<p>I was wondering what you all thought of SMU? I've been looking at the school and the business program looks promising. However it seems like the school gets a bad rep. Is this reputation warranted or not so much?</p>
<p>Businessweek describes SMU's business program as being very strong. I also hear it has a beautiful campus. SMU has strong regional ties for internships and the like.</p>
<p>gboldman, what have you heard? I must admit, I don't hear great things about it either, other than the business school and that if you plan on staying in Dallas, it's a great network.</p>
<p>However, two dear friends are SMU grads, so it can't be all bad.</p>
<p>I just heard it gets a bad rep as a party school and everyone is really rich and superficial there (not saying all rich kids are)</p>
<p>D was in the business school at SMU for one year. The academic program was very good, better than she expected. Her advisor was a huge help. Just about every professor got to know her and she did not have a bad class. Her GPA at the end of the year was excellent. </p>
<p>Toward the end of the year, her friends were talking about getting internships in Dallas for the summer. She just did not feel like it could become home to her. She wanted to get internships and make connections in her home state (CA) where she knew she wanted to come back. </p>
<p>She transferred to a school in CA where she will finish her last 3 years. She still speaks highly of SMU and stays in touch with many friends she met there. It just wasn't in the right place for her. </p>
<p>Yes, the campus is beautiful and in a great area!</p>
<p>alright cool thanks. Thats pretty assuring for me. anyone else?</p>
<p>Yes, that's what we've heard, too, but we're going to your next month anyway while we're in the area. I'll PM you later in the day with more insights. Had an interesting conversation with an SMU prof.</p>
<p>alright cool</p>
<p>bump bump bump</p>
<p>D was accepted in the Cox School's Business Scholar's Program with a decent scholarship. She was very interested in attending SMU and did an overnight stay. During the overnight stay D felt that the students were very cliquey and unfriendly to the point that she decided not to attend SMU. She ended up attending another school where she had a great time on her overnight visit.</p>
<p>When you begin to narrow down your college choices, I highly recommend that you participate in as many overnight visits as possible. During the overnights you will gain insight about the school and students that you may not discover by any other means. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>It seems like SMU is every kid in Highland Park's dream school. Don't know if you're from the area, but Highland Park is like Dallas's Beverly Hills. I've always heard great things about its challenging academics, and the SMU business school is quite prestigious in the D/FW area and around the state. But it is very cliquey, and full of spoiled rich kids.</p>
<p>yeah thats what i was curious about. I'm actually from a fairly rich town in Iowa and was wondering what it was like. I'd always heard that it was just rich spoiled kids and stuff like that.</p>
<p>Where in Iowa are you from? I lived in West Des Moines for 5 years.</p>
<p>I'm from Ames, well North Ames which has all the nice subdivisions and such now. West Des Moines is a very nice place</p>
<p>I am not from Texas, but have been researching the school. In addition to a very strong business program, its arts/creative programs have a very strong reputation. I think the bad rep is very much the product of a dissatisfied adjunct instructor at the school who had a blog a few years ago where she vented and exaggerated this "spoiled rich kid" stereotype.</p>
<p>To answer your question, not so much. I am now sitting in the Starbuck's just off the SMU campus and waiting for my 7th grade son to finish up his computer camp. We are from Waco, although I grew up in Dallas. My daughter will graduate in 2010 and is seriously considering SMU. Each year, about 2 or 3 kids from her school (small, grad classes < 30) enroll in SMU. This year, one girl opted for SMU over Duke and Northwestern. This was partly due to a huge scholarship offer, but I don't think she would have accepted if the school was a dud.</p>
<p>The business school is very good and I don't believe that graduating from SMU would seriously limit your opportunities outside of the Dallas area.</p>
<p>As far as the attitudes of the students, I don't believe the stereotypes. I have spent a lot of time on this campus and the student population is diverse and, from what I have observed, friendly. Granted, it's no Texas A&M, where students go out of their way to greet you, but for the most part, the kids seem friendly. </p>
<p>All of the above is from a parents point of view. Hopefully, you will get some responses from SMU students, and not from people who get their opinions from college review books.
The Greek scene is big on this campus, if that is an issue.</p>
<p>the greek scene isn't the issue as much as possibly going to school with a lot of d bags</p>
<p>My D just graduated from SMU. SHe initially had some reservations about attending, largely based on the same concerns about the stereotype that's been mentioned. After she went to a scholarship interview weekend and an overnight with a student, she felt much more comfortable than she expected.</p>
<p>There are certainly wealthy students. She is not one of them (but did also receive the "huge scholarship" offer which certainly had major impact on her decision). She also initially double majored in a performing art. As someone mentioned, the Meadows School of the Arts is nationally recognized.
So this played into her decision as well.</p>
<p>She also was sure she wouldn't go greek. However, they rush in the 2nd semester. She met some terrific women throughout 1st semester who encouraged her to try it. She ending up pledging and although she never was a "rah rah" type within her sorority, she made many close friends there and is really glad she did it.</p>
<p>Overall, she's ready to be leaving Dallas after four years (let me be clear though, she is NOT a Texan. Texans really do love their state!) She enjoyed most of her time there but doesn't think it's the city for her. That said, SMU is in a great part of Dallas and she appreciated that.</p>
<p>Generally, SMU seems be quite practical in their approach and does a great job of preparing kids for the future. It seemed to me there were so many opportunities for students to do internships--these were actively promoted.</p>
<p>D will be attending a top graduate program in the fall---there's no doubt in my mind that SMU's many excellent professors and the strong support system there helped make that happen. Most of them really care about the students, a lot.</p>
<p>It's true that the school isn't right for some...but it IS a good school with many types of kids. There are definitely students who fit the stereotype, but there are plenty who don't. Best advice you've already been given:
do an overnight, but try to expand beyond that. Sometimes a lousy host can ruin things, similar to how many students get turned off by a school just because of a crummy campus tour guide.</p>
<p>Try to meet/greet as many students as you can. Then, you'll know.</p>
<p>I wish you all the best as you continue the quest to, in my son's words, "find your people".</p>
<p>Hi,
I’ll be a freshman this fall and I can tell you that, after visiting the campus at least 8 times, I have hardly ever run into the superficial stereotype. Granted, that does not mean it doesn’t exist. However, I’ve met numerous people who have all been kind, genuine, and really fun to be around. The campus is wonderful, and the student body is so incredibly welcoming and social. The professors care to actually get to know students. My overnight stays have (always always always) been pleasant! I really suggest visiting campus and getting your own opinion. Everyone has different preferences, but I thought that SMU would be a great home for me as soon as I stepped foot on campus. If you have any questions, shoot me a message!</p>
<p>Be very careful about the stereotype of any university or its students. No matter where you go to school you will find all types of students from many different backgrounds. My student went to SMU and yes there are spoiled rich kids but there are just as many students from all income levels, backgrounds, states, high schools, etc. I also attended two different universities in different states and of very different sizes and the same could be said for my experience. SMU is a very high quality university with a lovely campus and students with high GPA’s and test scores due to its high admission standards. It also has very small class sizes for the most part and classes taught by actual professors who know their students personally - not huge mega classes taught by grad students or teaching assistants. My student had a fabulous freshman year, met many great students from all different places and backgrounds, and knew the professors well enough to talk to them anytime a question or need arose. One professor even had his class to his home for dinner. This was at the freshman level. Pick the school based on your own needs, desires, personal visit, and financial situation. Not hearsay and old stereotypes. It is your experience - not someone elses. Posting hearsay and stereotypes is not helpful.</p>