Southern Methodist University - Cox School of Business

Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business has one of the country’s premier business programs, offering challenging academics, small classes, and excellent networking and travel opportunities for all. The professors and the administration are “fantastic in providing support in a timely fashion, answering questions over email, and being available to meet when students need them.” Modernity and applicability are valued here; classes often deal with real-life situations, so students “can tease out how we could translate [them] to our own industries,” and many members of the adjunct faculty are currently executives in industry today. The school looks to enhance learning via new technologies, such as collaboration tools and distance learning, and the optional Business Leadership Center workshops and networking opportunities outside of the classroom complement the curriculum. The introduction of new classes as a result of the changing economic environment has been a major advantage of the program; for example, “an accounting-based valuation class was offered and conducted by a professional leader who is changing the way in which people think about valuation.” In addition, professors are “very involved with keeping their course content up to date.”

The school’s dual degree options and flexibility were big draws for current students (courses are the same in the evening and daytime), who say the administration at SMU “works hard to balance the needs of Part-Time, Full-Time and Executive MBAs and overall does a fantastic job.” Students love the freedom to choose electives and concentrations over a fixed-course plan, and all students spend two weeks abroad for a global business course. “The business climate in Dallas, Texas is bustling as companies continue to relocate their headquarters to the area,” and the school has a unique mentoring program (The Associate Board) through which “students have the opportunity to select a Dallas professional as a mentor.” Most of the administrators “know each full-time MBA student personally.”

The “local network is very powerful,” and connections to the Dallas business community yield plenty of internships and job opportunities, though a few students wish that the school would “expand recruitment process to be more national.” Plenty of well-posi- tioned alumni are more than eager to “open doors for graduates.” The administration is “very willing to help each and every student regardless of class standing” and the student-led advisory board “does a great job of providing plenty of networking oppor- tunities.” SMU has a unique tailgate called The Boulevard, which “has companies come to campus in an atmosphere where networking is a breeze.” The Cox Career Center has recently reorganized and re-staffed and “has done a tremendous job at providing access to high-income careers that aren’t posted on any other job board.” The school’s partnership with The Disney Institute is a particular favorite, where Cox students are given the chance “to learn about how the Disney Company creates and maintains culture within their large organization.” “The opportunity to meet with high level executives is unparalleled,” says a student. Some companies that have recently recruited out of SMU include Deloitte, 7-Eleven, Hilton Worldwide, Vanguard, and General Mills.

The size of the student body guarantees intimacy (most students live close to one another on this “beautiful campus”), and students “have weekly happy hours and constant club meetings” to help bolster community. “We all want each other to succeed. There’s very much a feeling of ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ here,” says a student. “I feel like I’ve gained a hundred new friends,” says another. Classmates “definitely feel like colleagues, not competition.” Plenty of social activities are available to students, including traditions such as the Cox Cup where first years compete with second years in events like flag football, tennis, basketball, trivia night, and a canned food drive. “There is no shortage of fun stuff to do. The real challenge is finding ways to do everything you want to do and still get your work done,” says a student. This group is “mostly single, but certainly a few married people [are] in the program”; all are “fun, smart, and often quite accomplished” and come from all walks of life, so “you can’t help but get interesting perspectives all the time.” While the school is historically conservative, “there is a good sized population of liberal-minded students.”