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Madisen Cope, Recruiter at Auburn University. (Stew Milne / Bham Now)

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 Cope, Auburn grad and recruiter, at Southern Union State Community College — Madisen Cope at Southern Union State Community College. (Stew Milne / Bham Now)

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?

Auburn grad and recruiter working with students — Madisen loves working with prospective and current Auburn students. (Stew Milne / Bham Now)

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?

Madisen, Auburn grad and recruiter, talking with students about the benefits of Auburn's Path to the Plains. — Madisen loves talking with students about the benefits of Auburn’s Path to the Plains. (Stew Milne / Bham Now)

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?

Madisen and several Auburn Agriculture students in front of Comer Hall. (Stew Milne / Bham Now)

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

Comer Hall—the hub of Auburn's College of Agriculture. — Comer Hall—the hub of Auburn’s College of Agriculture. (Stew Milne / Bham Now)

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: