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PODCAST

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions

Great Minds Advising

In this podcast series, we break down the complex game that is elite college admissions and the strategies and pitfalls students need to adopt or beware of if they hope to win admission to one of America’s top colleges.“The Game” is hosted by Sam Hassell and brought to you by Great Minds Advising.Sam is a published scientist, having spent four years as a neuroscience researcher at Columbia University. Building upon his experiences in research and academia—as well as over a decade in educational

kids & family education for kids

All Episodes

84:49

3 Lies Admissions Officers Love to Tell

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2025/05/13

In this episode, we reveal three common pieces of misinformation that admissions officers so 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 purportthe great myth of “test optional,” or that students failing to submit strong scores are not...

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46:05

Exposing Top Private HS Matriculation Records

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/11/07

In this episode, we perform a case study analysis on acceptance and 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 MatriculationsIvy League Acceptance Data for “Unhooked” Students (i.e. non-legacy/donor, recruited athletes, etc)Hooked vs. Unhooked Student Acceptance Rates & GPAsDrawing upon this data, we argue that alluring college track records at many top U...

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341:13

Stanford Application Review

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/10/23

In this deep dive episode, we analyze the profile and application of a current high school senior applying to Stanford. We pinpoint many 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 Hassell and brought to you by Great Minds Advising. Web: greatmindsa...

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90:39

“Help With My Vanderbilt Essay!” & Answering Other...

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/10/04

In this episode, we return to the popular online forum Reddit to answer college admissions questions from students across the country. In particular, we cover the following topics:Additional Information Section: Good or Bad?Including A Third Teacher or Supplementary RecommendationEarly Action Plans That Prohibit Early Decision To Other CollegesHelp With My Vanderbilt Essay!Strategic Implications Of Parent Colleges & BackgroundsSend Us A Question: info@greatmindsadvising.com“The Game” is h...

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241:05

Application Strategy With HS Senior

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/09/24

For the first time, we analyze the profile of a current HS senior targeting three top colleges: WashU, Vanderbilt, & Michigan.While this 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 student is already in the process of applying to colleges and cannot fun...

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126:16

10 Ways To Build An Admissions Hook

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/09/06

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 highly 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. https://linktr.ee/greatmindsadvising

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79:38

Episode 16 — Do The PSAT & National Merit Matter?

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/08/27

In this episode, we break down the timeline and significance of the PSAT and various National Merit awards that are 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 gradeScore ranges for juniors who might be in play for National Merit awards connected to their PSAT/NMSQT scoresTimeline for PSAT/NMSQT score returnCalculation of the National Merit “Selection Index” that determines National Merit awardsCommended...

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81:55

Episode 15 — Should You Contact Admissions Officers?

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/08/22

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” itemsOther types of “quasi-demonstrated interest” or “yield signaling” that can affect admissions od...

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47:00

Episode 14 — Application Red Flags To Avoid

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/08/05

Admissions Masterclass Registration (8/7 via Zoom)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 occupations, (2) students' future plans/caree...

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85:49

Episode 13 — The Truth About Summer Programs

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/07/30

Admissions Masterclass Registration (8/7 via Zoom)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 these programs, including why they are often looked down u...

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67:15

Episode 12 — An Extraordinary Applicant?

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/07/24

Admissions Masterclass Registration (8/7 via Zoom)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.Younger applied to 12 colleges, was rejected by 9, waitlisted at 1, and on...

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95:46

Episode 11 — “What Are My College Chances?” & Other...

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/07/16

In this episode, we respond to real 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 you by Great Minds Advising. Web: greatmindsadvising.comEmail: info@greatmindsa...

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66:31

Episode 10 – How To (Actually) Interpret Acceptance Data

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/07/11

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 using such data for students applying to the most selective ...

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51:23

Episode 9 — Rejected Premed Case Study

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/07/02

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 our case study, we break down several of the student’s ap...

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65:49

Episode 8 — School List Mistakes & Myths

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/06/25

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 VisitsWhy it doesn’t make sense to visit highly selective colleges before mid-11th gradePrioritization of best and best-fit colleges for visits, especially schools that offer binding/restrictive early plans (such as Early Decision)Decision PlansDifferent types (ED1/2, REA/SCEA, EA, RD) and how much each improves your admission...

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97:15

Episode 7 — Building An Admissions “Hook”

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/06/18

In prior episodes, we’ve determined that top colleges seek not only students with excellent grades, course rigor, and test scores but also students with compelling admissions “stories” or “hooks” related to their academic/intellectual passions and how they will contribute to their future college—and hopefully, the world—in some specific, unique way. However, just as with students’ “metrics” (grades, rigor, scores), a focused resume is still not necessarily sufficient for gaining admissio...

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36:37

Episode 6 — Rejected Valedictorian Essay Analysis

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/06/12

She was the Valedictorian of her high school. Perfect GPA in over twenty advanced classes, taking Calculus BC by 10th grade and college math courses by 11th grade. All perfect or near-perfect test scores, tennis captain, multiple leadership positions, a scholarship to a prestigious math program, and state math champion. To boot, as a female applying for math/engineering, she was an underrepresented applicant and hailed from a U.S. state that might be seen as contributing to campus diversity.Y...

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56:32

Episode 5 — The Biggest College Essay Mistake

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/06/04

Summer is upon us, and many rising seniors—if they haven’t already—are turning their attention to college applications. Among the most important components they will be tackling is the Common Application “Personal Essay”, often simply called “the college essay.” For almost all students, this will be the most important essay colleges read, and for some, it may even be the only one they read.But there’s just one problem: almost every student writes the wrong type of essay.In this episode, we br...

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45:35

Episode 4 — What Top Colleges Look For & How To Build It

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/05/28

College admissions has never been more competitive: high GPAs, strong test scores, and a well-rounded resume—once sufficient for an acceptance—are now common features of most applications to highly selective colleges. In this episode, we reveal what top colleges nowadays seek: students with compelling admissions stories centered around a focused academic passion, or “hook.” Using the process we’ve employed with our own students to help them gain admission to top colleges, we break down h...

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26:26

Episode 3 — Why College Outcomes Vary

The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ·

2024/05/21

When many parents applied to college around three decades ago, college lists and outcomes assumed a fairly predictable, linear order. You had your “safeties,” schools to which you were almost certain to be admitted, your “targets,” schools to which you could reasonably expect to be admitted, and “reaches,” schools to which you would most likely not be admitted.Nowadays, however, college outcomes seem less predictable than ever, with students often being rejected or waitlisted even at schools ...

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