Southern Methodist University Top Questions

The University is at a very interesting point in its life. It is expanding quickly in its reach and climbing in the rankings overall. We are attracting better students every year and- a rising tide lifts all ships-- every aspect of the academic life of the school is improving. Since the school is in a rising process, it is very open for motivated and ambitious students to do what they want to do academically. Independent research, engaged learning and community engagement are HUGE right now and individual students are getting funding and attention for the projects that they want to do in and outside of the classroom. For example, I've gotten the opportunity to travel and research in Washington DC AND in Italy at no cost through opportunities in the honors program. The size of the school is also a huge asset. Classes are generally very small and professors are extremely accessible. I have several professors who have taken a personal interest in me and in my work--I can't even explain how helpful that has been in my learning and preparedness for the next step (for me, law school.) Beyond that, Dallas is an exciting place to be. There is quite literally something for everyone in such a big city, but the university itself is located in a very safe and quiet pocket where everything is within reach. The campus is beautiful, too.

The university was founded in 1911 even though the university says Methodist it has many different religion affiliations. SMU offers individual schools and majors that are praised nationwide. Students are able to test several interests before choosing a particular major. While there are many other things to brag about, like the study abroad programs, the social scene is a key aspect of SMU. SMU is in the center of Highland Park where we can find all the shopping and restaurants nearby the dorms. Among the community, students always have opportunities for internships and jobs by networking with friends and connections with alumni. SMU students don’t have a difficult time for finding a job after graduation because of their internships throughout the years and connections with major corporations give them the option and opportunity to secure a job when they graduate. The classes are small and easy to get along with the teachers and students. The majority of the classes range from 10 to 40 people in a class. This is perfect because the professor gets to know you pretty well which will be great for letters of recommendations. Having small classes is a plus because you will always have one on one interaction with your professor and classmates making it easier to ask questions and pay attention. An enthusiastic school spirit in terms of athletics is shown in all the tailgating before the games and the cheers though out the game show how much we love and appreciate our team. SMU pride in the sense of academic excellence and social atmosphere is highly evident. Students get irritated with parking and other little issues, but in the long run, most of them are satisfied with their level of education and their experience. The majority of students will tell you it has been the best four years of their lives and that they are glad to have stumbled upon such a rare treasure.

My favorite thing about this school is the closeness of the student body. It's a medium-sized school, but there's a feeling of being part of a small community. The campus itself is absolutely beautiful, and there's almost always great weather to match. Walking from class to class, you'll usually see people lounging in the grass in front of the mighty Dallas Hall, reading, throwing frisbees, or just hanging out with other students. Our mascot, Peruna, is very unique. She's a Shetland pony and is adored by the students. Whenever our team scores a touchdown, she gallops across the field as people cheer! At SMU, we are the "Mustangs" and in addition to Peruna we have a few live mustangs as well. The most anticipated part of football season, however, is the "boulevarding" that takes place beforehand. Some schools tailgate, but we boulevard! It's an all day celebration, and tents with live music, food, games, and more line the entire length of our. Main boulevard drive, where students, alumni, and people from the community come together to celebrate until the game starts. There's nothing in the world like a new student's first boulevard!!! Beyond the school, you'd be surprised at how much there is to do in Dallas! It's great to get to go to classes in a safe, suburban neighborhood but be able to look out one of the library windows and see the heart of the great city of Dallas just a couple of miles away! The main complaint students have is usually about on-campus parking. Finding a decent spot next to your class is tricky, but not impossible. Most students end up living near campus after their first year sent in the dorm, and either walking to class from home or riding a bike. Honestly, this is greener than driving anyway. I will mention that construction has already begun on campus to build a new parking garage (and a new library, and two brand new dormitories!!).

Outside of Texas, no one really knows what SMU stands for or where the school even is located. It's a great size school though, and the general education courses have a great variety of options-- and i've truly loved the classes i've gotten to take so far. There's lots of places to check out nearby so you're not stuck in a bubble like i've heard happens at some schools. Parties are never really on campus either, so if you enjoy the whole social scene you'll really get to explore Dallas. One weird thing is though, that no one really lives on campus after their freshman year. Sophomore year and senior year, most girls live in apartments with their friends and junior year they live in their respective sorority houses. Meanwhile, guys usually live in their fraternity houses sophomore year and off campus after that. I've heard at other school most people live on campus until they're at least upperclassmen, but here it's different-- and with that you'll get more independence, and less interaction with people you wouldn't normally talk to. One thing that is definitely the biggest complaint and the biggest thing I will always remember about this school is its lack of diversity, and I don't mean just racially. The majority of the student population is extremely wealthy-- and I don't mean wealthy like living in the suburbs and having your own car. I have never seen so many BMWs and louis vuitton purses in my life. The majority of the campus is Greek, but it's a cut-throught process, and a lot of guys, but mostly girls don't get accepted into it.

Outside of Texas, no one really knows what SMU stands for or where the school even is located. It's a great size school though, and the general education courses have a great variety of options-- and i've truly loved the classes i've gotten to take so far. There's lots of places to check out nearby so you're not stuck in a bubble like i've heard happens at some schools. Parties are never really on campus either, so if you enjoy the whole social scene you'll really get to explore Dallas. One weird thing is though, that no one really lives on campus after their freshman year. Sophomore year and senior year, most girls live in apartments with their friends and junior year they live in their respective sorority houses. Meanwhile, guys usually live in their fraternity houses sophomore year and off campus after that. I've heard at other school most people live on campus until they're at least upperclassmen, but here it's different-- and with that you'll get more independence, and less interaction with people you wouldn't normally talk to. One thing that is definitely the biggest complaint and the biggest thing I will always remember about this school is its lack of diversity, and I don't mean just racially. The majority of the student population is extremely wealthy-- and I don't mean wealthy like living in the suburbs and having your own car. I have never seen so many BMWs and louis vuitton purses in my life. The majority of the campus is Greek, but it's a cut-throught process, and a lot of guys, but mostly girls don't get accepted into it.

The university size is just right and a short commute from one side to the other. Also, it is close to downtown Dallas and is located in a very prestigious area in Dallas, with lots of shopping and activities.

This school is AWESOME!! I love meeting new people everyday because we have students from all over the world. I remember one day an international student came up to me asked me the difference between the coins (American Currency) because he needed to pay for something and didn't know if he had enough money. This was kind of a shock for me because I have never been at school with someone that didn't know the difference between a dime and a penny! After explaining to him, he was so grateful and I felt great for helping him out! This school is very welcoming to people around the world with different faiths, different majors,and so on. The class sizes are great because professors know you by your name rather than just a number. Also, the location of SMU is perfect because it is in the heart of Dallas, TX. There are plenty of restaurants, shopping malls, and other activities to do around campus!

SMU has a great mix of diversity among highly intelligent and unique professors and students. The school is small enough to stay personalized, but large enough to constantly meet new people so I would not change anything about it. Most people react with an impressed expression when they find out I'm attending because it is a prestigious and highly competitive school. Dallas is not really a college town, but SMU feels like its own little town in itself. The school stays low on controversy, with the most recent being a football funding scandal decades ago. Regardless, our school has lots of spirit and we constantly have events and activities promoting school pride and support for our teams. Once you tailgate on the boulevard you will never forget the experience. The bonds you create with classmates and faculty is truly special.

There is a lot of school pride at this school! When there is a home game, we are "bleed out" red and blue!

I love SMU, I love the school spirit and the way people socialize in campus and outside of school. SMU is well known in Dallas, and all around the nation, student feel proud of their MUSTANG PRIDE. Staff is always helpful and the many organizations and activities on campus make it easy to find friends and relate to others. I was part of senate for two years and the main complaint was student's parking. However this issue is disappearing since SMU is building two more parking garages.

for me, smu is honestly amazing. its the best decision i've made and i wouldn't even dream of being at a different college. dallas is the perfect location because its kind of a college town but still a big city feel. there's great shopping, fun bars, and delicious places to eat. smu is just the right size of people... there are enough people where you could still meet someone new every week but everyone has a huge nextwork of friends with their own tight-knit group. the smallest class size i've had was 3 people and the biggest was about 100. there's a ton of school pride even though we're not very good at sports. everyone wears smu gear, pony up-s, goes to the games, and everything. sororities and fraternities are big but don't dominate campus. they're really good to be in but even if you aren't involved in greek life you still have a lot of friends that are and it doesn't seem like a big deal if you are not.

admin is tough to get answers from, parking is a pain, and parking tickets are written like they are flyers people put on your windshield. dallas is fun, plenty to do

SMU is located very close to Dallas, but far enough away that you don't have to deal with much of the hassles of living in a big city. Many people from the area react to saying you go to SMU by assuming that you're rich, but if you aren't from the area, they usually have no idea about the school. Our biggest controversy involves the Bush Library, which will soon be on our campus.

Sometimes it seems too small, but it is always nice to know/see familiar faces on your way to class Some people ask what SMU stands for when I tell them where I go, but most people know what it is and make comments such as, "oh, really good business school" or "go mustangs" Dallas is a big city with TONS of things to do and fun places to go out to eat or just out at night. It is by no means a college town, however it is all in a close vacinity so it feels more like a large town than a HUGE city most of the time. I think there is a lot of school prode considering how bad our football team is. Most of the time school spirit in the south is garnered around a winning football team which we do not have, but yet we still manage to have a good turnout at tailgates! And a lot of the mustang pride and red white and blue. Most frequent student complaints: No good/available parking spaces Police spend too much time writing alcohol violations and handing out parking tickets when more serious crimes are taking place on and around campus

I wish there was a more relaxing homework/hang out area like Java city where everyone can meet and work on things if they don't want to go to the libraries. There should be more security to get into buildings as well. I wish sports were more supported on campus. I am very frustrated with the parking system on campus. We should not have to stress about how long it takes to park, if we're going to get a ticket for something we didn't do, or how to try to appeal something when it won't even get considered. There needs to be a way for students to represent themselves, instead of using email to give your opinion. There should also NOT be more parking passes PAID for when there are not enough spots to accommdate almost all of the cars.

SMU is the perfect sized school. Large enough to get a feel for a university but small enough for professors to know names and faces. The campus is beautiful with alot of extras and resources for students. It is located in an extremely wealthy area of Dallas and I would consider it to be a very safe place to be but it is like living in a bubble sometimes. My classes are difficult but the staff is very supportive and I know and have confidence that my degree will be well looked upon in the real world and worth something when I graduate. I look at SMU has a second home but no home is perfect. It is important to get involved in clubs and activities to meet people if your not in the Greek life. The football team is a joke but everyone takes alot of pride in our athletics and the school in general. I think discipline is the only thing that makes SMU look like a joke. If you have the right family name or know the right people you can get away with almost anything because the administration won't do anything. Other than that SMU is by far one of the best schools in the nation in my opinion.

I love the size of the campus-not too small and not too big. there is so much to do in Dallas, there's never a dull moment around campus. the campus is so pretty and it's a perfect home away from home. i know that on any given day, i can see plenty of people that i know as well as people that i don't know yet. this past year, there were some problems with a few fraternities and there was a possibility of an on campus bar. there is plenty of school pride, but with the recent hiring of June Jones as head football coach, i think that school spirit will become a lot more prevalent. there are a lot of complaints about parking, but the new parking garage just opened, so i think that will help out a lot.

I think that there are many students at this school who are down to earth and real. Unfortunately there are so many students who are snobby and fake that the real people have to pretend to be fake. I think that if more students stood up for themselves and didn't conform to peer pressure than our school would be much more welcoming and open. The school spirit is a little low because we do not have a good football team. We have a incredible soccer team that is always 1 or 2 in the nation but no one even goes to the games. There is always a ton of controversy on our campus from the Bush library which is coming to our campus or the recent deaths from drugs and alchohol. One reason people make such a big deal about things is because there parents have money, are white and can afford to sue the school and everyone else. I will always remember the beautiful campus, the cool teachers (the small class size is pretty amazing) and my friends.

SMU has great resources, its a beautiful campus and its small enough that you will know a large part of the student body (if you choose to get involved). You run into the teachers you had two years ago, and they still remember you! College is what you want it to be, and SMU is a great place to make it a small and freindly community!

I think the size of our school is great because you can actually see people you know on campus, but at the same time there are 10,000 people on campus you can always meet someone new. SMU is right in highland park but it gives you complete access to downtown Dallas without having to actually be downtown. there's pretty much anything you could possibly need right around campus. our biggest controversy recently was the drug task force that took place after 3 of our students died last year. there are drugs and alcohol on our campus just like everywhere else, but i honestly don't believe its more than anywhere else, our school just wants to actually do something about it but most people think nothing will really be accomplished by that. people are proud to go to SMU, it's a great school.