1) Campus

One of the appeals of SMU is the beautiful campus. The building style is cohesive throughout and it looks like a university and not just a random collection of buildings. The school has been around for 107 years.

2) Community and Campus Life

SMU is big on the small school community life. It was clear when I visited that the students are big on school pride. The class sizes range from 20-60 kids in beginner classes to 15-20 in specialized classes and double majoring is pretty popular.

The residential system at SMU is a bit different though. You are assigned to a residential hall where you will live for the year. These dorms are completely random. This means that while you go to school at SMU you will be exposed to many different types of students. The residential halls also have their own bonding activities for students. There’s also a roommate questionnaire to make sure you and your roommate are a good fit.

SMU also has suite rooms, though they’re not as popular. A bedroom with two people is attached to one bathroom which is attached to another bedroom on the other side.

The rooms themselves seem pretty standard. There’s plenty of space for personal belongings etc. You are, however, required to live on campus for two years.

The library seems rather large and it is open 24/5 (except during finals week where it is open 24/7). They have quiet reading rooms where you can study or read as well.

The gym is relatively modern and the climbing wall is around 40 ft high. SMU also offers gym and wellness classes.

The safety measures seem pretty standard. Wherever you go on campus, there’s a blue light station nearby. When you press the button on said station, police should arrive within 90 seconds. There is also an app that lets you call a golf cart to your location to take you back to your dorm.

3) Career Prep and Academics

They don’t have a pre-law or pre-med major, but they do have pre-law and pre-med tracks (which include the necessary classes).

There are also several resume workshops and career fairs during the semester.

Remember, this is only a brief overview! If you are interested in SMU, I urge you to go and visit the campus for yourself before you decide.

Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. “Dallas Hall on the Campus of Southern Methodist University,

Dallas, Texas.” Picryl, 1 Jan. 2014.