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The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions
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 2025–26 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.
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Episodes
59 episodes
Refining A Junior’s Profile For Top Colleges
In this case study episode, we analyze the profile of a high-achieving junior interested in political science, public policy, and pre-law. Despite a 4.0 GPA, top 1% class rank, strong course rigor, and a 34 ACT, the student’s extracurricular pr...
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The Niche Strategy Behind A Harvard & Stanford Admit
In this episode, we break down a viral parent forum post from the family of a student allegedly admitted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT. The post argues that in today’s admissions landscape, even a traditional “spike” or hook––s...
Taking A Top Student’s Profile To The Next Level [Case Study]
In this case study, we walk through how to take a high-performing STEM student and strategically refine her profile to stand out at top colleges. We analyze academics, testing, awards, and extracurriculars—highlighting not just strengths but al...
Avoiding Course Selection Red Flags At Top Colleges
In this episode, we break down how to think about high school course selection when different admissions “rules” seem to conflict. Using the case of an actual student, we explain why many students who are particularly strong in one area (e.g. S...
Admissions Q&A: Hard Truths the Internet Won’t Tell You (Part 2)
In this episode, we answer five different college admissions questions from students and families, including how class rank affects students’ candidacies at top colleges and whether to drop a junior year AP class in which a student has a B aver...
Admissions Q&A: Hard Truths the Internet Won’t Tell You
In this episode, we answer four different college admissions questions from students and families, ranging from self-studying for AP exams to why so many college counselors continue to recommend summer programs that fail to impress top colleges...
2026 Acceptances at America’s Top High School
In this episode, we analyze 2025–26 early admissions data at arguably America’s most famous high school, Phillips Exeter Academy. Drawing upon the Exeter data, we reveal the hidden advantages that actually drive top college acceptances, from de...
5 Rules Of The Elite Admissions Game
In this episode, we reveal five “rules of the game” of elite college admissions and why the process is fundamentally different from almost every other performance domain students—and their parents—are used to.The core idea is simple: adm...
Avoid This Hidden Course Selection Trap
Course selection has arrived for many students and is just around the corner for many others. In this episode, we shed light on a particular “hidden trap” that many students fall into when beginning their selected courses, causing t...
Why Hobbies Are Admissions Cheat Codes
Many applicants to top colleges obsess over “activities” and significantly overlook the value of more informal pursuits such as hobbies. In this episode, we break down seven major advantages of a student’s hobbies––from piggybacking...
5 Admissions Worries That Waste Time
Many students and families waste time solving the wrong “problems” or worrying about the wrong things in admissions.In this episode, we debunk five common anxieties that don’t meaningfully move outcomes, from overthinking a student’s num...
The Real Cost of “We Have Plenty of Time” in Elite Admissions
Families with younger students often treat building a college candidacy as a long, low-intensity process simply because the deadline is far away. But, in this episode, we explain why this common mindset destroys one of the most prec...
How “School Fit” May Ruin Your Top College Odds
In this episode, we discuss the strategic implications of “school fit” and “college preferences” for students who are specifically aiming for admission to highly selective colleges.When competitiveness and admissions strategy are layered...
The Top College You May Regret Not Visiting
In this episode, we discuss one of the most strategic schools every applicant to top colleges should consider adding to their list and that may make or break their candidacy.
The Logic of Elite College Decisions
Why do elite colleges consistently reject “strong” applicants with impressive but scattered resumes? In this episode, we explain the strategic framework admissions officers use when evaluating applications—and why focus has become the dominant ...
Evaluating A Junior’s Profile For Yale
In this case study episode, we analyze the profile of a high-achieving junior targeting Yale and other top colleges, with strong grades, near-perfect test scores, and a deep set of extracurriculars spanning environmental conservation, theater, ...
Crafting An Elite STEM Hook For 10th Grader
In this case study episode, we analyze the profile of a high-achieving 10th grade student targeting top engineering and STEM programs (MIT, Princeton, and Georgia Tech), with strong grades, advanced math/STEM coursework, and some early depth in...
Building An Ivy-Caliber Resume For 10th Grader
In this case study episode, we analyze the candidacy of another high-achieving 10th grade student near the top of their class, with 7 AP courses by sophomore year and near-perfect test scores. However, despite their strong metrics, ...
Fixing A High-Achieving 10th Grader’s Profile
In this case study episode, we break down the profile of an academically high-achieving 10th grader, with excellent “stats”: straight As in highly accelerated and multiple grade-ahead course rigor and a 1550 SAT before beginning sophomore year....
The 6 Most Cliché Activities In Elite Admissions
The most selective colleges do not admit normal applicants; they admit exceptional applicants. And in order to be exceptional, students must first be an exception—or not like their other high-achieving peers, the vast majority of whom will be r...
5 Resume Mistakes That Kill Top College Dreams
Want to have us analyze your current profile for top colleges in an upcoming episode? Email us at info@greatmindsadvising.comUnfortunately, despite possessing excellent grades, course rigo...
How Top Colleges Evaluate Your Application Strategy
Want to have us analyze your current profile for top colleges in an upcoming episode? Email us at info@greatmindsadvising.comEarly decision, or placing a binding commitment, is ...
The Worst Major For Getting Into Top Colleges
Top colleges look to admit students with focused passions or “hooks” that they’ll uniquely contribute as part of the incoming freshman class.However, not all hooks—or the intended college majors they’re associated with—are created equal....
The Truth About Early Decision & Deferrals
In this episode, we dig into early vs. regular decision acceptance rates, what a deferral in the early round signals about a student’s chance of admission in the regular decision round, and how to understand and correctly analyze deferrals at v...
Top Colleges Want These 3 Traits
Top colleges fundamentally look to admit future high-impact scholars and leaders. In this episode, we analyze three characteristics or “signals” top colleges aim to identify in their applicants that are highly predictive of future promise. ...