Southern Methodist University is known worldwide for the Cox school of business as well as other schools on campus. I am in the Cox school of business studying finance. I love my campus, the classes are small and professors are helpful, friendly, and always willing to help. SMU offers unique courses such as the Business Leadership Institute (BLI), a course where students learn important fundamentals in effective business presentation skills, writing skills, team presentations, and interpersonal communication. Also, SMU professors are experts on their fields of expertise which makes their lectures interesting and fun. Furthermore, students have a chance to learn from many successful professional such as one of the Dallas Fed officer Harvey Rosenblum who teaches a class in Finance and Economics.
BLI has been one of my favorite classes at SMU, in this class we had three presentations per semester where the professor tape the students during the presentation and then send comments for improvement. Professor Miao, adds his knowledge and wisdom from this many successful business worldwide to the class. He memorized the name of the students after the first class and from then on you will be expect to be called by your first name, he also help students prepare for impromptu presentation, and the doors of his office are always open to students. He enjoys helping students our and he has written many recommendations letters for me and other students on campus.
One of the biggest advantages of being part of SMU are the networking opportunities that this school has to offers. Cox school of business holds career workshops, resume workshops, classes, training, mock interviews, and many other resources that help student land a job before graduation. Moreover, having a staff of professionals create better connections for the students. Professors pay attention to those students that excel in their classes and refer them to organizations or professionals with whom they maintain close relationships with.
Students also enjoy the challenge that this school represents. The acceptance rate for the Cox School of business is highly competitive, and students take pride on their school. I personally receive many complements outside of campus from friends and family about my school.
In the personal level I can say that this school has pushed me to go above my limits. Every class is a competition. In my finance course only 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the classes can receive an A or A-, this means that every student is doing their best to land on that top 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. It is very competitive, but it is also rewarding to know that sacrifices pay off at the end.
Although, my department represents, challenge, pride, recognition, and competition, it also offers opportunities for growth outside of school. There are many business organizations that focus on networking outside of school. At these organizations students talk about their classes, their projects, they internships, homework’s, and more. I am currently the VP of Programs of ALPFA, an Association of Latino Professional in Finance and Accounting. At this organization we worked together to bring companies to talk to us about their expectations from new employees. They also come to recruit students for internships and full time jobs.
Overall SMU has been the best experience of my life. I have grown so much professionally, and I have made so many friends, and have wonderful experiences inside and outside of school. I am proud to be a Mustang.