Thoughts on SMU - s/o from ole miss thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a beautiful campus! We used to live down the street and enjoyed being nearby. The student body is like a small, intense version of a school like Alabama. They have some really strong programs in business as well as dance so there’s an interesting mix of students. A BBA from SMU is a straight shot into a solid role at any Texas-based Fortune 500 companies, especially for someone aiming for b-school. They are not the smartest BBAs I’ve encountered- UT picks up the brightest group nearby- but SMU alumni look out for each other. I think it would be easier to be a male undergrad than female because the social expectations there are pretty strong. There is still an old Texas money vibe to the place that would make it hard to penetrate from out of state unless you’re a rich preppy white Methodist or have an activity like marching band, dance, or a sport that will provide a social life.

I agree with solid/balanced as a description. Also, Dallas has changed a lot and would be a fun place to be late teens/early 20s!

Great info.

Your post suggests that SMU is like one big Southern fraternity for life--am I reading that right ?

I have two sons at SMU (from DMV) - a lot of these posts are really outdated. About 1/3 of the men at SMU are in frats, so they are outnumbered by others. Same with the BBA impressions. The top programs at Cox are competitive for undergrads.

SMU business school ranks No. 3 for graduate earnings in new nationwide study
https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/city-life/smu-business-school-earnings-salary/

They are not outdated. Your stats may be technically correct but they don't give the full idea of the culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a beautiful campus! We used to live down the street and enjoyed being nearby. The student body is like a small, intense version of a school like Alabama. They have some really strong programs in business as well as dance so there’s an interesting mix of students. A BBA from SMU is a straight shot into a solid role at any Texas-based Fortune 500 companies, especially for someone aiming for b-school. They are not the smartest BBAs I’ve encountered- UT picks up the brightest group nearby- but SMU alumni look out for each other. I think it would be easier to be a male undergrad than female because the social expectations there are pretty strong. There is still an old Texas money vibe to the place that would make it hard to penetrate from out of state unless you’re a rich preppy white Methodist or have an activity like marching band, dance, or a sport that will provide a social life.

I agree with solid/balanced as a description. Also, Dallas has changed a lot and would be a fun place to be late teens/early 20s!

Great info.

Your post suggests that SMU is like one big Southern fraternity for life--am I reading that right ?

I have two sons at SMU (from DMV) - a lot of these posts are really outdated. About 1/3 of the men at SMU are in frats, so they are outnumbered by others. Same with the BBA impressions. The top programs at Cox are competitive for undergrads.

SMU business school ranks No. 3 for graduate earnings in new nationwide study
https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/city-life/smu-business-school-earnings-salary/

They are not outdated. Your stats may be technically correct but they don't give the full idea of the culture.

DP. How recent is your experience with SMU? I also have a DC at SMU, and experience with SMU from decades ago, and I agree with pp that frats don’t dominate the social life of the school the way they used to. For one thing, there are fewer frats than there used to be. The school has been serious about penalizing hazing and several prominent fraternities (and even a prominent sorority) have been shut down. Going from over 50% Greek to 30% makes a big difference. Also, the shift to residential colleges has helped provide a social focus away from the Greek system. SMU has always had rush in the spring, which is a good thing because students have an opportunity to make friends before going through rush. My DC had zero interest in pledging, and had no problem finding a good group of friends who feel the same way.

[Anonymous]

The median ACT score at Texas is a point higher than at Texas A&M. However, Texas has 38,000 undergraduate students and Texas A&M has 51,000, suggesting that the top 38,000 students at Texas A&M are a couple of points higher on the ACT than their 38,000 counterparts at Texas.

In other words, A&M students are quite a bit smarter, than Texas students, which makes sense given A&M's focus on engineering.

But A&M generously admitted another 13,000 students (in addition to the top 38,000) who are also benefiting from that A&M education.