What's the reputation of SMU in Dallas?
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Anonymous
| Is it a school for preppy southerners who leach of of parents $ or is it a really good small private? |
Anonymous
| I'm afraid the reputation is of the former, but it's actually a good small private. I'm from Texas and have many family (including my sister and cousin) and friends who attended SMU. It's generally thought of as a school for those who don't have the grades for schools like the University of Texas or Tulane. The Greek system is HUGE and plays a big role in campus life. Like many other similar schools, there's a lot of drinking and a lot of drugs. There are also a lot of very wealthy (and by wealthy, I mean, Texas-in-your-face-flashy wealthy not the type of wealth you'd have at many Ivies or NE colleges). Which is not to say that many of these wealthy students aren't perfectly nice, great people. |
Anonymous
| Republican. Conservative. Oops, redundant! |
Anonymous
| Rich kids school |
Anonymous
This is pretty much right on. Signed, A displaced Texan |
Anonymous
| An associate in our firm went there. Super nice, but has a reputation as an entitled airhead. Doesn't get how "the other half" lives...even though she's now a part of the other half. |
Anonymous
I have personally seen REALLY dumb/airheads from many top schools in both law school and at firms. These experiences influence your opinion of the school, but no one could really have the statistically significant number of personal encounters to pass judgment. For what it's worth, the top 25 schools that I've seen "airheads" from include Harvard, Yale, UVA and Cal Berkley. |
Anonymous
| My firm only hires from top schools and we, of course, get our share of hires who turn out to be not so impressive ( law of averages). The college one attended often says more about their parents than it does about them. |
Anonymous
+1. Texas version of GW. |
Anonymous
Academically that may be true, but a degree from SMU opens doors in the Dallas area, I don't think GW has anything close to that alum network. |
Anonymous
| It known in Texas as "Southern Millionaire's University". Basically a place for kids whose parents could afford to send them anywhere, but they couldn't get into an Ivy/or equivalent. Of course, there are some really smart scholarship kids too, just like everywhere else. |
Anonymous
| I received a full scholarship to SMU for grad school (MBA) and it was actually a decently challenging program. I also got into some other excellent programs, including Columbia and UCLA, but it was hard to pass up that free ride. In the end, I think it was beneficial and interesting to be in such a different (from the coasts) part of the country for a couple of years. Don't regret it one bit. |
Anonymous
| Party rich kid school |
Anonymous
| Pay your fees, get your Bs. It's not known as a school for the intellectuals. |
Anonymous
Get a job - let the intellectuals stay at home and ponder the meaning of life as they gaze at their navels. SMU makes no sense for someone planning to live the DMV. Go to MD, VA Tech or PSU. For anyone willing to live in Texas, especially DFW, it's a strong choice. |