Any questions you have about the university, ask away!
Hello,
My son just finished touring SMU/Lyle today. He thought the campus was top notch, but was surprised how small the engineering dept was( computer engineering major). The other schools he is considering are Cal Poly Slo and Gonzaga . Would you give us a little more information on the differences between the programs or what makes Lyle stand apart. I am familiar with the advantages of a small private school, so Iām mainly referring to the engineering program.
For reference, I am not part of the ECE department within Lyle (at SMU, Computer Engineering recently merged with the Electrical Engineering department to become ECE; previously computer engineering was part of the computer science department, now CS is its own separate department), so this will be my opinion only. You are correct that the ECE department is one of the smaller engineering departments at SMU. It is ABET accredited like the programs at Cal Poly and Gonzaga. But I think one of the biggest highlights to ECE is the amount of research grants and development that are being continually brought in from companies like Raytheon, L3, and Texas Instruments, specifically. You also have the Dallas network to leverage in terms of internships, research opportunities, and co-ops. Companies actively recruit from Lyle/ECE and seek out our majors for various roles (cyber security, systems engineering, software development, integration and testing, data science, etc).
In terms of the school itself, I genuinely love how small Lyle is. Classes are small, professors not only know you by name but get to know students personally, you have dedicated advising, you can double major in other areas outside of Lyle, endless opportunities to get involved on campus, etc.
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Would like to read your thoughts & impressions about SMUās theatre (acting & singing) dept. & on-campus productions & singing/acting opportunities in the Dallas area.
Hopefully, my niece will apply to SMU as her first choice school, but would have to be convinced to turn down college tuition free at Georgia or Georgia Tech.
Full transparency, I canāt tell you much about their acting and singing department, since I am in the Lyle School of Engineering and Meadows (where singing and acting are housed) is an entirely different school within SMU. That said, by reputation alone, I can tell you that I hear nothing but amazing things about the Meadows School from current students and I often attend performances in Meadows, which Iāve greatly enjoyed.
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@Pebbles116 thanks for the info! My kid is comparing Purdue and SMU computer engineering. Both have exploratory first years.
Do any of the engineering majors have restrictive admissions after the first year? What would you describe as some of the strides that Lyle has made over the last few years and is there any detail on its strategic plan for the upcoming couple years?
Yes, ALL majors at SMU Lyle have restrictive admissions, meaning that when you are accepted to Lyle, you are only accepted as an engineering āpre-major,ā with a dedicated pre-major advisor. You still have to complete the subset requirements (varies by major and department) in order to declare the major. If you fail to meet the subset requirements, then you canāt declare said Lyle major and you will be forced to choose a different major outside of Lyle (often students who donāt meet subset requirements in Lyle choose an alternate major like math, statistics, or economics in Dedman College). Not meeting the subset requirements is less likely to happen in Computer Engineering because the departmentās subset requirements arenāt nearly as rigorous as Management Science or Computer Science or Mechanical Engineering in Lyle.
Right now SMU and Lyle specifically are focused on the āRoad to R1,ā which means our new Provost is actively trying to make SMU a Research Level 1 institution like Brown and BC and Cornell and Dartmouth, etc, so our focus is on bringing in high level/funded research grants and recruiting both high performing UG and grad students to aid in that effort, both in terms of academic quality but research/PhD opportunities.
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What is your experience with the University Honors Program? I know it has a great curriculum and small classes but do a lot of Lyle students participate in UHP? I have heard it might be more beneficial and enriching for dedman students? My son will be an incoming CS freshmen and we couldnāt accept online just now without committing yes or no to the UHP
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Real talk, the UHP sounds great in the brochure but I would pass on it. Itās more difficult Common Curriculum (CC) requirements for no real benefit. It doesnāt appear on your diploma (only on your transcript), which most companies for internships donāt even look at or care about (UHP specifically). Instead, I would encourage your son to pass on the UHP and put the extra energy into excelling in his CC and core courses for the major and focus on getting internships and campus extra curricular experience. The majority of students who join the UHP their freshman year drop it by their sophomore or junior year. I just donāt feel like the payoff is worth the extra stress those classes bring.
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Thank you so much! This is so helpful!!!
To add to this, since your son is CS, he will be HEAVILY challenged in his first few CS courses and math courses, he will need to put his energy into time management, organization, learning how to problem solve and seeking help from his professors and advisor. Most students think they know how to do all of that but then they have their first real coding assignment and they soon learn how much work they need to do in those areas.
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@Pebbles116
Our son is likely heading to SMU as a freshman this coming fall and is wanting to do the premed track. We are trying to compare SMUās premed track to the premed track at the University of Miami as that is the only other school on his radar.
What are the strong points of the premed track at SMU? What do students in the premed program think of it? Do students who are successful in the premed at SMU have good opportunities for med school when graduating?
These look like real outcomes, not all pre-health lumped together and not just the top students. Over the last three years, SMU has averaged 80 applicants to med school and 45 were accepted (56.4% acceptance rate) which is 13% better than the U.S. average. The average SMU GPA of accepted candidates was 3.76 and science GPA was 3.70. My D20 is pre-PT and has some pre-med friends. Theyāre off to a great start.
Thank you for the info!!
What @tristatecoog said! Also at SMU, we have many students who do majors outside of biology, chemistry, etc, but still have the end goal of going to medical school (they just take the required courses for med school). There are MANY options availableāsome of the more popular majors are Management Science, Mechanical Engineering with Biomed track, Spanish (or alternate language), and management in Cox.
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Hey - i have a separate post soliciting input, but my daughter is deciding between SMU and Wake forest. I know you canāt directly compare thoseā¦but from an SMU perspective.
She is in the Cox school via direct admit (not BBA scholar though). Love the school and feel it would really match her interests in business and provide awesome opportunities in Dallas.
The question always comes back to the āfitā - and the preppy/rich/party feel of the school. She actually loves that and was part of the draw initially - she is into fashion and style, but also a serious student and not a wild partier. To be clear, she is not arty or nerdy by any means. Sheās just a fairly normal, upper-middle-class kid who is serious about school and wants to have fun also. Join a sorority (that fits her), be in clubs, have the full experience.
How do you see the environment, especially for girls - and in particular if you know anything about the Cox school environment, which i know biases to Greeks.
I am confident that your daughter will be a great fit. I strongly believe that SMU is large enough to provide my engineering/business non-Greek desiring S22 plenty of friends and ways to thrive. I know that my D20 who is at SMU in the dorms is very happy. Sheās serious about school (whew!), joined a sorority and has learned to say no when she doesnāt want to go out. She has a roommate whoās in Cox and isnāt in a sorority. Sheās doing quite well.
There are pre-med, Cox, Dedman and others in my daughterās sorority. During rush, your daughter will find her sorority fit in terms of the right mix of fun, style and studiousness. That will certainly not be an issue. PSAā¦that the majority of kids donāt pledge but join clubs of all sorts and are thriving. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.
To be honest, Wake Forest and SMU have VERY similar cultures and vibes. Based on everything youāve described, I think your daughter will fit in and LOVE SMU. Yes, Greek life is a big draw on campus, but so are a million other organizations that she can join. Also I think you will find that majority of students, especially in the Lyle School of Engineering and Cox School of Business, are very academically focused and strive for excellence. Yes, there is a culture of partying at SMU, but the majority of my students are extremely high achievers with amazing grades, tons of school involvement, and internship prospects.
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Thanks for your insights! Agree they are similar cultures. Time is running short but she seems to be leaning SMUā¦itās the place she first ālovedā. But with 2 great options she is paralyzed by how to say ānoā to one that also seems so great. We want it to be her decision, but will provide our perspective / direction if it comes to that.
Hello! I just received an email stating that applications for the Hegi Scholars program have opened. Is it worth applying for? I am an incoming BM Vocal Performance major and arts management minor in the UHP. Will this add anything to my experience? The program looks wonderful I just want to make sure itās worth the time. Opinions would be greatly appreciated. I want to pursue a career in event coordinating for arts organizations (theater, opera house, ballet company, etc). Thank you so very much!
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