SMU vs. U of Houston Forum

[luhrenzo]

I haven't applied to either but now im rethinking that decision and considering turning in late apps. I'm just curious what the consensus is about the two regional schools. SMU is ranked higher, better part of town, more prestige (within the region) but also a lot more expensive.

[charlesxavier]

It really depends on what kind of money you can get from SMU. UH tends to give out very little. I am not a Texas resident so for me SMU could be cheaper or about the same as UH out of state tuition when I consider the scholarships. But, I don't think applying so late would help the $ situation.

[jgrin]

I haven't applied to either but now im rethinking that decision and considering turning in late apps. I'm just curious what the consensus is about the two regional schools. SMU is ranked higher, better part of town, more prestige (within the region) but also a lot more expensive.

Could one be more un-prepared? "luhrenzo" better get his act together or else he might as well not even go to law school. I would be embarrassed to know you. GET A LIFE

[jgrin]

oh yeah, and if we end up in the same city, wanna live with each other?

[fathergoose]

This is an interesting topic. I'm more than likely going to have to pick between the two baring an acceptance from UT. Money wise it is comparable after money from SMU. It is pretty clear they do very well in their respective markets. I don't care whether I practice in Dallas or Houston so here are my questions:

1) to people outside of Texas, What is the perception of SMU? What is the percetion of UH?

2) to people admitted to both (or at least applied), what are your thoughts? What are pros and cons in your mind? What is going into your decision making process?

3) for 1Ls, preferably not at either school, does it matter what your campus looks like? Does it effect you?

Thanks in advance

[charlesxavier]

This is an interesting topic. I'm more than likely going to have to pick between the two baring an acceptance from UT. Money wise it is comparable after money from SMU. It is pretty clear they do very well in their respective markets. I don't care whether I practice in Dallas or Houston so here are my questions:

1) to people outside of Texas, What is the perception of SMU? What is the percetion of UH?

2) to people admitted to both (or at least applied), what are your thoughts? What are pros and cons in your mind? What is going into your decision making process?

3) for 1Ls, preferably not at either school, does it matter what your campus looks like? Does it effect you?

Thanks in advance

Are you referring to the legal perception of SMU and UH outside of Texas or just the general perception of the institutions?

[fathergoose]

How about both? I've lived in Texas my entire life so I'm curious what an outsiders perspective is.

[luhrenzo]

I haven't applied to either but now im rethinking that decision and considering turning in late apps. I'm just curious what the consensus is about the two regional schools. SMU is ranked higher, better part of town, more prestige (within the region) but also a lot more expensive.

Could one be more un-prepared? "luhrenzo" better get his act together or else he might as well not even go to law school. I would be embarrassed to know you. GET A LIFE

get off your high horse you self-righteous hack. i bet you only scored like a 175. i'd have been embarrassed to have fathered a child like you

oh yeah, and if we end up in the same city, wanna live with each other?

YES YES YES!!!! A THOUSAND TIMES YES!!!!

[Stringer Bell]

One thing to keep in mind for anyone making this decision is that UH raised tuition considerably starting next year. I think it will be in the neighborhood of 26k or so for Texas residents. SMU has a slight placement edge, but both schools are pretty comparable. Strictly comparing both at sticker from a value perspective, UH is still a better deal, but it's not as much of a slam dunk as it was before the tuition increase.

[chadwick218]

One thing to keep in mind for anyone making this decision is that UH raised tuition considerably starting next year. I think it will be in the neighborhood of 26k or so for Texas residents. SMU has a slight placement edge, but both schools are pretty comparable. Strictly comparing both at sticker from a value perspective, UH is still a better deal, but it's not as much of a slam dunk as it was before the tuition increase.

Agreed. You should also consider where you would rather live / work long-term. If Dallas, then SMU; Houston, then UoH. Although SMU has more lay prestige, it still places very regionally.

I am also not sure what you #'s and softs are, but Baylor is known to give out some very large scholarships to people with the "right" applications. I received a full-ride last year, while I only received 1/2 from SMU.

[dvt0004]

This is an interesting topic. I'm more than likely going to have to pick between the two baring an acceptance from UT. Money wise it is comparable after money from SMU. It is pretty clear they do very well in their respective markets. I don't care whether I practice in Dallas or Houston so here are my questions:

1) to people outside of Texas, What is the perception of SMU? What is the percetion of UH?

2) to people admitted to both (or at least applied), what are your thoughts? What are pros and cons in your mind? What is going into your decision making process?

3) for 1Ls, preferably not at either school, does it matter what your campus looks like? Does it effect you?

Thanks in advance

2) I have applied to both, and expect to be accepted to both. If you are paying sticker at both I would choose SMU hands down. The campus is much nicer and it's located in a nicer part of town relative to UH location in Houston. Also, from my experiences in Texas, I would also say that SMU has a better reputation throughout the state, with the obvious exception of the Houston legal market. IMHO SMU will offer better quality of life and job opportunities. So unless you REALLY want to practice in Houston go to SMU.

Fortunately for me I am a Texas veteran who qualifies for the Hazelwood Act, so UH is a free ride for me. That makes my decision much easier. Best of luck.

[Esc]

They really are regional schools but each is very strong in its hometown. SMU for Dallas, UH for Houston. If the costs of attending are equal, I'd go for SMU, since it does have a bit better overall reputation. That said, I'd choose UH sticker over SMU sticker.

Both are far better than Baylor. Given that Baylor has ridiculous GPA requirements for keeping scholarship, I'd take either UH or SMU at sticker price over a full scholly to Baylor.

[kalvano]

If you want to be in Dallas, go to SMU.

If you want to be in Houston, go to UH.

[ec2xs]

If you want to be in Dallas, go to SMU.

If you want to be in Houston, go to UH.

Kalvano knows SMU relatively well, but I'm still gonna expand on this from what I've been told by various sources.

SMU places very well in Dallas and can place in Houston.

UH places very well in Houston but barely at all in Dallas.

SMU has better Texas reach and a better QOL, but at a MUCH higher price.

[kalvano]

SMU is also pretty generous with scholarship money. I have very similar stats to the OP and got $22K a year, which makes SMU pretty damn appealing.

Maybe hold off and apply next year if you don't get any money. But get an app in damn quick, they just started rolling out decisions.