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What to look for in a business fraternity at SMU

There is no official ranking of business fraternities at SMU, and anyone who gives you one is guessing. Here is how to judge for yourself.

Why rankings are the wrong question

People search for the best business fraternity at SMU the way they search for the best restaurant. The problem is that chapters are small, they change every year as seniors graduate, and the thing that makes one great for a finance major might make it a poor fit for a marketing major. So instead of a ranking, here are the questions we would ask if we were picking today. Ask them of us too.

Where do the members actually end up

This is the single most useful question. A professional fraternity's value is mostly in the alumni and upperclassmen you can call, so look at where they went. Phi Chi Theta at SMU publishes that list on the homepage: Morgan Stanley, JLL, Visa, Texas Capital Bank, Hilltop Securities, Lockton, USGA, the U.S. Department of Energy, Jackson Walker, Douglas Elliman, Northmarq, D CEO, Brasfield & Gorrie, CyrusOne, Origin Bank and Billabong. Notice the spread: investment banking, commercial real estate, payments, insurance, law, government, media, construction and apparel. A wide list means the chapter has people in more of the industries you might land in.

Can you get in with your major

Some business fraternities restrict membership to students in the business school or to specific majors. Phi Chi Theta at SMU is open to all majors, which matters more than it sounds. It means a Dedman or Meadows student can join without transferring, and it means the room is not thirty people with the same resume. If you are outside Cox, the guide for students outside the business school goes deeper.

Who comes to speak

Ask what the last three chapter meetings were about. A chapter that brings in working professionals is doing the thing you are joining for. Phi Chi Theta holds chapter meetings at the Cox School of Business and brings Dallas firms in through the semester. Holiner Holdings is one firm that has come to speak. Those visits are where internships get mentioned before they get posted.

The commitment, and the life outside the resume

Every chapter will have meetings, dues and some required events. What varies is how much of it feels like an obligation. The right amount is enough that you know everyone and they know you, but not so much that it crowds out recruiting season. Ask current members how many hours a week it really takes during a normal week and during recruitment week. Then ask yourself whether you would show up when nobody is checking.

The chapters that last are the ones where people like each other. Look for a philanthropy event that members actually care about, a formal, and socials that are not mandatory networking. Phi Chi Theta runs Pie Chi Theta, an annual pie themed philanthropy on campus that raises money for the SPCA, plus a spring formal and the usual chapter socials. The Instagram account at @pct.smu is the honest record.

Will the officers know your name

Small is not a weakness here. In a chapter where officers read every application themselves and can tell you what each brother is recruiting for, you will get pulled into opportunities you did not know to ask about. Ask how applications are reviewed. At Phi Chi Theta the answer is that officers read them, and that is the answer you want.

When you have asked those questions of every chapter on your list, the comparison guide puts them side by side and the scorecard gives you a sheet to fill in. If you want our own answer, stated as opinion, it is on the why Phi Chi Theta page. And if the answers here sound right, apply. You can always ask the rest at the Info Session.