SMU is a small, liberal arts university with dynamic, enthusiastic and talented faculty. It's a fun and welcoming community that is easy to join. There are many opportunities to join clubs and get involved on campus.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
The dorm rooms are HUGE and like a hotel (unless you're in Baran, which is the oldest res hall). So bring whatever you think you'll need. It will most likely fit into your room.
If you have a strict sleep schedule, then bring a noisemaker to block out the noise. Like most res halls, the ones at SMU have thin walls that don't really block out the noise. Baran is especially loud, since it has concrete walls that make it like an echo chamber.
Spangler is BY FAR the nicest res hall. It's for upperclassmen, except for the first floor, which is called the Norcia Leaders Floor. It's a leadership floor for freshmen. You have to apply to be part of it. Definitely consider this. Parsons (the freshmen hall) is okay. It's the newest res hall on campus, but since it's a freshmen hall I think it will be trashed the fastest by the students.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
I was surprised by the academic rigor at this school, honestly. Though some classes you can just blow off, many of the classes are a challenge. The profs are always available to help and many are willing to meet with you outside of office hours, if your schedules don't match up. Very friendly and approachable faculty.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
The dorm life is awesome! SMU is such a small community that you know everyone or have at least seen them around campus, so everyone looks out for each other. There are some homeless people who live in the woods near campus and there were a few incidents with a homeless guy with a knife who wandered onto campus. When those events happened, students looked out for each other. It's a very close community. There aren't really cliques. It's so small that everyone interacts with each other and different groups of friends interact a lot.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
The food is organic and healthy, for the most part. I personally don't like how oily and greasy the food is and how there's so much emphasis on foreign food (especially Asian food, for the international students). I'd just as soon have more American food, but I guess that can't really be helped. Things are overpriced in the cafeteria and the small, one-room student store, but I ended up having a lot of money left over in my account because you don't always eat school food. Sometimes you go to the grocery store or you go out with friends for meals.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
The Olympia/Lacey area is a lot of suburbs. The local color and adventures are in Olympia. It's fun to explore the shops, walk by capitol lake or go to the many events in Olympia. It's a pretty vibrant, active community. Lacey is pretty quiet. It has a lot of retail--Kohl's, Target, Costco, Fred Meyer, Shopko--and a movie theater. There's also a laser tag place close to campus. There's much more to do on-campus than off, I think. We have comedy nights, dances, craft nights, guest speakers, musicians, open mics and hypnotists. There's also floor events put on by res life and some academic events put on by the departments.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
SMU gives a TON of scholarship money. Compared to the other small private schools in WA that I considered, SMU gave me the most in scholarships by far. Plus, its tuition is lower than the other private schools. Most of the people I know at SMU are here because they received so much scholarship money.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
Old Main is rumored to be haunted by ghosts. There's a little tower at the top of the library that everyone wants to go up to, but it's off-limits to students. There's a graveyard for the monks who have passed away that people sometimes visit at night (but do so in groups, there are homeless people about at night). There are many monks who you will see around campus--they might look scary at first, but they're really nice and caring. It's fun to go to prayer with the monks or to eat with them in their dining room. Some of the monks have huge, fun personalities!
Which types of students will excel at your college?
Students who want a holistic experience in college--it's not all about academics or all about sports or all about dorm life. It's very balanced. Also, students who want a close community of professors and students who care about them. If you would rather have personal relationships with your teachers and be in class with 10-30 students instead of a lecture hall with 300+, then SMU is a good option!
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
There are many clubs and activities at SMU, ranging from academic honor societies and cultural clubs to a Snowboarding/Ski club and a Gaming Club. New ones are started every year. If you don't see one you like, then grab 2 other friends and submit an application to student government. There are also some unofficial student groups, like an ongoing Magic tournament and an all-female a cappella group.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
Our campus is pretty safe. I think campus safety could do a better job at responding to incidents among students, but overall our campus is fine. It's well-lit, so I'm not afraid to walk alone at night. It's also just very small, so there's hardly anywhere you can walk at night without someone probably seeing you (unless you go into the woods, which is just creepy). There are homeless people who live near campus, but they are harmless and they stay away from students. There is one homeless guy who has a knife and he's been on campus a few times, but the Lacey Police Dept. is next-door to our campus, literally, and they handled that situation quickly and without any trouble. The Lacey Police Dept. drives around our campus at least once each night, as a courtesy.
SMU is a small, liberal arts university with dynamic, enthusiastic and talented faculty. It's a fun and welcoming community that is easy to join. There are many opportunities to join clubs and get involved on campus.
The dorm rooms are HUGE and like a hotel (unless you're in Baran, which is the oldest res hall). So bring whatever you think you'll need. It will most likely fit into your room. If you have a strict sleep schedule, then bring a noisemaker to block out the noise. Like most res halls, the ones at SMU have thin walls that don't really block out the noise. Baran is especially loud, since it has concrete walls that make it like an echo chamber. Spangler is BY FAR the nicest res hall. It's for upperclassmen, except for the first floor, which is called the Norcia Leaders Floor. It's a leadership floor for freshmen. You have to apply to be part of it. Definitely consider this. Parsons (the freshmen hall) is okay. It's the newest res hall on campus, but since it's a freshmen hall I think it will be trashed the fastest by the students.
I was surprised by the academic rigor at this school, honestly. Though some classes you can just blow off, many of the classes are a challenge. The profs are always available to help and many are willing to meet with you outside of office hours, if your schedules don't match up. Very friendly and approachable faculty.
The dorm life is awesome! SMU is such a small community that you know everyone or have at least seen them around campus, so everyone looks out for each other. There are some homeless people who live in the woods near campus and there were a few incidents with a homeless guy with a knife who wandered onto campus. When those events happened, students looked out for each other. It's a very close community. There aren't really cliques. It's so small that everyone interacts with each other and different groups of friends interact a lot.
The food is organic and healthy, for the most part. I personally don't like how oily and greasy the food is and how there's so much emphasis on foreign food (especially Asian food, for the international students). I'd just as soon have more American food, but I guess that can't really be helped. Things are overpriced in the cafeteria and the small, one-room student store, but I ended up having a lot of money left over in my account because you don't always eat school food. Sometimes you go to the grocery store or you go out with friends for meals.
The Olympia/Lacey area is a lot of suburbs. The local color and adventures are in Olympia. It's fun to explore the shops, walk by capitol lake or go to the many events in Olympia. It's a pretty vibrant, active community. Lacey is pretty quiet. It has a lot of retail--Kohl's, Target, Costco, Fred Meyer, Shopko--and a movie theater. There's also a laser tag place close to campus. There's much more to do on-campus than off, I think. We have comedy nights, dances, craft nights, guest speakers, musicians, open mics and hypnotists. There's also floor events put on by res life and some academic events put on by the departments.
SMU gives a TON of scholarship money. Compared to the other small private schools in WA that I considered, SMU gave me the most in scholarships by far. Plus, its tuition is lower than the other private schools. Most of the people I know at SMU are here because they received so much scholarship money.
Old Main is rumored to be haunted by ghosts. There's a little tower at the top of the library that everyone wants to go up to, but it's off-limits to students. There's a graveyard for the monks who have passed away that people sometimes visit at night (but do so in groups, there are homeless people about at night). There are many monks who you will see around campus--they might look scary at first, but they're really nice and caring. It's fun to go to prayer with the monks or to eat with them in their dining room. Some of the monks have huge, fun personalities!
Students who want a holistic experience in college--it's not all about academics or all about sports or all about dorm life. It's very balanced. Also, students who want a close community of professors and students who care about them. If you would rather have personal relationships with your teachers and be in class with 10-30 students instead of a lecture hall with 300+, then SMU is a good option!
There are many clubs and activities at SMU, ranging from academic honor societies and cultural clubs to a Snowboarding/Ski club and a Gaming Club. New ones are started every year. If you don't see one you like, then grab 2 other friends and submit an application to student government. There are also some unofficial student groups, like an ongoing Magic tournament and an all-female a cappella group.
Our campus is pretty safe. I think campus safety could do a better job at responding to incidents among students, but overall our campus is fine. It's well-lit, so I'm not afraid to walk alone at night. It's also just very small, so there's hardly anywhere you can walk at night without someone probably seeing you (unless you go into the woods, which is just creepy). There are homeless people who live near campus, but they are harmless and they stay away from students. There is one homeless guy who has a knife and he's been on campus a few times, but the Lacey Police Dept. is next-door to our campus, literally, and they handled that situation quickly and without any trouble. The Lacey Police Dept. drives around our campus at least once each night, as a courtesy.