SMU 2011 Forum

[kalvano]

Part of your student fees cover tickets. Just bring your student ID.

[Longhorn88]

Part of your student fees cover tickets. Just bring your student ID.

How does seating work? Is it by seniority? At UT they seated you by hours, with seniors first, then grad students, then juniors, soph, etc.

[kalvano]

Part of your student fees cover tickets. Just bring your student ID.

How does seating work? Is it by seniority? At UT they seated you by hours, with seniors first, then grad students, then juniors, soph, etc.

I have no idea. Don't like football.

PM Thirteen, I know he has been before.

Although I don't think SMU football is anything like UT football.

[Longhorn88]

Part of your student fees cover tickets. Just bring your student ID.

How does seating work? Is it by seniority? At UT they seated you by hours, with seniors first, then grad students, then juniors, soph, etc.

I have no idea. Don't like football.

PM Thirteen, I know he has been before.

Although I don't think SMU football is anything like UT football.

Who knows, only one of us went to a bowl game this year.

I just hope I never have to be in that awkward position where my law school is playing my undergrad.

[HBK]

Part of your student fees cover tickets. Just bring your student ID.

How does seating work? Is it by seniority? At UT they seated you by hours, with seniors first, then grad students, then juniors, soph, etc.

It's open seating for students. Just show your ID and you're in. There's a student section, but I'm pretty sure it's first come, first served. I always poached seats near the 50. The place never sells out. I don't think it even sold out for the TCU game. It's nothing like Texas. Texas needs to have assigned seats because most games sell out. At SMU, I think the school's just happy that people show up.

Most law students seem to tailgate on the boulevard, then go watch the UT or A&M game at a bar. Tailgating on the boulevard is fun and the law school has it's own area. There's free beer and food, and you'll see lots of alumni and some professors there.

[goarief]

I've never posted to this forum before but I've been reading it from day one. SMU is not just my top choice but THE choice for me. I can see that I am not the only one stressed out this weekend.

I applied ED but my status checker has not changed at all, which only stressed me out even more this week. I don't believe I will hear anything on Monday so I plan to call first thing Tuesday to make sure I have some sort of communication coming thru the mail.

I think SMU is kind of diabolical in their strategy, although it's frustrating and stressful, it also leaves me in awe in how worked up we all get:-) Good luck to everyone on Monday! I am keeping a small kernel of hope that I will see some awesome characters in the fall.

p.s. is anyone else in the same boat with the status checker or did all ED applicants on here have some sort of change on friday or before?

thanks!

[ebo]

I've never posted to this forum before but I've been reading it from day one. SMU is not just my top choice but THE choice for me. I can see that I am not the only one stressed out this weekend.

I applied ED but my status checker has not changed at all, which only stressed me out even more this week. I don't believe I will hear anything on Monday so I plan to call first thing Tuesday to make sure I have some sort of communication coming thru the mail.

I think SMU is kind of diabolical in their strategy, although it's frustrating and stressful, it also leaves me in awe in how worked up we all get:-) Good luck to everyone on Monday! I am keeping a small kernel of hope that I will see some awesome characters in the fall.

p.s. is anyone else in the same boat with the status checker or did all ED applicants on here have some sort of change on friday or before?

thanks!

There have already been people who were notified that they were rejected or held for further review via status checker.
The rest of us just had the "Application Completed" date updated to 1/28, I believe. When did your app initially go complete?

[thewarflamingo]

I've never posted to this forum before but I've been reading it from day one. SMU is not just my top choice but THE choice for me. I can see that I am not the only one stressed out this weekend.

I applied ED but my status checker has not changed at all, which only stressed me out even more this week. I don't believe I will hear anything on Monday so I plan to call first thing Tuesday to make sure I have some sort of communication coming thru the mail.

I think SMU is kind of diabolical in their strategy, although it's frustrating and stressful, it also leaves me in awe in how worked up we all get:-) Good luck to everyone on Monday! I am keeping a small kernel of hope that I will see some awesome characters in the fall.

p.s. is anyone else in the same boat with the status checker or did all ED applicants on here have some sort of change on friday or before?

thanks!

Mine hasn't updated yet and neither has at least one other person that I know of. I have traditional admit numbers so I'm holding out hope that I'll see a change tomorrow.

[Billy Batts]

While all you guys are waiting, there is one thing that you should know about SMU, and this cannot be disputed: SMU is extremely slow with everything. If you end up here, do not count on getting your financial aid before classes start. Some of you are accustomed to getting financial aid refunds 10 days before the first day of classes. This is not the case here. In the fall, I got my refund on a Monday, and classes started on Thursday. This semester, it was a week after classes started. This means that you either need to set aside money to buy books, or charge them at the bookstore (at Barnes and Noble prices). The same goes for grades. I don't think SMU was the slowest with grades nationally, but I'm pretty sure we were the last ones in Texas. The message is just to be aware of this when you're budgeting your money and don't always look at dates as being concrete.

[Capitol A]

While all you guys are waiting, there is one thing that you should know about SMU, and this cannot be disputed: SMU is extremely slow with everything. If you end up here, do not count on getting your financial aid before classes start. Some of you are accustomed to getting financial aid refunds 10 days before the first day of classes. This is not the case here. In the fall, I got my refund on a Monday, and classes started on Thursday. This semester, it was a week after classes started. This means that you either need to set aside money to buy books, or charge them at the bookstore (at Barnes and Noble prices). The same goes for grades. I don't think SMU was the slowest with grades nationally, but I'm pretty sure we were the last ones in Texas. The message is just to be aware of this when you're budgeting your money and don't always look at dates as being concrete.

Do you have any possible explanation for this?
I know that they promise to get back to EA applicants with a decision by the end of January, and I'm sure they will; but the way that they handle this is a little annoying. I am not saying they're doing anything wrong, they're not. But I'm certain they have made all these decisions already and choose not to disclose them until the last possible day. I would think this must be the result of some strategy or idea that they have, but I cannot come up with a reasonable explanation for why they would handle the applications this way.

[swiftwings88]

While all you guys are waiting, there is one thing that you should know about SMU, and this cannot be disputed: SMU is extremely slow with everything. If you end up here, do not count on getting your financial aid before classes start. Some of you are accustomed to getting financial aid refunds 10 days before the first day of classes. This is not the case here. In the fall, I got my refund on a Monday, and classes started on Thursday. This semester, it was a week after classes started. This means that you either need to set aside money to buy books, or charge them at the bookstore (at Barnes and Noble prices). The same goes for grades. I don't think SMU was the slowest with grades nationally, but I'm pretty sure we were the last ones in Texas. The message is just to be aware of this when you're budgeting your money and don't always look at dates as being concrete.

haha thats okay, my undergrad takes around a month to get our refund back to us so im used to it.

[goarief]

Thanks.

I was avidly monitoring the forum while status checkers changed this past week. At first I thought no news was good news, but then friday came and went and I got stressed all over again, ugh!

I know the website says a decision will be mailed by the end of January for ED applicants, so technically I should wait until something comes in the mail within the next week. But I will be calling on tuesday if my status checker has not changed at all.

I submitted my app on Nov 1st and verified with Maggie that I made the ed deadline, and my app went complete as of 11-9-10. I don't have great numbers, unfortunately, but hopefully a great story and I am hoping they will want me in spite of it all. I live just north of dallas, and have visited the campus a couple of times. All I can say is that for some of us, when you walk on campus you just know you are meant to be at that specific school. Old buildings and all:-)

[kalvano]

While all you guys are waiting, there is one thing that you should know about SMU, and this cannot be disputed: SMU is extremely slow with everything. If you end up here, do not count on getting your financial aid before classes start. Some of you are accustomed to getting financial aid refunds 10 days before the first day of classes. This is not the case here. In the fall, I got my refund on a Monday, and classes started on Thursday. This semester, it was a week after classes started. This means that you either need to set aside money to buy books, or charge them at the bookstore (at Barnes and Noble prices). The same goes for grades. I don't think SMU was the slowest with grades nationally, but I'm pretty sure we were the last ones in Texas. The message is just to be aware of this when you're budgeting your money and don't always look at dates as being concrete.

Do you have any possible explanation for this?

Yes. The financial aid office is incompetent.

[Billy Batts]

While all you guys are waiting, there is one thing that you should know about SMU, and this cannot be disputed: SMU is extremely slow with everything. If you end up here, do not count on getting your financial aid before classes start. Some of you are accustomed to getting financial aid refunds 10 days before the first day of classes. This is not the case here. In the fall, I got my refund on a Monday, and classes started on Thursday. This semester, it was a week after classes started. This means that you either need to set aside money to buy books, or charge them at the bookstore (at Barnes and Noble prices). The same goes for grades. I don't think SMU was the slowest with grades nationally, but I'm pretty sure we were the last ones in Texas. The message is just to be aware of this when you're budgeting your money and don't always look at dates as being concrete.

Do you have any possible explanation for this?
I know that they promise to get back to EA applicants with a decision by the end of January, and I'm sure they will; but the way that they handle this is a little annoying. I am not saying they're doing anything wrong, they're not. But I'm certain they have made all these decisions already and choose not to disclose them until the last possible day. I would think this must be the result of some strategy or idea that they have, but I cannot come up with a reasonable explanation for why they would handle the applications this way.

Well, I don't think you should try to figure out a strategy behind SMU's pace. Everything is slow. With our grades, there were conflicting reports circulating about when they would be distributed. As the 1L class grew more impatient, some students called the registrar and were told grades would be given out on a Friday. And while they were posted that Friday, it wasn't until around 4:55 p.m. You guys are trying to figure out what these status checker changes mean, and you are wasting your time. The school doesn't always do things the same way from year to year. Last year, we got phone calls on the Thursday and Friday before the end of the month. Apparently they aren't doing it that way any more. Who knows why? Now it looks like they'll probably call you guys all on Monday. But maybe they'll mail letters on Monday. Would that qualify as "notifying" you by the end of the month? Probably. Ironically, you'll learn all about the mailbox rule in your first semester of contracts. Your best bet is just to forget about it. You should know something next week. Unless you get "held." Then you get to repeat the process.

[Capitol A]

Yes. The financial aid office is incompetent.

Thank you for making me laugh, but I think there might be more to it than that, at least with the way they handle admissions. It feels like a manipulation, or possibly some type of yeild protection strategy. Maybe they want to wait as long as possible so that people who have a binding decision elsewhere will withdraw before SMU makes a decision? I don't know, but there are only a couple of schools that I know of who handle their decision notifications this way, and it seems odd to me.

[kalvano]

While all you guys are waiting, there is one thing that you should know about SMU, and this cannot be disputed: SMU is extremely slow with everything. If you end up here, do not count on getting your financial aid before classes start. Some of you are accustomed to getting financial aid refunds 10 days before the first day of classes. This is not the case here. In the fall, I got my refund on a Monday, and classes started on Thursday. This semester, it was a week after classes started. This means that you either need to set aside money to buy books, or charge them at the bookstore (at Barnes and Noble prices). The same goes for grades. I don't think SMU was the slowest with grades nationally, but I'm pretty sure we were the last ones in Texas. The message is just to be aware of this when you're budgeting your money and don't always look at dates as being concrete.

Do you have any possible explanation for this?
I know that they promise to get back to EA applicants with a decision by the end of January, and I'm sure they will; but the way that they handle this is a little annoying. I am not saying they're doing anything wrong, they're not. But I'm certain they have made all these decisions already and choose not to disclose them until the last possible day. I would think this must be the result of some strategy or idea that they have, but I cannot come up with a reasonable explanation for why they would handle the applications this way.

Well, I don't think you should try to figure out a strategy behind SMU's pace. Everything is slow. With our grades, there were conflicting reports circulating about when they would be distributed. As the 1L class grew more impatient, some students called the registrar and were told grades would be given out on a Friday. And while they were posted that Friday, it wasn't until around 4:55 p.m. You guys are trying to figure out what these status checker changes mean, and you are wasting your time. The school doesn't always do things the same way from year to year. Last year, we got phone calls on the Thursday and Friday before the end of the month. Apparently they aren't doing it that way any more. Who knows why? Now it looks like they'll probably call you guys all on Monday. But maybe they'll mail letters on Monday. Would that qualify as "notifying" you by the end of the month? Probably. Ironically, you'll learn all about the mailbox rule in your first semester of contracts. Your best bet is just to forget about it. You should know something next week. Unless you get "held." Then you get to repeat the process.

LOL. Still in a bit of a bad mood, I see.

Guys (and girls), one thing I like about SMU is that it's generally pretty relaxed. People are nice to each other, and there isn't a large douchiness quotient.

However, the flip side to that is a very relaxed administration that gets around to things when they get around to it. If you are looking for a place where you snap your fingers and stuff happens, or they promise a late date but then turn things in early, go ahead and withdraw now.

It's incredibly irritating when loans are due out and when you are waiting for grades. Aside from that, it's not so bad. But it's really, really bad at those times. SMU isn't perfect, far from it. But I think for a lot of people, the good outweighs the bad. I don't even like Texas and I like SMU.

Besides, chrisokc's smiling face is the wind beneath my wings.

[kalvano]

Yes. The financial aid office is incompetent.

Thank you for making me laugh, but I think there might be more to it than that, at least with the way they handle admissions. It feels like a manipulation, or possibly some type of yeild protection strategy. Maybe they want to wait as long as possible so that people who have a binding decision elsewhere will withdraw before SMU makes a decision? I don't know, but there are only a couple of schools that I know of who handle their decision notifications this way, and it seems odd to me.

Honestly, I think it's institutional arrogance. They are the only school in Dallas, they are the Park Cities school, they do things their way, and if you don't like it, go somewhere else.

[Billy Batts]

Yes. The financial aid office is incompetent.

Thank you for making me laugh, but I think there might be more to it than that, at least with the way they handle admissions. It feels like a manipulation, or possibly some type of yeild protection strategy. Maybe they want to wait as long as possible so that people who have a binding decision elsewhere will withdraw before SMU makes a decision? I don't know, but there are only a couple of schools that I know of who handle their decision notifications this way, and it seems odd to me.

I think you're reading too much into this (and probably overestimating their sophistication). They're just way slow.

[Billy Batts]

While all you guys are waiting, there is one thing that you should know about SMU, and this cannot be disputed: SMU is extremely slow with everything. If you end up here, do not count on getting your financial aid before classes start. Some of you are accustomed to getting financial aid refunds 10 days before the first day of classes. This is not the case here. In the fall, I got my refund on a Monday, and classes started on Thursday. This semester, it was a week after classes started. This means that you either need to set aside money to buy books, or charge them at the bookstore (at Barnes and Noble prices). The same goes for grades. I don't think SMU was the slowest with grades nationally, but I'm pretty sure we were the last ones in Texas. The message is just to be aware of this when you're budgeting your money and don't always look at dates as being concrete.

Do you have any possible explanation for this?
I know that they promise to get back to EA applicants with a decision by the end of January, and I'm sure they will; but the way that they handle this is a little annoying. I am not saying they're doing anything wrong, they're not. But I'm certain they have made all these decisions already and choose not to disclose them until the last possible day. I would think this must be the result of some strategy or idea that they have, but I cannot come up with a reasonable explanation for why they would handle the applications this way.

Well, I don't think you should try to figure out a strategy behind SMU's pace. Everything is slow. With our grades, there were conflicting reports circulating about when they would be distributed. As the 1L class grew more impatient, some students called the registrar and were told grades would be given out on a Friday. And while they were posted that Friday, it wasn't until around 4:55 p.m. You guys are trying to figure out what these status checker changes mean, and you are wasting your time. The school doesn't always do things the same way from year to year. Last year, we got phone calls on the Thursday and Friday before the end of the month. Apparently they aren't doing it that way any more. Who knows why? Now it looks like they'll probably call you guys all on Monday. But maybe they'll mail letters on Monday. Would that qualify as "notifying" you by the end of the month? Probably. Ironically, you'll learn all about the mailbox rule in your first semester of contracts. Your best bet is just to forget about it. You should know something next week. Unless you get "held." Then you get to repeat the process.

LOL. Still in a bit of a bad mood, I see.

Guys (and girls), one thing I like about SMU is that it's generally pretty relaxed. People are nice to each other, and there isn't a large douchiness quotient.

However, the flip side to that is a very relaxed administration that gets around to things when they get around to it. If you are looking for a place where you snap your fingers and stuff happens, or they promise a late date but then turn things in early, go ahead and withdraw now.

It's incredibly irritating when loans are due out and when you are waiting for grades. Aside from that, it's not so bad. But it's really, really bad at those times. SMU isn't perfect, far from it. But I think for a lot of people, the good outweighs the bad. I don't even like Texas and I like SMU.

Besides, chrisokc's smiling face is the wind beneath my wings.

Haha. Actually, I'm in a really good mood. Reading Civ Pro always does it for me. I'm with you, Kal. It is really relaxed. Once you get used to it, it isn't bad. These guys just have to understand the pace around here. Things happen at an old-school, slower pace.

[Capitol A]

Yes. The financial aid office is incompetent.

Thank you for making me laugh, but I think there might be more to it than that, at least with the way they handle admissions. It feels like a manipulation, or possibly some type of yeild protection strategy. Maybe they want to wait as long as possible so that people who have a binding decision elsewhere will withdraw before SMU makes a decision? I don't know, but there are only a couple of schools that I know of who handle their decision notifications this way, and it seems odd to me.

I think you're reading too much into this (and probably overestimating their sophistication). They're just way slow.

I'm sure you're right, but I've got nothing better to do. You guys make it sound like they operate the way the University of Hawaii would operate a law school if they had one (do they have one?).

[kalvano]

I'm sure you're right, but I've got nothing better to do. You guys make it sound like they operate the way the University of Hawaii would operate a law school if they had one (do they have one?).

They do, and from my understanding, it's quite competitive to get into because of the location.

[Billy Batts]

Just to add something, that relaxed pace has benefits too. Kal and I have not a single "gunner" in our section. Not one of our teachers has ever humiliated a student or been mean with the Socratic Method. And, for the first six or eight weeks of the fall semester, I had free time every night because they were easing us into the routine.

[Capitol A]

Just to add something, that relaxed pace has benefits too. Kal and I have not a single "gunner" in our section. Not one of our teachers has ever humiliated a student or been mean with the Socratic Method. And, for the first six or eight weeks of the fall semester, I had free time every night because they were easing us into the routine.

I like the the idea of 'easing into the routine.' It will also be nice for me to be the only gunner in my section.

[Longhorn88]

Part of your student fees cover tickets. Just bring your student ID.

Thanks for the replies, another random question: does it seem like SMU law students seem to cluster when it comes to finding a place to live? If so, what neighborhoods or complexes?

[Billy Batts]

Part of your student fees cover tickets. Just bring your student ID.

Thanks for the replies, another random question: does it seem like SMU law students seem to cluster when it comes to finding a place to live? If so, what neighborhoods or complexes?

I live right by the school, but I was very lucky to find a place that was affordable. If you want to live within walking distance of SMU, your best bet is just to drive the surrounding streets and take down numbers from signs. There are a lot of condos and duplexes, generally ranging from around $1,500 all the way to around $4,000 per month. The vast majority of students seem to live in more traditional apartment complexes three or four miles from campus.