YCBK 616: SMU Is It For You? An Interview with Dean of Admissions, Elena Hicks
In this week’s episode you will hear
Introduction : Mark shares a way students can save tens of thousands of dollars off of their college bill that many people do not know about
Elena Hicks, the Assistant Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions at SMU, helps us to understand Southern Methodist University (SMU) in this three-part series. Mark shares 17 impressions he has of SMU and Elena comments on whether she feels they are correct. Part 3 of 3
Preview of Part 3 : Mark shares impressions 14-17 he has of SMU, and Elena comments on whether she agrees or disagrees. Elena amplifies the points with some additional commentary.
¨ Elena tells us how SMU is different from their rival school, her alma mater, a place she worked at for 11 years, TCU
¨ Elena opens up and shares two of SMU’s institutional priorities
¨ Elena shares some of the important things in the admissions rubric that SMU uses in their student evaluation when reading an admissions file
¨ Next, Elena goes on the hot seat in our lightning round
• Finally, Mark closes with a big announcement about Elena that I am excited about
Recommended Resources : Colleges that allow self reporting of test scores
Colleges that Allow Self-Reporting of SAT and ACT Scores
Great source for questions about finances and college
Edvisors: Financial Aid, Student Loans, Scholarships and Money Management
FAFSA Walkthroughs Mark recommends
Complete FAFSA 2026‑2027 Walkthrough | From Start to Submit
2023-2024 FAFSA Walkthrough Video English
CSS PROFILE Walkthroughs
CSS Profile Walkthrough
MEFA Institute: A Deep Dive into the CSS Profile
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