SMU 2010! Forum

[Center2450]

Ya, don't live on campus. There are some good apartments/duplexes in the surrounding area, but if you stay REAL close to the campus in the University Park area it will be quite expensive. There are TONS of 20 somethings in the Uptown area. It is a really cool area, a 5 minute drive to campus. A lot of SMU senior undergrads live in Uptown when they are trying to "grow up" there are a great deal of young professionals 25-35 crowd. Tons of bars, restaurants, everything. 2 minutes from House of blues, American Airlines Arena, etc.

[utcris410]

Ya, don't live on campus. There are some good apartments/duplexes in the surrounding area, but if you stay REAL close to the campus in the University Park area it will be quite expensive. There are TONS of 20 somethings in the Uptown area. It is a really cool area, a 5 minute drive to campus. A lot of SMU senior undergrads live in Uptown when they are trying to "grow up" there are a great deal of young professionals 25-35 crowd. Tons of bars, restaurants, everything. 2 minutes from House of blues, American Airlines Arena, etc.

Uptown is a good area to live, if you can find a decent price. There are parts of the Village that are older/less nice. I've never lived there but have several friends who have. They didn't mention anything about crime. Obviously, places with gates/gate codes/fences/fobs/clickers are probably going to be "safer". Uptown/downtown/Knox-Henderson area you can find affordable housing if you look. All of these areas are great for young (and single) people. They're all close to SMU. Highland Park area is more pricey, in general. Hope this helps!
Are you coming to visit? If so, you might want to set up a visit with a free apartment locator.

[Thirteen]

Is anyone else thinking about buying a house or condo? I'm 99% sure I'll be there in the fall, and know that I want to work in Dallas. Prices are pretty cheap, and getting a roommate (or 2) might make it cheaper than renting.

[SpencerPratt]

Ya, don't live on campus. There are some good apartments/duplexes in the surrounding area, but if you stay REAL close to the campus in the University Park area it will be quite expensive. There are TONS of 20 somethings in the Uptown area. It is a really cool area, a 5 minute drive to campus. A lot of SMU senior undergrads live in Uptown when they are trying to "grow up" there are a great deal of young professionals 25-35 crowd. Tons of bars, restaurants, everything. 2 minutes from House of blues, American Airlines Arena, etc.

Uptown is a good area to live, if you can find a decent price. There are parts of the Village that are older/less nice. I've never lived there but have several friends who have. They didn't mention anything about crime. Obviously, places with gates/gate codes/fences/fobs/clickers are probably going to be "safer". Uptown/downtown/Knox-Henderson area you can find affordable housing if you look. All of these areas are great for young (and single) people. They're all close to SMU. Highland Park area is more pricey, in general. Hope this helps!
Are you coming to visit? If so, you might want to set up a visit with a free apartment locator.

What do you mean set up a visit with a free apartment locator? I'll be down probably May 18 and stay until the 21st for the ASD.

[utcris410]

There are alot of apartment locators that will take you around for free. They earn $ by getting commission from the apartment complex once you sign a lease. Most companies will offer you money, like $50 or $100 for using them. Others will move you for free (not sure if this is only within Dallas). The packet SMU sent out listed at least one apartment locator I think. I worked with two companies when I first moved to Dallas three years ago.

[SpencerPratt]

That's great info! I'm assuming you tell them your preferences (price, location, etc) and they show you what would be a good fit? That's a great recommendation! Other than college (where everything is set up for you at the beginning obviously), I've never really lived in a new city, so this is all new to me.

[blackeyeddog]

Deleted

[BlairLeigh]

I've lived all over the metroplex, including uptown, The Village, Downtown, East Dallas, North Dallas, and Highland Park. If you want to be close to SMU, The Village is going to give you more for your money.

Ditto. I went to undergrad at SMU and lived in both the Village and Uptown. I prefer Uptown but at the time the parents were paying the rent and it was close to double for my portion alone. The Village has running and biking trails, always tons of students at the apartment pools, great proximity to campus AND very reasonable prices.

SMU used to have some pretty good and super cheap student housing ... til they tore it all down for the George W. Bush Library. O well.

[Gunners87]

Where would you guys recommend living for someone who is looking to ditch the car? I'm thinking of either using a bike or public transport. The village option sounds fairly decent. What other options are there? I'm probably going to be visiting sometime next month to check out places. I obviously don't want anything too expensive, but I'm willing to pay a bit more if it allows me to get rid of the car.

[utcris410]

I negotiated my rent downtown in an awesome 90 sq. ft. one bedroom - $700. Part of that was because I found an apartment at Jefferson at the NorthEnd for $699 and they wanted to keep me as a resident. I found smaller apartments (500-600 sq ft) in Uptown for around $800+. I think I was able to negotiate my rent because the last few years, alot more housing has sprung up downtown, creating competition and dropping rates. Uptown is pricey - living with a roommate is ideal for this area. The Village is on the other side of the highway from SMU. Public transportation would probably be more convenient than walking (it's a little far to walk, in my opinion, and I walk to work everyday right now).

Hope this helps!

[bonnieblue]

i'm not sure 'ditchin the car' would be the greatest idea in dallas....it could probably be done, but given that we don't have a great public transportation system and that there are so many great things to see and do beyond biking distance, i just think it would be a mistake to not have one

[fathergoose]

Where would you guys recommend living for someone who is looking to ditch the car? I'm thinking of either using a bike or public transport. The village option sounds fairly decent. What other options are there? I'm probably going to be visiting sometime next month to check out places. I obviously don't want anything too expensive, but I'm willing to pay a bit more if it allows me to get rid of the car.

you'll be hard pressed to get rid of your car. Dallas is a pretty sprawling city and the public transportation as a whole doesn't compare to the transportation in cities like DC, NYC, or Boston. I'd get familiar with the city before you decide to ditch the car

[Gunners87]

I guess that's what a visit will quickly tell me, I was just looking at ways of saving some $$$ but sounds like a car is definitely something needed. Appreciate the advice guys!

[kalvano]

The crime in and near the Village (mostly robbery, but some assault) has been greatly mitigated since last year. There was a strip of delapitated, low-income apartments that have since been demolished and in their place stand new (not cheap) townhomes. The new zoning ordinances for that area include retail/residental plans (Starbucks below, loft above). The Village is great if you're looking to meet other SMU students of graduate age. They have a country club with a free gym, olympic-size pool, and Smith is constantly on patrol. It's going to be the most affordable, centrally-located place for transplants. Not to mention, there's the Mustang Express - a bus that stops all along Southwestern Blvd. to take SMU students across the freeway to campus. There's a Target, food and grocery stores (yay Central Market!) within walking distance, depending on which complex you live in. It also helps that all but The Corners East require residents to be 21+.

I've lived all over the metroplex, including uptown, The Village, Downtown, East Dallas, North Dallas, and Highland Park. If you want to be close to SMU, The Village is going to give you more for your money.

My wife's dad has lived in the Village for several years and never had a problem. It's a cool area.

[kalvano]

Where would you guys recommend living for someone who is looking to ditch the car? I'm thinking of either using a bike or public transport. The village option sounds fairly decent. What other options are there? I'm probably going to be visiting sometime next month to check out places. I obviously don't want anything too expensive, but I'm willing to pay a bit more if it allows me to get rid of the car.

You can't really in Dallas.

Public transportation is not something I would want to depend on.

[davipatr]

ahhh i hope its this week! i hope at least 1 person on here gets an interview just so everyone can have some peace of mind

What do you mean "interview"? I didn't think anybody interviewed in law school.

[utcris410]

ahhh i hope its this week! i hope at least 1 person on here gets an interview just so everyone can have some peace of mind

What do you mean "interview"? I didn't think anybody interviewed in law school.

For a particular scholarship....they do interviews.

[bonnieblue]

The crime in and near the Village (mostly robbery, but some assault) has been greatly mitigated since last year. There was a strip of delapitated, low-income apartments that have since been demolished and in their place stand new (not cheap) townhomes. The new zoning ordinances for that area include retail/residental plans (Starbucks below, loft above). The Village is great if you're looking to meet other SMU students of graduate age. They have a country club with a free gym, olympic-size pool, and Smith is constantly on patrol. It's going to be the most affordable, centrally-located place for transplants. Not to mention, there's the Mustang Express - a bus that stops all along Southwestern Blvd. to take SMU students across the freeway to campus. There's a Target, food and grocery stores (yay Central Market!) within walking distance, depending on which complex you live in. It also helps that all but The Corners East require residents to be 21+.

I've lived all over the metroplex, including uptown, The Village, Downtown, East Dallas, North Dallas, and Highland Park. If you want to be close to SMU, The Village is going to give you more for your money.

My wife's dad has lived in the Village for several years and never had a problem. It's a cool area.

The west village is cool, I think the Village he is talking about is the furthest thing from that

[Yellowcard]

1. Does SMU do rolling admissions?
2. If SMU does not do rolling admissions, does anyone know when the next batch of acceptances/rejections/wait lists is coming?

[justsmu10]

1. Does SMU do rolling admissions?
2. If SMU does not do rolling admissions, does anyone know when the next batch of acceptances/rejections/wait lists is coming?

1.) From the website: "Applications are processed on a continuous basis beginning in early December...." I guess this amounts to rolling admissions, but in past years the vast majority of admissions have come in batches.

2.) This is the thousand dollar question. The first big wave of regular decision admissions came on the 3rd Friday of February last year, but we are 2 weeks past that now and still no word. The delay may be the result of a substantially larger number of applicants, or perhaps they just enjoy torturing us. We all know that with the economy in shambles, scores of people are turning to some type of graduate education.

[kalvano]

My wife's dad has lived in the Village for several years and never had a problem. It's a cool area.

The west village is cool, I think the Village he is talking about is the furthest thing from that

I assume he is talking about the Village Apartments by Skillman and Lovers.

[wellington]

SMU used to have some pretty good and super cheap student housing ... til they tore it all down for the George W. Bush Library. O well.

No kidding. The apts on Binkley used to be cheaaaap. Now it's just a big field, soon to be a library. :\

[Billy Batts]

I saw these two ads on the dallas paper's site that looked interesting - Highland Park area:

http://shopping.dallasnews.com/class/Cl ... and%20Park

[bonnieblue]

I saw these two ads on the dallas paper's site that looked interesting - Highland Park area:

http://shopping.dallasnews.com/class/Cl ... and%20Park

yeah i was wondering about the whole "guest house" thing... alot of houses in the area have like a guest or pool house, so I wonder if they often rent out to students

my parents have a pool house and live like 5 mins away from the school, but i just can't go backkk

[utcris410]

I saw these two ads on the dallas paper's site that looked interesting - Highland Park area:

http://shopping.dallasnews.com/class/Cl ... and%20Park

yeah i was wondering about the whole "guest house" thing... alot of houses in the area have like a guest or pool house, so I wonder if they often rent out to students

my parents have a pool house and live like 5 mins away from the school, but i just can't go backkk

have them rent it out to a fellow tls-er