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"What do you want to be when you grow up?"We have all got a version of this question and while some may have certainty, many do not. Learning from her own struggles in attempting to answer this question, 18-year-old Hannah Ahn created YCompass, a platform to help students make more informed decisions about their future.It's not her first project to help students pave a smoother path beyond school as she is also the co-founder of Yakka.We chat with Hannah about how she set up Yakka and YCompass and how students can find their own path without feeling the pressure of doing what parents or teachers think they should do.Click here to check out YCompassClick here to connect with Hannah on LinkedInThe Top of the Class podcast is powered by Crimson Education. If you're aiming for top US, UK or European universities and want to learn about the application process and which unis would suit you best, Click here to request a free and private meeting with an Academic Advisor in your area.Do you want to be part of the podcast or do you want to nominate someone to be interviewed? Contact the hosts at podcast@crimsoneducation.org or on Twitter.Host's Notes:Hannah is a great example of working on a solution to a problem that millions of students around the world are facing. Her insights into the entrepreneurial side of what it takes to start an organisation and her student-to-student advice is well worth a listen!

16-year-old Melbourne student, Magnus Mulhall, was surprised after receiving the 'Best Delegate' award at the Harvard Innovation Challenge but he shouldn't be!Magnus has interests across the board being a member of the New York Science Academy, a water polo coach, a violinist and an active student leader just to name a few.In this episode, Magnus discusses what makes applications to any program or leadership position stand out from the crowd and how to make the most of a student leadership position.Click here to connect with Magnus on LinkedInClick here to watch this short video from Crimson's leadership expert, Anjali, on developing leadership in high schoolClick here for more information on the New York Academy of Sciences Junior AcademyClick here for more information about the Harvard Innovation ChallengeThe Top of the Class podcast is powered by Crimson Education - the world leaders in university admissions. Click here to request a free and private meeting with an Academic Advisor in your area.Do you want to be part of the podcast or do you want to nominate someone to be interviewed? Contact the hosts at podcast@crimsoneducation.org or on Twitter.Host's Notes:This is such a great episode for any current or aspiring student leaders because it can be difficult to know what to do with leadership position once you've got it! It's clear that Magnus has thought through the whole process from application through to execution. His advice on the topic is well worth while for students around the world not to mention his tips on applying for the New York Science Academy!

In 2019, a 14-year-old Kara Fan won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge for her nano-silver liquid bandage. The win gave Kara some great prize money and the title of America's Top Young Scientist.Now 15, Kara reflects on how the idea came about, how she created nano-silver in her family kitchen and her growing passion for bringing awareness to the problem of antibiotic resistance.Since then, Kara has adapted her project to assist with COVID-19 prevention and was a guest judge for the 2020 competition.Click here to learn more about the advantages of studying at a top US university.Click here to learn more about conducting research during school.Click here to visit Kara's website or connect with her on TwitterThe Top of the Class podcast is powered by Crimson Education - the world leaders in university admissions. Click here to request a free and private meeting with an Academic Advisor in your area.Do you want to be part of the podcast or do you want to nominate someone to be interviewed? Contact the hosts at podcast@crimsoneducation.org or on Twitter.Host's Notes:Kara was an absolute delight to chat with! We all have unique moments in our lives that, when added together, can lead to a groundbreaking idea. Kara talks through the moments in her life and what she did to turn that into a reality. What I like most about this chat is that despite the fantastic award and the title of America's Top Young Scientist, Kara makes it sound possible for any student to achieve the same.

While some students may tutor a few friends, Daksh Chuchra has set up a whole e-learning platform. Econocomics started as a resource sharing site which now has a global reach and he's doing it all for free!On top of that, Daksh was one of the early applicants to the International Study Ambassador Program. Being one of the first to join the student-run organisation has helped Daksh to shape the program in his role as COO.Daksh gives his advice on setting up an e-learning platform, the key to running successful student programs and taking part in the Harvard Summer program.Click here for more info on EconocomicsClick here for more info on the International Study Ambassador ProgramClick here to connect with Daksh on LinkedInThe Top of the Class podcast is powered by Crimson Education - the world leaders in university admissions. Click here to request a free and private meeting with an Academic Advisor in your area.Do you want to be part of the podcast or do you want to nominate someone to be interviewed? Contact the hosts at podcast@crimsoneducation.org or on Twitter.Host's Notes:Daskh is a fantastic example of how to take a fairly standard student initiative like tutoring and turn it into something much global impact. He also has some insights into student run organisations as I know there's a lot of clubs and groups out there that quickly fail.

Maha is a 15-year-old from Aurora, Illinois and is a self-proclaimed science nerd. With an interest in organisations that make a difference, Maha is now the Director of Science at ATHENA by Wi-STEM and a legislative ambassador for the American Cancer Society.Maha gives students an insight into how she has accelerated her learning outside of school, how she goes about contacting professors and politicians and why getting more girls involved in STEM is so important to her.Click here to connect with Maha on LinkedInClick here to learn more about ATHENA by Wi-STEMClick here for info about Crimson Global Academy's accelerated learningThe Top of the Class podcast is powered by Crimson Education - the world leaders in university admissions. Click here to request a free and private meeting with an Academic Advisor in your area.Do you want to be part of the podcast or do you want to nominate someone to be interviewed? Contact the hosts at podcast@crimsoneducation.org or on Twitter.Host’s Notes:When we think of student scientists, we often think about winning major competitions or solving complex chemical equations. But Maha is the perfect example of everything else that being a passionate science can be. She is a collector of knowledge, a teacher of others and a science advocate. I loved Maha’s attitude to learning, her philosophy that underpins her extracurricular choices and her practical tips for students including how to find amazing opportunities. Enjoy!

When 17-year-old Gayatri went into lockdown, her phone usage started to skyrocket and her friends were experiencing the same problem. After deleting social media apps or phone usage apps didn't work, Gayatri started to look deeper into the problem.Through research and testing, Gayatri created the Look Glass Program - a 14-day habit based program to help people take back control of their relationship with technology. So far, the program has more than 4,000 downloads.In this episode, Gayatri talks through how the idea came about, how she expanded her understanding of psychology and how she used the project in her application to Ivy League school, UPenn.Click here to learn more about the Looking Glass Program.Click here to learn more about US college supplemental essaysThe Top of the Class podcast is powered by Crimson Education - the world leaders in university admissions. Click here to request a free and private meeting with an Academic Advisor in your area.Do you want to be part of the podcast or do you want to nominate someone to be interviewed? Contact the hosts at podcast@crimsoneducation.org or on Twitter.Host's Notes:Gayatri's story is a fantastic example of bringing a unique solution to a common problem. In this episode, she gave a blueprint for other students to create and test their own habit based programs. I'd recommend listeners to download the Gayatri's Looking Glass Program to get a better understanding of her work and to take control of the technology in your life - I did!

In this special episode, Crimson Education CEO and Top of the Class co-host, Jamie Beaton, sits down with former New Zealand Prime Minister, Sir John Key.John Key recounts his days in high school, his early career path and how he got into politics. He also shares his advice for this generation of students who are entering a rapidly changing future. Click here to see the chat on YouTube.John Key is a current Senior Advisor for the Crimson Global Academy.

When COVID-19 lockdowns started to cancel school extracurriculars, many students were at a loss at what to do with their new found free time. John Hopcroft, 16, was one of these students and after working his way through a few hours of Netflix, he turned his attention to his passion for debating.International debating is highly sought after but is difficult to get selected for and expensive to participate in. John saw the opportunity to start his own international debating competition that would bring down these barriers for students and the Cosmos Championship was born!In this episode, John discusses how he got the competition started, how his organising team has grown and his advice for other students who want to start their own competition.Click here to register to participate in the Cosmos Championship or to apply to be a part of the organising committee.John is a current Crimson Education student who aims to apply to the world leading universities in the US or UK. To request a free and private consultation with your local Academic Advisor, visit Crimson Education.

In this episode, Jamie chats with 3 x VEX Robotics Champion, Jia Dua. Jia is originally from New Zealand but now studies at Duke University and is a recipient of the full ride Robertson Scholarship.Jia discusses her journey through each year of the competition and gives some critical advice on capturing the attention of judges and what makes a winning team.She also talks about her experience as a woman in STEM, reflects on what she'd change if she had her time in school over again and how she plans to take advantage of her time at Duke University.Click here for more information on the VEX Robotics competition.Click here to learn how to start a US college application.Click here to find more extracurricular competitions and opportunities.Click here to learn more about the online high school that Jia helped launch.The Top of the Class podcast is powered by Crimson Education, the world leaders in university admissions. Jia was supported in her US college application by Crimson mentors. To learn more or to request a free and private consultation with your local Academic Advisor, visit Crimson Education.

What do you get when you cross Grey's Anatomy and the Just Dance video game? For 17-year-old Krithik Ramesh, you get an award winning science project that could revolutionise spinal surgery. In this episode, the 2019 winner of ISEF (now sponsored by Regeneron) shares how he came up with the idea and the mindset that enables him to turn an idea into reality. You can read the project abstract here or see a short news story about his project on YouTube.Krithik also has a not for profit to put solar panels on schools in India and he gives an insight into how the project got off the ground.To connect with Krithik, visit his website or his LinkedIn.To find amazing extracurricular opportunities near you, visit Crimson ECL.To learn more about conducting research in high school, read this blog.The Top of the Class podcast is powered by Crimson Education, the world leaders in university admissions. To learn more or to request a free and private consultation with your local Academic Advisor, visit Crimson Education.

Soumil Singh recently graduated from Harvard and now lives in LA to take part in the prestigious Y Combinator start up accelerator.It's a long way from Soumil's hometown of Hamilton in New Zealand so in this episode, Soumil shares some insights on how he got into Harvard, the experiences that led him to explore entrepreneurship and some sage advice for current high school students.Click here to read more about Soumil's Harvard admissionClick here to learn more about the Crimson Global Academy which allows you to take on additional subjects and create an outstanding academic profile like Soumil's.Click here to tweet the podcast hosts.*Soumil was supported in his US college application by Crimson Education tutors and mentors. The Top of the Class podcast is powered by Crimson Education, the world leaders in university admissions support.

When Jack was 9, he had never visited a farm and didn't know any farmers. But when he saw a story on the drought that was devastating Australian farmers, he knew he wanted to make a difference.Since then, Jack's Fiver for a Farmer campaign has raised nearly $2M and is now a registered charity. In this episode, Jack shares his experiences and advice for students including logo and slogan creation, media presence and what it was like to do a tour of rural Australia with the Prime Minister.For more tips on creating online initiatives, read this blog.For students aged 11-14 wanting to go beyond school, click here to learn about Crimson Rise.Click here to tweet the podcast hosts. The Top of the Class podcast is powered by Crimson Education, the world leaders in university admissions support.

When she was 5 years old, Ellen Xu had a life changing event. Now 15, Ellen has been conducting medical research into a rare heart condition. She took her project to a leading science and engineering fair where she became a finalist. Ellen is also the Global Director of Elevate the Future, a student-run organisation bringing business and tech insights to students around the world.In this episode, Ellen shares how she got started in medical research and her tips for students wanting to do the same. She also describes how she connects with students in her role at Elevate the Future and what she hopes to achieve next.Click here to read more about conducting research in high school.Click here if you're aiming to study medicine in the Australia or New Zealand.Click here to tweet the podcast hosts. Ellen invites listeners to follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.The Top of the Class podcast is powered by Crimson Education, the world leaders in university admissions support.

The Tiger Global Case Competition (TGCC) brings together teams of students from around the world to solve real life business problems and present their solutions to a panel of judges. This year, the TGCC was the largest virtual case comp with more than 2500 participants from around the world. Just a few weeks ago, The Wolves of Wall St from Dubai were crowned the winners! Hear from the team members, Raghav, Sid, Ahad and Harsha as they share their experiences and advice for other high school students who are keen on entering TGCC or other similar competitions.BONUS OFFER: Download the slide deck that the winning team used in their global presentation. Click here to learn more.Visit the TGCC website for more information about the case comp and tweet the host at @TopoftheClassP1. For support in starting your own amazing extracurricular or to pave your path to the world's top universities, check out Crimson Education. 

Students have amazing stories to share. Whether they're starting a charity, winning global competitions or building a business, the Top of the Class podcast aims to bring these stories to you. Learn more about the podcast, the host and what to expect by listening in to Episode #0.