SMU Cox: Admissions Q&A

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Patti Cudney
Southern Methodist University

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They are merit-based, so we're looking for top people in those areas as we're making those awards. Outside of scholarships, we have a great financial aid adviser who helps students with loans. I always encourage people to look into their credit history. Our financial aid adviser works with students and helps them through the process as well.

How do you attract women and underrepresented minorities, and do you have any special programs to attract these students?

We're actually a new member of the Forte Foundation, so we're very excited to be working with them to reach out to women and encourage them to take a look at our program. Being smaller with an intimate community is a benefit and something a lot of women are looking for. Also, we do have a great Native American initiative. The admissions process is really one-on-one, though. You contact us, you're going to get a lot of information. That helps us reach out to students of lots of different backgrounds and encourage them to learn more about our program.

What percentage of the student body is international, and do you have any special initiatives or procedures for international applicants?

The last couple years, our international has been under 20%. But it has been as high as 37% in recent years. We're definitely admitting strong international students. I just got back from a two-week trip to Asia. We travel around the world and meet with students. The application process is the same, except for the requirement of the TOEFL. If an interview is required, we offer the opportunity to do a phone interview. I am going to India in January and suspect I will be interviewing like crazy.

Can you take me through the life cycle of an application at SMU?

Once a student submits their online application, which is what we advise, we match all the supporting documents: scores, transcripts, and letters of recommendation. Once we have everything we need, we go through the admissions process. A decision is made on an interview to learn more about them, at which point we extend an invitation to interview. The goal is to get candidates to come to campus, and also to get them to learn more about us. If they're not able to come to campus, we can conduct a phone interview. I was an MBA applicant a few years ago and know how frustrating it is to sit and wait. We try to get the process moving but also make sure every application gets the attention it deserves.

What are some common mistakes that candidates make in their applications?

I think not answering the questions in the essays. One of the ones we see a lot is the question about short-term goals, meaning what you plan to do after you get your MBA. The variety of answers we receive about short-term goals is all over the place. Also, sometimes we see candidates that have used an essay for another school and given it to us as well and might have forgotten to change the name. It's attention to detail.

Just make sure you're answering the question and directing the materials to the school you're applying to. Make sure you know the school and why it'd be a good fit for you—taking the time to show you've learned about the program is important. We encourage questions; sometimes the conception is that you can't ask a question. I'd rather have someone ask me a question and be a successful applicant than not ask a question and have that be the only reason an application isn't successful. We're on e-mail, instant messenger, and online chats and encourage people to reach out to us.

In a nutshell, what kind of person would be a good fit at SMU?

We're definitely looking for people with good team spirit. This is a small program where students have lots of interaction with their peers. We want people who are excited about that opportunity. Also, we look for candidates with a clear focus of what they want to do in the future. They should know that an MBA is a learning experience, but also know it's a fast two years.