S2E1: Common App Tips, Affirmative Action, Essay Strategy, and Early Decision

Season 2 Premiere: This episode highlights the upcoming release of the Common App for university applications. Thomas urges students to pause before writing supplemental essays, as they might change due to the recent affirmative action ruling and stresses the significance of personalizing applications to align with a school's offerings and culture.

Additionally, this episode provides valuable advice for students, emphasizing the importance of fully engaging in summer activities and making the most of internship, job, or research opportunities. Thomas encourages students to maintain records of their experiences and consider requesting informal letters of recommendation. He also offers guidance on using the recommender feature in the Common App strategically and provides insights on dealing with the dilemma of disliking summer activities. The episode concludes by briefly addressing the needs of rising eighth graders applying to prep schools and MBA candidates, advising early preparation and thorough research.

 

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Episode Highlights:

• Advice for summer activities, emphasizing engagement and record-keeping
• Extracting valuable lessons from disliked summer activities
• Leveraging relationships for informal letters of recommendation
• Strategic use of the Common App's recommender feature
• Caution in writing supplemental essays before changes are announced
• Personalizing applications by aligning with a school's offerings and culture
• Early action and early decision strategies for high school seniors
• Deep research and personal reflection for the best application strategy
• Advice for rising eighth graders applying to prep schools
• Preparing for MBA program applications, including exam and portfolio preparation

About Thomas Thomas is a parent and alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania. After earning his MBA at the Wharton School in 2003, he moved to Silicon Valley. For three years, he was director of admissions and financial aid at Wharton School. He worked closely with admissions professionals, students, alumni, and professors to create the best possible MBA class. Thomas has been an entrepreneur his entire life in the fields of finance, agriculture, wellness, and sporting goods. As the founder of Global Education Opportunities, he works with diverse and underserved communities to help them become successful college students. Thomas started the podcast Admittedly because he is passionate about demystifying the application process for parents and applicants.

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