SMU C/O 2017 (2013-2014 Applicants) Forum

[JRO1989]

In today via phone call! Hopefully there's good news about $ in the packet

[TheJanitor6203]

In today via phone call! Hopefully there's good news about $ in the packet

Numbers if you don't mind?

[jts723]

Interesting that they're sending out acceptances this early. Seems like the earliest they sent them out last few years was mid-December.

[lovesthelaw]

In with 24k/year scholarship!

[AT9]

Any rumors/good guesses about the class of 2016 medians?

It seems like it's about this time of year that the school prints their "Yield Brochure" to send to admitted students to convince them to come. Last year's featured 2015FT/2016PT numbers so this year's should feature 2016 numbers. It's magazine size, so if one of you admitted students gets it, the numbers are usually towards the back.

Got my packet today. $90k!
The brochure they sent me did not have this year's entering class stats. It's the same brochure they have up on their website, which contains 12-13 stats.

Congrats! We're .03 GPA points away from being numbers twins, so I hope they're as generous with me.

[JRO1989]

In today via phone call! Hopefully there's good news about $ in the packet

Numbers if you don't mind?

3.5/163

[texas_ranger]

Current 2L at UH Law here. I was also accepted to SMU but ended up going with UH, though I know plenty of people who've ended up going to SMU. Thought I could provide some insights here:

1. Nearly everybody accepted to SMU gets a scholarship; the only question is the size of it. SMU considers UH to be its primary competition -- as it should, since both schools are currently tied at #48 in the U.S. News rankings, and both are the dominant law schools in Texas's two largest cities -- and as such aims to have its average total cost on par with UH (which, I should note, is extremely stingy with scholarships unless you're T14 material, in which case you often get offered a full ride). Not sure if the numbers have changed this year, but in the past the average scholarship offer was about $21K/yr. (That said, like nearly every other school in the top 50 that's not T14, SMU is scared shitless about losing their best students after their 1L year if they're in the top 10% and apply for a transfer. I know one such student who applied to, and was accepted to, two T14 schools as a transfer student, and in response SMU upped him to a full-ride scholarship.)

2. There's only one "national" law school in Texas, and it ain't SMU or UH. I hope you like Dallas, because that's almost certainly where you'll end up working after graduation (though that's not to say you can't make a lateral move to a different city and/or firm later on).

3. Along similar lines: Dallas firms recruit at SMU, Houston firms recruit at UH, and *not* the other way around. You'll have some flexibility for 1L summer, but at OCI for 2L summer you'll find that nearly all the recruiters are seeking summers for their Dallas office. Yes, even BigLaw firms with Dallas offices. Most will explicitly tell you that "multiple offices" aren't allowed (meaning you can't interview with, say, Baker Botts at SMU OCI and request placement in Houston, Austin, or anywhere besides Dallas).

4. Since someone asked about San Antonio: the legal market there is *tiny*. Seriously, Austin's market is vastly larger, even though SA is a larger city overall. That's not to say that St. Mary's students have a lock on it, mainly because St. Mary's pretty much sucks.

[BVest]

3. Along similar lines: Dallas firms recruit at SMU, Houston firms recruit at UH, and *not* the other way around. You'll have some flexibility for 1L summer, but at OCI for 2L summer you'll find that nearly all the recruiters are seeking summers for their Dallas office. Yes, even BigLaw firms with Dallas offices. Most will explicitly tell you that "multiple offices" aren't allowed (meaning you can't interview with, say, Baker Botts at SMU OCI and request placement in Houston, Austin, or anywhere besides Dallas).

This is not true. Literally 1/4 of all the employers who participated in this year's SMU OCI were interviewing for Houston as well as (or instead of) Dallas. Obviously some of those would tell you that you can only interview for one city, but they tell you that at Texas too.

Further, that underestimates the total number of firms interviewing SMU students because that's only the Dallas OCI and doesn't count the SMU Houston Interview Program in which the CSO sets up an off-campus OCI with Houston firms and Houston offices of BigLaw firms at a Houston hotel.

Between those two programs a friend of mine at SMU got 6 V100 CB in Houston, plus a few others not V100. Of course, if you're interviewing for Houston from SMU, you have to have a good story as to why you want Houston instead of Dallas, especially if you apply for multiple offices.

As for Baker Botts, your specific example:

Day: 2013-08-14
Interviewing For: Houston, TX, Dallas, TX, Austin, TX; Austin, Dallas, Houston
Multiple offices allowed: yes

ETA: And I don't have any inside info for UH OCI, but I assume the situation is similar, though they may not have a Dallas interview program. The SMU Houston interview program appears to be fairly new.

[kobe1020]

how many of you both got applied and got accepted by SMU and Baylor? Did Baylor give you more $$$?

[Saintsfan2017]

In at SMU with 15,000/yr scholarship 11/8 via phone call. Fiance accepted to Physical Therapy school in Dallas as well! Great week.

[lovesthelaw]

how many of you both got applied and got accepted by SMU and Baylor? Did Baylor give you more $$$?

I did! I got more money at Baylor. 43k/year at Baylor, and 24k/year at SMU.

[kobe1020]

In at SMU with 15,000/yr scholarship 11/8 via phone call. Fiance accepted to Physical Therapy school in Dallas as well! Great week.

GREAT man. I got $$$ to attend SMU too and my girlfriend is interviewing for Baylor Dallas's residency program. Life is good.

[kobe1020]

how many of you both got applied and got accepted by SMU and Baylor? Did Baylor give you more $$$?

I did! I got more money at Baylor. 43k/year at Baylor, and 24k/year at SMU.

that is a full ride from Baylor isn't it?! Awesome! Maybe I can leverage my SMU $$$ to bargain with Baylor...

[Saintsfan2017]

In at SMU with 15,000/yr scholarship 11/8 via phone call. Fiance accepted to Physical Therapy school in Dallas as well! Great week.

GREAT man. I got $$$ to attend SMU too and my girlfriend is interviewing for Baylor Dallas's residency program. Life is good.

Thanks, Good luck on the interview

[kalvano]

how many of you both got applied and got accepted by SMU and Baylor? Did Baylor give you more $$$?

I did! I got more money at Baylor. 43k/year at Baylor, and 24k/year at SMU.

that is a full ride from Baylor isn't it?! Awesome! Maybe I can leverage my SMU $$$ to bargain with Baylor...

I really wouldn't advise Baylor over SMU.

[kobe1020]

how many of you both got applied and got accepted by SMU and Baylor? Did Baylor give you more $$$?

I did! I got more money at Baylor. 43k/year at Baylor, and 24k/year at SMU.

that is a full ride from Baylor isn't it?! Awesome! Maybe I can leverage my SMU $$$ to bargain with Baylor...

I really wouldn't advise Baylor over SMU.

yeah i wouldn't either...i just don't get it why Baylor can't give more..

[LEPWU]

Waiting all week for the packet...it came today: nice enough with mention that the admissions committee had been especially interested in my particular line of work...no scholarship info. at all.

165/4.0 (plus a master's degree and work experience)

Any thoughts? I hate to be "this person," but I really was expecting / hoping for SOMETHING! Weird or no?

[AT9]

Waiting all week for the packet...it came today: nice enough with mention that the admissions committee had been especially interested in my particular line of work...no scholarship info. at all.

165/4.0 (plus a master's degree and work experience)

Any thoughts? I hate to be "this person," but I really was expecting / hoping for SOMETHING! Weird or no?

Maybe you're in the running for some huge scholarship? I wouldn't worry with your numbers, unless you have a criminal background or something.

[Winston1984]

Waiting all week for the packet...it came today: nice enough with mention that the admissions committee had been especially interested in my particular line of work...no scholarship info. at all.

165/4.0 (plus a master's degree and work experience)

Any thoughts? I hate to be "this person," but I really was expecting / hoping for SOMETHING! Weird or no?

That's very strange. Maybe the scholarship packet will come in a few days?

[LEPWU]

.

[LEPWU]

.

[Winston1984]

24k a year!

[jts723]

24k a year!

Congrats!

[LEPWU]

Called admissions and, in fact, the scholarship page of the packet had failed to print for me! 24k/year. Thanks again for the earlier feedback!

[BVest]

Called admissions and, in fact, the scholarship page of the packet had failed to print for me! 24k/year. Thanks again for the earlier feedback!

I was going to say, you sounded like money to me.