Outcomes
Where Phi Chi Theta brothers go: internships and full time roles
The placement list from the homepage, sorted by industry, with an honest note on how the chapter helps and how it does not.
Phi Chi Theta brothers at SMU have landed internships and full time roles at 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. The chapter does not place members; it gives them upperclassmen who just did the recruiting, speakers from Dallas firms, and practice at the things interviews test.
The list, by industry
- Investment banking and financial services. Morgan Stanley, Hilltop Securities, Texas Capital Bank, Origin Bank.
- Payments and technology. Visa, CyrusOne.
- Commercial and residential real estate. JLL, Northmarq, Douglas Elliman.
- Insurance and risk. Lockton.
- Law. Jackson Walker.
- Government. U.S. Department of Energy.
- Media. D CEO.
- Construction. Brasfield & Gorrie.
- Sports and consumer. USGA, Billabong.
These are roles brothers have taken over time, internships and full time offers combined. The chapter does not track a placement rate and will not quote one. What the list shows is range: a chapter open to all majors produces a wide set of outcomes, and that width is what makes the network useful to the next class.
How the chapter actually helps
Nobody gets a job because they are in a fraternity. They get one because someone told them what the interview really asked, or forwarded their resume to a recruiter who answers emails, or ran a mock interview with them the week before. That is what a professional fraternity is for. Specifically:
- Upperclassmen who just did it. The junior who interned at JLL last summer is the best source on JLL recruiting there is, and they are at chapter meeting every week.
- Speakers you can follow up with. Dallas firms come to chapter meetings at Cox. Holiner Holdings is one firm that has spoken. The conversation after a chapter talk is worth more than a career fair line.
- Practice. Mock interviews, resume reviews, and the reps that come from running a committee or organizing Pie Chi Theta.
- Alumni. Brothers who graduated into those firms and still answer the phone, which is the line the homepage uses because it is true.
What the chapter does not do
It does not have a placement office. It does not guarantee interviews. It does not have exclusive pipelines to any employer on the list. Firms hire people, not chapters. If a recruiter tells you a fraternity has a lock on their intern class, they are not telling you the truth. What the chapter has is people who know how those firms hire, and who will tell you.
Timeline for a typical member
This varies a lot, but the common pattern: join as a freshman or sophomore, spend the first semester learning the chapter and meeting people, use the second to figure out which industry you actually want, land a first internship the following summer with help from an upperclassman, and by junior year be the upperclassman helping someone else. Finance recruiting in particular runs early, and being in a room where people are already on that timeline is the reason to join early. The Cox guide covers that side.
If you are not headed to finance
Look at the list again. Law, government, media, construction, apparel and sports are all on it. Phi Chi Theta at SMU is open to all majors and the outcomes reflect that. The guide for students outside the business school goes into what the chapter offers if your target is not a bank.
For employers
Firms that want to meet brothers, speak at a chapter meeting or recruit through the chapter can reach officers through the contact form. Choose the sponsorship option.
Staying in Dallas for the summer? PonyUp Properties helps SMU students find leases near campus.
Be on the next list.
Apply during recruitment. Officers will tell you which brothers to talk to for your target industry.