SMU 2010! Forum

[wellington]

Heck if you want to brave Deep Ellum (don't) you can grab a loft apt (something like the lofts at Mockingbird Station) for $500 or better.

Of course, you'll need to wear kevlar and pack some heat.



I know people who loved their time at the Village and those who let the crime (theft) ruin their opinion. Guess it just depends.

[kalvano]

My father-in-law has lived in The Village for years with no problems at all.

[mcflooter06]

Heck if you want to brave Deep Ellum (don't) you can grab a loft apt (something like the lofts at Mockingbird Station) for $500 or better.

Of course, you'll need to wear kevlar and pack some heat.



I know people who loved their time at the Village and those who let the crime (theft) ruin their opinion. Guess it just depends.

Mockingbird Lofts are pretty nice, as well as the lofts behind the DART station right there, but its about $1000 for a 1BR.

There are tons of new places on Lovers Lane, Northwest Highway, and Knox/Henderson in relatively safe areas of the city where a bunch of law students live.

Just don't go to Deep Ellum or Oak Cliff. I don't care if the rent is cheap, you may never make it out!

[ClemTiger]

I'm flying down to visit SMU for the first time in mid April. Pretty pumped. Hopefully will get to meet with an admissions counselor, going to get a tour, and will get to sit in on a class. Never been to Dallas or SMU before so I'm excited about finally getting to see the campus. Any suggestions for places to eat, things to see (that I wouldn't necessarily get on a tour) both at SMU and around Dallas while I'm there? I will be there from April 15-17th and am just going to rent a car while I'm there. Thanks!

[bonnieblue]

I'm flying down to visit SMU for the first time in mid April. Pretty pumped. Hopefully will get to meet with an admissions counselor, going to get a tour, and will get to sit in on a class. Never been to Dallas or SMU before so I'm excited about finally getting to see the campus. Any suggestions for places to eat, things to see (that I wouldn't necessarily get on a tour) both at SMU and around Dallas while I'm there? I will be there from April 15-17th and am just going to rent a car while I'm there. Thanks!

this is just a quick top of my head list of eateries and bars but:

Burgers: jakes, burger house
seafood: s&d, hook line and sinker
brunch: mecca, bread winners
pizza: campisi's, olivella
everything food: state and allen, tabc
mexicanish: tin star, rafa's, manny's

bars:
quarter bar, idle rich, black friar, the loon, cretia's, corner bar, green elephant (home bar)

[wellington]

Add Cafe Brazil (breakfast/all day) and Cafe Express (Mockingbird Station).

Ohhh bonnieblue with the Home Bar shoutout!

[Burgstaller04]

Add Cafe Brazil (breakfast/all day)

Yes, I've been to the one right on 75. Its amazing and different

[bonnieblue]

Add Cafe Brazil (breakfast/all day) and Cafe Express (Mockingbird Station).

Ohhh bonnieblue with the Home Bar shoutout!

mkay, Cafe Brazil is amazing, Cafe Express=bleh, and over priced, though i've never been for bfast

[texasforever]

I definitely agree witheverything Kalvano said (though I absolutely love Dallas). I am very familiar with the school, as well, and I can tell you that the faculty is perhaps the most wonderful bunh of people I have encountered. I am currently working with a career counselor at SMU about where I should go to law school, even though I'm probably not going there. They're just wonderful people, and I really love the student population, too, they're just all so... NICE. The facilities are also beautiful, but that could very well be because I'm severely biased.

Another thing I like is the immense deal SMU makes out of tailgating/football. Every football game, the law school has a tent with free food and alcohol, open to all SMU Law students, alums, and guests. The football is kind of poor, but hey, its fun.

hey now...we won a bowl game this year. improvement is in the air.

i never thought as an extremely reluctant smu undergrad that i would be down on my knees praying to get into smu law. alas, the irony is not lost on me.

hey claire tell lara brittany that all three of us are going to party soon, but only after SMU starts letting some freaking people in (including myself).. decisions have gone cold for almost 3 weeks now.. I guess they are wanting everyone to waste $500 on deposits at other schools before letting anyone in

[kalvano]

I'm flying down to visit SMU for the first time in mid April. Pretty pumped. Hopefully will get to meet with an admissions counselor, going to get a tour, and will get to sit in on a class. Never been to Dallas or SMU before so I'm excited about finally getting to see the campus. Any suggestions for places to eat, things to see (that I wouldn't necessarily get on a tour) both at SMU and around Dallas while I'm there? I will be there from April 15-17th and am just going to rent a car while I'm there. Thanks!

Eat at Blue Goose Mexican Cantina and Dodie's Seafood Cafe. Both are on Greenville Ave., which is pretty convenient to SMU.



Check out here....www.guidelive.com, you might find some suggestions.


Dallas World Aquarium is absolutely kick-ass.

[wocehtoom]

I couldn't make it to the ASD, but visited the campus a while ago- and wasn't all that impressed overall. It sounds like the people who went to the ASD really liked it. To the people who attended the ASD- what did you like? What didn't you like? Did they provide a really compelling pitch? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I'm currently debating between $$ SMU and $ WUSTL.

What I liked -

1) It's an excellent school with a very good reputation, especially within the D/FW area. It's hard for out-of-state people to grasp just how big a stranglehold SMU has on the Dallas area, because everyone sees UT and thinks it must be the best school in Texas. Rankings-wise and portability-wise, it is. But SMU completely dominates the Dallas market. SMU places well outside their USNWR ranking, with an excellent average starting salary in an area with a cheap cost-of-living. Dallas is a huge city with an enormous legal and business market, so having an SMU law degree here really opens a ton of doors, much more than you would think a mid-40's ranked school does. But there is very little competition in the area, unlike the Chicago / Midwest area that WUSTL serves.

If you want Biglaw, there are several national and multi-national firms that have offices in Dallas, and they are staffed by Dallas lawyers, so doing well at SMU gives you a much better than even shot at employment there, which can then be turned into a job in another office if you like.

SMU also has the in with the Dallas, Denton, and Collin (the three biggest around) county DA's and PD's offices, so internships are there. It was also mentioned that internships with AT&T in-house counsel is a possibility, as they work with the Small Business Clinic SMU offers.

The job opportunities are there, much more so in the Dallas area than from some other, higher-ranked, schools just because of the lack of competition. Imagine if Duke were the only law school in the entire North / South Carolina / Virginia area. It's probably somewhat akin to that.

And starting salaries are very good. $80K-$100K doesn't sound like a lot to people looking in the NYC / Boston / Chicago area, but (especially compared to NYC), your money goes a ton farther. $100K in Dallas is probably equal to $200K-$210K in NYC.

2) Dallas is a pretty neat city for most people, and SMU is in one of the best parts. There are bars and clubs and shopping and all kinds of activities to do. Part of living in the 6th-largest metro area in the USA is a lot of choices. There are concerts, museums, bike trails, parks, lakes...pretty much whatever you want. If you're a shopper, cancel your credit cards because Dallas ranks up there with NYC and L.A. for shopping.

Dallas has better dining options than pretty much anywhere. No matter what you want, you can find it.

3) The school made a point about, and takes pride in, their atmosphere. While it will be competitive, they took great pains to point out that they strive for an atmosphere that is not cutthroat or backstabbing. The dean specifically said if you want a cutthroat atmosphere, go somewhere else.

The school is very genteel Southern, which means it's not a bad place to spend 3 years.

4) The school is very pretty. It looks like a law school should, in my mind. The seats are comfortable, it's technologically equipped, but it has a nice, stately appearance.

5) Women at SMU tend to be extremely attractive. If you are a female, I would imagine the same would be true to you about guys there.



What I didn't like about SMU -


1) It's in Dallas. Dallas is a great city for most people, but I don't like it. I can't wait to get out, so that's a big negative for me. It's entirely subjective, though.

2) It's expensive. Even the dean acknowledged that they are more expensive than other comparably-ranked schools. They are generous with scholarships though, which helps. And I would say SMU is a better investment than other comparably-ranked schools.


3) The real strengths of the school are for the Dallas area, so if you aren't sure about staying there, you lose a little bit of what makes SMU such a good school. It's not going to be as mobile as UT is, or a school like that.

But, on that note, I don't get the sense that WUSTL is a terribly mobile degree, either, even though it's T20. I could be wrong.

4) You have to have a car in Dallas. Not sure where you are coming from, but that's a switch for some people. I don't care what some people say, Dallas is a car city. So plan for that extra expense.





That's really about it. SMU is really a great school, especially for the area. Honestly, even as much as I want out of Dallas, I'm not sure that WUSTL is a better choice, given it's proximity to other powerhouse schools. Dallas is really an insular market, and SMU is like a pretty golden key to the door of that market.

If you have more questions, let me know. I'm pretty familiar with the school and the area.

An amazing summary ^^. I attended the admitted students day on Friday (I may have been the only kid from California there) and was blown away. You really can't judge a school based off of a website, a packet, and US News Rankings.

I left with the impression that SMU packs an amazing punch for it's rankings and gpa/lsat averages. Like Kalvano said, I'm not even sure the word "domination" does justice to SMU's stranglehold over Dallas. Everyone I know who is familiar with the school has nothing but positive things to say about the program, area, and its reputation.

The campus is beautiful (both the layout and the undergrad students haha) and the school is in a very nice area. SMU is probably my number one choice after the visit.

[wellington]

mkay, Cafe Brazil is amazing, Cafe Express=bleh, and over priced, though i've never been for bfast

I was speaking more of the breakfast. Everything else is, well, you said it. Too much money for pretty average fare.

There's also a pretty amazing BYOB sushi place on lower Greenville that, despite frequenting it for several years, I can never remember the name ...

[utcris410]

We have a million brunch places. Two that I like:
-Sangria's off Cole (Uptown) - good food, $1 mimosas and sangria
-Lemon Bar (West Village) - CHICKEN and WAFFLES! and $8 bottomless mimosas

[Gunners87]

so is the consensus that our scholly packages are non-negotiable? Has anyone had any success?

I have offers from W&L and Wake Forest that make them half as expensive as SMU, SMU is definitely on my radar but I don't think I can pass over the others for financial reasons...

[chizUFL]

so is the consensus that our scholly packages are non-negotiable? Has anyone had any success?

I have offers from W&L and Wake Forest that make them half as expensive as SMU, SMU is definitely on my radar but I don't think I can pass over the others for financial reasons...

I got shot down trying to negotiate this week. On both scholarship amount and an extension of the first seat deposit deadline. The email definitely made it sound like they don't even consider negotiating.

Has anyone had any luck?

[UTL_plz]

For those who live in Dallas or have attended SMU as an undergrad:

What are your opinions on their rec center or gymnasium?

I am also very interested in yoga studios. Do you have any knowledge or ideas about the quality and quantity of yoga studios?

I appreciate any feedback.

I am very close to committing to SMU, my only hold back really is the city of Dallas. I don't know much about what all it offers, like where to live and what activities there are outside of law school, and am slightly afraid of being stuck in Dallas after graduation.

[utcris410]

I am also very interested in yoga studios. Do you have any knowledge or ideas about the quality and quantity of yoga studios?

I appreciate any feedback.

I am very close to committing to SMU, my only hold back really is the city of Dallas. I don't know much about what all it offers, like where to live and what activities there are outside of law school, and am slightly afraid of being stuck in Dallas after graduation.

I've looked into yoga before. There are studios and classes available - esp in the area around SMU. They have Sunstone Yoga studios in the area.

There are alot of things to do here! Not sure what your age or marital status is, but Dallas offers something for everyone. Unless you had your *heart* *set* on living in City X, I don't think you'd feel "stuck" in Dallas. Of course, this is all opinion.

[da87]

For those who live in Dallas or have attended SMU as an undergrad:

What are your opinions on their rec center or gymnasium?

I am also very interested in yoga studios. Do you have any knowledge or ideas about the quality and quantity of yoga studios?

I appreciate any feedback.

I am very close to committing to SMU, my only hold back really is the city of Dallas. I don't know much about what all it offers, like where to live and what activities there are outside of law school, and am slightly afraid of being stuck in Dallas after graduation.

Dallas is an awesome city with pretty much everything you could want in a big city. Why wouldn't anyone want to live there?

[fixer]

For those who live in Dallas or have attended SMU as an undergrad:

What are your opinions on their rec center or gymnasium?

I am also very interested in yoga studios. Do you have any knowledge or ideas about the quality and quantity of yoga studios?

I appreciate any feedback.

I am very close to committing to SMU, my only hold back really is the city of Dallas. I don't know much about what all it offers, like where to live and what activities there are outside of law school, and am slightly afraid of being stuck in Dallas after graduation.

The rec center (Dedman Center) is unbeatable. However, it is on the opposite corner of the campus from the law quad. It is better than any private gym. I have even paid to continue working out there after graduating. They have a schedule of different classes like spinning and circuit training as well. Also there is a 40 foot rock climbing tower, indoor track, basketball and racquet ball courts… There is also an indoor pool and the "falls" which is a shallow sunbathing pool with fountains and chaise lounge type chairs. The Falls (at least I think that is what it is called) is right near the sand volleyball courts. It is legit. I could go on and on.

[kalvano]

I am very close to committing to SMU, my only hold back really is the city of Dallas. I don't know much about what all it offers, like where to live and what activities there are outside of law school, and am slightly afraid of being stuck in Dallas after graduation.

It's the 6th-largest area in the entire USA. It has tons of everything to do.

It's pretty much on par with any other major US city as to what it offers.

[Billy Batts]

For those who live in Dallas or have attended SMU as an undergrad:

What are your opinions on their rec center or gymnasium?

I am also very interested in yoga studios. Do you have any knowledge or ideas about the quality and quantity of yoga studios?

I appreciate any feedback.

I am very close to committing to SMU, my only hold back really is the city of Dallas. I don't know much about what all it offers, like where to live and what activities there are outside of law school, and am slightly afraid of being stuck in Dallas after graduation.

In my opinion, if you can't find what you're looking for in Dallas, you may be a little too high-maintenance for your own good. If you can, visit the school and take a drive through the residential areas surrounding the campus. The area is going to have tons of yoga studios, pilates, etc. It's an affluent area, and has all the amenities that accompany such an area. Chanel & Jimmy Choo boutiques - Northpark Mall/Neiman Marcus. Bentleys, Ferraris, Aston Martins. I think that being trapped in Dallas isn't that scary of a proposition, particularly with a decent salary in your future. Ross Perot, Mark Cuban, and Troy Aikman all live in the Highland Park/University Park area. Millionaires mixed with billionaires.

[FunkyJD]

For those who live in Dallas or have attended SMU as an undergrad:

What are your opinions on their rec center or gymnasium?

I am also very interested in yoga studios. Do you have any knowledge or ideas about the quality and quantity of yoga studios?

I appreciate any feedback.

I am very close to committing to SMU, my only hold back really is the city of Dallas. I don't know much about what all it offers, like where to live and what activities there are outside of law school, and am slightly afraid of being stuck in Dallas after graduation.

In my opinion, if you can't find what you're looking for in Dallas, you may be a little too high-maintenance for your own good. If you can, visit the school and take a drive through the residential areas surrounding the campus. The area is going to have tons of yoga studios, pilates, etc. It's an affluent area, and has all the amenities that accompany such an area. Chanel & Jimmy Choo boutiques - Northpark Mall/Neiman Marcus. Bentleys, Ferraris, Aston Martins. I think that being trapped in Dallas isn't that scary of a proposition, particularly with a decent salary in your future. Ross Perot, Mark Cuban, and Troy Aikman all live in the Highland Park/University Park area. Millionaires mixed with billionaires.

It's down the road a bit, but two words: Dallas Galleria.

[bonnieblue]

Highland Park Village>Northpark> Galleria

Boom I said it

[Center2450]

For those who live in Dallas or have attended SMU as an undergrad:

What are your opinions on their rec center or gymnasium?

I am also very interested in yoga studios. Do you have any knowledge or ideas about the quality and quantity of yoga studios?

I appreciate any feedback.

I am very close to committing to SMU, my only hold back really is the city of Dallas. I don't know much about what all it offers, like where to live and what activities there are outside of law school, and am slightly afraid of being stuck in Dallas after graduation.

In my opinion, if you can't find what you're looking for in Dallas, you may be a little too high-maintenance for your own good. If you can, visit the school and take a drive through the residential areas surrounding the campus. The area is going to have tons of yoga studios, pilates, etc. It's an affluent area, and has all the amenities that accompany such an area. Chanel & Jimmy Choo boutiques - Northpark Mall/Neiman Marcus. Bentleys, Ferraris, Aston Martins. I think that being trapped in Dallas isn't that scary of a proposition, particularly with a decent salary in your future. Ross Perot, Mark Cuban, and Troy Aikman all live in the Highland Park/University Park area. Millionaires mixed with billionaires.

It's down the road a bit, but two words: Dallas Galleria.

you forgot jerry jones and probably 10 other names people would recognize

[Bustang]

You will be "stuck" in Dallas after graduation (duh?). Please withdraw so people like myself, who LOVE Dallas, can enjoy SMU.