SMU Campus

I finally went around SMU and took pictures to send back to my family, in time for Thanksgiving! Disregarding the fact that I’d already been here for over three months…but they let that slide.

This is a map of SMU’s campus, which somehow manages to squeeze close to 7,000 students into six (technically five?) buildings. The blue Concourse on the map connects all of the buildings, in addition to the Bras Basah MRT stop, together underground. The entire thing is air conditioned, and though I am frequently late for class and in too much of hurry to actually use it, I often find myself dreaming of having something similar connecting the high rises/1920 Commons all the way to Van Pelt Library and DRL, especially on those bitterly cold and icy winter days in Philly. Gosh, Penn, get with it!

Classic SMU shots:

The Big Steps, outside the School of Information Systems. Interestingly designed and a great environment, and the venue for the occasional student event. But I’ve still only seen people out here of their own volition a couple of times, as its one major shortfall is the lack of air conditioning.

A pillar that I see every day between the Campus Green and the Library on my way to class in the School of Business:

Down in the Concourse. Immediately to the left is the entrance to Bras Basah MRT, and the space between the second and third pillars is where Mixed Martial Arts set up mats for training every Wednesday. Unfortunately there isn’t much excess space at SMU (or in Singapore, period), so various clubs use this area to practice in (called the T-Junction). Depending on the weekday and time, it is possible to find people wrestling around on mats, rollar-blading around cones, or even engaged in a fencing match here. Certainly entertaining, though not always safe for passerby!

The T-Junction from the other side:

A little further down the Concourse underneath the Library is Koufu, SMU’s infamous cafeteria. The food here is decent (-ish? Regardless of what locals may think, I would choose it over any dining hall at Penn any day), but mostly people complain about it because it’s all they ever eat — this, or the Kopitiam across the street from the School of Information Systems. So much for being in the heart of the city and having so many varied dining options….yeah, right.

Hilarious and intriguing, but still doesn’t look all that appetizing…

Exiting the concourse and up to the Li Ka Shing library:

An ominous escalator behind the School of Accountancy/Law. It wasn’t until I found myself staring at it that I realized that I’ve never seen an escalator outdoors, and probably for good reason because it was rusty and dead.

And across the street to the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, with the crosswalk that I use every morning (okay, just every Wednesday and Thursday morning, hee hee). I admit that I had to look up the name of the School of Business, twice just to make sure I got it right. I guess I just never took the time to learn the actual name, and in my head it’s just a jumble of letters in an acronym starting with “L” and involving “K-B-S” in some formation…well, better late than never, I guess!