The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Should You “Start An Organization” For Elite College Admissions?

#17 trending · Education for Kids

Starting a business or organization may sound like an obvious way to stand out at top colleges, but merely founding something is very different from building something su

Sep 12
1 h 31 min

6 Admissions Truths That Sound Completely Wrong

In elite college admissions, intuition can work against you—because the most logical moves are often the ones everyone else is making. In this episode, we unpack six cou

Aug 28
51 min

The Truth About Sports & Elite College Admissions

While high school sports may provide many non-admissions benefits, for the vast majority of students, they do very little to improve the odds of admission to top colleges

Aug 20
1 h 18 min

5 Principles That Build Elite Applicants

In this episode, we distill five recurring principles that separate elite applicants from the many high-achieving students who blend into the applicant pools at top colle

Jul 8
42 min

3 Teacher Rec Traps Top Applicants Miss

Teacher recommendation letters are among the most important—yet also most overlooked—components of applications to highly selective colleges, with very few students think

Jul 2
45 min

How Elite Colleges Actually Track Students

In this episode, we answer an audience member question related to AI in admissions, specifically its use to pull student and parent data in order to forecast an applicant

Jun 26
56 min

Why Elite Admissions Rewards Focus

Top colleges do not reward smart and talented students; they reward students who have harnessed their abilities toward impact in a specific area. In this episode, using

Jun 18
27 min

The Summer Mindset Hurting Your Candidacy

For many students targeting top colleges, summer has become synonymous with college admissions. Summer programs, summer internships, and summer research are treated as th

Jun 11
36 min

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

Jun 4
1 h 34 min

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 t

May 29
1 h 03 min

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, te

Mar 24
1 h 13 min

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

Mar 19
25 min

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

Mar 4
55 min

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 counselo

Feb 19
28 min

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

Feb 10
55 min

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

Jan 29
32 min

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 stu

Jan 27
43 min

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

Jan 23
41 min

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 tha

Jan 21
24 min

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,

Jan 8
54 min

Chart trend

Position in the Education for Kids chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#56#111JunJulAugSep

#26

all-time peak

205

days in the top 50 since Jan 2025

Chart positions

Where The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 15, 2026).

#53 ▼ 5 Education for Kids US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

For high school students who are ACTUALLY serious about the college application process, this is THE podcast to listen to. Most other podcasts are really fluff and don’t provide any useful information at all.

MichaelMcConnell · Aug 2026

Some of the critiques of this podcast are fair (over-explaining, assuming the listener is new to all this) but I gave it five stars because it’s the most useful content on the subject I’ve come across by far. The application profiles are all excellent.

Will T11 · Apr 2026

I think this podcast provides excellent advice, but the fact that it is one man speaking the entire time with zero editing results in a slog. Too much very high level input without concrete examples - so so much repetition and over explanation. For the expert: please assume those listening are not beginning from square one - if we are listening we are generally not newbies who need the concept of elite admissions explained again and again. The best episodes have concrete examples, broken down, but there is still a tendency to over explain. I found that skimming the transcripts provided the best information. A little editing of discussion and ideas would result in a really great podcast as the information and ideas are great.

Mama1234456789 · Apr 2026

I am many years away from my kids going to college. However, I figured it was not too early to just start listening, and I started listening based on the recommendation of my sister, whose son is applying to college this year. I so appreciate how the host is a straight shooter and does not mince his words. Incredibly helpful and insightful. I have learned so much. Bravo!

BV teacher · Dec 2025

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.