<p>SMU recently came out as #13 in a recent ranking in Forbes magazine, ahead of Notre Dame, MIT, Cornell, and Duke.</p>
<p>I feel better now. ;)</p>
<p>Hm, should I? Sure, if no one's going to ever bring it up, I might as well.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
Our measures begin with student evaluations posted on Ratemyprofessors.com, a nine-year-old site with 6.8 million student-generated evaluations. We look at college graduation rates (as does U.S. News). We also calculate the percent of students winning awards like Rhodes Scholarships and undergraduate Fulbright travel grants. For vocational success we turn to Who's Who in America. Though imperfect, it is the only comprehensive listing of professional achievement that includes undergraduate affiliations.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Soooo, basically:
-How 'good' the professors are
-How many people don't flunk out and get jobs at Burger King
-What percentage become Rhodes scholars and Fulbright scholarships (which plays a bigger decision in Ivy League rankings than small town colleges, historically)
-'Who's Who' decisions</p>
<p>A cursory look at RateMyProfessors and the SMU graduation rate makes me guess that it has a lot of student satisfaction , but it notably lacks in the areas of prestigious scholarships and national recognition. It's a good school but don't get all misty-eyed that you're going to become a Rhodes Scholar because you attended SMU. </p>
<p>At least this new statistic might cut down on the the incessant whining we've had on this forum as of late.</p>
<p>InnovativeBoxx,
As a previous poster said, if you feel that you must go to a very specific university or else you won't be successful, you probably don't have what it takes to be successful in the first place.</p>
<p>Also, GPAs are overrated. They look good on a resume, but if you have nothing else going on they are pretty worthless.</p>
<p>I just knew some elitist would come and attempt to debunk CCAP's ranking methodology, despite having skewed logic in doing so.</p>
<p>^Believe me, GPA is not the only element that I'm counting on to hopefully get admitted. There are several other qualitative factors that I'm leveraging.</p>
<p>In the south, especially Texas, and much more in Dallas, Texas, SMU has a prestige factor that is second to none. No other school in Texas has been able to match it. This association with the school is vitally important to me, because all of my life, I've been an average person - someone who was always overlooked and never thought of.</p>
<p>I want to change my life, starting with my college education. I don't want to graduate from some meaningless state school. I have to start making a name for myself.</p>
<p>I recall the scene in the recent movie, "Milk", where Harvey Milk admits to himself that he hadn't done anything great with his life at the age of 40. I don't want to wait until age 40 until I ask myself a similar question. I want my life to start building value now. I want to be known. I want to be appreciated. I want to be someone special to many people.</p>
<p>That's why I'm so obsessed with this.</p>
<p>Some elitist!? Hello pot, meet kettle. You were the one obsessing over SMU and whether it was posh enough to get you into some other fancy-pantsy college. Elitist my ass. I was accepted to UC but I turned them down and go to a state school. Why? Because UC is not a solution to all my ills nor a guarantee of a great life after graduation. So how's that for elitist; I had a chance at your 'perfect life', was enchanted by it for a few weeks and then woke up and realized that a school name is a little more than a brand and means nothing. You were turning up your nose at SMU just a few days ago because it wasn't 'well known enough' but now that some list ranked it decently, you rally to defend it and accuse everyone else of being elitist. Isn't logic the main thing they test for on the LSAT? Maybe you should be a plumber instead :)</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
InnovativeBoxx
While I do look forward to attending SMU, I have learned that the school (thanks to CC) is not remotely respected (nationally) compared to schools such as Duke, Notre Dame, U of Chicago, etc. This upsets me as I had a former friend who is a a recent Notre Dame graduate, and the 'prestigious' of his school compared to SMU makes me feel inferior and "less than" the Notre Dame graduate. Mind you, there's no guarantee that I'll even be accepted to SMU, and if I'm forced to attend a public university, such as a state school, I will feel even more ashamed of myself.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
CaseSpartan10
What's with the obsession over Notre Dame...
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
InnovativeBoxx
^It's a better school than Southern Methodist University, which means that my former friend was a better person than me. It hurts to think about that.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Your friend certainly sounds like a better person as of now. At least he doesn't sit on forums and whine like a ninny instead of actually studying. You will go to a state school, if at all, and then be bitter about it for the rest of your life. Why? Because you have warped priorities and little brains or will to back up any achievements you claim to want. </p>
<p>So I have at least partially transcended this rankings craziness, while you, small man, are clearly still mired it in. Good luck, but I am afraid you are beyond help. Now please, read some more intelligence books because you clearly have a very, very long way to go.</p>
<p>You can't be serious...</p>
<p>Geez, how many CC members lost their touch with reality? f#$king jokes...</p>
<p>To OP: I seriously hope that the you will heed the previous suggestions by others to seek professional counseling. There are many issues shining through your posts.</p>
<p>InnovativeBoxx, and what's your plan in case you don't get accepted to SMU? Remember, they can accept anyone they want, and you have no guarantee they will accept you even if you have stellar credentials. I have heard stories of people with perfect SAT scores who were rejected from all the elite schools they applied to, because the admissions committee felt they were missing something or were not the right match for the school. So obviously, even if you end up with perfect 4.0 semesters, you still are not guaranteed admission to SMU. Once again, what's your plan in case you don't get accepted to SMU? Do you plan to live depressed the rest of your life? You seem to think that a degree from SMU is a golden ticket to success. It's not.</p>
<p>^Miss Silver, I was just disappointed with you having the audacity to discredit CCAP's ranking list. Please forgive my comments of you being an "elitist." Seeing that list made me feel a little better about my college choice, but you seemed to slap me in the face with your comments.</p>
<p>^pmvd, if I don't get accepted by SMU, yes I predict, I will be very unhappy. I don't have a contingency plan to deal with a rejection by the school. It's the only first tier school in North Texas, so I will be out of luck with attending at least a decent school.</p>
<p>You're still not getting it. It's like talking to a brick wall.</p>
<p>I think you need to analyze why SMU.</p>
<p>When I transferred, I had this huge, crazy long list of reasons why I wanted to transfer and why I wanted to stay and leave my current school.</p>
<p>One of the huge reasons I chose to transfer to the more "prestigious" university is, I'm a bit of a geek and honestly love learning. I wanted to go to a school that (appeared) to put more weight in the act of learning and discovery then the one whose sole goal was to get graduate and get jobs - if that make sense.</p>
<p>...that and my old school didn't have my major. :)</p>
<p>I suggest you actually post at least one 4.0 quarter, then join the military for a few years. If you are a good soldier, sailor, etc. they will pay part or all of your educational costs . If you have good ASVAB's and a good service record, and you showed good academic work for a quarter or two,this might provide a school like SMU with the "plausable deniability" necessary to let you into their program.</p>
<p>Your life has value. There are many worthy things you can do even without a degree.</p>
<p>Get professional help and quit drowning yourself in a cycle of despair that feeds on itself.</p>
<p>I would not want someone like InnovativeBoxx in the military. No offense, but he needs to seek professional help.</p>
<p>I am not a doctor.</p>
<p>However if chocolate chip cookies make you feel substantially better, have your blood sugar checked by your county health service or private physician.</p>
<p>Yes. Let's put him in the military. He's already shown how obsessive (based on previous threads) he can be and he's unsure how to deal with a sudden disaster. Let's put him in a military organization where some soldiers are suffering from PSTD. Maybe, for fun, we'll put some sort of weapon in his hand if he wants to participate in combat.</p>
<p>That's an amazing idea. He should do it.</p>
<p>I talked to a school counselor today about this situation of mine for about an hour. What she told me was similar to what you all have been saying:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>She informed that that this excessive comparing of myself to Roberto (the Notre Dame undergraduate) was not very healthy. While competition is good, this obsession of attempting to 'outdo' Roberto is useless and unproductive.</p></li>
<li><p>My strategy into getting into SMU was well thought out, but would benefit substantially from networking with the school's academic leaders. She emphasized networking with people who could help me reach my goals and could provide credible recommendations.</p></li>
<li><p>I informed her that I felt that my life was of no value to anyone and that I didn't feel intelligent. She then informed me that I was intelligent and definitely had value, but didn't see/recognize it. She commented on my articulate ability, the presence of my voice, the way I project confidence, and the effort I gave to planning (per my meticulous matriculation strategy). She suggested that I started volunteering for a charitable organization to help myself realize the value I have and assistance I could provide.</p></li>
<li><p>I showed her my original post in this thread. Had I not felt the same way, she would have referred to higher level of counseling.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Today, I let it all out and voiced my fears, concerns, and other thoughts. These "I feel inferior and less intelligent" rants of mine on CC have come to a close. I have also noticed a pattern that I tend to post these types of negative things when I'm overstressed, sleep-deprived, and malnourished. After today, I'm going back to the gym 3-5X a week, getting the proper amounts of sleep, and eating a more disciplined diet.</p>
<p>Today was a great day of self-actualization and becoming aware of the fears, concerns, and inner turmoil that have manifested in the creation of threads like these. My apologies to the CC forum members for the annoyance I have been.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your valid advice.</p>
<p>I'm so happy you went to talk with the counselor today. It sounds as though you felt that the experience was a positive one. It might be worthwhile to stop in and talk with her once a week.</p>
<p>It's great you spoke with someone. Just remember that a college is not an indicator of your worth. Best of luck.</p>
<p>All you want is attention and someone to feel sorry for you. Suck it up</p>
<p>I've seen your posts a lot of CC lately and I can say that I genuinely relate to you in multiple aspects.</p>
<p>For one, I understand your concerns over your GPA. I have an extremely low self esteem so in order to combat my feelings of inadequacy, I strive to perfection. I get literally depressed when I do not have straight A's and above a 3.9GPA. In some ways, my perfectionism has taken me to great places because I'm determined to outdo everyone in every ailment in which I appreciate. I do the same at work--I make sure I'm the girl that Is bringing home the most money and working the hardest. Like you, I also feel less intelligent than my peers and in order to prove myself worthy, I strive to be the smartest (I'm a major freak, I ENJOY studying in my free time). I use to complain to anonymous forums about my inadequacy and stupidity only to find that it didn't bring me the satisfaction that I subconsciously needed. The only satisfaction that I've gained about punitive confidence in my intellectual abilities is perseverance. Eventually you'll find a way to cope with your feelings in a productive way without the need of constant counseling. I'm unable to see a counselor due to social anxieties with strangers so I had to think of creative ways to help myself cope. </p>
<p>Now, getting a 3.4 is not the end of the world, even if you feel emotionally like it is (I'd probably cry if I got a 3.4 as well and contemplate suicide). What you have to realize is that the transfer process for second and third year students to a university is a lot more lenient than first year freshmen requirements. A 3.4 is an acceptable GPA for a transfer program (even to more prestigious schools). Also, extracurriculars look excellent on college applications. GPA isn't everything--there are so many factors that go into the decision process that you may be selected over a counterpart that has an impressive 4.0GPA. </p>
<p>Don't defeat yourself until you try. I know it's hard to pull through when plans aren't going exactly as you've planned. You have to cope with the situations that come up and plan around disasters and events that you have not anticipated. I can relate to your plans not going accordingly. I plan on going to medical school in the future and it hurts to know that your plans may not turn out as you once predicted. I've come to the realization that I'm not smart enough to pass the MCATs and have an impressive resume for med school but I don't let it deter me from trying. If it doesn't work, something else will. Just having that attitude puts you a step above everyone and makes you more in depth to tackle challenges.</p>