The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions

Great Minds Advising
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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 services—Sam spearheaded the Great Minds Advising program, a premium college consulting service based in the New York Metropolitan Area and serving students nationwide from NYC to Silicon Valley. 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 a top-choice school in the 2024–25 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Rice, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, and WashU (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). For the first time, in this podcast, Sam and his team reveal the secrets and strategies they have used to help their students consistently beat the game of elite college admissions. Web: greatmindsadvising.com Contact: greatmindsadvising.com/#contact Newsletter: greatmindsadvising.com/#newsletter Email: info@greatmindsadvising.com FB: facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising IG: @greatmindsadvising

  1. 2D AGO

    The Perfect Activity for Ivy Plus Colleges

    For the first time, we reveal the anatomy of a “perfect” activity when applying to top colleges. Using real past examples, we illustrate why this activity is so differentiating and leaves almost every other resume-builder for elite admissions in the dust. —— “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 a top-choice school in the 2024–25 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Rice, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, and WashU (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.com Contact: greatmindsadvising.com/#contact Newsletter: greatmindsadvising.com/#newsletter Email: info@greatmindsadvising.com FB: facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising IG: @greatmindsadvising

    1h 17m

  2. 4D AGO

    Elite Colleges Don’t Want Well-Rounded Students (Except Here)

    Assuming you haven’t been living under a rock since the 90s, you (hopefully) know by now that top colleges no longer want “well-rounded” students. The same old boring applicant admissions officers at top colleges see in droves––the student who plays sports, the violin, is editor of the school newspaper, and class president.  The type of profile that makes admissions officers at highly selective colleges fall asleep. But there’s a catch: one part of a student’s candidacy where admissions officers do expect a high degree of well-roundedness and balanced proficiency.  And we cover it in this episode. —— “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 a top-choice school in the 2024–25 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Rice, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, and WashU (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.com Contact: greatmindsadvising.com/#contact Newsletter: greatmindsadvising.com/#newsletter Email: info@greatmindsadvising.com FB: facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising IG: @greatmindsadvising

    21 min

  3. OCT 23

    The Math Trap: What Top Colleges Actually Expect

    In this episode, we upack what top colleges actually expect from your math track. While many students targeting top colleges will have similar course rigor, we introduce a simple “two-slider” model to determine more precisely what math and other course levels are optimal. We consider a particularly difficult case study to further illustrate additional constraints on course selection—such as admissions officers’ strong expectation students complete four years in all core subjects—and candidacy nuances such as overall time allocation to course rigor vs. hook and resume-building.  Ultimately, we reveal how admissions officers at top colleges view students’ course selections and rigor––and how to best allocate time and attention to all the various components of one’s candidacy to ensure the highest ROI. —— “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 a top-choice school in the 2024–25 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Rice, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, and WashU (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.com Contact: greatmindsadvising.com/#contact Newsletter: greatmindsadvising.com/#newsletter Email: info@greatmindsadvising.com FB: facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising IG: @greatmindsadvising

    54 min

  4. OCT 21

    Why Most Strategy for Top Colleges Is Wrong

    In this episode, we dismantle the mythology of overrated concepts in admissions counseling such as “demonstrated interest.” We show why most of what students and families are told when it comes to applying to top colleges barely moves the needle and can even hurt a student’s candidacy by diverting attention from higher-priority concerns.  We share a simple two-factor analysis for evaluating admissions guidance—particularly for students targeting highly selective institutions—and reveal some simple calculations that get to the heart of a student’s candidacy, how it will be viewed by admissions officers, and why many common admissions “tactics” are fatally flawed and can lead to rejection. —— “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 a top-choice school in the 2024–25 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Rice, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, and WashU (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.com Contact: greatmindsadvising.com/#contact Newsletter: greatmindsadvising.com/#newsletter Email: info@greatmindsadvising.com FB: facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising IG: @greatmindsadvising

    21 min

  5. OCT 13

    Why “Gifted & Talented” Programs Don’t Stand Out to Top Colleges

    Masterclass Registration – Oct 15th @ 7pm ET (Zoom) In this episode, we tackle the question of whether “gifted and talented” programs and designations like Johns Hopkins CTY or Davidson Young Scholar actually matter to top colleges. While these labels may sound impressive, we break down why admissions officers may view them as redundant with other more relevant components of a student’s application and how they can even backfire if framed poorly.  Ultimately, we emphasize that students applying to top colleges––regardless of whether they’ve been labelled “gifted and talented” or not––should instead focus on demonstrating the practical impact of their abilities, especially as related to their hook or field of interest. —— “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 a top-choice school in the 2024–25 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Rice, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, and WashU (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.com Contact: greatmindsadvising.com/#contact Newsletter: greatmindsadvising.com/#newsletter Email: info@greatmindsadvising.com FB: facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising IG: @greatmindsadvising

    25 min

  6. OCT 8

    The Hidden Odds Game of Elite Admissions

    Masterclass Registration – Oct 15th @ 7pm ET (Zoom) Elite college admissions isn’t just about “getting to apply to Stanford” or “taking your shot at Penn”—it’s about layering every possible decision and advantage so that when the time comes, you’re not playing a lottery like everyone else. In this episode, we challenge students and families to reverse engineer the process from the perspective of a senior applying to college and understand how just like a savvy poker player or investor, winning candidates compound optimal moves and progress over years to mitigate risk and stack the deck in their favor. —— “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 a top-choice school in the 2024–25 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Rice, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, and WashU (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.com Contact: greatmindsadvising.com/#contact Newsletter: greatmindsadvising.com/#newsletter Email: info@greatmindsadvising.com FB: facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising IG: @greatmindsadvising

    1h 48m

  7. JUL 24

    App Deep Dive: From Hook to ED Strategy

    In this episode, we analyze the application strategy of a high-achieving student preparing to apply Early Decision in the 2025–26 cycle. We evaluate her academic and extracurricular profile, explore how to elevate her thematic positioning around identity, language, and global impact, and cover which colleges offer the best strategic fit for her ED choice. —— “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 a top-choice school in the 2024–25 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Rice, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, and WashU (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.com Contact: greatmindsadvising.com/#contact Newsletter: greatmindsadvising.com/#newsletter Email: info@greatmindsadvising.com FB: facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising IG: @greatmindsadvising

    3h 10m

  8. JUL 15

    App Teardown for Student Targeting Yale & Stanford

    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 errors that could jeopardize her chances of admission to top colleges. —— “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 a top-choice school in the 2024–25 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Rice, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, and WashU (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). Web: greatmindsadvising.com Contact: greatmindsadvising.com/#contact Newsletter: greatmindsadvising.com/#newsletter Email: info@greatmindsadvising.com FB: facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising IG: @greatmindsadvising

    4h 15m
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About

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 services—Sam spearheaded the Great Minds Advising program, a premium college consulting service based in the New York Metropolitan Area and serving students nationwide from NYC to Silicon Valley. 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 a top-choice school in the 2024–25 application cycle. Its students have recently gained admission to Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Rice, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, and WashU (among many others) and are admitted to the Ivy League at a rate 14x the national average (90% when applying early). For the first time, in this podcast, Sam and his team reveal the secrets and strategies they have used to help their students consistently beat the game of elite college admissions. Web: greatmindsadvising.com Contact: greatmindsadvising.com/#contact Newsletter: greatmindsadvising.com/#newsletter Email: info@greatmindsadvising.com FB: facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising IG: @greatmindsadvising

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