Category: Academics

By Will Slack

SMU’s Lyle School of Engineering is unique. One of the many ways the Lyle School distinguishes itself is the Innovation Gymnasium. Located in Caruth Hall, the Innovation Gym is a place for students to work as consultants for companies throughout the Dallas metroplex. Corporations bring their challenges and problems to Lyle’s engineering students. Working in teams, students brainstorm to create new technologies, intellectual property, and solutions to real world problems. The Innovation Gym also provides students with networking opportunities that can lead to internships. During the last ten days of winter break I participated in an Immersion Design Experience (or IDE) sponsored by Frito Lay. Our team was tasked with the challenge of automating a process that is currently completed manually. Throughout this project we had to consider space, cost, equipment needed, and specifications/dimensionality for new innovations. The ideas my team came created could potentially save Frito Lay millions of dollars. The Innovation Gym is a fun place as well; our work days were filled with snacks, jokes, entertaining YouTube videos, late night ice cream trips, and lots of coffee. IDEs not only give engineering students real world experience; it allows them to see how different engineering disciplines come together to solve problems.

By Laura Spitler

“One of the perks of being a college student is getting 5-6 weeks off for winter break.  It’s substantially longer than any time off you had in high school, in fact, it’s long enough to take a whole class!  SMU has a program called J Term where you can get credit for taking a class in only 10 days.  This is similar to summer school only it happens in January before normal classes resume.  This year, 40 different courses are being offered.  Each school (Meadows School of the Arts, Cox School of Business, etc.) is teaching some classes, so no matter what your major is you can take advantage of J Term.  Taking a class in January enables students to double major or add a minor with more ease.  Some of the classes even have a travel element to them.  I know one girl who is spending J Term in Jamaica with her class to assess geological hazards.  Sounds like an interesting (and warm!) way to spend part of January!”

By Daniel Brock

I will never forget my first summer school accounting class that I took as a freshman. Never had I imagined that I would actually want to take summer school, but it was a great way to get into the business school early, so it seemed like a no brainer.

As soon as I walked into the classroom, there stood my accounting professor that gave off the vibe of a Russian drill sergeant. Then she spoke with her European accent and with almost no introduction began teaching. I remember almost feeling overwhelmed by her intense passion for accounting and spouting off her future famous phrase “Scholar of mine!”

I was always to afraid to ask her questions or go to her office hours. I felt that she would be mad at me for not following exactly what she did in the classroom. However, it was not until after my first exam, which I didn’t do so hot on, that I actually went to see her for help.

She sat down with me and went over the entire first test. She even bought me a bagel because it was lunch time. She had gone out of her way to make sure that I understood everything on that test. Her name was Lilliana Hickmann-Riggs and she would soon become my favorite professor ever.

By going to her office hours, I had the chance to actually get to know her and understand how simple her teaching style was. One time I even went to office hours and she told me her whole life story, which went on to inspire me to be an accounting major. Her stories always filled me with motivation and made me psyched to be an accounting major.

Professor Hickman-Riggs and I still keep in touch and I always try to see her at least twice a semester.  Anytime I see her in the business school’s bagel shop, she sits me down and buys me a bagel so we can catch up. She has been an invaluable asset to me over my college career, giving me much needed advice and writing me over a dozen recommendation letters.

I guess the moral of the story is always be open minded about the professors you get in college. You never know if they might become your favorite professor so far.

I believe office hours are the most underutilized resource on campus. Office hours not only help a student’s understanding of course material, they provide students with the opportunity to build relationships with their professors. I make an effort to visit each of my professors in office hours at least once during the semester. My most memorable office hour experience happened the fall semester of my first year. After my professor answered my questions about course content and clarified the material I was having trouble understanding, she stopped and said, “Enough about my class; how are you doing?” While it seems like a simple question, it spoke volumes to me. Here was a high profile professor with a multitude of tasks to accomplish and she was interested is how I was doing. SMU sets itself apart from other universities because of professor quality; our professors are not only interested in their subject but their students as well. My experience is not isolated. By and large, our professors are interested in helping students succeed, find internships, writing letters of recommendation, and career counseling. Professors are integral to a student’s university experience.

By Lauren Lyngstad

The first round of exams in each of my classes is over, and I am proud to say that I successfully survived! Over the past seven days, I had three tests and three quizzes, in addition to balancing my SMU Ambassador duties and my obligations to the numerous other clubs on campus. While in high school I was that stereotypical overly involved, full-course load student, my first year at college really taught me how to balance my time properly.

Although in high school students normally spend about 40 hours in class per week, an average college course load is around 15 hours per week. Though this may seem like you would have copious amounts of extra time to enjoy daily naps and long, relaxing hours at the SMU tanning pool, it is extremely important to utilize your free hours to complete your assigned reading and homework assignments. Though most of my teachers do not collect the homework they assign, completion of this work is absolutely critical in ensuring success in your exams. For example, in the Accounting course I am currently enrolled in, we only have two mid-term exams and one final exam that account for our grade. While it may seem tempting to wait to cram all of the knowledge into your head the night before the exam in exchange for a Gossip Girl marathon, consistent working, re-working, and reading your course material helps warrant long-term retention of knowledge that will help you succeed on final exams!

Therefore, I thought I would share a couple of my personal study tips to help ease your mind:
-Utilize your daytime hours! Though you may have a two hour break between your classes, don’t use this time to browse Facebook! By taking the time during the day to do your assigned work, you can avoid staying up until 2 AM wondering if you are ever going to get to sleep.
-Use a planner. My planner is attached to me at the hip, filled with post-it notes of to-dos, campus events, and each of my assignments. By writing down all of my obligations, I can not only delegate the order of their importance, but also ensure that I tackle each item that I need to get accomplished for the next day.
-Remember that your teachers are your friends! My SMU professors have been extremely accessible to me throughout my time here. Each has office hours that they encourage students to attend, which are extremely helpful to not only get your questions answered, but also to get to know your professor on a more personal level. Some of my professors have offered their office hours at Starbucks or even over Skype!

The most important tip I can give you in succeeding in the classroom is being confident in your personal abilities. Learn your material, contribute in class discussions, and know that you have done all that you can to prepare yourself to the best of your abilities to rock your exams!

By Liz Dubret and Will Slack

How would you like to spend an entire semester studying advertising and art in India? Or live in Oxford, England and study politics at one of the oldest universities on earth during the summer? At SMU, study abroad programs like these are not only feasible but highly encouraged. One of my favorite aspects about SMU is their commitment to develop the whole student. Simply stated, SMU’s culture is designed create diverse, well-rounded students who are (and will continue to be) leaders across the globe. SMU’s study abroad programs are just one of the many ways you can become more well-rounded and improve your college experience. If you ever get the chance, check out https://abroad.smu.edu/ and see which of the more than 100 programs peaks your interest. This website can help you find a program, determine its cost, and help you plan an unforgettable experience. The SMU Abroad Office also offers abroad internships in places like England and Australia.

I spent my summer in Oxford, England at SMU-in-Oxford. When I showed up at University College, I was completely overwhelmed by the beauty and resemblance to Harry Potter. The program was amazing! I took one class from an SMU Professor and one from an Oxford Professor.  The SMU class was completely different than anything I had ever taken. I took class from Bonnie Wheeler who embodied the method of teaching and learning outside of the box. She engaged us for every second of the class, even though it was divided by a much needed tea break! Taking a class from an Oxford Professor was eye opening and intimidating because he taught in a completely different style. I took class Monday through Thursday, and the program traveled on Fridays. They took us all over England to help enhance our cultural experience. My favorite places they took us were the palaces and castles! I got to pretend for a little while that I lived there and that it was my home :). They also took us to London for three days on class – my favorite mini trip was to a London Reform Club. It was fancy and high society and we got to learn more about Medieval England from the members.  With the weekends free I traveled all over the British Isles! My favorite weekend trip was to Edinburgh. I went with my best friend and we spent the weekend soaking up the culture, beautiful weather, and making sure that we hit the café where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. My Oxford experience was the best time I have had so far at SMU!

By Mehdi Hami

Over the summer, I decided to take several summer school classes. Not only did I get to spend more time on this beautiful campus, but I was about to work on campus and boost my GPA. As a biology major, I was tired of all the science courses that I had to take throughout the year, so I was set on completing some of my perspectives over the summer.

I decided to take a Film class, The History of the 1980s. It was the perfect course for me. Since I wasn’t born here, I never understood any of the references to the culture of the 1980s. I really enjoyed the class because it wasn’t just a class on films, but it mixed politics with the overall culture of the country and how it was affected by and affected the film industry during that era.

I was able to see some movies that I knew were classics but never had the chance to watch, and now I could…because it was required for school! I saw movies from “Back to the Future” to “Dirty Dancing,” and even “Rambo.” I chose to write my essay at the end of the class on “Rambo” and how the series was affected by the attitude of the 1980s and how it even affected the post-Vietnam War United States. It was a blast researching for my essay and I was even able to elaborate on my essay for the class to be counted for Honors credit!

Sure, it was great taking a class that was different from anything I’d ever taken before at SMU and being able to receive Honors credit for it, but the most important part of the class for me was being able to understand from here on out every reference regarding Marty McFly from “Back to the Future” and the characters from “The Breakfast Club.”

By Katelyn Hall

Hello everyone! Whether Republican or Democrat, SMU students are excited for Election Day! All of my friends have either cast their absentee ballots or are headed to the polling stations today to participate in electing our next President!

I’m actually in a political science class on presidential elections right now. In that class, we analyze different polling techniques, campaigns, the structure of the Electoral College, etc. It’s especially interesting to learn about these things during the election season.

Today was my first time voting for president, and I have to say, it was really exciting! Tonight the excitement will continue on campus as we watch the votes roll in at election night watch parties. I live on campus in Virginia Snider Hall, and we’re having a watch party with lots of food and friends.

I can’t wait to watch the results come in tonight and talk about them in my presidential elections class tomorrow!