No matter how rich you think you are, there will be people on campus who have more, sometimes much more. It can be intimidating parking your beat up Datsun (remember those) 200SX between a brand new BMW and Audi. Or having a roommate whose first priority was trading in his 2 year old Corvette for a Jaguar so he could “better fit in” - at least that was what he told his father.

I never thought of myself as poor until my first few weeks at SMU. But then slowly, I started to realize that the uber wealthy stand out, but by no means are they the majority. Some of the kindest folks I met in college could have lived their entire lives on a permanent vacation. And yet there they were in class like me.

For me, coming from a modest background, someone who worked 30 hours a week during high school to buy a car and clothes for myself, seeing how others lived was a motivating. It drove me to want more out of life - and believe that it was in fact possible. Had I stayed in my hometown, I would have missed out on so much - and I’m not done yet!

You will meet folks from all over the world, some rich, some poor, and some some place in between. You will meet extreme leftists, ready to burn the country down, and people who can recite the Constitution from memory. The “Methodist” is largely meaningless, as Catholics actually had a slight plurality while I was there, with every major religious group represented.

Athletics was huge while I was there - football the winningest team in the country for about 5 years ranking as high as #2. Basketball was solid too. Many students supported the teams, although football was played in Irving where the Cowboys used to play. Going to games now is so much easier with a beautiful stadium on campus. Go watch some games. Its a great way to meet and fellowship with other students. And they are pretty darn good again under Sonny Dykes.

I loved the small classes, especially as you advanced into the upper levels. I remember one really advanced class I took at the end which included a few grad students. One was an Army officer, another had worked at the state department. The class had about 12 folks in total. It was on Russian history, with most time spent discussing the Revolution. The reading material was the most challenging I had ever tackled. The class lectures and debates were fascinating. As someone who normally was quite talkative, I found myself simply listening.

Your first year will likely be larger classes and lectures. But once you start taking any specialized classes, you will experience the much smaller classes and they are wonderful. If you want to succeed and enjoy the academic portion of SMU, get to know your professors. I knew them all. And those relationships were precious. One saved my butt - but that story is for another day.

My time at SMU was wonderful. And I truly hope you have as much fun, and get as much out of it, as I did!