<p>SuperPippo, while nobody can blame you for not being familiar with Colgate, there exists a small expectation of comparing schools that are comparable. It makes little sense to compare a graduate program in business with an undergraduate program, let alone a liberal arts college. Comparing the MBA programs at Rice, McComgs, or SMU is one thing. Comparing the undergraduate admissions to the business schools at UT-Austin and SMU is … quite another! </p>
<p>PS Had Colgate accepted to join the Ivy League 70 years ago, you probably would have recognized it more easily than for its “toothpaste” brand.</p>
<p>If neither MomofWildChild nor her children have attended SMU, how can she make statements about move in day for the dorms? Also, if 50% of the undergraduates are from out of state, how can they all come from the nearby high school? She must have some personal grudge that we will never understand.</p>
<p>I want to add that per the statistical archive, of 57% of freshman for the year 2007 and 2008 were from out of state. Again this negates MomofWildChild’s stereotype that the university is an extension of local high schools.</p>
<p>SuperPippo – I should have been more specific and depended less on your ability to infer my meaning:</p>
<p>Do you assume that if you haven’t heard of a school, it must therefore be inferior to a school you have heard of?</p>
<p>You see the illogic I’m getting at? Good luck in life though, really. While you’re getting your MBA, try to pick up a book on logic just for fun.</p>
<p>When you live near a university for almost 30 years and know many people who are alums, students or faculty/staff, you tend to be very familiar with the activities- including move-in day. Of course not everyone comes from a certain Dallas high school, and I will readily admit that a number of wealthy Californians who didn’t get into the top CA state schools also elect to come to SMU. There is a definite OC contingent. One of my law partners (SMU undergrad and law) married one of them.<br>
It’s a pretty, nice, relatively safe campus. There was that incident a few years ago where the student was running a meth (I think it was meth) lab in his dorm. Gotta fund those polo shirts somehow!
Look- sorry if I have offended so many here. It is what it is. SMU is a national university with some excellent faculty and departments- particularly Cox (graduate) and music/arts. It has an overall vibe that doesn’t appeal to me and I have a right to express that opinion. You will find that I am generally positive about most schools and recognize that there are different fits for different students. For example, I would recommend Texas Tech to many students (definitely over SMU). Schools not high on my list include SMU, Baylor, Notre Dame and NYU (the latter, of course, being a wonderful school and perfect for many).<br>
Comments are made about Rice being undesirable because it is in Houston, or Williams being isolated and too small. Everyone has their opinions. Perhaps I have too much exposure to SMU, but if you talk to local business people in the area who serve the students, you will find that my “stereotype” is not something that exists only in MY mind.</p>
<p>Thank you for your sincere reply. As an alum from one of those top rated California state schools, I will say this. Our state economy is a disaster, and huge cutbacks are looming for the University of California and Cal State system. I can attest to personally knowing three high school seniors who have turned down the top UC’s to attend SMU. Texas is looking better and better to many Californians.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt is similar to SMU in that there is a strong Greek presence and a fair number of upper middle class students, but the environment is not the same. The presence of the Vanderbilt (and Duke for that matter) medical complex alone creates a totally different environment.<br>
And, yes, I am very familiar with Vanderbilt and have a kid in grad school there.
Comparing Duke to SMU (except for the Greek-thing) is laughable.</p>
<p>Really, really interesting… I like parties, good looking people (and being good looking), am from CA (north), love warm weather, am not sure how I’d be with greeks, am not against gays, dislike when minorities get exclusive priviledges, love the death penalty, believe in God but not that religious, and want to transfer somewhere for good undergrad business. For the most part it sounds like I would be a good fit for this school.</p>
<p>Rofl, there are 2 schools and only 2 schools that are completely off the table for my rising Hs juniors. Arizona State and SMU. Momofwildchild is spot on in her assessment of SMU. The only people who are “impressed” are those in Dallas; it has no reputation elsewhere. There’s nothing wrong with wealth but there is plenty wrong with snobby superficial and provincial wealth and that’s what SMU attracts. She’s also correct that girls transfer out if they don’t make the right sorority. What kind of gross social milieu is that?</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, for the incoming class of fall 2009, 50% are out of state. Obviously others are impressed outside of Dallas. Speak for yourself, not for others. There’s nothing wrong with an opinion, but “there is plenty wrong” with ignorance. </p>
<p>And what makes you think only SMU has girls who do that? I’m sure a lot of universities deal with students transferring because they don’t feel they fit in.</p>
<p>Gotta love it when old threads randomly get resurrected.</p>
<p>SMU is a pretty good school as far as private schools go. The deal is that it used to be a lot more prestigious than it is now. This is for three reasons, only 1 of which is SMU’s fault. Their academics used to be a lot more rigorous, and that is their fault. Also their football team used to be at the top before the early 90’s when the NCAA gave it what’s become known as the “Death Penalty” for some relatively minor infractions, and the 3rd reason (and I can’t help but think this factored into the NCAA killing SMU’s once-great football program) and probably the biggest is that there is a lot more discrimination against the idea of a “rich-only school” than there was 15 or 20 years ago.</p>
<p>Hope that helps anyone considering SMU. It’s still a great school, beautiful location, and you can’t beat being in the middle of North Dallas…the two reflect each other. SMU is Dallas, and Dallas is SMU.</p>
<p>LMAO…I love it when I post my thoughts on a general subject and then go back to read all of the posts leading up to where my post ended up. Looks like they seriously back up my main point:</p>
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<p>Well…it’s a highly competitive social stratosphere where status is everything (like it or not) but the key thing is that you control your status. It’s not as if people are stuck with what they have…there’s no rule against rags to riches, we just don’t want to see someone go from riches to rags. And from what it sounds like, Pizzagirl would never understand. And from this thread…people not from Dallas don’t seem to understand it either.</p>
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Well…it’s a highly competitive social stratosphere where status is everything (like it or not) but the key thing is that you control your status.
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<p>One doesn’t have complete control over their social status. This is especially true where the Greek system is everything. You don’t decide which sorority or fraternity to join - the sororities and fraternities decide who they will accept. If someone just isn’t the kind of person who fits into any of the “right” sororities or fraternities, no amount of effort is going to change that fact. As a result, that person won’t get into the “right” sororities and fraternities. If the environment is as described here, that person will thus have low social status due to something they don’t control, namely who they are.</p>
<p>But if you don’t “fit in” with any of the fraternities/sororities, then you just become an independent. This isn’t high school. Social status doesn’t really exist unless you’re keen on climbing the social ladder at your school.</p>
<p>It is another matter though if you get cut from every fraternity/sorority and you really wanted to join one. This might be a point of concern if this happened to a lot of people at SMU.</p>
<p>Greek houses don’t “cut” you, they just might not give you a bid in the first place. A lot of kids want in, not getting a bid doesn’t mean you’re personally hated.</p>
<p>SMU is a GREAT schools and us on the rise. UT is fixing to lower tuition again and raise the number of attending students in an already way to overcrowded campus. You will not be able to get all of your required classes if you go there and also the classes are really large so if you want personalized instruction go SMU NOT UT Austin.</p>