Greetings, transfer student starting in August. I'm just curious to know if you guys have internet access available during classtime? Or do you only have internet access readily avail in the RH? Is the connection fast?

Do you bring laptops to class?

Are the exams every week or so.. or is it similar to college where the exams are midterms and finals during one specific week in a month?

Anyone have links or contact information for rentals for rooms as well as any cars for sale for August semester?

Lastly, how is the grading system at SMU? Is it Pass, Fail and honors, or do you actually get alpha or numerical grades?

Sorry for all these questions. New to SMU and would love to get some insight!

Hope to see you all soon!

NY

Hi,

I'm a first semester student, but I think I can answer a lot of your questions. Wireless internet is definitely availible during class time. And yes, many students use their laptops during lectures. Each powerpoint lecture is normally posted on the smu share file on the internet and can be downloaded to your computer. I know I usually pull up the powerpoint on my own laptop and take notes on the the individual slides (some people still write their notes...I guess it's a matter of how fast you type). The internet connection is very good on campus. If you are on campus very early in the morning, the speed is lightning fast. If you are in class when everyone is trying to download the ppt slides at once, the connection is just pretty good. There has been little to no problems with the internet on campus...the IT guys here do an excellent job. Any issues with the RH internet are limited to the residence hall (it is separate from campus internet).

We have a 3 blocks of exams throughout the semester plus one week of finals at the end of the semester. I believe that grades are as follows: 90-100 = Honors, 80-89 = High Pass, 70-79 = Pass, Below 70 = fail.

The best place to look for rentals is the paper. Friday's paper is always the best. www.caymannetnews.com or www.caycompass.com. Also, a good place to find a car is www.trader.ky.

Hope this helps you out...

Great info Jeep23. You covered each point precisely.