<p>I'm currently a senior and am really considering SMU. I just have a few concerns about the dominating greek life at SMU.</p>
<p>If I choose to not join a sorority, will I feel miserable with no social life? (I heard that sororities at SMU cost around $2k/year and I do not have the money). I do plan on joining a lot of organizations and being really active.</p>
<p>How does SMU treat minorities? I'm a small Asian girl from CA who currently goes to a school with a 80% Asian population.</p>
<p>I read somewhere that SMU cuts down financial aid/grants after the first year. Is this true?</p>
<p>I’m glad to hear you are considering SMU! I am a current senior at SMU, and had been concerned about greek life myself when I was considering colleges. By the numbers, about 35% of our student body is involved with greek life, which includes multicultural greek groups in addition to the “traditional” PanHellenic and IFC ones. Yes, the traditional sororities all cost upwards of $2k a year here. You can have a fabulous experience at SMU without joining a sorority! There are so many other organizations to be a part of, and because we have deferred recruitment (students rush in January) everyone has friends who are greek and who are not. If you really want the sorority feel, you could consider joining one of the multicultural sororities. They do big/little, volunteer, host events, and are a great community that only costs a few hundred dollars each year.</p>
<p>You will be treated just fine. Everyone at SMU is really friendly </p>
<p>I’m not sure about grants, but for any scholarships the amount stays the same for all 4 years, and you are eligible to continue receiving the scholarship as long as you keep your GPA above a certain point (like a 3.0)</p>
<p>I hope that helps! The best way for you to see if SMU is the right fit is to visit!</p>
<p>How generous is SMU towards giving scholarships? I desperately need a scholarship but my SAT superscore is only 2090 and GPA is 3.92. Is it possible to get a scholarship? </p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, are you a part of a sorority? </p>
<p>With those stats you are likely to get offered a scholarship. SMU is very generous with scholarships. About 80% of our student body gets help of some sort whether it is merit or need based. No, I am not part of a sorority. By the time recruitment came around I already had an awesome friend group, I had found a campus group I was really passionate about, and I didn’t feel like I had the time or money to dedicate to it.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the response! SMU is my #1 school but I was concerned with the whole “rich, spoiled, and preppy” stereotype. Now, I feel relieved that the stereotypes aren’t necessarily true! </p>
<p>There are many students that fit the stereotype. There are many that do not. You should visit to find out how you feel on campus. My student’s grant got cut the second year, but our income had gone up. But, when we had a hardship the following year, they were great about processing an appeal and increased the need based grant. Also, there additional scholarships offered throughout your time there, you just have to look out for them and apply.
You should qualify for merit based scholarships with those stats!</p>
<p>She loved it. It was a really good fit. She was in a sorority, and the first year is expensive, as you say. But, when you live in the house, it is about $3-4000 less than the dorms or a nearby apartment. It was easy to get involved on campus in many charitable and leadership groups. There are also additional scholarships offered by the school for upper classmen. If you get work study, there are lots of on campus jobs.
And, the stereotype is true to an extent. Except that they are mean or intolerant. Students there are as friendly as any other group of kids.</p>
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