCU...

NickSMU17 · Post by **NickSMU17** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:06 am

Just so we are all on the same Page

SMU tuition = 31,200

TCU tuition = 28,250

I think I will go with SMU...

RednBlue11 · Post by **RednBlue11** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:11 am

NickSMU17 wrote:It is actually still 3 or 4 ACT points away, which is a pretty big spread...

All private schools cost fairly close to SMU now, and there is no private school in Texas from a business school perspective that can compete with SMU.

Obviously Rice is in a different league, but to say you can get a better education at UT is BS...They may have higher rankings but having the personal relationships you develop at SMU is easier said than done.

Also, TCU has changed a lot from the [deleted] it was...but SMU is constantly upgrading as well. If you haven't been to campus lately, you should take a drive around, you might not recognize much.

I think SMU is up and coming nationally, when you think about admissions standards going up and an ever increasing endowment, far bigger than TCU...

news flash, no one outside the midwest measures anything by the ACT.

yes we charge almost as much as a vandy or a duke...but we don't offer what they have...yet, a degree with rock solid cred.

we're really the only private school in texas besides tcu with a business school to speak of so that's a bit misleading. McCombs makes us look like we're playin in a sand box right now...lets not forget that.

to your point about not seeing in a while? i live on campus during the school year...it is looking good but thats not what my original point was about...prettier is not smarter as most of you know.

yes you can get a better education at UT...i would argue that in EVERY area they have either on par or better faculty, facilities, and more money to fund those programs with more room for innovation.

lets be honest your networking skills have nothing to do with your academic ability or credibility, and if you could legitimately major in it im sure we would kick [deleted].

by no means am i suggesting that we are not headed for great things but lets take off the rose colored classes to take a factual look at what we have right now compared to just this state...we aren't as big a fish in the national pond.

RednBlue11 · Post by **RednBlue11** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:19 am

NickSMU17 wrote:Just so we are all on the same Page

SMU tuition = 31,200

TCU tuition = 28,250

I think I will go with SMU...

are you suggesting that the cost of a university is directly related to the quality of the education? i would agree with you that generally as far as the private sector is concerned....but on balance? no that assertion is incorrect.

smupony94 · Post by **smupony94** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:28 am

SMU lost the cool factor when I left

RednBlue11 · Post by **RednBlue11** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:29 am

smupony94 wrote:SMU lost the cool factor when I left

keep smu ....

Big Frog II · Post by **Big Frog II** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:32 am

NickSMU17 wrote:Just so we are all on the same Page

SMU tuition = 31,200

TCU tuition = 28,250

I think I will go with SMU...

From SMU.edu and TCU.edu the 08-09 costs were:

TCU
tuition and fees-$26,948
room and board-$9,598
Total-------------$36,546

SMU
tuition and fees-$33,170
room and board-$10,125
Total-------------$43,295

RednBlue11 · Post by **RednBlue11** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:36 am

Big Frog II wrote:
NickSMU17 wrote:Just so we are all on the same Page

SMU tuition = 31,200

TCU tuition = 28,250

I think I will go with SMU...

From SMU.edu and TCU.edu the 08-09 costs were:

TCU
tuition and fees-$26,948
room and board-$9,598
Total-------------$36,546

SMU
tuition and fees-$33,170
room and board-$10,125
Total-------------$43,295

fyi that smu rm/brd is low...add like 1-3k to that.

jtstang · Post by **jtstang** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:36 am

My kid's going to Richland.

smupony94 · Post by **smupony94** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:42 am

jtstang wrote:My kid's going to Richland.

I am still waiting for my kids to track me down. I wanted to see if I could test their worthiness of my seed so I gave out fake names to their moms. If they can actually track me down, I will be proud of them.

RednBlue11 · Post by **RednBlue11** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:43 am

smupony94 wrote:
jtstang wrote:My kid's going to Richland.

I am still waiting for my kids to track me down. I wanted to see if I could test their worthiness of my seed so I gave out fake names to their moms. If they can actually track me down, I will be proud of them.

eerily similar to a Law & Order a saw the other night.