In this episode you will hear: Mark does a two-part series that looks at outside of external scholarships. Mark answers the question, what are the nine reasons why so many students do not apply for external scholarships in part 1. In part 2, on Episode 613, Mark gives tips for how to win outside scholarships. 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. Preview of Part 1 ¨ Elena gives her backstory of how she started at TCU as a student and leader of the tour guide program to prep school admissions and other college roles and then back to Texas at SMU ¨ Elena gives us an overview of SMU ¨ Elena answers the question, how would you explain SMU to a stranger ¨ Elena, answers the question, what would you say to a student who says, I am not southern and I am not Methodist, so why should I go to SMU ¨ Elena answers the question, what is it in the SMU mission statement that really reflects who SMU is? ¨ Friends, for the rest of the interview I use a new approach I am using to interviewing senior admissions personnel; I share 17 different impressions I have about SMU, either from my own visits and observations, or from talking to SMU Admissions officers over the years, but mostly from listening to my students who are at SMU now or have graduated from SMU over the years, so for the rest of this interview, this is what I do. I hope you like my new approach to doing these interviews, for the rest of part 1, I share the first 4 of these impressions, and I ask Elena if she disagrees or agrees, and to elaborate on my perceptions of SMU, so listen and enjoy 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 Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. 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