Should I be worried about SMU’s demographics being predominantly white and affluent? I personally don’t come from a wealthy background and wouldn’t have considered SMU if it wasn’t for the major I want and the scholarships. I’m a little concerned about the diversity of the campus and would like to know if I will feel left out and insignificant or even discriminated because of my race/ethnicity or my financial status. Also, being a Greek-oriented school, how would college life be like if I didn’t join a sorority/fraternity? Are sororities/fraternities a good thing? They didn’t seem that diverse to me either. I have been accepted to SMU, and have to commit to a college soon, but I am having some reluctance because of this.
What are your other options, if you don’t mind me asking?
I’m considering TCU and UTD. And I know they’re not necessarily at the same “level” for lack of a better term, but UTD seems promising despite the stigma around it.
SMU is a great school with a beautiful campus located in a great city. Congratulations on being accepted and receiving a scholarship; that is impressive! A degree from SMU will open a lot of doors for you in the future.
Based on your concerns set out in your post, however, SMU may not be the right fit for you, socially…(unless your major is in the Meadows School for the Arts and you have the artsy crowd as your network of friends)
Growing up in Dallas I was a huge SMU fan; but I knew when it came time for me to choose a college, SMU would not be the best place for me. Not only could I not afford to go, but I felt having grown up middle class and being from a Dallas public school it would be difficult for me to fit in socially. I went to State U. instead, got an excellent education, and had a great college experience.
My wife is a BBA graduate from SMU. She was in a top sorority and was from an affluent background. She has been very successful with her SMU degree, and we live close to the campus now. We regularly enjoy spending time going to SMU games and campus events. Nevertheless, she is not encouraging our high school aged daughter to attend SMU for undergraduate. Even with my wife’s family background and her having been a part of the “in crowd”, she always says “SMU can be a difficult place to go to school, socially”.
Take that advice for whatever it’s worth.
Good luck with whatever decision you make!
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RealityCheck13, thank you so much! One of my biggest concerns was fitting in socially due to many reasons and my own personality. However, I am planning on studying in Meadows, and based on my way experience with students and faculty there, I’m quite confident I will find a great family and community in SMU. I’m not particularly interested in Greek life, but I’m not being closed-minded either. I do enjoy the Dallas community, and didn’t find it difficult to make friends during my visit at SMU. Again, I appreciate your response!
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Hi. I am a SMU grad ‘93 and have a son who was accepted to SMU as well. He doesn’t want to consider SMU for the same reasons you mentioned. But I think you can find like people anywhere you go. There are different kinds of people and you just need to find YOUR people. The school has grown so much since I left and after sitting in on a call today, I wish I could go back and do it all over again. Because it is a wealthy schools, they can provide you with opportunities that you may not have elsewhere. If you feel good about it, go with your gut. Good luck!!!
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As someone who went to a selective, very white, very Greek school: I’d counsel against the “find your people” strategy. Go where you actually fit, if you have the option. My friends from undergrad are still among my closest friends, but the tension with the alma mater’s lasted over 30 years now. I’m the only one who’s ever gone back to visit. The sense of outsiderness only grows over the years. And my feelings about Greek systems border on allergic at this point, because the older I’ve gotten, the more clearly I’ve understood what the point of secret societies is. It’s not about being social or (ahem) gentlemanly. It’s just an expensive form of what they used to do in the neighborhood. If you’re not down with that now, it’s not going to grow on you over the years. Find a school you can be happy about.
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That’s hard to do from a one hour visit… urgh so confused. Next 4+ years of my life. Dealing with Baylors religion vs SMUs potentially snobby peers. HELP!!!
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My son wants to apply to Meadows as well. I get the impression it’s distinctly different from the rest of the school, but he and I share your worries about diversity and Greek life. Would you be able to talk to some students in your program to get a feel for what it’s like? I’d have the same concerns as you about Baylor, too. Hard to be a liberal atheist in Texas! 
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Did an SMU tour about 3 years ago prior to shutdown and one recently for admitted students in the midst of social distancing. Three years ago I distinctly recall the informational session discussing SMU making deliberate attempts to increase diversity, and it had jumped quite a bit up to approximately 28% at that time. I do not recall the initial stat of diversity they gave but it was pretty low and kind of eye-opening. Not much mention on either tour about anything religious or church related compared to a couple of other religious school tours. No mention what so ever of on-campus worship, life groups, Christian sororities/fraternities or anything along those lines.
Also, I have some anecdotal information from recent graduate’s parent that SMU is fairly liberal especially in science, social science, and public health realms. I don’t believe it is particularly Christian institutionally, and Methodism has become more “liberal” compared to other protestant denominations.
Although, in my experience I find that true Christians are very welcoming, kind people who enjoy meeting people from diverse backgrounds and cultures (and they all aren’t trying to evangelize). Unfortunately, there are some misconceptions in general, but also as a huge demographic in this country, there will be lot of different behaviors and attitudes.
I am sure there are a lot of affluent conservative type kids there, but SMU is definitely making an effort to attract students from all backgrounds with their generous scholarship awards.
Dallas itself is a “purple” city with respect to politics with lots of cool revitalized neighborhood village type areas with restaurants/bars/coffeehouses. I was there recently for a visit, and it is quite an eclectic mix of people all enjoying the same venues.
If you haven’t visited, perhaps that might help. Also there are stats on greek percentages, crime stats, student reviews etc on the US news ranking site that you might find helpful.
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