Why Gratitude Matters in the College Application Process

College Admissions Decoded

College applications are meticulously designed to understand who a student is academically and interpersonally. In recent years, applications have included new prompts for students to talk about people they’re grateful for and instances that have positively impacted their lives. For college admission offices, the responsibility of building community on campus relies heavily on these responses. In this conversation, we talk with two college admissions experts about the research, science, and multifaceted results of adding a gratitude question to their college applications.

Guests: Whitney Soule, Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions at University of Pennsylvania, and Scott Anderson, Senior Director of Association Engagement at Common App. Moderated by NACAC member Eddie Pickett, a senior associate dean of admissions and the director of recruitment at Pomona College in Claremont, California.