The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions

• Exposing Top Private HS Matriculation Records

  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 US high schools—particularly top private high schools—often derive not from the school’s “name brand” but rather from a disproportionate number of students with other well-established admissions advantages. Finally, we discuss the highly limited applicability of overall high school track records to individual cases—particularly to “unhooked” and overrepresented minority students (e.g. Asian/Indian)—and the harmful effects of relying on school track records or any type of peer comparisons in the admissions process.——“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 insight into the application review process have earned the company a nation-leading track record of excellence, with 100% of its students gaining admission to top-choice schools in the 2023–24 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Stanford, Penn, Brown, Duke, Dartmouth, Cornell, Vanderbilt, WashU, and UC-Berkeley (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.comEmail: [email protected]: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvisingIG: @greatmindsadvisingTikTok: @greatmindsadvisingYouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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  46:05
• Stanford Application Review

  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.Great Minds Advising’s unique, hands-on mentorship program and its deep strategic insight into the application review process have earned the company a nation-leading track record of excellence, with 100% of its students gaining admission to top-choice schools in the 2023–24 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Stanford, Penn, Brown, Duke, Dartmouth, Cornell, Vanderbilt, WashU, and UC-Berkeley (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.comEmail: [email protected]: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvisingIG: @greatmindsadvisingTikTok: @greatmindsadvisingYouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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  5:41:13
• “Help With My Vanderbilt Essay!” & Answering Other Student Qs

  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: [email protected]——“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 insight into the application review process have earned the company a nation-leading track record of excellence, with 100% of its students gaining admission to top-choice schools in the 2023–24 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Stanford, Penn, Brown, Duke, Dartmouth, Cornell, Vanderbilt, WashU, and UC-Berkeley (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.comEmail: [email protected]: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvisingIG: @greatmindsadvisingTikTok: @greatmindsadvisingYouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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  1:30:39
• Application Strategy With HS Senior

  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 & AnalysisThe Missing “Hook” ProblemStrategic Positioning: Factors & Liabilities to Consider for Direct Admit Business/EngineeringAnalyzing Student’s Responses to Common Essay PromptsDevising New, Optimal “Hook” For StudentLate Stage Resume-Building: “Low-Hanging Fruit” Opportunities Still Available to Reinforce The HookDecision Planning: Optimal Use of Early Decision 1, Early Decision 2, & Early ActionOverall Application Psychology + StrategyOptimal Reporting of Test Scores (ACT, AP)Personal Essay: Content Considerations, Reinforcing Hook, Traps/Cliches, and StructureActivities/Honors/Additional Information: What To Include, Order, Relevance to Hook, and Writing Compelling DescriptionsWashU Supplement: Major Selection & Why The Hook Isn’t = Major Per SeOptimal “Why Major” Essay Response: Content, Structure, ConsiderationsOptimal “Community” Essay Response: Approach for Diversity vs. Non-Diversity Students, Why So Many Students Write “Cliche” Essays, and Devising Outside-the-Box AnswersSubmitting Q1 Senior Grades——“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 insight into the application review process have earned the company a nation-leading track record of excellence, with 100% of its students gaining admission to top-choice schools in the 2023–24 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Stanford, Penn, Brown, Duke, Dartmouth, Cornell, Vanderbilt, WashU, and UC-Berkeley (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.comEmail: [email protected]: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvisingIG: @greatmindsadvisingTikTok: @greatmindsadvisingYouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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  4:01:05
• 10 Ways To Build An Admissions Hook

  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.Great Minds Advising’s unique, hands-on mentorship program and its deep strategic insight into the application review process have earned the company a nation-leading track record of excellence, with 100% of its students gaining admission to top-choice schools in the 2023–24 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Stanford, Penn, Brown, Duke, Dartmouth, Cornell, Vanderbilt, WashU, and UC-Berkeley (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.comEmail: [email protected]: www.facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvisingIG: @greatmindsadvisingTikTok: @greatmindsadvisingYouTube: @GreatMindsAdvising

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  2:06:16

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