<p>I’m stuck between going here and not and this issue is really bothering me. What bonuses are there at SMU over other, less expensive, colleges?</p>
<p>In my opinion, some of the “bonuses” are the size of SMU, with it’s close connected community and location, location, location. If you are interested in business, SMU is very connected to the Dallas business community and the internship opportunities during college are great!</p>
<p>What other colleges are you referring to? Also, what are you planning to major in?</p>
<p>It all depends. How much debt are you going to take? Many say you should not have more debt than your entry level salary – and that is already a big stretch. Have you ever toured some unknown, less expensive college, especially the private ones? If you do, I am sure you’d seen the buildings with people names on it. More often than not, they are accomplished alumni (with big donation). Those folks didn’t go to SMU. The point is, you’ll be fine no matter where you attend college. Do what makes sense for you and and your family.</p>
<p>I agree with jbvDad and Mustang. It is a very personal decision. It depends on your family, financial situation, what you would like to study, and fit. I would say the most important things in selecting a school is the size of the school, the majors it offers, and fit. In my opinion, the school should have around 5K undergraduates. You will get a top notch education at SMU because you will have immediate access to the professors and you will learn not just for the sake of the grade. There won’t be a weed out process like UT at Austin has and they are taught by TA’s, which is in my opinion a scam. The professors at UT are usually unavailable and you have to wait in line to talk to the professor (after going through the TA) and if you are lucky, you are only allowed five minutes! You may end up failing and paying more in the long run due to the weed out process. Also, state schools have a lot of hidden fees so I would add about $10K to the tuition/room and board; whereas, the private schools don’t have hidden fees. Just like everything else in life, you get what you pay for. What you want to major in will also determine the school you ought to attend. For example, if you are interested in pre-med then, you ought to look at Southwestern University or College of Wooster, which have top pre-med programs and they offer really nice merits. This would save you money over the long run. However, if you want to enter engineering, then SMU would be a better choice than Southwestern or Trinity or TCU because SMU has the best engineering program. So it really depends on what you want to major in then you can decide on the school. Of course finances come into play which is a very personal decision. There are alot of good schools out there but there are also bad ones too. Lastly, fit is equally important. The school must be as close or a perfect fit for you. You have to be happy and comfortable at the school you choose. If you aren’t happy you won’t graduate due to lack of motivation. So visiting the school is very important to see if it is a good fit. In sum just keep researching and it will all come together. Good luck. :)</p>
<p>I would love to know why SMU has such a low graduation rate . ANyone know ?</p>
<p>Funny, I asked the same question on TCU’s site. I was asking why ND has such a high graduation rate compared to TCU. This was arrdad’s answer.</p>
<p>newjersey17, I wouldn’t be too concerned about TCU’s 4 year grad rate being lower than Notre Dame. As I see it, those 4 year grad rates are often more a function of how selective the school is to get into in the first place.</p>
<p>For example, four of the hardest schools to get into in Texas are: Rice, UT, SMU, and TCU. The 4 year grad rates for those schools are: Rice 83%, UT 51%, SMU 62%, and TCU 55%.</p>
<p>Most of the students that go to Notre Dame are elite or upper tier students who have their lives pretty much planned to a tee. Graduating in 4 years is almost a given for those types of students. I’m sure that the kids who go to TCU that were also accepted to ND and other tough schools, have a very high 4 year grad rate at TCU.</p>
<p>TCU charges tuition assuming an 18 hour semester. IMO, that is one huge incentive to finish on time, or at least to take a decent load each semester. They also have a lot more profs per capita than most schools.</p>
<p>No reason to believe that a motivated, strong student can’t graduate in 4 years from TCU.</p>
<p>Andre,</p>
<p>When I was finalizing my college decision, I was hung up between SMU and Florida State University. The reason? Money. I thought the same thing that you did–is SMU really worth the money? It seemed expensive.</p>
<p>However, after being a student at SMU for three years now, I can honestly say that it is TOTALLY worth the investment. I could even say that after my first year.</p>
<p>Why? I will give you my top reasons:</p>
<p>1) Internships: SMU will emphasize these like no other. Yes, other universities do too, but SMU has an even better connection with companies and organizations than the average school, in my opinion. </p>
<p>2) Professors: SMU Professors are top-notch. A lot of tuition goes toward finding professors who are as highly accredited as the types that SMU already has. Lots of professors still practice what they teach (active accountants, writing a book, running elections in D.C., etc.) so everything they teach is very relevant.</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Hey Tpaul2! </p>
<p>Your question about graduation rate is a very good one, and I think it needs a little clarification.</p>
<p>For the most part, these statistics are related to 4-year graduation rates. However, by looking at the 62% statistic, don’t assume that the other 38% drop out without finishing. This actually means that people are graduating in either 4.5 or 5 years. However, students here don’t graduate “late” because they are too busy partying or slacking off–a lot of students actually stay to get extra majors, minors, finish their second or third majors, or to do co-op programs. </p>
<p>In my experience at SMU, a lot of students stay longer to amplify their degree with a teaching certification, co-op or internship program, or to pick up a minor in a specific area, such as the anthropology of immigration to help them in their future careers.</p>