According to The Princeton Review the stereotypical students atSMU tote “Louis Vuitton bags adorned with sorority pins,Daddy’s credit card” and sport a golden tan even in thedead of winter.
Although a majority of students do decorate themselves in thelatest designer trends, it is a common misconception that allstudents are living solely off “daddy’s creditcard”.
Despite the stereotyping from which SMU suffers, an overwhelmingamount of students work hard for their money.
Many would be surprised to know the designer-clad students headto on and off campus jobs just as often as parties or the mall.
Part-time jobs are not uncommon to students.
And it takes much discipline for students to juggle academics,work, and the party life for which SMU is notorious.
Most working students put in between five and 15 hours a weekand must carefully manage their time and plan ahead.
“Some days I know that I will have to spend extra time atnight studying because it is an especially busy day at work,”said sophomore Laura Mendenhall, a work-study student.
SMU students work for various reasons and many defy the image ofusing “daddy’s credit card” for allexpenditures.
Some students work to earn extra spending money while otherscontribute to tuition fees.
Students who are looking ahead are even beginning to save forthe future.
The work-study program is very popular on campus.
Students rave about the flexibility work-study programoffers.
Junior psychology major Kyle Kozlovsky works at the StudentEmployment and Financial Aid front desk.
The money he makes from this work-study position pays a smallportion of his tuition.
Mendenhall’s work-study position in the SAC helps her toearn some extra cash.
She loves having the inside scoop on school activities whichworking in the SAC provides. Mendenhall commented,”It’s great to be paid while studying.”
For junior advertising major and art minor Kate Shelby it is notabout the money.
Her job at Meadows with Professor David Dreyer is a greatexperience.
“Work-study offers me a little bit of extra cash, butI’m glad for the experience. It’s given me a chance toget to know the people in and out of the art program whom Iwouldn’t have met otherwise.” Shelby said.
Shelby clocks in about 10 hours a week, and she likes thework-study program because the time commitment isn’toverwhelming.
Shelby raved about the flexibility of her job.
She said her boss, “is really considerate of herschedule” and she basically gets to make her own hours.
Ambitious students find jobs both on and off campus.
With the abundance of shops and restaurants in the buzzingDallas metropolis, students can find part-time jobs close tocampus.
On-campus jobs are ideal for the convenience, but jobs offcampus tend to have better hourly rates and some students opt formore money over convenience.
Working off-campus appealed to sophomore Stacey Goodfellow whobegan working part-time at a small retail shop near campus uponreturning to SMU this fall.
“I work to help my parents pay for everyday kinds ofthings like clothes and going out. I enjoy working because Ifeel like I earn my own money without having to call mommy anddaddy when I need some,” said Goodfellow.
Other students utilize Dallas and all it has to offer whenfinding jobs.
Students look toward the future and seek jobs that will helpbuild their résumés and make them more appealing tofuture employers.
These students network at their workplaces while alsoacclimating to the fields similar to those they want to pursue.
Sophomore CCPA major Ashley Parker works for Def Jam Records andAries Entertainment.
She clocks in just six hours a week but is making connectionsshe will benefit from in the future.
“I love talking with the music directors atthe radio stations. Through phone calls, I’ve begunbuilding contacts with many of them,” said Parker.
While Parker builds her contacts for the future, sophomore JavoCreixell saves for the future.
Creixell, a marketing and CCPA major, works part-time as ateaching assistant for EE-1301 and has already begun saving forlife post-graduation.
“I want to get in the habit of saving or investing. Forthe future it is essential,” said Creixell.
His parents provide him with spending money which has allowedhim to start saving.
Even though an abundance of students work, SMU cannot escape the”rich kid” reputation for which it is notorious.
A recent story featured in The Dallas Morning Newsdiscussed the cars college students searched for the most on theinternet.
Students from UT, A&M, TCU and Baylor most often searchedfor information on Honda Accords, while the top-pick for SMU wasthe Lexus IS300.
The bottom line is that despite the harsh stereotype of the”BMW-driving, designer purse-carrying” SMU studentshere work, and they work hard.
According to the SMU Web site page, “Facts aboutSMU”, the school employs 2,128 students.
This includes both graduate and undergraduate students. And upto 500 of those students are part of the Work Study Program.
Mendenhall, who is also an RA, talks to many of her residentsabout job opportunities on campus.
“It’s so encouraging that SMU students don’twant to rely solely on their parents for income and are making theeffort to integrate themselves into SMU,” she added.
