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WEBINAR REPLAY

Watch the Replay: Common App Activities & Honors Section:

Avoiding the Mistakes That Hurt Great Applicants​

BOOK A STRATEGY CALL

In this session, Former Ivy+ Admissions Officers Devery Doran (Former Harvard Admissions Officer) and Thomas Caleel (Former Director of MBA Admissions at Wharton, UPenn) reveal what admissions committees actually look for in the Activities & Honors sections of the Common App and share the strategies students can use to turn their experiences into a compelling application narrative.

This replay is intended to help families move beyond simply listing activities and start telling a clearer, more impactful story. The discussion explores what makes an application stand out and how storytelling can make a student's accomplishments more memorable and effective.

Key Moments

✓ How Admissions Officers Actually Read the Common App — what triggers a closer look, and what causes an application to lose momentum before the essay is even read.
✓ The Activities List: Your Most Underutilized Strategic Asset — how to prioritize, sequence, and describe activities so they reflect genuine depth and identity, not just a résumé dump.
✓ Honors, Coursework, and the Sections Students Rush Through — how AOs interpret course selection, how to represent honors accurately, and what the Additional Information section is actually designed for.
✓ Essay Alignment: Making Sure Your Entire Application Tells One Story — how to audit your Common App for narrative coherence and leave with a practical self-review checklist before you hit submit.

Ready to Take Action?

Insight is useful only if it changes the plan. If the replay helped you see that your student needs stronger activity descriptions, a more cohesive list, or more structured support before the August 1st Common App opening, the next step is to determine whether Admittedly is the right fit.

BOOK A STRATEGY CALL

Build a clearer application strategy
before the cycle begins.

Admittedly works with students and families who want strategic, thoughtful support through the admissions process. If your student is applying this summer, we encourage you to apply for a call so our team can learn more about your goals, timeline, and fit.