Reviewed by: Elizabeth Hobbs
How this Auburn grad is making the university more accessible right now
Reading time: 4 minutes
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Madisen loves going to Orange Theory, reading, walking her dogs—and above all—helping students find easier ways to get to her alma mater—Auburn University.
Read on to learn about her role in the College of Agriculture and how she’s making the university more accessible.
Meet Madisen
Madisen randomly applied for Auburn during an application spree and then ended up falling in love with the university. She started out majoring in biochemistry before finding her home in the communications department.
She even met her husband Dan there during Camp War Eagle before they started their freshman year.
After an incredible four years at Auburn, Madisen launched her career, got a master’s degree and lived in several big cities, including Austin and Atlanta.
However, she couldn’t stay away from Auburn for long and returned with her husband and three dogs in 2017. That’s where she began working with Path to the Plains—a program that makes the university more accessible to a broader range of students.
What is P2P?
Path to the Plains is a program that allows students to knock out some basic courses at a partnering community college, while taking classes at Auburn for their major. After completing their associate’s degree, the students can seamlessly transition to finish their bachelor’s degree at Auburn.
Auburn currently offers Path to the Plains in partnership with Southern Union State Community College, Jefferson State Community College and Lurleen B Wallace Community College.
When Madisen moved back to Auburn, she started working at Southern Union, and that’s where she was first introduced to Path to the Plains.
“Path to the Plains wasn’t my creation, but I was the first advisor for the program at Southern Union. I’ve gotten to see it grow from offering three major programs in 2017 to almost 40 in 2024.”
Madisen Cope, Administrator, Student Recruiting, Auburn College of Agriculture
Madisen worked at Southern Union for five years before eventually accepting a position in Auburn’s College of Agriculture.
Working at her alma mater, she still gets to help Path to the Plains students, in addition to traveling and recruiting for the College of Agriculture.
Who is P2P for?
Wondering if Path to the Plains is the right move for you? Here’s how you know if P2P is your next step:
- You want to attend a prestigious school like Auburn, studying a top-notch agriculture degree with high-paying jobs readily available upon graduation (check out all program paths offered through P2P)
- You want to save serious money in the process
- You want to avoid the stress and competitiveness of the traditional admissions process
- You want smaller class sizes + more 1:1 time with your professors
- You want a smooth transfer process from a two-year college to a four-year university
What are the benefits of P2P?
Since working with Path to the Plains for seven years, Madisen has seen countless benefits of the program.
“Path to the Plains helps students transition to Auburn a lot more smoothly than through a traditional transfer.
The students love getting to take a couple of major classes at Auburn while attending their community college. The benefit is twofold—they stay motivated while taking their core classes at the community college and can see if their major path is the right one for them before they transfer.”
Madisen Cope, Administrator, Student Recruiting, Auburn College of Agriculture
Students also get to enjoy smaller classes sizes at Southern Union, Jeff State and LBW (as opposed to Auburn’s large auditorium setup for some general courses). Plus, they get to pay the tuition rate for the community college for all of their courses—including their Auburn classes.
Fun fact: Path to the Plains is available for most of Auburn’s College of Agriculture programs!
Apply to Auburn through Path to the Plains today
If you’re interested in learning more about Path to the Plains, don’t miss out on the upcoming virtual information sessions. Students must attend one of these sessions before applying:
- Tuesday, January 21, 6PM
- Thursday, February 6, 6PM
- Note: Path to the Plains applications open Friday, February 7 and close Friday, March 7, 2025.
Sign up for a virtual session + learn more about Path to the Plains now.
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