<p>Hi, I'm going to be a junior in High School and have been researching numerous private universites, considering I'm not very interested in large state schools. I had a 3.2 at the end of freshman year and worked really hard my sophomore year to get a 3.5. I'm super dedicated to getting into a good school because I want to get accepted into a law school in Chicago.
I came across SMU, and it looks like a good school academic wise. I have heard the rumors of it being for the snobby rich students, that I don't believe because on the tennis team I'm on, plenty of kids have money but don't talk about it at all or ignorant about their money. </p>
<p>So I just wondering how it compares to Loyola University Chicago because I plan on majoring in Economics and SMU has said to have a good bussiness undergraduate program. If their are any other good private schools in Texas or Chicago please let me know.</p>
<p>I can’t really help you compare the two universities, but…</p>
<p>I recently visited SMU this Spring, and I can definitely say it is not that “snobby rich kid” school. I encountered several students and they were all extremely helpful and friendly! They made me feel right at home and talked to me like I have known them for years!</p>
<p>Hi, I’m going to be a smu freshmen in the fall. </p>
<p>I just got back from orientation and met with alot of people. I didn’t meet any rich snobby kids at all. Sure the guys were wearing lacoste, ralph lauren, etc and the girls were all caring chanel and louis vuitton bags but they were all nice people. I’m sure there are some kids like that but I didn’t come across any of them. </p>
<p>SMU is also going up on the us news week and report rankings. We’ve been constantly moving up thanks to the works of our president turner. I expect that SMU will be in the top 50 schools in the US after this year’s reranking.</p>
<p>I have several friends at smu in numerous honors program as well as the President’s Scholars program. They have met with some rich snobby kids and said that it’s a small group of kids at smu now. However, the general population is not exactly the most intellectual if you’re a high power academic student with a 4.0 GPA and 2200+ sat score. The more intelligent kids tend to band together at the Virginia Snider dorm and create a great community. </p>
<p>I can talk a little bit about Cox as well as i am a BBA Scholar. Roughly half the students at smu are business majors. I cant comment on the classes yet but the network potential is phenomenal. I believe smu was or is ranked #2 in the nation for potential to network with the majority of the network through Cox. </p>
<p>Also if you receive the President’s Scholar, you gain access to the PS network. The PS network is just fantastic. many of them go on to top 10 law schools, get jobs at mckinsey, goldman, etc. </p>
<p>Then there’s TCU in fort worth. I’m mentioning them bc they’re a private school. they’re smu’s nemesis. Only thing that they’re better than smu is football. smu is better than tcu at everything else by far.</p>
<p>if you need anymore info about the president’s scholar program or anything else, feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Agree - definitely come down and visit (although very hot this summer). My D will be a dancer and they have a nationally ranked dance program. So not just known for Business, Engineering and Law School. Beautiful campus as well.</p>
<p>Hi! Yes I went to visit the school about 3 weeks ago! and I’m in lovee with it now! You guys are right, everyone is so nice and thank you for the feedback
I really hope i get accepted. I’m barely starting my junior year so hopefully!</p>
<p>I’m a current sophomore at SMU majoring in Accounting. The Cox Business School is by far one of the best schools in the country. We’re ranked #1 in the Economist for networking and Dallas is ranked 2nd in terms of the number of Fortune 500 Companies headquartered here. If you want a job after college I couldn’t think of a better place to get an undergraduate degree. All of my professor are extremely approachable and interesting. The dean of the business school teaches on of my classes which shows how focused the school is on undergraduates. My last accounting professor did corporate takeovers and took several prominent companies like Restoration Hardware public. All of the teachers here have real world experience and connections, but they’re also extremely kind. On Monday, one of my professors had his wife bake us chocolate chip cookies because it was going to be a tough lecture day. I love it here and I can’t think of a better place to be for business!</p>
<p>I am a sophomore SMU student, and I cannot speak well enough about the Cox Business school or SMU in general. As smulove previously mentioned, Dallas is a fantastic place to be for job opportunities in business as well as other professions. Not only does it provide a fantastic social environment for young professionals, it also has one of the best economies in the nation with excellent opportunities in the workforce. </p>
<p>Being from out of state, I was also initially apprehensive about the stereotype that you might hear applied to SMU students. But, to be completely honest, I had never felt so welcomed at a university as I felt after visiting SMU. The students are extremely friendly and worldly, and though many do come from affluent families they respect and value their possessions in a not showy fashion. I am amazed every day at how well-rounded, well-travelled, and well-spoken my peers are.</p>
<p>If you are looking for a fantastic private university, SMU is a great option. I couldn’t be happier here and I wish you the best of luck in your search!</p>
<p>SMU is in the midst of an identity crisis:
They want to be a big sports school, but they are not.
They claim to want to attract academically-inclined students, but once matriculated a student may feel academics are not a priority.</p>
<p>I’m a senior and sense no identity crisis here, only dynamism, success, and opportunity. I’m sorry that your student is having trouble adjusting to college.</p>
<p>Zeb - I agree with John. My son is very successful at SMU and he has had amazing opportunities as well. </p>
<p>From your posts it seems like your son is having trouble adjusting at SMU. I’m sorry to hear that and please consider getting some help. </p>
<p>My child is doing well because he APPLIES himself. He is staying up many nights and not getting much sleep so he can get good grades. The professors are EASILY accessible and he has seen them on a daily basis after class to get help. You couldn’t get that kind of attention at UT Austin. No way. The academics are outstanding but it is up to the student to take advantage of that. College isn’t easy. In fact is very HARD. Also, there are TA’s that have office hours to help students with their studies too. SMU goes above and beyond in my opinion. </p>
<p>Also, your comment about the football team is silly. All football teams want to be #1! Who doesn’t. As far as having the High School football game at SMU - I think that is awesome because High School Football in TEXAS is a big deal. My child has to move his car to the other side of campus every once in awhile and that doesn’t bother him. </p>
<p>If your son he isn’t doing well, I would advise both of you to talk to his academic adviser to seek help and direction.</p>
<p>By the way, did you notice that you brought forward a post from 12/2011 or a year old! :)</p>
<p>Yes, I noticed. Our family read posts for several years back when looking at colleges.</p>
<p>As for professors being accessible, this is true depending on what professor the student happens to have. My child has some fabulous professors - absolutely passionate about teaching and interested in the success of each student Unfortunately this is not the case with every professor s/he has. Not all are “easily accessible.” I presume your son does not have experience with each and every professor on campus, so perhaps you should not make a broad statement concerning availability of professors. I also feel you should not make a statement regarding the professors at UT. We have a family friend who retired from teaching there - I can guarantee you, s/he was quite accessible and quite passionate during his/her tenure at that university.</p>
<p>It’s wonderful that your son is doing well and applying himself. However, you are naive to assume my issues with SMU stem from a failing student. S/he is a straight A student at SMU… “prestigious” scholardhip, University Honors, blah, blah, blah. Just this week s/he was asked by a professor to tutor a Junior premed student in a difficult science class. Thank you for your advice, but speaking with an academic adviser is not necessary. And before you respond with socialization suggestions, yes, s/he is plugged into clubs, etc. </p>
<p>SMU can host as many games as it chooses. Just don’t do on during finals. A university should be first an institution of higher learning.</p>
<p>Zeb, it seems as though you’re trying to find any reason to complain about SMU not being a good school</p>
<p>Hosting a game on finals week has absolutely NO impact on whether students will do well or not. Moving a car takes less than 10 minutes. If 10 minutes is going to impact a persons success in a class, that says more about their abilities and lack of than anything having to do with the school.</p>
<p>We didn’t even have to move our cars and could park wherever we wanted. I had a final today, and a football game this evening did not impact my academic success ha ha.</p>
<p>Not everyone lives on campus. Assuming every student is experiencing an identical situation is naive. </p>
<p>I was in the area during the game and parking WAS an issue. Park-n-pony actually suggested my student park remotely and take Mustang Express. This IS added stress before an exam. </p>
<p>SMU makes money by hosting events such as this game. It’s all about the almighty dollar.</p>
<p>Johnangle, I’m curious what game you are referencing… the high school playoff was at 2:00 in the afternoon.</p>
<p>You’re right - many people like myself live off campus. I found a spot on the third floor of Binkley with literally no issue when I drove in at 9, and there were tons of spots at the north end of campus when I moved my car at 2-ish around start time. My 9:30 exam went great fwiw, and I was on-campus until 6:30 working on a research paper. </p>
<p>From the provost: "Faculty, staff, and students who are driving vehicles with valid SMU parking stickers may park in any university parking lot at no cost on Saturday. Parking attendants will be briefed on this policy, and will allow any vehicle with a valid SMU parking sticker to park in any available university lot. </p>
<p>Faculty, staff, and students driving vehicles with valid SMU parking stickers who are already parked in lots being used for visitor parking do not need to relocate their vehicles to other parking lots… The Airline garage will also be reserved exclusively for students, faculty, and staff."</p>
<p>I just find it really bizarre that you are so upset by the football game parking that you registered on CC and began posting abou it. Related to the title of this thread, I wrapped up my small, interactive Audit class yesterday taught by the top professor in the field in a highly-ranked business school. Today am finishing a history independent study for departmental distinction where I work one-one-one with the department chair. SMU IS a good private university but we aren’t in a vacuum and there are people that come on campus to use our facilites.</p>
<p>Also from the provost in the same document you quoted:</p>
<p>“We regret any inconvenience caused by this event. Going forward, we will ensure that the academic calendar is consulted prior to scheduling special events.”</p>
<p>Students were not asked to move their cars nor were they required to pay additional money to park on campus if they had a parking pass.</p>
<p>Complaining that the Park’n’Pony office offered your daughter a solution to her concerns about parking (ie. riding the convenient Mustang Express) seems strange. Clearly, the University is interested in ensuring that students don’t have any issues finding parking during events like the playoffs that are hosted on campus. </p>
<p>The Mustang Express runs through campus every 15 minutes and plentiful parking for the service can be found just right across the highway at Mockingbird Station. It’s great that SMU offers students additional (and free) options for campus transportation. You don’t have to have a car or a parking pass to get to and from campus!</p>
<p>I was wondering if any of you out there are pre-med majors and what you think of the school? I realize SMU is fab for business, but my child is interested in medicine. Any insight would be appreciated. Mom of a junior HS</p>