Episode 8 — School List Mistakes & Myths

In this episode, we cover many factors—including costly mistakes, myths, and traps—related to students’ school selection. In particular, we address the following:School VisitsWhy it doesn’t make sense to visit highly selective colleges before mid-11th gradePrioritization of best and best-fit colleges for visits, especially schools that offer binding/restrictive early plans (such as Early Decision)Decision PlansDifferent types (ED1/2, REA/SCEA, EA, RD) and how much each improves your admissions oddsHow your decision plan may improve/hurt your odds of admission more than merit-based factors (GPA, course rigor, test scores, resume, etc)The Myth of School List “Balance”“REA/SCEA” Schools 7 schools whose early plans are the highest-riskThe “top college with the worst decision plan”How ED and Decision Plan Selection Can Make or Break Your CandidacyMeasuring risk vs rewardAdmissions TrapsYielding: how overqualified students get rejectedShell Plans: decision plans used by colleges to lower acceptance rates/increase prestige and under which students have no real chance of admissionThe “Game” of College Admissions: How Colleges Outmaneuver Students Via Targeted Marketing, Tracking, & Forecasting Intent to Enroll——“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 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).Web: greatmindsadvising.comContact: greatmindsadvising.com/#contactNewsletter: greatmindsadvising.com/#newsletterEmail: [email protected]: facebook.com/GreatMindsAdvising/IG: instagram.com/greatmindsadvising