Hello, future Mustangs! If you’re here, you probably already know a bit about Southern Methodist University (more commonly referred to as SMU), but knowing the school’s profile is the first step in tailoring your application to their admissions department.

As a private research university in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), TX — clocking in as the fourth biggest metropolitan area in the US after NYC, LA, and Chicago — SMU has a lot to offer in terms of academics and student experience. Although 45% of enrolled undergraduate students do hail from Texas, SMU attracts scholars from all over (its second biggest student demo is Californians). That’s because of its strong professional outcomes and famously lively campus culture. Given its placement in DFW and its many local attendees, SMU boasts a particularly strong alumni network with lots of promising internship and post-grad job opportunities. Its admissions website proudly shares, for example, that “more than 20 Fortune 500 company headquarters” make their home in the region and that WalletHub named Dallas “One of the Best Places to Start a Career” last year. Pony up!

Although the acceptance rate is on the higher end (currently reported as 48%), your admission to SMU is not a guarantee, and they’ve gotten noticeably more selective over recent years. SMU is test-optional, but we suggest that you submit your scores if they would give you an advantage — meaning that they fall in the upper part of SMU’s middle-50 score range (those are a 1340-1480 on the SAT or 31-34 on the ACT). SMU offers a variety of admissions paths (Early Action, Early Decision, Regular Decision, AND Early Decision II), so if SMU is your dream school and you’re choosing not to submit scores, we highly recommend that you apply early to show your interest and give yourself the best chance of acceptance.

Now that we’ve gone through the numbers, we can break down the one part of the college application that can’t be reduced to absolute figures: the supplemental essays. These are particularly important at a school like SMU that might not have scores to go by and relies on a student’s written statement as proof of their passion for the university.

Supplement strategy can make all the difference for admission to your top college choice. Learn more.

Writing Strategy

SMU has two required supplemental essays, each with a limit of 250 words. Students often want to celebrate that they don’t have to write a saga, and it is great that these are fairly short and sweet! But the challenge here is that you’ve got very limited space to communicate why SMU is the perfect place for you, so you’ve got to approach these questions thoughtfully to pack the most into your responses. Don’t treat these as a technicality or an afterthought, or SMU will know they’re not your priority and put your application in the “reject” pile. Now we’ll get into the prompts and illuminate what marks strong answers so you can avoid that outcome!

PROMPT #1

SMU appeals to students for a variety of reasons. Briefly describe why you are interested in attending SMU and what specific factors have led you to apply. (250-word limit)

SMU has articulated this question in the broadest possible sense (“a variety of reasons”), but this is their “Why Us?” prompt. To put it frankly, this is a test to see if you’ve done your homework. Do you ACTUALLY want to go to SMU, or are you just throwing your hat in the ring? Remember that schools have their own considerations when reading your application; to protect their yield, meaning the percentage of students who enroll after being admitted, they are selecting students who not only show signs that they’ll thrive as SMU students and contribute to campus culture but who indicate that they will actually attend. Never treat a school like a safety; it’s the easiest way to get culled from the applicant pool.

So how do you convince SMU that you’re interested? You do your research and point to facts that support your belief that SMU has unique characteristics and programs that would allow you to achieve your academic and personal goals. In this short supplement, you’ve got to do two things: tell a compelling story about how you discovered your primary academic focus, and list the opportunities you’ll take advantage of as an undergraduate Mustang.

As we’ve noted, 250 words is not enough to regale readers with your autobiography; when we say “tell a story,” we mean a succinct one. However, whatever that story is, it should grip readers and give them a sense of a real human attachment to (and passion for) your discipline. That should allow you to ground the facts you’ll give, which will support this story by providing evidence of how you’ll pursue your future career with SMU’s resources.

Here’s what you’ll want to include: your major; two upper-level classes within that major; a professor you’d like to study under; an academic program or opportunity that is specific to SMU (think study abroad, senior seminars, a course that integrates off-campus internships, etc.); a minor; and a few social and extracurricular opportunities that show you’ll be a great addition to the student body and that you’re a real person outside the classroom (student-run clubs, residential communities, a Boulevard opportunity you’re looking forward to, or anything else creative and engaging you can think of).

PROMPT #2

SMU is a diverse and welcoming learning environment shaped by the convergence of ideas and cultures. How will your unique experiences enhance the University, and how will you benefit from this community? (250-word limit)

This question turns prompt #1 on its head and instead of asking “Why Us?” asks “Why You?” With this prompt, SMU is offering you a place to share something personal that you haven’t had a chance to communicate so far through your Common App or first supplemental essay. However, unless there is an aspect of your identity or lived experience that feels central to your application and doesn’t yet appear in your materials, we suggest you use this space strategically by sharing more about an activity that shows the kind of community member you’ll be on campus.

We’ve advised our successful applicants to tell admissions about a time they displayed leadership and team-building skills — as the president of a club, a member of student council, or just a bystander looking out for their neighbors or helping to solve a problem. You shouldn’t reference athletics here, because this question is aiming to understand how you’ll contribute to SMU’s “diverse and welcoming learning environment.” The only rule here is to avoid drawing on an experience you’ve already referenced in the first prompt — otherwise the world is your oyster.

And don’t forget to answer the question itself when telling your story. How will your talents and personal experiences “enhance” SMU? Remember to connect your skills to tangible benefits — ways you plan to participate and contribute to the university itself, and ways you plan to learn and grow from what your peers have to offer.

Resume

And the final component of your application to SMU: they give you the opportunity to upload your resume! Some students see this as redundant to their activities section of the Common App, but, as we tell our clients, a resume allows you to curate. Your activities section allows you to list 10 activities, but you’re really constrained when it comes to providing context (150 characters is nothing!). We suggest that you upload a resume and that you use it to give color and depth to the activities most important to you. This is “optional,” but in our opinion it’s really not. (You can check out our recs here for putting together a college-app resume if you’re not sure how to get started.)

Once you’ve uploaded your resume, you’ve done it — you’ve officially applied to SMU!

If you need help with your college applications, reach out here.