Sometimes, impressive students don’t end up with impressive admissions results. Mattie and Michelle dive into a few cases to talk about the reasons students may be unexpectedly rejected from colleges they apply to.

https://archive.is/20250428185853/https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2025/04/28/carolyn-hax-elite-college-dreams-shame/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/teen-sf-entrepreneur-s-college-essay-went-viral-after-being-rejected-by-stanford-harvard-and-yale/ar-

Personal statement: https://x.com/zach_yadegari/status/1906888487292559531

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-04-04/rejected-by-16-colleges-hired-by-google-now-hes-suing-some-of-the-schools-for-anti-asian-discrimination

https://nypost.com/2025/03/03/us-news/stanley-zhong-had-a-4-4-gpa-but-got-rejected-by-16-colleges-now-hes-suing/

Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/

Passion projects keep appearing as the secret to getting accepted into college, but what does this mean? Mattie and Michelle break down what a passion project is and if it actually increases your admission chances.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhernholm/2025/03/05/4-ways-teens-can-stand-out-in-college-admissions/

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/college-admissions-educational-consultants-command-education.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherrim/2025/01/14/want-to-get-into-mit-heres-what-you-should-be-doing-this-summer/

Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/

College applications can be tough to manage. Mattie breaks down what you need to do and when, but most importantly, how to best structure your work to get all your applications in and work in the most efficient way.

Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/

The stress of college applications is leading more students to apply to more schools. What does this mean for them? Does it really help? What does it mean for admissions teams? Mattie and Michelle unpack the trend of shotgunning.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/common-app-data-shows-5-jump-in-first-year-college-applicants/737732/

https://counselors.collegeboard.org/college-application/how-many#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20magic%20number,%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Creach%E2%80%9D%20colleges

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/south-fulton-county/exemplifies-excellence-south-fulton-student-accepted-colleges-all-50-states-155-total/BNJNUNYJZZD2RLJZJYGOFTZKRQ/

Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/

Do you want to be a doctor? Pre-med is not a major, so this is how you need to apply to college to start your journey to studying medicine. Mattie and Michelle talk about reframing your activities and focus into a major that can lead you down the right path, and why you need to do that.

Mattie's blog post on the topic:
https://www.collegewithmattie.com/pre-med-is-not-a-major/

Top Medical School Feeders
https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-medical-school

Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at
https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/

Mattie and Michelle discuss the latest updates to the Common App for 2025. From the expanded "Challenges and Circumstances" question to changes in word limits, they break down how this affects students and celebrate Georgetown joining the Common App (finally).

Georgetown joins the Common App in 2026: https://thehoya.com/news/breaking-gu-to-join-common-app/

Announcing 25-26 Common App Essay Prompts: https://www.commonapp.org/blog/announcing-2025-2026-common-app-essay-prompts

Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/

Is being well-rounded always good? When it comes to applying to college, it’s often a weakness and not a strength-unless you use it wisely. Mattie and Michelle dive into the reasons it can hold you back and how to navigate your many talents and interests to your advantage when applying to the school you want.

Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/

Mattie and Michelle talk about dream schools, managing expectations and handling stress. They go over the Princeton Review’s Annual Hopes & Dreams Survey and compare the answers given by students and their parents.

Princeton Review Infographics: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/college-hopes-worries#Infographic

Press Release with Findings: https://www.princetonreview.com/press/college-hopes-worries-press-release-2025

Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/