Students Consider New Perspectives in Round 3 of the Wharton Comment and Win Contest

In a world marked by polarized views and escalating conflicts, the ability to respond directly and thoughtfully to someone’s ideas is a core strength – and a competitive advantage.

Round 3 of the 2024 Wharton Global Youth Comment and Win competition, in which commenters had to respond to the reflections and opinions of their peers, delivered active listening, meaningful dialogue, constructive feedback, effective problem-solving, and open-mindedness in nearly 100 carefully crafted replies. And probably a bit of BS, too – but we’re not here to point fingers.

We love this round’s theme, not only because of the interaction between commenters but also because you help honor many of the amazing ideas outlined in the pages of our Comment and Win competition, while also bringing new energy to poignant posts and salient points.

Top commenters for Round 3 honored our theme. They read another commenter’s perspective, reflected, and provided a response that carefully recognized his or her points, provided feedback, and possibly offered a counterargument or related experiences.

Lots of you acknowledged the commenter to whom you were responding (great insights, Sue!), and then reverted to the “anything goes” or “storytelling” rounds. While these comments were rich and thoughtful, they didn’t always qualify as Round 3 responsive commenting. (Still, we learned so much from them. Let’s just say: Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt, MIT economist and tech contrarian David Autor, Samsung’s flip phone, and “unrealistic utopian methods regarding the harmony of humanity.” You know who you are!)

Here are the Round 3, 2024 winners:

Congratulations to David H., 16 and a student at The Bronx High School of Science in New York, U.S., for his top comment in response to Hayoon C. on the Global Youth article A Massive College Admissions Cheating Scandal Gets People Talking. While David’s comment was a bit long, it was very well expressed and hit a great commenting tone, touching on key points in Hayoon’s comment and inviting further discussion. Hayoon, we hope you take David up on his request!

First Runner-up bragging rights go to Beatriz R., 17 and a student at Colégio Arena in Brazil, for her response to Sagar R. on Lessons in Globalization and International Trade. Beatriz continued her strong showing this summer (shoutout to your Jayden response on Murder Mysteries, as well) by deftly answering some of Sagar’s questions related to trade and immigration, without excessive commenting self-indulgence.

The Round 3 Second Runner-up is KaLam C., 17 and a student at the Chinese International School in Hong Kong, for her response to Matthew A. on How Will AI and Hybrid Work Change Your Job?  We appreciated KaLam’s perspective detailing her high school’s different approach to managing AI usage and how it might help other high school students arrive at a new understanding about promoting fairness and integrity.

Round 3 Third Runner-up honors go to Ina N., 16 and a student at Lower Cape May Regional High School in New Jersey, U.S., for her response to Dylan W. on The Essence of Managerial Thinking. Ina’s considerate comment that encouraged Dylan to see McDonald’s managers in a new light was masterful.

Fourth Runner-up Winson W., 15 and a student at St. Francis Preparatory School in New York, U.S., responded thoughtfully to Ina N. on one of the most popular Round 3 articles, A Tech Startup that Uses Your Eyes As a Window into Your Mind. We appreciated many of the responses to comments on this article (as well as Wharton Research Adds to the Evolving Brand Story), though Winson’s well-expressed reply was a standout.

Kalina H., 17 and a student at Epsom College In England, U.K., is Round 3’s Fifth Runner-up for her response to Isabella P., on Social Entrepreneurs Tackle Climate Change and the Future of Food. Inspired by Isabella’s comment, Kalina gave careful thought to the navigational challenges at the supermarket.

Finally, congratulations to Sixth Runner-up Brian C., 15 and a student at Stuyvesant High School in New York, U.S., for his response to Ram M. on How to Reflect on What Matters to You As You Begin Your College Search. Bravo to Brian for his relevant reply (seven years later): “Ram, even though I’m a few years behind you, I hope you’ve found a path that works for you. As I stand at the beginning of my own college journey, your reflections have given me a lot to think about.”

And Just Because…

Here are a few superlatives to capture more of Round 3’s clever responsive commenting:

Destined to Discuss ESG on Her Sustainability Podcast: Veda G., 15 and a student at Marcus High School in Texas, U.S. for her response to Isabella P. on Your Future As an ESG Pioneer and also her response to Isabella P., on How Do We Make ESG Sustainable?

Best Round 3 Quote: Isabella P., 15 and a student at American High School in Bogota, Colombia, for her response to Hayoon C. on A Massive College Admissions Cheating Scandal Gets People Talking: “It is not the degree from a college that defines us as people with a good intellect, but what we do with our experience and our attempts to translate our ideas into real projects that will contribute to society in some impactful way.”

Most Provocative Self-Reflection: Jayden W., 17 and a student at Stuyvesant High School, U.S., for his response to David H. on Wharton Research Adds to the Evolving Brand Story: “To what extent do products and companies have to be associated with harmful ideologies for me to renounce them?”

Cleverest Poetic Expression: Carter K., 16 and a student at Notre Dame Preparatory School in Maryland, U.S., for his response to Perneet K. and Dmitry G.,18 and a student at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York, U.S., for his response to Perneet K. on How to Discover Potential in Yourself and Others.

Best Potential Movie Title: Chewon L., 16 and a student at Daegu International School in South Korea, for his response to David P. on Digital Well-being: Do You Take Your Cell Phone to Bed?: “The Dark Turn of Smartphone Usage”

Biggest Behavioral Econ and Bubble Tea Enthusiast: Audrey X., 15 and a student at Hunter College High School in New York, U.S., for her response to Jai P. on 5 Truths About Behavioral Economics and Studying Consumer Behavior.

Congratulations to all our winning Round 3 responders! We hope you will look for ongoing opportunities to engage in meaningful, respectful and insightful dialogue with your peers — so you can learn from each other.

Be sure to log your comments for Round 4 by 11:59 Eastern on Friday, August 9. We are excited to read your ideas for our final “Innovation Nation” round. Need more details? Visit our Comment & Win page.

We’ve had a lot of repeat commenters in each 2024 round. Who will be crowned our Grand Prize winner in a few weeks?