As the deadline for early college applications comes to a close, many seniors are taking trips to visit their potential colleges… like me! Two weeks ago, on Thursday and Friday, I had the opportunity to go up to Dallas to visit SMU and to Fort Worth to visit TCU. These two visits were my first typical college tours, and I had so much fun. Both of the campuses were absolutely beautiful, and they both provided such great educational opportunities for their students. While these two schools were extremely similar – which shocked me – there were some key differences.
Located between Highland Park and University Park – two of the nicest areas of Dallas – SMU’s campus met all the standards. First off, it was so appealing to the eye, as I mentioned earlier. All of the buildings were red brick and the majority of them had gorgeous, extravagant staircases leading up to them. The most renowned building on campus was definitely Dallas Hall… as it is the oldest building on campus. While today Dallas Hall is only filled with classrooms and a special seal that you cannot step on until you graduate (superstitions!), when SMU’s doors opened, it was the whole campus. Students of SMU learned in this building and lived in it. Speaking of living conditions, SMU’s dorms were some of the nicest. The dorms were divided up into different sections, each of which included about three or four dormitory halls. These sections were scattered throughout campus, and all were kept in pristine condition making the dorm life look not so terrible. Going beyond just the looks of the campus, there were the academics. It seemed that SMU really did dedicate a lot to its academics – from keeping their buildings updated to having the newest resources for their students to having small classroom sizes and so much more. They really do dedicate their school to their students and their students’ success. They keep the student ratio quite low, and cap their classes off at low numbers. This allows for more personal relationships between students and teachers allowing for more students to get the help they need to succeed. Overall, I truly did love everything about SMU. It was definitely worth visiting, and it is one of my top contenders.
There was also TCU. TCU’s campus was equally as nice, but it was quite different. The buildings were tan brick, and they had a much more contemporary yet still classical style. It was absolutely beautiful. They had a huge field for students to hangout on when there is good weather. All of the buildings were extremely nice and well maintained. It seemed they probably got renovated every few years, but I forgot to ask. My favorite building on campus was the Honors College Building. It was practically brand new, had all the newest details, had amazing quiet spaces to study, and was not ever crowded as most students do not know that all students are allowed to use it, not just honors students. The Honors College also had its own dorm rooms, which truly did seem to build a community between like-minded students which I absolutely adored. If it is not obvious by now, I really appreciated that TCU had an Honors College.. The curriculum they taught in this school seemed to be far above par. They really seemed to value all their students but especially the honors students – which I greatly appreciated. Furthermore, in the care of their students, TCU really does seem to do the most. When I was there, they had emotional support dogs on campus for their students to interact with. That night, they were having an Offset concert which was free to all students and all students could bring a plus one. They had so many amazing advisors to provide them with guidance, and so much more. Additionally, they had so many great facilities. They had sand beach volleyball courts, and also had a gym and rock climbing wall.. Overall, I truly do believe that TCU is a wonderful school, and I can confidently say that it is one of my top choices as well.
Altogether, SMU and TCU were both exceptional schools. I never understood why they were rival schools, but now I understand. Choosing between these two amazing schools will be one of the hardest decisions. I would highly recommend looking into these two schools to anyone and everyone. They are both absolutely incredible.
