Southern Methodist University Top Questions

Partying with fraternities and sororities. Late nights at Fondren Library studying. and Dallas night life.

sororities and franternities are big. they don't dominate the social scene so not everyone is in one but everyone knows someone who is in one and even if you're not involved its easy to be involved on the sidelines with frat parties, formals, away weekends, relay for life, sorority events and parties, etc. everyone is really spirited at smu and goes to the games even though we're not very good at sports. the big thing is "boulevarding" which is tailgating except its held on the boulevard which runs up and down the centre of campus. if i was awake at 2 am on a tuesday i would probably be leaving the bars with my friends (first semester, M Street Bar is where everyone goes on tuesdays) or late-nighting at a fraternity house. if i don't feel like going out i might be hanging out in my friends rooms or doing work at the library. traditions are really important at smu and they might seem a little corny but everyone gets really into them and they're actually fun. one of the biggest ones is the celebration of lights and thats where everyone gathers outside of dallas hall (the main building on campus) and its lit up with christmas lights and everyone has candles and sings carols. its cute.

If you want to go greek, this is your place. Otherwise it's tough to really get involved unless you are part of a large student organization or in one of the sports teams.

Greek organizations are by far the most popular on campus, every party has to do with them. Football games are a sort of ongoing joke. People go to the boulevard (our version of tailgating), but don't stay for the game; although, some diehard fans do. Since our soccer team is so good, they sometimes get more fans than the football team. Close friends are easiest to meet in the dorms. Prop your door open from the beginning of the year and you'll meet a lot of new people. The best tradition on campus for the year is Celebration of Lights which is done every year in the beginning of December. At the end of the celebration, lights on Dallas Hall (the oldest building on campus), as well as on the nearby trees are lit which creates an amazing spectacle which is left up until the holiday season is over.

Greek life is VERY important to the SMU culture. Athletic events, guest speakers, and campus events are very well attended. I met my closest friends through greek life/sorrority sisters. Tuesday and Thursday nights are big party nights for SMU. Frat parties, etc are always held on either Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday nights. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday I am most likely coming home from a bar. Traditions/events that happen each year: Tailgate for every home football game, Homecoming week, Celebration of Lights, Rush, Relay for Life, Spring game. Fraternities and sorrorities are VERY VERY VERY important to most students on campus.

I'm in a sorority and I find that they are focused on social life more than on philanthropy or bettering themselves or the community. SMU students have little interaction with the community around them, we live in a bubble. I am in a sorority and rarely go to parties or drink, it is frustrating how important this part of life seems to be on campus.

Social life = Greek life. Theres always something going on and the location of SMU just 3 mins from downtown Dallas is a huge plus, from amazing shopping and restaurants to every type of bar possible all within a short distance. Dating is dating like every other school I think, there but not a big deal. The library and student center are open 24 hrs and so are alot of cafes in the area. Theater, dance, and athletic events are big and we get very important guest speakers on a regular basis like Tony Blair, Vincente Fox, and Anderson Cooper for example. Those events are smaller and students are allowed to ask questions and engage with the speaker.

SMU PD ruin the social life at this school. They are more worried about busting college kids for drinking rather than dealing with drugs and more serious crimes at this school.

the most popular groups on campus are the greek sororities and fraternities. a large portion of the student population is greek but there are those who aren't. most of the activities are open to the entire campus. i'm in a sorority on campus as well as a sport team. my first year, i lived in an upper-classman dorm because of my sport, so it was a totally different experience than living in a freshman dorm-quiet, not very social, mostly juniors and seniors. athletic events are popular, especially basketball, but football will gain more popularity in the coming years with June Jones. before every football game, we boulevard, not tailgate, on the main road into campus.

Greek life is pretty big even though there are tons of people who never join a frat/sorority. It isn't a big deal if you are not a part of greek life, there are many other groups you could join including the business fraternity. People party all the time, and alchohol is prevalent in the dorms. I met my closest friends through different groups I was involved in.