SMU

[DrewP]

Any SMU(Southern Methodist University) grads on the board? I took my second college visit up there and loved it. It was alot more my style than TCU. Anyway, I talked to an admissions counselor and she said that I could probably get a ton of money in scholarships (seeing as they have a BILLION DOLLAR endowment). I love the school, love the layout, like the people, and its a good education. Anybody have any input thats in the know?

[Kam]

You won't see the Pony Express coming out of the tunnel.

[mrpaige]

Very nice campus, and the school has a very good reputation in the Metroplex. It's one of those places where the alums tend to stick together on the hiring front (i.e. they're more likely to hire other SMU grads). If you're going to school in the Metroplex, it's the school to go to.

It's very, very expensive, though (and the housing nearby is often expensive, as well).

I didn't go there, but it's where I hope to send my sons to college when they get done with high school in a few years (my older son is entering his sophomore year of high school).

[Oski2005]

My sister goes there. I don't like it, it seems pretty snobbish, Greek life is the end all be all. If you live on campus, it seems the dorms seem to really suck balls, no cable, they're small, community bathrooms. If you've got awesome grades, I guess you could get a nice scholarship, my sister is ok, around a 3.5 I think, but she doesn't get all that she needs with my family's financial situation, she should be getting more.

I don't know a thing about TCU, so I can't compare.

[desihooper]

Graduated in 2002 from SMU... True, it's very expensive, I'm working on paying off my loans even though I received substantial scholarships. The campus is absolutely beautiful, everytime I go back to Dallas to visit, I try to stop by and soak in the atmosphere. From what I hear, with this new campaign they have initiated, things are going to ramp up on the Hilltop. School spirit is lacking, but I think that's because no one cares about the sports. If you put in the work, you can graduate on time, with a good GPA. But then again, as with any school... if you don't, you won't. Simple as that. Small class sizes make it optimal to get to know your professors, that helps with rec. letters for grad school. If you have specific questions... hit me up.

[vj23k]

AKA Southern Millionaires University.

Make sure you can stand the Highland Park-types, because I believe something like 50-60% of their graduating class heads over to SMU. Basically a 13th grade.

Just go to UT.

[mrpaige]

Originally posted by vj23k Just go to UT.

There are many advantages to going to a smaller university. Heck, the admissions process can be a nightmare at a big school. I applied to North Texas on February 23, and I'm still waiting for a response.

[vj23k]

Originally posted by mrpaige There are many advantages to going to a smaller university. Heck, the admissions process can be a nightmare at a big school. I applied to North Texas on February 23, and I'm still waiting for a response.

This is true. I take back what I said...SMU just wouldn't be the school for me, especially when schools I like better are cheaper options(UT, for example).

You were applying to grad. school, correct? I'm pretty sure DrewP is just talking about undergraduate, in which case, I don't think waiting for a response would be too big a deal.

Is the Highland Park statistic accurate?

[mrpaige]

Originally posted by vj23k This is true. I take back what I said...SMU just wouldn't be the school for me, especially when schools I like better are cheaper options(UT, for example). You were applying to grad. school, correct? I'm pretty sure DrewP is just talking about undergraduate, in which case, I don't think waiting for a response would be too big a deal.

Yeah, I was applying for graduate school, but if you're still waiting for a response three weeks before registration, it's a problem regardless of which level you're applying to, especially if you're looking for financial aid, since even if UNT were to finish deciding on my application today, I wouldn't be able to get the financial aid processed before payment is due for the semester (since it takes roughly six weeks to process financial aid, and they don't start until you're accepted to the university).

And actually, since I applied for Summer I, the fact that I'm still waiting for a response to my application several weeks after the Summer I session ENDED, I would say it's even more of a problem.

I imagine that if DrewP applied to undergrad and was still waiting for an answer three weeks before registration, he'd probably have given up and decided on a different school.

[mrpaige]

Originally posted by vj23k Is the Highland Park statistic accurate?

According to the Highland Park High School website, 49% of HPHS graduates go to college out of state, so it's unlikely that 50%-60% of HPHS grads go to SMU.

[vj23k]

Originally posted by mrpaige I imagine that if DrewP applied to undergrad and was still waiting for an answer three weeks before registration, he'd probably have given up and decided on a different school.

Of course...I understand your frustration. I was just saying how rare it is for undergrad applications to take that long. As far as I know, pretty much all undergrad applicants have a decision by April or May, at the latest.

According to the Highland Park High School website, 49% of HPHS graduates go to college out of state, so it's unlikely that 50%-60% of HPHS grads go to SMU.

Wierd...I wouldn't expect this source to lie, so he must have been misinformed.

[mrpaige]

Originally posted by vj23k Of course...I understand your frustration. I was just saying how rare it is for undergrad applications to take that long. As far as I know, pretty much all undergrad applicants have a decision by April or May, at the latest.

Given, though, that things happen to some applications, I've found it's very often much, much easier to deal with a smaller school in getting things corrected because they don't have the bureaucracy that a larger school has (nor the sheer number of applications to deal with, I'm sure).

While it might well be unusual to still be waiting on a Summer I decision two months after Summer I started, it's not unprecedented. Had this been a smaller school, I anticipate it would've been easier to get worked out (since every call to UNT results in a "you have to call a different department" answer).

I also remember my undergraduate experience being exceedingly baffling at Texas Tech. I received no instructions on how to register the first time and had to wing my way through several buildings across the campus and take an entire day to get it done (and going to several wrong places and waiting long times in wrong lines), and for the Fall semester, I had to spend two full days (of my honeymoon, no less) waiting in the lobby of my adviser's office in order to get cleared to register in the first place.

I'm sure it's better there now with the advent of the Internet and telephone registration and whatnot, but registration in 1989 at Texas Tech was a baffling ordeal.

[LegendZ3]

Rich white school, I went visit once, not the school I would want to go, but they throw awesome parties though.

[NJRocket]

I'm Jon Koncak

[NJRocket]

Originally posted by LegendZ3 Rich white school, I went visit once, not the school I would want to go, but they throw awesome parties though.

yeah....that Eric Dickerson really lacked some serious pigmentation

[Fatty FatBastard]

I couldn't go to a college that was named after a white blob of crap that fought crime with Fred and Barney in the 80's.

Stupid Smu.

[Dr of Dunk]

Originally posted by Oski2005 My sister goes there. I don't like it, it seems pretty snobbish,

That's the reputation I've seen from being in the Dallas area for about 6 years.

[Fatty FatBastard]

I predict only 2-3 people will understand my previous post.

Stupid smu.

[Dr of Dunk]

I understand it, I just thought it was lame - I can forgive the "u" in place of the "oo", but not having an "h" killed it.

[Fatty FatBastard]

C'mon DoD, when was the last "schmoo" joke out. Hardly anyone remembers that guy.

Lame, perhaps. But timeliness? classic fatty.:D