Private wrote:
optional wrote:
Well, considering that it's nearly $60k (or more) to go to school there and they are not in a great training location (Dallas, TX)...it's a unique situation. Very hard to compete with in-state schools with recruiting as they are cheaper. For example, a 50% scholarship for a local Texas girl would still make SMU more expensive than walking on at Texas A&M, etc.
It's also seems to fill a student body that is very preppy and attracts a very niche student-body.
How is that different than any other private school (Duke, Stanford, Miami, Notre Dame, any Ivy school, etc.)
Very different. The schools you mentioned...Duke, Stanford, Miami and Notre Dame are in Power 5 conferences, which means the athletic departments have much more $$$ than the mid majors due to lucrative football and basketball TV broadcast deals. In SMU's case, they used to be a football and track & field powerhouse in the defunct Southwest Conference (Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Rice, TCU, Houston, Texas A&M and Arkansas). The SWC was the premier conference for sprints long before the SEC in the 70's, 80's and 90's until it was dissolved. In addition, SMU was the only football program to receive the "Death Penalty" for repeated NCAA violations of it football program. The athletic department never recovered and has been in mid major conferences since. Their situation is different.