<p>I have been hearing both scenarios below for many private schools, and interest in hearing from current students, recent grads or alums of SMU as to what their impression is.</p>
<p>Is SMU:</p>
<p>(1) A conservative, preppy school where rich Southern kids go to party in fraternities before coming back home to work in the family business</p>
<p>(2) A highly rated liberal arts school, that is very selective, hard to get into, and provides an overall great education.</p>
<p>Somewhat a combination of both. Although I would not classify the school as “very selective,” there are bright students on campus. The university awards quite a bit of merit aid and seems to be attempting to attract students with high GPA’s, standardized test scores, etc. The University Honors program offers small, discussion-based classes - a plus for academically-inclined students. I feel diversity is improving also. That being said, Greek life is huge on campus and many students look like cookie cutter replicas of “the perfect prep.” There is no shortage of partying (probably the case on most college campuses), but each student makes the decision with whom he or she chooses to associate.</p>
<p>Any truth to the rumor that the campus empties out on weekends due to 1) High percentage of Dallas/TX students and 2) High percentage of very wealthy students who travel because they can?</p>
<p>@Belasco88 I would say that SMU has some real areas to work on, but that is one where we do very well. SMU and Dallas are where everybody wants to be on the weekends because this is where everything fun goes on! Since coming to SMU I haven’t spent a summer at home because I can’t even tear myself away. Most folks aren’t from around here and can’t easily go home. People tend to travel on fall break weekend and spring break, but otherwise this is the center of gravity on the weekends.</p>
<p>^Is this really accurate, though, johnangle? I’d be surprised if the majority of SMU students aren’t from around the DFW metroplex and Texas, in general. The vast majority of students that I meet ARE from Texas – and most seem to be from Dallas, Fort Worth, the surrounding communities (within a few hours of Dallas), and Houston. The last time I saw statistics on this (years ago), this was true. Is it no longer true?</p>
<p>And, I’m nearly certain that the vast majority of students go home for fall, winter, spring, and summer breaks. And some go on really expensive trips on those breaks – enough of them to notice and to wonder about where their parents find the resources. In that way, SMU is NOT the typical college experience, imo. (But it may be the typical private school experience.) </p>
<p>I will agree that the majority of students seem to hang around SMU and the surrounding area on weekends. So that should not be a concern, Belasco88. There are plenty of fun things to do at SMU and in Dallas. It seems to me that most students stick around and enjoy those things.</p>
<p>Hi, Rice1961! I’m a parent, not a student or alum. I hope it’s okay to comment.</p>
<p>I’m sure you realize that your question is loaded, right? I mean, you only gave two choices, and neither one is an accurate portrayal of SMU, imo.</p>
<p>Between your two choices, I’d say it’s much more like the second choice than the first.</p>
<p>Given your selection of words to describe it, I’d say it’s more of a conservative, preppy school that is populated by lots of southern kids. And it’s somewhat highly rated; it’s somewhat selective; I don’t think it’s really that hard to get into, beyond the fact that it’s somewhat selective and getting more selective each year; and it provides an excellent, meaningful education that is, in my family’s experience, highly personal.</p>
<p>A portion of the student body does seem to do a lot of partying. A portion goes Greek. But there are (I THINK) similarly sized portions that don’t party a lot and don’t go Greek. </p>
<p>There is, imo, a “rich culture” subset there. And I don’t mean that phrase in a good way. I don’t appreciate materialism. I don’t care for the richy-rich-kid thing. Some come across as entitled. And some seem to think (even will say) that they somehow “earned” their monied privileges.</p>
<p>But the vast majority of the kids I’ve met, and certainly the majority of my son’s friends, are down to earth, solid, kind, good people who are there to learn and take in all that SMU has to offer them.</p>
<p>There are good aspects to the “rich” thing. Opportunities and funding abound. Students and their families get personal care and attention when needed. It’s a very aesthetically pleasing campus. Overall, the fact that the school and its attendees have money is a really good thing, imo. It’s just that I find the somewhat small, but noticeable-enough subset of “rich kids” off-putting at times. But one has to take the bad with the good. My overall impression of SMU’s student body is a very good one!</p>
<p>In sum, I think SMU is a great school with caring faculty and staff, and where amazing opportunities are there for the taking.</p>
<p>Thanks SimpleLife. Yes, I suppose most private schools have an affluent student body. We really like SMU’s campus, the programs, the small classes, its connection to Dallas, its network, the neighborhood, the new Bush Library, its intramurals, its Greek houses, the fact that students are from all over the country, its location in the middle of the country near a major airport, that kids have to live on campus for 2 years and more. I could go on… </p>
<p>But the two big things standing in our way is the lack of student attendance at sporting events/school spirit AND more so, its reputation for oodles of money being flaunted by students. The kids I know who go to school at SMU spend breaks in the Bahamas, Costa Rica and on boats in the Caribbean. They host their own birthday parties at gorgeous Dallas restaurants with car service for their guests and go dining/clubbing quite a bit on the weekends. So in that sense, it lacks the quintessential college experience (dorm parties, football games, starving students going out for pizza on Friday night dressed in school colors, sitting on the sorority house porch and watching the boys drive boy, serenades, ). However, I will be the first to admit that I don’t know very many people at SMU, but the ones I know are living a lifestyle that I would say is better suited for 25 year olds in South Beach.</p>
<p>I have to say (and this is comming from a parent’s view) that what some might consider a lack of “the quintessential college experience” has more to do with SMU being in the vibrant city of Dallas, as opposed to being on a college campus where everything revolves around the university. I’m not saying one is better than the other, they both just offer different college experiences and appeal to different types of students. That being said, I would disagree that SMU lacks school spirit. Students appear very passionate about many things having to do with the university and have a wonderful school pride. Although not every student (and yes, many DO attend games) goes into the stadium for a football game, they are out participating in the wonderful boulavarding experience and coming together as a student community. Fraternity serenades do happen and lack of “dorm parties” have more to do with the fact that primarily only first year students live in dorms (this will be changing to first year and second year students) and the students (first year students included) gather at other student’s apartments instead. First year students still have a wonderful time in the dorms and I know my daughter still talks about the fun she had spending late nights talking with her floormates and ordering late night food.</p>
<p>As far as the concern about spring break destinations I think there is a WIDE variety of what actually happens. Some do go to amazing destinations, but MANY (my daughter included) still go home or road trip to typical spring break destinations here in the U.S. Several others also do an Alternative Break option that is wonderful. There also doesn’t seem to be an “I’m going to a better place than you” mentality. </p>
<p>Please feel free to message me if you have any specific questions that you may want to ask.</p>
<p>Rice1961 - Got your PM and wrote a very lengthy response, but it wouldn’t send it as I guess you now need 15 posts to send a PM (odd as last year, I did PM with someone else, so this must be a newer restriction). Feel free to PM me an email address and I will be happy to respond.</p>
<p>@SimpleLife The undergrad percentage of in-state/out of state/International is (this year) 42/53/5. I don’t have a breakdown of the 42% of Texans, however there are tons from Houston and good numbers from Austin, as well.</p>
<p>I think that because so many of us are not an easy trip home (mine is 11 hours) that the Texans for the most part stay on weekends because many of the rest of us stay. But yes - fall, winter, spring, and summer breaks people are not typically on campus. </p>
<p>Greek percentage at the end of second semester (after people have gone through recruitment and initiations) is roughly 38%. So, non-Greeks are the majority.</p>
<p>^Wow. That is very interesting, johnangle! And I’m really glad to hear it! The last I checked, Texans made up the majority. I love that it’s becoming a more diverse campus. Thank you so much for checking – and for posting! :)</p>
<p>I did think the Greek subset was a minority. That’s how it strikes me when I visit. I’m not sure why SMU continues to have such a “Greek reputation.” But I’m really glad you looked into these statistics!</p>
<p>My daughter really wants to go Greek, but is not a partier. I’m sure she will party some in college, but I don’t see her being a big partier. I think she wants to go Greek more for the comraderie then for the partying. So, if she goes Greek, will there be a whole lot of partying, and if so, will she be expected to attend/participate?</p>
<p>@cgoshell, your daughter definitely does not have to be a “partier” if she decides to go Greek. Every sorority has groups of girls who party a lot, a bit, and not that much. That’s just how it is. Since she already knows she wants to do it more for the comraderie, she’ll be more than fine.</p>
<p>@go2mom, SMU is not as conservative as everyone seems to think, just like it’s not as Greek or Texan-populated. The student body ranges from liberal to conservative and all in between because SMU doesn’t go around preaching the conservative agenda. Honestly, most of the time on campus I forget about politics all together.
And SMU’s recently made great strides with the LGBT community by holding several forums and making sure members of the LGBT community feel no different from any other Mustang–because they’re not.</p>
<p>@cgoshell, I’m a current rising Junior at SMU and in a panhellenic sorority. Your daughter will find her place in a sorority if she keeps an open mind about recruitment. There is a place for everyone who wants to participate in the Greek system because of the multitude of interests represented there. There are girls in my sorority whom I can go out with if I want to one night, and there are others whom I can stay in with and watch a movie if I want to. Girls are not “expected” to party if they’re in a sorority, but they can if they want to!</p>
<p>@go2mom, I know a number of gay and atheist students who are treated the same as any other student on campus. </p>
<p>@SMUMom, I agree with everything you say. The people who go to spring break destinations in the Caribbean are definitely in the minority. I know more people who go home or to Florida than an expensive island. Alternative Break trips are EXTREMELY popular on campus, and fill up very quickly. I tried to sign up for one for spring break and was too late this year!</p>
<p>I definitely agree with the last few posts about Greek life, as well as tolerance and diversity on campus. Those are both areas that we are always striving to improve upon. For the most part, SMU students embrace the diversity found on our campus - it is part of what makes the college experience unique! Every Mustang will be valued - gay, straight, atheist, Buddhist, white, Latino, short, tall, in state, out of state, and so on… Despite our differences, what we all have in common is a love for SMU.</p>
Feel free to PM me an email address and I will be happy to respond.</p>