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College Prowler

Transportation

It is actually pretty convenient. I have even ridden the bus! I have never seen one other SMU student use it, though. You don’t really need it because everything is practically on campus, even a grocery store. I have no car, and I get around well enough on my own.

Weather

The weather is all over the place. Bring some of everything from way hot to way cold. A waterproof windbreaker is a must. Bring costume stuff, because it’s fun, and most parties are themed. Bring your own clothes and style. There are the Gucci decked heel wearers, but at the same time, flip-flop, jeans, and T-shirt wearers, too.

Academics

In the University Honors Program at SMU, professors are very engaging in the classrooms, a lot of reading is required, and students do a lot of papers. Along with the small size of classes comes an intimate setting inside the classroom and a close relationship with professors outside the classroom. I have found this to be very beneficial. For example, I can get coffee with any of my professors to talk about materials in class, or maybe just talk about other interests. This makes class so much more interactive and very interesting; not like a lecture at all.

Athletics

We have a great soccer team and swimming team, but no one cares about sports. Football is awful. They spend more and more money to get better, but all they do is help the players drive nicer cars. We have the potential to be excited about sports but lack the motivation from the players and the crowds. Intramural sports are fun. They are huge among frats and sororities.

Campus Dining

The dining halls are good at first, but they get old really quickly. Really quickly. The breakfast at Umph [Umphrey Lee Center] is the best. Besides that, Subway and Chick-fil-A are okay, depending on your mood.

Campus Housing

Each dorm is different. There are two all-freshmen dorms, Boaz and McElvaney. Boaz tends to be a lot of fun, and there’s always something happening. Cockrell-McIntosh and Morrison-McGinnis are really nice four-year dorms with cable. Virginia-Snider is the Honors dorm. Mary Hay and Peyton are the fine arts dorms. There are some substance-free dorms as well.

Campus Strictness

If you’re underage, they usually let you go with a warning. On the other hand, if you do get caught, the punishment is typically spending a Saturday learning about drugs and alcohol.

Computers

I’ve only used the campus computers in the student center occasionally to check e-mail in the middle of the day or something. I’ve used the dorm ones when my printer had a fit. I’ve never had a problem getting on a computer. It would be nice if they had wireless campus- wide like a lot of other schools have now. Bringing a computer is just way easier, but I guess it’s not necessary. I don’t want to be anywhere else but my room when I’m doing homework, so if you’re a procrastinator like me, get a computer. Rarely do people bring their computers to class. There are some, though.

Diversity

It has a lot to do with where your school is located. When it comes down to it, a private university in the South is not going to be diverse. You have to factor in a lot of other things, like income, too. We’re fairly diverse for our location. Having 20 percent minorities in the South is a lot.The student center is the only diverse place on campus. People find their niche here, and they stick to it.

Drug Scene

Adderall seems to be the new study drug, and I think people from every group or type can be prone to using it. Party drugs like cocaine seem to be popular among some of the more upper-class Greek people on campus. And who can forget GHB? It’s popular among the frat boys for sex assistance.

Facilities

As far as athletic facilities go, by the time you are through reading this book, the brand new workout facility will be erected with a brand new smoothie bar. As far as sports go, the athletic facilities are exceptional. The student center is very nice. They will always update and change it based on students’ responses. The dining halls and eateries are changed every year according to surveys. The post office, computer lab, and the market are all in the student center.

Greek Life

Sororities pay for status. They’re so pointless in comparison to fraternities. Girls pay huge dues and don’t reap the same benefits as guys. You don’t see the same dispersal of money with sororities as you do with fraternities. It doesn’t dominate the school, but it has a definite presence in the social scene. Greeks have the parties on the weekend. It’s worth it to join, if you meet the right people. You’re by no means ruled out of Greek life if you don’t join.

Guys & Girls

The guys are a weird cross-breed of polite southern men and ‘I’m cool because I’m a rich frat kid.’ Since there are more girls than guys, I can be ugly, stupid, in a frat, and get the abundance of hot girls to do one night stands.Most of the girls are beautiful—beach babes and southern belles. They are mostly rich. There are some smart, some stupid, some plastic, mostly size two or less. Weren’t we ranked in Playboy for the hottest girls? For the most part, everyone is very nice. That’s why I chose to come to SMU. As a high school senior, I walked around campus, and everyone I passed said hello. I didn’t even have a name tag.

Local Atmosphere

Dallas is a great college city. There are tons of restaurants and bars, and there is plenty to do on the weekends. If you are into the party scene, you can’t go wrong with Greenville Avenue. It is so close to campus, and Deep Ellum is right downtown.

Nightlife

The problem with SMU and on-campus parties is that the school is terrified of the idea of liability. As opposed to regulating on-campus parties, they would much rather thrust the responsibility onto the students themselves by making them ride buses. This leads to drunk driving, especially since the buses have lists. No matter how many speeches and laws that are enforced, drinking in college is here to stay. It’s disappointing that the school chooses to remain naïve.

Off-Campus Dining

There are many excellent cheap restaurants within walking distance from residence halls. There are even more, both inexpensive and expensive, within a five-mile radius of campus. The ones you can walk to are great, and the ones you can drive to are even better. The Park Cities caters to the young, hip crowd. Hillcrest is a great street, where most of the restaurants are laid out in a strip-mall style facing the campus. There is a small quaint little shopping center called Snider Plaza with over 30 store fronts. Knox Park features Pei Wei and Potbelly Sandwich Works. Greenville Avenue has almost every fast food restaurant you’ll ever eat at . . . except Big Boy and Hardees. So if you like Hardees, you shouldn’t come to Texas. If you’re not from Texas, you’re missing out on the best fast food restaurant: Whataburger. You should come to school just for Whataburger. It’s also open 24 hours a day and serves breakfast from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Central Market is the premium grocery store in the area. If you don’t want to go out to eat, you can pick up something there and heat it up at home. The Mansion on Turtle Creek is the coup de gras of Dallas dining. For special occasions or the high roller, it is the best restaurant in North Dallas. Sevy’s, P.F. Chang’s, the Cheesecake Factory, and Blue Mesa are also great.

Off-Campus Housing

There are a lot of places to live off campus. Being a well-established college city, the Park Cities offers a lot of apartments in a very broad price range. I have lived on campus all three years because I like being able to walk to class instead of trying to find parking. There are also on-campus apartments that are nice and convenient. Privacy and freedom can be expensive.

Overall Experience

Even though I hate the frats, and our football team sucks, I have made so many friends here. The faculty in Dedman have helped me do so much that I can’t imagine being anywhere else. Besides that, the fact that so many guys at our school act like total tools just increases my chance with some of the hottest and richest women in the United States.

Parking

If you’re not a freshman guy, parking is not that bad. SMU totally screws over the freshmen guys by putting them on the farthest corners of the campus. I think it’s a poor decision, because it’s so close to the highway. By the time a cop responds to your call, someone has taken off with your stereo already. On the other hand, there are so many students here, that I don’t think there is anywhere else to park.

Safety & Security

There are blue campus security buttons all over, so if you feel unsafe, help will arrive immediately. Also, the campus is well lit. I have had no problems with safety—I’ve walked on campus alone at night many times and have never felt threatened. The security is in such excess that sometimes it’s ridiculous. The Student Senate Student Issues Committee actually meets once a semester with the police department and other school officials to do the Light the Night walk, where they walk the entire campus and note the places that need more light or even a blue security light.