The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions

In this episode, we break down the profile and application of a top student deciding between Yale/Stanford for early action in the upcoming 2025-26 application cycle.

We analyze both the strengths and weaknesses in her profile, identify admissions hooks that portray the most compelling view of her resume, and overhaul the initial draft of her application, optimizing critical themes and through-lines while removing potentially costly...

Much of what students and families worry about or hear in college admissions actually matters less than they know. 

In this episode, we expose the most overrated pieces of the process—and traditional guidance—from the importance of leadership, service, and GPA weighting to launching “passion projects” or communicating with admissions officers.

——

“The Game” is hosted by Sam Hassell and brought to you by Great Minds Advising.

In this episode, we flip the script and walk through the 10 fastest ways to sabotage your college admissions chances—so you can do the opposite. 

From staying “well-rounded” to avoiding commitment to a hook, we discuss common traps that smart students fall into. We cover why being passive and waiting for permission or perfection when it comes to resume-building are silent application killers—and how trap essay prompts, misaligned ma...

In this episode, we answer three listener questions on the following topics:

• how to best strategically position a pre-law student
• how to take college courses that improve your candidacy
• the role of legacy at top colleges and early application strategy

——

“The Game” is hosted by Sam Hassell and brought to you by Great Minds Advising.

Great Minds Advising’s unique, hands-on mentorship program and its deep strategic insi...

In this episode, we reveal three common pieces of misinformation that admissions officers often convey to applicants and their families, breeding a false sense of complacency and a dangerously naive view of admissions at top colleges. In particular, we cover:

• how applications are actually reviewed, with many being discarded long before they are given a “holistic review” as admissions officers purport
• the great myth of “test optio...

In this episode, we perform a case study analysis on acceptance/matriculation data from one of the top private high schools in the U.S. and a well-known Ivy League “feeder school.” We cover the following:

• Most Recent Year and 5-Year Ivy League Matriculations
• Ivy League Acceptance Data for “Unhooked” Students (i.e. non-legacy/donor, recruited athletes, etc)
• Hooked vs. Unhooked Student Acceptance Rates & GPAs

Drawing up...

In this deep dive episode, we analyze the profile and application of a current high school senior applying to Stanford. We pinpoint critical strategic mistakes affecting the quality of the student’s presentation across both the Common Application and the Stanford supplements––errors that are very often committed by top academic students in general and students targeting Stanford in particular.

——

“The Game” is hosted by Sam...

In this episode, we return to the popular online forum Reddit to answer college admissions Qs from students across the country. In particular, we cover the following topics:

• Additional Information Section: Good or Bad?
• Including A Third Teacher or Supplementary Recommendation
• Early Action Plans That Prohibit Early Decision To Other Colleges
• Help With My Vanderbilt Essay!
• Strategic Implications Of Parent Colleges & Backgrounds

For the first time, we analyze the profile of a current HS senior targeting three top colleges: WashU, Vanderbilt, & Michigan.
While the student possesses a strong academic foundation (perfect GPA in 15 APs, 34/36 ACT, ranked #1 in HS class), he significantly lacks the type of extracurricular profile, depth, and admissions “hook” that will differentiate students targeting highly selective institutions. 
Given the studen...

In this episode, we cover ten primary ways students can build their admissions hooks to differentiate their applications at top colleges, the pros/cons of each activity type, and several common activities that tend to contribute minimally to—and even potentially jeopardize—a student’s odds of acceptance.

——

“The Game” is hosted by Sam Hassell and brought to you by Great Minds Advising.

Great Minds Advising’s unique, hands-o...

In this episode, we break down the timeline and significance of the PSAT and various National Merit awards associated with strong PSAT scores:

• PSAT for students in grades earlier than 11th (e.g. PSAT 8/9 + PSAT 10)
• The PSAT/NMSQT exam in 11th grade
• Score ranges for juniors who might be in play for National Merit awards connected to their PSAT/NMSQT scores
• Timeline for PSAT/NMSQT score return
• Calculation of the National Merit “Select...

In this episode, we dive into the many different types of “demonstrated interest” and the particular case of contacting admissions officers:

• Why “demonstrated interest” is generally overrated and over-discussed compared to other candidacy-building factors for students targeting highly selective colleges
• “Strong” vs. “weak” demonstrated interest: defining highly strategic forms vs. mere “checkbox” items
• Other types of “quasi-demons...

Admissions Masterclass

In this episode, we cover the much more strategic attitude—versus a purely “instructions-following” mindset—students should take into the application process for each and every piece of information admissions officers will view, including components that might seem like pure “data entry.”
We highlight negative perceptions and various red flags that can be associated with variables such as (1) parent o...

Admissions Masterclass

Think college summer programs are helping your case for admission to highly selective schools?
Think again.
In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the widely popular—and vastly overrated—college summer programs in which so many high school students enroll and why almost all of them fail to actually impress admissions officers at top colleges.
We discuss several critical issues with thes...

Admissions Masterclass

In this episode, we dissect the candidacy of a student from the Wall Street Journal piece, "To Get Into The Ivy League, Extraordinary Isn't Always Enough These Days."
The piece spotlights Kaitlyn Younger, a Texas high school senior with a 3.95/4.0 unweighted GPA in 11 AP courses, 1550/1600 SAT, top marks on AP exams, and a rank of #23/668 (top-3%) in her graduating class.
Young...

In this episode, we respond to questions in the popular online forum Reddit from students across the country. In particular, we cover answers to the following:

• Which letters of recommendation do I send?
• How important is course rigor freshman and sophomore year?
• How do you come up with your college essay topic?
• Which GPA do colleges use?
• What are my college chances?

——

“The Game” is hosted by Sam Hassell and brought to y...

Many students and families heavily rely on the college acceptance data (GPA/test scores vs. college outcomes) of past applicants from their high school to make high-stakes decisions about their school list, selection of early decision colleges, and likely overall college outcomes. 

In this episode, we break down how past college acceptance data is reported at many high schools, and the significant limitations and shortcomings of usi...

In this episode, we review the profile and applications of a premed student who was rejected from both of their early decision schools, roughly top-25 to top-35 national universities. This student attended a top-1% US high school, possessed a 3.9 unweighted GPA, 99th percentile test scores, took 15 AP/honors courses, and had what many would consider an excellent resume filled with many “leadership positions” and “service activities...

In this episode, we cover many factors—including costly mistakes, myths, and traps—related to students’ school selection. In particular, we address the following:

School Visits

• Why it doesn’t make sense to visit highly selective colleges before mid-11th grade
• Prioritization of best and best-fit colleges for visits, especially schools that offer binding/restrictive early plans (such as Early Decision)

Decision Plans

• Differen...