The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions

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 fundamentally alter much of his profile at this very late stage, what can we do to help?
In this deep dive episode, we devise a comprehensive strategic plan for the student’s applications that will make best use of the strengths he does possess at the time of application, as well as leverage other strategic factors and late-stage candidacy building opportunities to maximize the student’s chances of admission despite many significant obstacles.
In particular, we cover the following:

• Student Profile & Analysis
• The Missing “Hook” Problem
• Strategic Positioning: Factors & Liabilities to Consider for Direct Admit Business/Engineering
• Analyzing Student’s Responses to Common Essay Prompts
• Devising New, Optimal “Hook” For Student
• Late Stage Resume-Building: “Low-Hanging Fruit” Opportunities Still Available to Reinforce The Hook
• Decision Planning: Optimal Use of Early Decision 1, Early Decision 2, & Early Action
• Overall Application Psychology + Strategy
• Optimal Reporting of Test Scores (ACT, AP)
• Personal Essay: Content Considerations, Reinforcing Hook, Traps/Cliches, and Structure
• Activities/Honors/Additional Information: What To Include, Order, Relevance to Hook, and Writing Compelling Descriptions
• WashU Supplement: Major Selection & Why The Hook Isn’t = Major Per Se
• Optimal “Why Major” Essay Response: Content, Structure, Considerations
• Optimal “Community” Essay Response: Approach for Diversity vs. Non-Diversity Students, Why So Many Students Write “Cliche” Essays, and Devising Outside-the-Box Answers
• Submitting Q1 Senior Grades

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

Web: greatmindsadvising.com
Email: [email protected]
FB: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising
IG: @greatmindsadvising
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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.

Web: greatmindsadvising.com
Email: [email protected]
FB: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising
IG: @greatmindsadvising
TikTok: @greatmindsadvising
YouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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 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 “Selection Index” that determines National Merit awards
• Commended Student and National Merit Semifinalist Awards & How Score Cutoffs Are Determined For Each 
• Timeline for Notification to Seniors
• How Significant Are National Merit Awards at Highly Selective Colleges?
• How Should National Merit Awards Be Presented In Applications?
• Some top colleges that sponsor National Merit Scholars and the top college with the largest National Merit Scholarship

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

Web: greatmindsadvising.com
Email: [email protected]
FB: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising
IG: @greatmindsadvising
TikTok: @greatmindsadvising
YouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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-demonstrated interest” or “yield signaling” that can affect admissions odds
• 80/20 rule for demonstrated interest and maximizing leverage
• The poor risk-to-reward ratio of admissions officer contact and why it constitutes “weaker” demonstrated interest at top schools
• Ideal vs. less ideal conditions for contact
• Yale admit example

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

Web: greatmindsadvising.com
Email: [email protected]
FB: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising
IG: @greatmindsadvising
TikTok: @greatmindsadvising
YouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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/career interests, (3) inclusion of social security numbers, (4) description of activities and accomplishments, and (5) writing style.
Taken together, we show how subtle variations in a student’s responses can alter the perception of their uniqueness, likability, and even the authenticity of the application itself.

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

Web: greatmindsadvising.com
Email: [email protected]
FB: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising
IG: @greatmindsadvising
TikTok: @greatmindsadvising
YouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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 upon by selective colleges, the significant opportunity costs associated with not pursuing other higher-value and more impressive activities, and why such programs may even hurt a student’s case for admission by signaling privilege or tipping a student’s top-choice school to other colleges on their list.
We consider proper use cases and best practices for college summer programs, recommending these programs be used sparingly and adjacent to much higher-value activities rather than assuming a primary role in a student’s resume.
Finally, we address the shortcomings of many other types of programs or summer experiences for students targeting highly selective colleges, such as purely recreational camps, teen tours, extensive family or personal travel, and—yes—even that service trip to Guatemala.

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

Web: greatmindsadvising.com
Email: [email protected]
FB: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising
IG: @greatmindsadvising
TikTok: @greatmindsadvising
YouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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 only earned admission to two safety schools, including Arizona State, where she now attends.
We highlight several critical errors or failed opportunities in Younger's profile, including her highly common resume and presentation as a "well-rounded" student.

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

Web: greatmindsadvising.com
Email: [email protected]
FB: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising
IG: @greatmindsadvising
TikTok: @greatmindsadvising
YouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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.com
Email: [email protected]
FB: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising
IG: @greatmindsadvising
TikTok: @greatmindsadvising
YouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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 colleges. In particular, we cover the following:

1. The Limited Predictive Power of GPA/Scores When Applying to Top Colleges
2. The Necessity of Only Comparing to Past Applicants Who Applied Under the Same Decision Plan (ED, EA, RD, etc)
3. Why Graph Averages Can Be Misleading
4. How To View Outliers and Avoid Wishful Thinking
5. Data Expiration: What HS Graduating Classes You Should Be Using
6. The Imperfections of Self-Report Data and Various Inaccuracies/Missing Information
7. The Importance of Sample Size and the Tradeoff With High Quality Comparison Cases
8. Complexities of Test Score Reporting: Test-Optional, Superscores, and Beyond
9. Limitations of GPA, Accounting for Senior Year Grades, and Why The GPA Admissions Officers See Is Often Not The One Reflected in HS Data Systems

Final Takeaways: Best Practices for Analyzing and Using High School Acceptance Data

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

Web: greatmindsadvising.com
Email: [email protected]
FB: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising
IG: @greatmindsadvising
TikTok: @greatmindsadvising
YouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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 application weaknesses and errors, including the following:

• The Difficulty of Premed Positioning
• The Importance of All HS Grades, Not Just Overall GPA
• The Importance of Relevant Coursework (e.g. Premed = STEM course rigor/grades)
• Analyzing Test Scores by Subject/Section vs Overall Scores
• Awards That Matter/Don’t Matter for Admission
• Resume Analysis
  • Why Leadership & Service Aren’t Enough
  • Highly Common/Cliche Activities That Don’t Separate Students
  • Branding of Activities
• Application Mistakes
  • Poor Essay Hooks/Endings
  • “Kitchen Sink Syndrome” (too many themes)
  • Poor and Non-Unique School Knowledge/Details
  • Failure to Show Intellectual Promise
  • Misplacement of Information and Voice (Narrative vs. Analytic) Throughout Application

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

Web: greatmindsadvising.com
Email: [email protected]
FB: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising
IG: @greatmindsadvising
TikTok: @greatmindsadvising
YouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising