SMU Chinese Students Union

Chinese Students Union of Southern Methodist University
(This website is in development)

INFORMATION FOR NEW STUDENTS

What to pack?

It's up to you to decide what to bring to the United States. Dallas is pretty hot at summer time and there will be little snow in the winter. All the buildings and bus/trains are air-conditioned. It will be smart for you to bring some Chinese gifts for social activities and future American friends. You may also bring traditional Chinese clothes (especially Qi Pao for girls), that will be fabulous in some situation.

E-book "Preparation before Departure": http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/iywts_bk4.pdf
Dallas Weather Info: http://cn.weather.yahoo.com/USTX/USTX0327/index_c.html

How to get to school?

Most probably your flight destination will be DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth) International Airport. Please email us a.s.a.p. so that we can have someone to pick you up at the airport if you want. For the contact information, see the last section of this page.

DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) is the name of Dallas's public transportation system. As a SMU students, you can purchase a "SMU Transit Pass" for $5.00/year and it will give you unlimited access to buses, trains, and light rail at your fingertips including DART, TRE, and the “T” (Fort Worth local transit). Usually new students will have the opportunity to purchase it at the "One Stop Shop" held at the beginning of every academic year. But you can always easily buy one from the "Pony Express Office" located at the second floor of the Hughes-Trigg Student Center. But please notice the SMU shuttle -- "Mustang Express" (DART bus No.768) -- is FREE! That means you don't need to buy the transit pass for it. You can check detailed information about "Mustang Express" at DART's website. Most new Chinese students living off-campus will ride it at the beginning of their stay at SMU.

DFW International Airport: http://www.dfwairport.com/
SMU Transit Pass: http://www.smu.edu/auxiliaryservices/mustangexpress/
DART: http://www.dart.org/

What to do upon arrival?

The first thing you need to do on campus is going to check in at the International Center. You must bring all the necessary documents with you, for more information about the check-in process, refer to the International Center page at http://www.smu.edu/international/check-in.asp

Check-in hours for new students: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (July 26 - August 18).

Where to live?

We will try to provide temporary lodging for you. Please contact us as soon as possible. For the contact information, see the last section of this page.

Most Chinese students in SMU live off-campus. There are plenty of apartments available near SMU with convenient (and FREE with SMU shuttle) public transportation to campus. For example, many Chinese students from SMU and UT-Southwest Medical Center live in "THE VILLAGE". Others resides in "SIGNATURE POINTE", etc. The common rate for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment range from $600-720 according to the condition and deal. One-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment usually cost $500-640/month

SMU International Housing Forum: http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/180133
SMU Housing: http://www.smu.edu/housing/
SMU International Housing: http://www.smu.edu/internationalhousing/
The Village Apartments: http://www.thevillageapts.com/

Whom to contact for other things？

CSU President: Yong Li yongl@smu.edu or liyong_leo@hotmail.com
International Advisor: smuint@smu.edu