<p>Hi,
I'm a senior in high school in the midst of college apps. I plan on going in as a journalism major and minor in something else (since most schools require Journalism majors to do a minor/double major.) Next week I will be visiting SMU (and hopefully TCU if there's time.) I've been researching both schools and, for the most part, I like what I see, especially SMU. The academics seem manageable but exciting, the campuses are gorgeous and so are Dallas/Ft. Worth, there's actually school spirit, there's internships within the area during the school year/summer, and there's tons of clubs/activities to be part of.</p>
<p>That said, I've been looking around on CC and College ******* and I'm a little concerned about the two schools' attitudes regarding northerners/East Coast students. I'm from Massachusetts and while I don't fit the typical liberal mold and have some conservative tendencies (especially considering that I live in Mass.), I'm pretty sure I would fall under the left-wing category at both schools. So far, I've seen these trends on the Internet:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>SMU/TCU is only known in Texas/South. It's impossible to get a job anywhere else.</p></li>
<li><p>SMU/TCU are friendly...but they don't like people above the Mason-Dixon Line.</p></li>
<li><p>There really isn't much interaction between different racial and ethnic groups.</p></li>
<li><p>Not in Greek Life? No social life for you!</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Can any current students, alumni, parents, etc. please tell me if these statements are very true, somewhat true, or completely blown out of proportion? Right now, I'm leaning toward applying EA for SMU. Of course, I know that there will be some people who think that way, but if most of the students feel this way, then that's a little bit concerning.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>okay, Idk why it didn’t show the world, but I’m referring to the website CP…hopefully people understand what I mean =P</p>
<p>I think it is great that you are visiting the SMU campus next week…ask these questions while you are there.</p>
<p>siliconvalleymom, do you have children that go to SMU? If so, how do they like it? was it hard for them to adjust to SMU/Texas?</p>
<p>I’m not an SMU parent, but I have visited the SMU campus and toured. I think the campus and surrounding neighborhood is beautiful, and we found the students to be friendly and welcoming.
Interestingly, the state with the second largest number of students at SMU (after Texas) is California. The next two states sending the most students, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education’s report on freshmen enrollment enrolling in fall 2010, were Florida and Illinois.</p>
<p>I have a good friend and a cousin at SMU right now… one’s studying voice, the other’s a “lax bro” studying finance! The friend is from here, CA, and the cousin’s from CT. They both LOVE IT and don’t feel “excluded” for where they’re from at all.</p>
<p>I am glad you are going to visit. That should answer many of your questions. I lived not far from SMU for almost 30 years and know many graduates. It is a nice campus and the area around it is nice, but Dallas is not very beautiful on the whole. SMU is VERY preppy and Greek and has a “rich kids” reputation, which is not unfounded. That said, most students love it. The academics are OK- I am not overly impressed except for a few disciplines. Grads do find a lot of connections and networking in the DFW area. In this economy, not as much outside the area. UTexas and A&M tend to trump.</p>
<p>I’m a high schooler and my mom is a TCU alum. We live on the east coast and we see cars with TCU stickers fairly often. She was from the midwest and way back then, there was a huge contingent of students from the KC/StL/Chicago area, and one of her roommates was from Long Island. She is still in touch with a couple of her professors and said that you should know that TCU’s school of journalism is good. They have a big relationship with Bob Scheiffer, and his program brings speakers in both there and in Washington DC. She gets lots of alum news about it. Forth Worth is very different than Dallas, even though they’re less than an hour apart. Definitely visit if you can – it can help decide whether or not it’s for you.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone so much! I appreciate the info :D</p>