SMU Update from an Upcoming Sophomore

Colleges and Universities A-Z Southern Methodist University
1

Hey all! I just finished up my freshman year at SMU and I am beyond happy with my decision to attend this institution. Just a bit of background, I am a Finance Major & BBA Scholar who decided to take the plunge into greek life as well. I spent months scanning over College Confidential Forums and found them to be very helpful so I thought I’d give something back.

First of all, my favorite part of SMU, is the people. 99% of people that I’ve met here are motivated, sociable, intellectual, professional, and willing to make a difference. I got involved with many different organizations, including greek life, student senate, etc. and I cannot speak to how much other people have helped me along through my own journey, and how much I have been able to relate to the community of SMU. People who graduate here are the ones going out and becoming the leaders of the Dallas Community, and all over the nation.

Second of all, the administration does a fantastic job running the school. President Turner has absolutely turned this university around and the level that SMU is at will only be increasing (http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2015/june/smu-gerald-turner-president-big-man-on-campus). Turner has raised over 1.5 billion (yes Billion with a B) in his 20 year tenure, and tripled the size of SMU’s endowment. I remember one specific presentation we received in Student Senate where deans from the different SMU schools all helped to give a presentation on how SMU will become on par with the top schools in the country in the next decade or so. I am beyond excited that the value of my SMU Degree will be constantly rising and will be one of the best by the time I’m in the heart of my career.

Third, the level at each of the schools (business, arts, etc.) is amazing:

Cox School of Business:
(The one I know the most about being a Finance student)

Ranked 21st in the nation for undergraduate business (http://www.bloomberg.com/bschools/rankings/undergraduate_mba_profiles/smu.html)
Has some of the top students in the nation by average SAT and ACT scores
Has one of the top finance programs in the entire nation that has absurd placement on wall street, including two outstanding programs that help increase that (the Alternative Asset Management Program (http://www.cox.smu.edu/web/alternative-asset-management/aamc-overview) and the Portfolio Practicum (http://www.cox.smu.edu/web/kitt-investing-and-trading-center/student-managed-portfolios))
Ranked 15th in the nation by Wall Street Oasis for Schools for Wall Street Recruitment (http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/wso-rankings-for-investment-banks-university-power-rankings-part-10-of-10)
LinkedIN 25th best school for investment bankers (https://www.linkedin.com/edu/rankings/us/undergraduate-investment-banking?trk=edu-cp-rank-cat)
Cox is also quoted for being “everything but the official alma mater for the Dallas Business elite”

Lyle School of Engineering:
Home to the ManeFrame, one of the largest supercomputers in the entire world (http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2014/03/21/the-maneframe-smus-new-system-raises-dallas.html)

Meadows School of the Arts:

Home to the #1 Music program in the entire nation (http://college.usatoday.com/2014/06/19/the-top-10-music-colleges-in-the-united-states/)
Recently received $45 million donation (http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20150322-meadows-foundation-gives-smu-45m-largest-gift-in-schools-history.ece)

Simmons School of Education and Human Development:

For all the sports management majors… You’re in Dallas…

We even have the Guildhall, SMU’s 8th school which focuses on video game design!

(to be continued in comments)

2

Fourth, our Athletic Program is on the rise, big time. Our men’s basketball recently won the American Athletic Conference Regular Season Title and the American Athletic Conference Tournament. We were a 6 seed in the NCAA tournament and got upset in the first round by UCLA on a horrendous goaltending call…Anyways, the Mustangs play all of their home games in the newly renovated (http://www.smumustangs.com/facilities/moody-coliseum.html) Moody Coliseum (that was a $47 million renovation), making it one of the best and most fun college basketball experiences in the country (not to mention frequent appearances from Mark Cuba, Tony Romo, George W. Bush, etc.) Our football program recently hired Chad Morris as our new Head Coach for the upcoming season, and he was one of the top offensive coordinators in college football last year at Clemson. Boulevarding for the football games is one of the most fun tailgating experiences in the entire country, and something I waited for every week. We also recently had the NCAA individual champion golfer Bryson Dechambeau (http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/smus-bryson-dechambeau-wins-ncaa-golf-title-31457225). Mens Soccer and Women’s volleyball also enjoyed large successes this season. Last year, SMU also opened a brand new tennis complex, which is one of the best in the nation (https://www.smu.edu/News/2015/tennis-complex-20feb2015).

Fifth, we have the George W. Bush Presidential Center. This constantly attracts people of power from around the world (http://www.smu.edu/News/2015/dalai-lama-at-SMU-1july2015) and provides amazing opportunities for those interested in political science due to the internship programs available at the George W. Bush Center and Library (https://career4.successfactors.com/career?_s.crb=yHVvzrd2HTygnfyQyAlF%252bbpnj%252bI%253d).

Sixth, the social life is amazing. Whether you join greek life of not. Greek life is a large part of the SMU community, yet it is not at all necessary to have a fun an exciting social life at SMU. I personally went greek, and it has been an amazing experience, allowing for me to meet a ton of people who are like me, experience Dallas’ amazing nightlife firsthand (SMU was ranked #1 by playboy for nightlife in 2012/2013 http://www.smudailycampus.com/news/smu-named-no-1-in-nightlife-by-playboy-magazine), and constantly stay involved in SMU events (Homecoming, SingSong, etc.). Our greek life was also recently ranked number 9 by Total Frat Move (http://totalfratmove.com/top-9-universities-for-greek-life-in-the-united-states-of-america/). I also know a lot of people who decided to not go greek, and they love SMU just as much. One of the biggest parts in this, is the implementation of the new Residential Commons System. With the 5 new dorms, SMU now has 11 on-campus dorms and is able to accommodate all freshman and sophomores on campus, and made it a requirement that all freshman and sophomores must live on campus (this can include greek housing). The new dorms are extremely nice and cost over $146 million to build (http://www.smu.edu/News/2014/residential-commons-wrap-21may2014). One of the coolest things about the new residential commons system is the fact that you have a faculty living in your building, your FIR (Faculty-in-Residence). These faculty bring their family to SMU, and they all live in apartments in the bottom of the residential commons. Each of the FIRs and commons directors have different fun actives that allow for everybody to join in. These may include Sunday Night Snacks, trips to movie theaters, trips to Rangers games, trips to museums, in dorms movies, Residential Commons Olympics, etc. The FIRs and Commons’ directors really make you feel at home and provide the comfort that you need if you are ever feeling homesick. You can also find great social events in SMU’s clubs such as Student Senate, Program Council, and Student Foundations, etc. These organizations help to put on some of SMU’s top events every year, such as the celebration of lights and homecoming.

7th, you’re in Dallas, one of the greatest cities in the world.

8th, Fundraising. With SMU turning 100 years old this year, SMU has decided to have the "Second Century Campaign over the last 4 years, SMU has raised almost $1 billion (https://www.smu.edu/SecondCentury/News/CampaignStatusReport/2015May). SMU also recently hired Bain&Co. to help SMU cut down on its costs and redirect spending towards academics, in what is called OE2C (operation excellence for the second century http://blog.smu.edu/OE2C/). This will lead to SMU furthering its academic quality and help it on it’s way to becoming one of the top universities in the the nation.

If you didn’t read all of this, then to sum it up, if you decide to go to SMU, then you are making the best decision of your entire life.

If you have any questions then comment below or feel free to direct message me!