<p>^off topic, but are you by any chance in some cool New York music, dance, or theater program right now? Just curious.</p>
<p>Hey I’ve got a question. When you were at SMU, (or any current students), how much spending money did you spend a week/month…? Also, did you parents give you some every month or whatever? Details are helpful. Just wondering so I know what to expect, thanks.</p>
<p>Hey, just wanted to know, how is SMU for Pre-Med, and I want to major in biology</p>
<p>how’s the finacial aid at SMU? i really want to go here but if i dont get enough scholarship $ i wont be able to!</p>
<p>I have heard the scholarships are pretty generous runninglover. A friend of mine with a 2150 on her SAT and 3.95 unweighted was offered $17,500 per year last year. </p>
<p>Question for alums… similar to Hobby43’s question about spending money. I have a small handful of concerns for my son at SMU, but one of them is the affluence of the university. It does have quite a reputation with some stigma attached (both good and bad.) If your dad doesn’t own a Texas Oil Well, can you still fit in? I have this vision of every guy driving a German car wearing Cole Hahn shoes and dropping $100 every weekend. Tell me it isn’t so… TCU, while not as prestigious in Texas or the neighboring states, seems to have money but not the attitude. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Oh! You’re a journalism major, captain88.</p>
<p>I should have said a lot of “performing arts majors” choose to live on campus in their upperclass years, instead of “Meadows.”</p>
<p>They have to be on campus a lot – classes 5 days a week, plus evenings and weekends. For that reason, many of them find it more convenient to live there. My son has not felt out of place, at all, in making that choice. Most of his friends are there too.</p>
<p>Rice, since you specifically asked for feedback from alums, I’ll refrain from responding to your question, except to say that I had the exact same concerns as you, two years ago. A lot of people seem to share those concerns. :)</p>
<p>Simplelife – I would love your input too. :)</p>
<p>^Okay! 
Long answer coming at you! …</p>
<p>Disclaimer though: My opinions are just that … opinions … which are based on my experience and my son’s experience, as he relays it to me. (I know “the rich thing” is a touchy subject. I certainly don’t want to offend anybody. This is simply a description of my family’s experience with SMU. Naturally, it will be colored by other perspectives that we bring to the table, as individuals. )</p>
<p>Your vision of guys driving German cars, wearing Cole Hahn shoes, and dropping $100 a weekend is not too far from reality for a lot of students, it seems. </p>
<p>My son is a sophomore, so he’s had a whopping 1 and ½ years experience there so far. But beginning with his first semester on campus, he started commenting on how rich “everybody” was. He was not complaining, or boasting, or making any judgment in particular – more like marveling that so many of these young people had the opportunity to live that way. When he mentioned “everybody,” I tended to moderate with, “Everybody?! Or are there also lots of kids like you?” He always agreed (still agrees) that there are a lot of kids like him, too. (middle to the lower end of upper-middle class, I guess you could say) There are particularly plenty of kids from a not-rich (even poor) background in my son’s “school,” the Meadows School of the Arts. I am only guessing when I say that performing arts majors and athletes might naturally tend to be an exception, because they’re often there on talent scholarships. My son would not (could not) be there without his scholarships.</p>
<p>Like you, I was sometimes worried that he might not fit in because of those socio-economic differences. He was a little worried, too, particularly after his summer orientation program in which 11 of the 12 kids in his small group were from elite, private (rich) schools! (He was the 12th.) The kids in his group casually mentioned their European jaunts, the expensive cars they drove, certain brand name clothing, and various other “rich” things during their social time together. That did pique his concerns a bit.</p>
<p>One of my bigger concerns was whether my son would begin to feel like he was “less than” the others, as a “have-not” surrounded by “haves.” I wondered if it would begin to make him feel bad about himself. He was not worried about that. He was more worried about whether he would find it irritating to be surrounded by a bunch of people who might not share HIS values – for things other than money.</p>
<p>Well…</p>
<p>First of all, he and I have both found that the SMU community does NOT deserve its oft-questioned reputation for snobbishness or attitude. We think the students there are VERY friendly and happy and welcoming. Whereas there are a LOT of kids there who have a lot of their parents’ money, the rich kids my son knows are kind, thoughtful, normal, and friendly. He has not had even a single experience of unfriendliness or snobbishness with anybody. A lot of the kids DO drive nice cars, wear nice things, and freely spend money on weekends. But neither my son nor I have noticed that they push this around or boast or consider themselves special. They’re just living the way they’ve always lived and being themselves.</p>
<p>But, our family has always been pretty secure in our values. Other things have been much more important to us than money, and keeping up with the Jones’s has never been a part of our lives. And so, chances were pretty good, I thought, that my son would remain unaffected, and unhurt, by “the rich thing.” (Btw, my whole family drew the same conclusion you drew about TCU vs. SMU – just as much money, but somehow less “showy” and no reputation for “attitude.” Don’t know how that holds up to reality.)</p>
<p>To my surprise, there has been ONE unpleasant (and unexpected) consequence of living amongst the rich. Whereas my son has never felt BAD about himself for having less material wealth than others, and whereas he’s never felt slighted by anybody there, he HAS (unfortunately) acquired a taste for the finer things in life!! I NEVER saw that one coming! I was more concerned about his “feelings” (lol) or how others might treat him – whether he’d feel left out, than I was about whether his tastes would change!</p>
<p>And so, in all honesty, I’m kind of embarrassed to report the truth … that my son, for one, has acquired this new taste for brand name clothes and shoes, nice cars, certain specialty foods, etc. He still doesn’t have the means to acquire these things, and he doesn’t feel angry or sad about that, but he DOES aspire to buy them someday. They have somehow become “important” to him. … something that was never in his crosscheck before. And, a very small handful of times, he has spent a large portion of his college-level paycheck on a particular brand-name clothing item that he’s been coveting – something that probably would NEVER have entered his mind if he had attended some more typical state school, for instance.</p>
<p>Last summer, he made a few comments about “our” cheap way of life – the cheap things we have and the cheap way we live – that hurt my feelings on a few levels – that he would suddenly be this unrecognizable ingrate (he has already outgrown that nastiness, because I let him know how he was coming across to his family); that he would stoop to hurting my feelings in that way – since, like most parents, I’ve given my kids my all; and that the down-to-earth values I thought I raised him with seemed to be gone after just one year at SMU. </p>
<p>But then I decided that (1) the values might not be GONE, just on temporary leave; and (2) I’m betting ALL kids’ values change a little, in one category or another, during college (mine did), and that this may be one area where his values DO change permanently … he is, after all, a separate person from me. :)</p>
<p>And so, that’s my experience with “the rich thing” at SMU. My son’s FEELINGS of self-worth have so far been unaffected by the wealth there. He does NOT feel like a “have not.” And, after all, being a student there, amongst all that wealth, has a TON of advantages, in the way of opportunities, privileges, and aesthetics. But my son’s “desire to acquire” has seemed to come out of nowhere! I do still grapple with that. I would rather he continue to be satisfied with the simple things of life – the way I raised him. But that’s just me, I suppose, fantasizing that I could possibly continue to push my values on him – a separate adult who is now forming his own value system – something young adults tend to do if they’re healthy!</p>
<p>:) OK, first of all… you have to tell us the “line of clothing” that your son is now coveting! I actually love it when boys (young men) are more interested in clothing. It’s always such a girl thing, and it’s nice to see boys who care. ;)</p>
<p>Second… I totally get it. Our family sounds much like yours, and I wondered if my son would go off to one of these more affluent schools and come back more… polished (for lack of a better word). My college and sorority experience definitely exposed me to things I didn’t know existed, as I think it does for many. In part, that’s what college is for. Are you guys from Texas? We are from L.A. – lots of flash here, but lots of diversity too. </p>
<p>I do think lots of the top private schools have lots of kids with money: UMiami, Tulane, Vandy, SMU, TCU, USC. It just comes with the tuition. Why did your son pick SMU? What was he looking for in a college experience?</p>
<p>There is a lot of good information in this thread if someone is trying to decide whether SMU is the school for them or not. </p>
<p>My husband and I have always gravitated towards a more simple life, similar to what SimpleLife describes. However, from the time our daughter was two years old she gravitated towards fashion, hair styles, makeup and everything those things involve! When she was in high school she selected designer type items for gifts so I knew she already had an eye for the nicer things in life. Therefore, I was not surprised when she chose SMU because of it’s location in Dallas and it’s reputation of having students who shared her love of clothes, dressing up for class, etc.</p>
<p>I tell you all of this just to make the case that we knew full well what world we were walking into by selecting SMU.</p>
<p>To my daughter (and myself), college should be a time of extremely hard work and extremely fun activities that lays the groundwork for the type of life you would like to lead after college graduation. This is where she has found the problem lies. In so many cases, if a student has access to almost anything money can buy, the thrill of working towards a future life is dulled and the result is a focus on the short term instead of the long term. This plays out in a thousand different ways. My daughter wants it all just like everyone else there but she enjoys knowing that she won’t have it unless she alone makes it happen. The thrill of the hunt and the anticipation of success is what lights her candle! </p>
<p>There are also college type activities that are just overlooked or not given any emphasis at SMU. Football and other collegiate athletics are such small footnotes on campus that she misses the excitement that these activities generate on other campuses. When she accepted at SMU, her uncle made the comment “Well, I guess she doesn’t like football”. I didn’t get the full implication of what he was trying to say at the time but I do now. Students may or may not attend the games but whether they do or not, the whole atmosphere is that football days are choreographed to be pleasing to wealthy alumni instead of catering to a college aged crowd. It is sad to miss out on such great fun when you are in college!</p>
<p>In summary, my daughter just wants to be able to act like a college student now even though she fully expects to have the good life later! We are moving her home this week and she will transfer to a larger state school in January. Good luck to everyone in their decision!</p>
<p>So what you are saying is that too many of the students there were already “set” if you will, for their futures? Also, do you mind (no problem if you do) telling which larger state school she is transferring to, or where you guys are from?</p>
<p>I hope I wasn’t implying that having your future “set” is a bad thing because it certainly isn’t. We too have found the students to be, for the most part, friendly and outgoing. Daughter is just looking for more of a “normal” college experience. Who knows, after finding out what normal is, she may long for her days at SMU! Life is a journey, right?</p>
<p>One thing I want to say about SMU is that the staff is amazing. Daughter loves her academic counselor more that anyone else in Dallas. She really enjoyed her admissions counselor and the housing staff have been wonderful! She wasn’t so fond of the parking staff last year though when she kept getting tickets for the smallest things such as tire on the line instead of inside the line. Oh well…</p>
<p>Any news on how they pick the candidates for the Pre-Law Scholars program?</p>
<p>@Rice1961: I can tell by your reply that you get it! Thanks for getting it! It does sound like our families might be a little similar, in terms of money and values.</p>
<p>There are some nice aspects to my son’s newfound taste in clothes. He DOES look nice from day to day!</p>
<p>I’m kind of a privacy freak – to the degree that one can be on CC and still honestly portray themselves in their questions and answers. Anyway, for that reason, I’ll not comment on where we’re from or even what line of clothing my son’s coveting! No reason to call him out any more than I already have on these forums (bad parent).</p>
<p>I agree that lots of the top privates have lots of kids with money. That’s part of why they’re so appealing to my kids– not the money itself really, nor the kids with the money, of course, but the attractive, updated campuses, the great variety of well-funded programs, the small classes, the good food (always with the food!) and all the other perks that all that the money can support. Funny you should mention the schools you did. Except for Tulane, all of them were on my current applicant’s list until recently. He took Miami and TCU off last month.</p>
<p>My college sophomore ultimately chose SMU for some music-related reasons that probably won’t matter to your son. You asked what he was looking for … First of all, he was looking for a great music program in a school with a very good liberal arts program, to include a strong core curriculum, small classes, and a close relationship with the surrounding city (for performing arts purposes, mainly). Plus, the campus had to feel right – like it was a good fit. The gut-feeling of fit was very important to him, and I supported that. There were some colleges that looked really good on paper, but once we visited, he simply couldn’t see himself there. One of the things all of his eventual colleges had in common was an attractive campus with lots of trees. He wasn’t specifically looking for that, but that’s what he ended up gravitating to.</p>
<p>So, that’s what he was looking for. Then, amongst the 7 he applied to, his plan was always to choose the cheapest or close to the cheapest in terms of Cost of Attendance. Well, he was very lucky and got some really generous scholarships to several schools. From his new “short list” in April, he ultimately chose SMU for two reasons in particular (though he could have made a case for any of the 3 that were still on his list at the end of April): the music teacher he would be working with (very common in his field to choose a school for this), and the big, comprehensive “arts umbrella” provided by the Meadows School of the Arts. The other colleges had very good music schools with very good music teachers that he would have loved to work with. But he kept coming back to the large, many-layered opportunities at a comprehensive “School of the Arts,” which included music, dance, theater, journalism, art history, etc, all under one umbrella.</p>
<p>@SMUMom: I’m sorry that SMU hasn’t worked out for your daughter! It’s always hard when the first place a student chooses doesn’t quite feel right for her/him. Good for all of you for having the courage and wherewithal to start fresh somewhere else that might be more appealing to her! I hope she finds exactly what she’s looking for!</p>
<p>My kids and I concur that the sports atmosphere at SMU is not like it is at other colleges. There are LOTS of sports events one could attend. And several of their teams are very good. But the campus really doesn’t seem to revolve around sports, or unify over sports, the way that other “more typical” colleges (particularly state colleges) do. For my son, that hasn’t been a factor. He has never been a huge sports enthusiast. However, he HAS gone to more football games in his two seasons of college than he did in all four years of high school combined! He’s amazed at the way the kids dress for games! I’ve read some comments from other schools, like Vanderbilt, that say the same thing – coats and ties, and sundresses, for football games?! My son, the new clotheshorse, thinks that’s kind of cool.</p>
<p>@SMUMom,
I TOTALLY agree about the staff at SMU! They are AMAZING! Somebody always answers the phone, no matter what department (well, okay, there is one exception – more on that later), and business is always taken care of immediately and in a very friendly manner. My son and I have discovered absolutely no red tape, in terms of the staff. (In stark contrast to our local state school, where red tape is the rule of the day.) Between the two of us, we’ve dealt with the housing staff (fantastic), the IT staff, financial aid, bursar, registrar, cafeteria, campus police (son locked self out of car twice so far!) etc. Always an immediate, responsive, friendly fix to any issue.</p>
<p>EXCEPT … for parking! OMG. Park ‘n Pony typically tends to be a hassle. Doesn’t matter when you call their office, there’s always the ol’ automated phone response, “Due to high call volume, blah, blah, blah. Please leave a message at the sound of the tone.” Calls are often not returned. On two occassions, my son has driven to the office after repeatedly getting that automated response. On both occassions, no one was on the phone, no one was in line, no one was busy – they just use that automated answering service 24-7. We’ve had some confusion when we were billed twice for the same parking pass. We both got tickets one move-out day, when we both parked in spaces next to my son’s dorm to bring all his stuff down to our cars – were parked there for, no kidding, 12 MINUTES! And we were both ticketed in that time. (Freshman boys are not allowed to park in spaces next to their dorms – only freshman girls and ALL other students with parking passes. Not enough spaces for freshman boys, they say!) They DID waive our tickets though, since we really were just there for 12 minutes, and only to bring stuff down to move out.</p>
<p>So yeah, I’ll second both motions, SMUMom!</p>