Some parents are enrolling their children in preparatory classes to gain admission to the School of the Arts. On the admissions process, SMU Dean of Students and Professor of Sociology (Practice) Paulin Straughan said, "Parents may not have enough confidence that the selection criterion is robust enough to see through the frills, that (the school) is able to tease out raw talent from the packaged product." She said the application should be one that a 12-year-old child is able to put together. There are no easy answers to concerns about meritocracy, she added. While an enrichment system that disadvantages those with less resources is not desirable, "neither do we want to disadvantage kids whose parents are able to nurture their talent", she said. SMU Director, Admissions Strategy & Outreach Ms Linette Lim, whose daughter Annette Yeong is a student at the centre, is taking a broader view on having the younger of her two daughters take the preparatory course. Having witnessed many potential undergraduates fumble at interviews, she feels that the programme helps in "personal branding" by training Annette to become more articulate.