College With Mattie
Every week, Mattie Culkin and his co-host Michelle Martinez talk about everything you need to know about college admissions. How do top schools operate? What are they looking for? Tune in as they break down essential application aspects such as essay writing, extracurriculars, and letters of recommendation into their core elements. For students applying to college and their parents, College With Mattie is here to steer you to your goals.
Episodes
In the Season 1 finale of College With Mattie, Mattie and Michelle rank their Top 50 schools based on prestige, perception, student reactions, and parent bragging rights.
Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
Letters of Recommendation will be needed in your college applications. Who should you ask? How important are they? What should go in them? Mattie and Michelle discuss this part of the college application and give you pointers on what to look for and what to avoid in your LORs.
Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
Articles and websites mentioned:
When you begin the college application process, you are likely tempted to begin with the personal statement, the hardest and most important thing. But is that the right course of action? Mattie and Michelle break down everything you have to do to get into to college and the right order to make the most of your time.
Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
The best way to show a school that you belong there is to back up your major in your essay. Mattie breaks down why this works, how to pull it off, and how to stick the landing.
Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
Time to dive into the core concept behind all the advice Mattie gives his students - to F*cking Love Learning. Colleges are looking for students and nothing makes a better student than a thirst for knowledge. Here’s how to apply it in your application.
Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
Have you been waitlisted? Mattie and Michelle unpack the mystery of what that means so that you can respond accordingly.
Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
Articles mentioned:
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/theres-a-crazy-new-wrinkle-to-college-admissions.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brennanbarnard/2025/05/25/college-admission-waitlist-f...
Sometimes, impressive students don’t end up with impressive admissions results. Mattie and Michelle dive into a few cases to talk about the reasons students may be unexpectedly rejected from colleges they apply to.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/teen-sf-entrepreneur-s-college-essay-went-v...
Passion projects keep appearing as the secret to getting accepted into college, but what does this mean? Mattie and Michelle break down what a passion project is and if it actually increases your admission chances.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/college-admissions-educational-cons...
College applications can be tough to manage. Mattie breaks down what you need to do and when, but most importantly, how to best structure your work to get all your applications in and work in the most efficient way.
Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
The stress of college applications is leading more students to apply to more schools. What does this mean for them? Does it really help? What does it mean for admissions teams? Mattie and Michelle unpack the trend of shotgunning.
https://counselors.collegeboard.org/college-application/how-many#:~:text=There%20is%20...
Do you want to be a doctor? Pre-med is not a major, so this is how you need to apply to college to start your journey to studying medicine. Mattie and Michelle talk about reframing your activities and focus into a major that can lead you down the right path, and why you need to do that.
Mattie's blog post on the topic:
https://www.collegewithmattie.com/pre-med-is-not-a-major/
Top Medical School Feeders
https://www.collegetransitio...
Mattie and Michelle discuss the latest updates to the Common App for 2025. From the expanded "Challenges and Circumstances" question to changes in word limits, they break down how this affects students and celebrate Georgetown joining the Common App (finally).
Georgetown joins the Common App in 2026: https://thehoya.com/news/breaking-gu-to-join-common-app/
Announcing 25-26 Common App Essay Prompts: https://www.commonapp.org/blog/a...
Is being well-rounded always good? When it comes to applying to college, it’s often a weakness and not a strength-unless you use it wisely. Mattie and Michelle dive into the reasons it can hold you back and how to navigate your many talents and interests to your advantage when applying to the school you want.
Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
Mattie and Michelle talk about dream schools, managing expectations and handling stress. They go over the Princeton Review’s Annual Hopes & Dreams Survey and compare the answers given by students and their parents.
Princeton Review Infographics: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/college-hopes-worries#Infographic
Press Release with Findings: https://www.princetonreview.com/press/college-hopes-worries-pre...
Do you want to study computer science in college? Mattie breaks down the best way to get into your school of choice by helping you frame your knowledge and passion so that you assemble the best application you can. What should your essay really say?
Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
From a niche science degree to the most popular major, Mattie and Michelle tackle the evolution of Computer Science as a college major. How have students shaped their goals and how have schools responded?
Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
One of the most debated and discussed topics relating to college: prestige. Mattie and Michelle unpack what college prestige really means and whether or not it’s actually important.
Related Links
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities?_sort=rank&_sortDirection=asc
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/how-ivy-league-schools-tilt-your-odds-in-the-...
Mattie and Michelle tackle AI and college admissions again, but this time they talk about how colleges use it - not students. How does this affect your college application strategy?
Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
Writing about sports in your college essay seems like the obvious thing to do when you are a student athlete, but in this episode, Mattie and Michelle tackle all the reasons to avoid that, whether or not you are being recruited. Learn what to write about instead and why in this episode of College With Mattie.
Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at ht...
When you tell a college what you want to major in, should you be honest? Or should you lie to give yourself a better chance of acceptance? Mattie and Michelle talk about the moral issue of lying in your college application and whether or not it actually works - as well as how to do it right!
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/magazine/academic-interests-college-application-ethics.html
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