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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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![/quote]

Best answer so far, but I disagree about the “hard to penetrate from out of state.” I think that used to be true, but isn’t really the case anymore. As has been discussed on this forum, Southern schools are attracting increasing numbers of students from across the country. My DC is attending SMU from OOS, and his friends are from all over. Only about 40% of the students are from Texas, and there is a substantial California contingent (about 15% of the student body, but my DC says it feels like the CA % is higher).

FWIW, my DS is a bit of an introvert, and could not be less interested in fraternity life, and, to be honest, I wasn’t sure SMU was the best place for him. However, he wanted to be in Dallas, and I am glad to say he is having a great experience at SMU. He is in the Honors program and has a nice group of friends with similar interests, enjoys his professors & is challenged by his classes. Dallas is a lively, booming city, economically & otherwise. When you go out to dinner at a nice restaurant in Dallas, it’s striking how relatively young and diverse the crowd is, even as compared to DC.

The SMU campus is beautiful, and fairly unique in that it is just a few miles from the downtown of one of the largest cities in the US, but is in a very safe neighborhood. As far as I can tell, “town/gown” issues are non-existent. The alumni network in Dallas and elsewhere is very strong. The amount of $$ the alumni pour into the school is pretty stunning, and the school does place a lot of emphasis on making connections for life after school.

However, the level of conspicuous consumption among the students is a thing. The down side of being in a big city is there are endless opportunities to spend money. My DC just laughs and shakes his head at some of the things that go on. We are well off and could (theoretically) fund a more lavish lifestyle for our DC, but he’s always been pretty frugal and level headed about money, and his friends seem to be the same way. I agree that it could be harder for a girl, especially if she cares about clothes and wants to be in a sorority and keep up with the party crowd. There are a lot of girls who are active on social media and the sorority scene is increasingly competitive, just from the sheer numbers of girls who are interested, even if it’s less insular than it used to be. It does seem that the school administration is serious about getting the Greek system under control — one of the “top two” sororities was shut down completely last year after an alcohol-related incident (which made the remaining sororities even more competitive).

My perception is that the academics are excellent, even if some of the students are more interested in other things (and it sounds like those who are really not interested at all in academics don’t last very long). There are a good mix of students — the strong theater, dance and music programs, as well as engineering, science and liberal arts, balance out the business school presence. I also agree with “solid/balanced.” 
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