Would love to hear about SMU- the campus vibe, classes, clubs- are you from OOS, and anything else you can share. It def checks most if not all the boxes for S24 and would love to hear more.
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I graduated from SMU a long time ago (Class of '98). I was in the second class of Hunt Scholars. SMU provided an excellent education for me that has led to many other things. I am happy to talk about my experiences, but they are, admittedly, dated.
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With about 1600 entering freshmen, there are quite a bit of diverse offerings. Roughly one quarter of men join fraternities. Business, the arts and core curriculum are key strengths. 60% of students come from out of state. Great campus. Two year residential requirement and can live on campus all four years.
I have a junior daughter and freshman son attending SMU.
https://www.smu.edu/Provost/University-Decision-Support/Statistics/CommonDataSets/2021
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My son is currently attending SMU. As a freshman, he’s very happy. My kid is mostly academic and anti-frat, but he has made a ton of friends. He’s always doing some club event or playing in intramurals. Most importantly, he actually likes all his professors. In fact, he often meets them for coffee or just to chat. That is something you can’t get at a large campus. He also loves that the campus is very walkable, and the student body is very active on campus. He tends to study late at the library, but he says that students are always outside socializing late into the evening. He had other university options, but he’s pleased with his decision to attend SMU. Hope this helps.
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My son just got accepted to SMU. He is very excited but has one big concern that is making him hesitant. When we toured the University back in August, our son liked everything about it and SMU rose to the top of his list. Since then, he has heard from a number of people that SMU is full of rich kids who spend a lot of money. We don’t have a lot of money and he is worried that he won’t fit in. I would really love to hear from any current students or parents who could shed some light on what it might be like for him to attend SMU. He’s a great kid (of course his parent would say that), straight A student, wants to major in business, loves sports, plays basketball and golf for his high school, likes to skateboard and plans use it for getting around campus. Most of all he just really enjoys hanging out with friends. However, he isn’t from Texas, won’t know anyone, and is afraid that his lack of money might make it difficult for him socially.
This sounds so much like my S24 (minus the skateboarding-he would break his neck, lol). We are hoping to get out there and visit before this school year finishes but will have to see if we have time to squeeze it in. Curious what other schools your son looked at. We are in the northeast and he wants anything BUT NE or Midwest.
SMU is only about 40% from Texas. SMU is a private U that has a high sticker price that about 25% of students pay. A friend of mine in New Jersey sent her son to SMU and he’s thriving. Comm and intl relations double major.
When I attend Cox receptions on the Boulevard before football games, the students hanging out there appear to be a broad mix. Some Cox students are hanging with their Greek friends and others aren’t on the Boulevard at all.
I know people of all types of backgrounds SMU. Just be confident and outgoing and it’s very easy to make friends. There are tons of clubs and the faculty in residence for the dorms is a great feature.
I have a junior daughter and freshman son at SMU and both have made a mix of friends. They’re outgoing and quite involved. It’s not a ideal place where you stay in your dorm or library most of the time but there are people like that who find their people.
I have heard that as well. We will be paying full tuition & I don’t expect him to eat Ramen every night but I have heard kids say they go to clubs with bottle service, DoorDash expensive restaurants. My son isn’t graduating with a trust fund and I feel like this kind of spending is not setting him up for the real world. I know stereotypes aren’t always accurate but there is usually some truth to them.
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We are from Midwest and my D is a sophomore in Cox. I’ve got two kids going to private colleges at the same time. Even with a lot of scholarship and aid, it is still not financially easy for my family. My D was able of make a lot of friends and join different clubs. She has had solid GPA so far and also works as RA in one of the undergraduate dorms. Yes, there are a lot of kids from rich or well-off families ( but I would not say “full of”), and she has to say NO to her friends sometimes for the things that would cost money and her friends seem to understand. She really has good time at SMU. Also, I believe SMU has been trying hard to accept kids from more diverse SES backgrounds and she has noticed the change as well.
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My S23 was just accepted to Cox. He is excited. We have done a couple of campus visits and a business info session. We are generally familiar with SMU. I was wondering if anyone could speak to why Cox specifically is so highly regarded? What differentiates them from other business schools?
If anyone would also like to share what they specifically like about SMU, it would be greatly appreciated. @tristatecoog ?
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Why is it so popular? It’s a key focus of a beautiful university in the thriving city of Dallas. There’s plenty to attract cool kids and plenty to attract nerds who want strong course offerings with great opportunities. I see plenty of both types at Boulevard functions before football games. Small classes are also key of course. Different major but my daughter’s Organic Chemistry I class had just 30 people at the start of the semester.
I’ve recruited at Cox BBA and MBA for 18 years and served as a associate board mentor that whole time. Cox BBAs have always been strong. I worked at PepsiCo for ten years and Cox was a key target for finance and marketing analysts. For finance, UT McCombs was another target, along with Wake Forest (senior exec connection). For marketing, it was McCombs, Cox and Ivy Plus. Cox also does well with regional investment banking. I met a recent grad on a plane back from NYC who said that Cox has the second most Texans in NYC behind McCombs (much larger sized program). Top undergrads also do well in consulting and local marketing firms. There are also lots of special programs, like Alts for Finance, great specialties and clubs. Most of those are common in top programs but they have the full suite. For university peers, Villanova, Boston College and USC are in the mix thanks to merit scholarships.
My top reasons for liking Cox are facilities (momentum) and the placement office. They are in the midst of overhauling the business school buildings with the help of massive fundraising. As an employer, I keep going back to Cox because the placement office is so helpful. Anytime I need an intern or full time employee, I just email the office. They ask for a job description and some background. Then within two to three days, I get a customized resume book of people that have some interest. No matter where your students go to college, stay in close contact with the placement office and your professors.
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Wow! Thank you SO much for the detailed response! It is this kind of info that my S23 needs. We know in general what a great school SMU and we know Cox is very highly regarded but hearing the specifics about Cox and your recent experience is extremely helpful.
We have known some science and engineering majors, but not a business major. Most of my family is in healthcare so researching business schools is new to us. I cannot even imagine an Organic chemistry class with 30 people in it. I think I had over 200 in mine back in the day.
I grew up in the Dallas area but live OOS now. We still have lots of family in the North Texas area. My S23 is interested in finance. He would like to work in NYC to start then branch out internationally. He has spent some time abroad. He is super social & likes to go out, not a big partier, but not a nerd either.
The Alts for Finance is intriguing. What kind of results do they get? Are the clubs competitive to join? Any in particular you know about? Sounds like the business fraternities are a fun way to get involved too. Also, in general it sounds like the business environment is collaborative with the students, have you observed that? And do the professors help mentor the students to find their niche?
I am so glad your kiddos are having a great experience. I truly appreciate your input and have enjoyed reading your insightful posts.
Posting in case others find use:
“The Alts for Finance is intriguing. What kind of results do they get? Are the clubs competitive to join? Any in particular you know about?”
Alts is outstanding but it’s very competitive to get in. Without much knowledge of either program, I’d say it’s like the Wall Street Workshop at IU Kelley. Great if you’re in but not essential to getting an IB or quant job. After a cursory LinkedIn search, I found a CS and Finance double major who had a great NYC job last (before senior year) in debt restructuring — great for hedge funds or PE. He wasn’t in Alts and didn’t attend HS in the Northeast. He was in marching band and a popular Christian frat.
Another club that came to my son’s mind was real estate. It’s pretty competitive and Dallas is a hotbed for real estate investing. There are probably strong marketing and advertising clubs (fashion merchandising is huge) and consulting clubs.
Over half the Cox majors are finance. If someone finishes in accounting, they’re set. Very high odds of Big 4 job.
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“Sounds like the business fraternities are a fun way to get involved too. Also, in general it sounds like the business environment is collaborative with the students, have you observed that? And do the professors help mentor the students to find their niche?”
The two main business frats have interviews for admission, have formals and are “fun.” Some do those and also go Greek.
There are mentoring opportunities with the business community. There are also some micro internships, PT jobs and summer internships. Also many speakers, Tate Lecture Series, etc. There are opportunities but it’s up to the student to take advantage. Go to things and mingle. Join clubs. Meet with placement center and professors.
Regarding professors, classes are smaller than big public ones like where I went. It’s easier to make connections but still up to the student. The Faculty in Residence for each residential commons is a cool recent development.
Neither of my kids are in Cox but both love SMU and are involved in a variety of things. Merry Christmas, y’all!
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My S23 is diving into researching these opportunities. This is such helpful information. Truly appreciate your time and insights. Texans are the best! Thank you again & Merry Christmas!!!
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Yes, there are a lot of rich kids at SMU, but there are also a lot of kids from middle class or less affluent backgrounds as well. My son has friends from all different walks of life. My son says that “birds of a feather will flock together” at SMU. But isn’t that true for high school too?!? And btw, my kid only eats on campus. He says some kids eat out a lot, but he finds the food on campus is good enough for him.
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My oldest son graduated in 2017 from Cox. He wasn’t in an IB club. He majored in real estate finance, and got his first job at Goldman Sachs because his professor sent a screenshot of my son’s final exam to a contact at Goldman saying “You should interview this kid”. And they did.
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That is great to hear! Seems like we keep hearing great stories like this!
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Reading this again for the 2nd time. It sounds so wonderful especially after my son’s rejection today from A&M’s business honors. He also didn’t get the $6K renewable Hispanic Recognition Award. I’m an Aggie, and as much as I love A&M, I’m just not feeling it for my kids. It’s too large, and I don’t care for their application process. SMU has been wonderful in many ways. My son got in as a BBA Scholar, Second Century Scholar, and is being considered for the Hunt and Presidential scholarships. The campus is gorgeous, and I love everything you mentioned. He also got full tuition at Fordham. He’s waiting on Canfield BHP at UT and USC and Cornell decisions. We are not hopeful for the last three. My daughter is at USC in the WBB program that he applied for. It’s super hard to get into. Anyway, SMU is looking good to us for many reasons. I can’t wait for everything to be finalized. We are revisiting A&M this Saturday to see how it makes us feel knowing what we know. As a recruiter, do you have any insight on the other programs I mentioned that you can message me about? It’ll probably be TAMU Mays (honors rejection), SMU BBA Scholars, and Fordham Gabelli (no honors invite, but it’s not a big thing to have) in the running. Thanks!
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This thread is a few months old but we’re visiting SMU on Mustang Day in June.
D is fascinated by all the stories she’s read about SMU sororoties. She wants to see the SMU stereotype blond girl from Highland Park. It will be an adventure for sure and she’s definitely looking forward to it.
We’re also going to scope out the local coffee shops to look for the SMU older alums who hang out and critique your clothing and style. She wants to see if the myth is reality.
Probably ought to sit inside it is Hot in June.