PODCAST · education
College With Mattie
by Mattie Culkin
Every week, Mattie Culkin and his co-host Michelle Martinez talk about everything you need to know about college admissions. How do top schools operate? What are they looking for? Tune in as they break down essential application aspects such as essay writing, extracurriculars, and letters of recommendation into their core elements. For students applying to college and their parents, College With Mattie is here to steer you to your goals.
Episodes
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Top 50 Schools: According To College With Mattie
In the Season 1 finale of College With Mattie, Mattie and Michelle rank their Top 50 schools based on prestige, perception, student reactions, and parent bragging rights. Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
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Our Recommendations Οn Letters Of Recommendation
Letters of Recommendation will be needed in your college applications. Who should you ask? How important are they? What should go in them? Mattie and Michelle discuss this part of the college application and give you pointers on what to look for and what to avoid in your LORs. Applying to college...
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Crash Course To Getting Started On Your College Application
When you begin the college application process, you are likely tempted to begin with the personal statement, the hardest and most important thing. But is that the right course of action? Mattie and Michelle break down everything you have to do to get into to college and the right order to make…
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The Best Topic For Your College Essay Is Your Major
The best way to show a school that you belong there is to back up your major in your essay. Mattie breaks down why this works, how to pull it off, and how to stick the landing. Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
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FLL: Mattie's Grand Strategy To Get You Into College
Time to dive into the core concept behind all the advice Mattie gives his students - to F*cking Love Learning. Colleges are looking for students and nothing makes a better student than a thirst for knowledge. Here's how to apply it in your application. Applying to college soon? You can get help...
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Are You In Waitlist Limbo?
Have you been waitlisted? Mattie and Michelle unpack the mystery of what that means so that you can respond accordingly. Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/ Articles mentioned:...
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Having The Stats But Getting Rejected By College: What Happened?
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....
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Passion Projects: Internet Fad Or Key To College Admissions?
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....
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My 6-Month Strategy To Applying To College
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...
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Why Are Students Applying To More And More Schools?
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....
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Pre-Med Is Not A Major
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...
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Navigating the 2025 Common App Changes
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...
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Oh No! You're Well-Rounded! But You Can Still Get Into College
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...
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Let's Talk About Dream Schools In 2025
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:...
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How To Get Into Top Schools For Computer Science
Do you want to study computer science in college? Mattie breaks down the best way to get into your school of choice by helping you frame your knowledge and passion so that you assemble the best application you can. What should your essay really say? Applying to college soon? You can get help from...
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The Spread Of The Computer Science Major
From a niche science degree to the most popular major, Mattie and Michelle tackle the evolution of Computer Science as a college major. How have students shaped their goals and how have schools responded? Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at...
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The Meaning Of College Prestige
One of the most debated and discussed topics relating to college: prestige. Mattie and Michelle unpack what college prestige really means and whether or not it's actually important. Related Links https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities?_sort=rank&_sortDirection=asc...
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AI Use In College Admissions: What Does This Mean For Applicants?
Mattie and Michelle tackle AI and college admissions again, but this time they talk about how colleges use it - not students. How does this affect your college application strategy? Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
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Don't Write About Sports In Your College Essay
Writing about sports in your college essay seems like the obvious thing to do when you are a student athlete, but in this episode, Mattie and Michelle tackle all the reasons to avoid that, whether or not you are being recruited. Learn what to write about instead and why in this episode of College...
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The Ethics Of Lying On Your College Application
When you tell a college what you want to major in, should you be honest? Or should you lie to give yourself a better chance of acceptance? Mattie and Michelle talk about the moral issue of lying in your college application and whether or not it actually works - as well as how to do it right!...
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Ivy League Admissions: A Changing Landscape
Every year college admissions change, but what really drives these changes? Mattie and Michelle talk about the Ivy League admissions trends for 2025 and break down what they mean for new applicants, if they are real shifts or just hypes, and how college-bound students need to respond. Articles...
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College Admissions Countdown
Results season is coming up! Mattie and Michelle talk about when you hear back from different schools and what your acceptance status at certain schools means as you wait for other results. Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at...
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The Trouble With Institutional Priorities
Mattie breaks down the concept of institutional priorities and the part they play in college admissions. Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
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Learning From Real Student Applications - Part 2: Personal Statement Breakdown & Yale Supplements
Mattie and Michelle examine a real student application. In this second part, Mattie breaks down and critiques Sarah's personal statement and Yale supplements. Learn what works, what doesn't and why!
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Learning From Real Student Applications - Part 1: Stats & Personal Statement
Mattie and Michelle examine a real student application, including the personal statement and supplements, and then share the results. In this first part, learn about the student's background, stats, and personal statement. Tune in for the next episode, where Mattie breaks down the personal...
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Red Flags In Your College Application
My Central Jersey released an article titled "5 red flags for college admissions officers". This week Mattie and Michelle are reviewing those red flags and providing solutions for students who see them in their applications....
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College Admissions Timeline: Stay On Track
Applying to college is a lengthy and complicated process. Knowing what to do and when is confusing and overwhelming, so in this episode Mattie and Michelle break down the timeline students need to follow....
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Your Highschool Determines Your College
Aside from your education, your high school influences the college you'll go to in other ways. In this week's episode, Mattie introduces Michelle to Polaris List, talks about feeder schools, why they seem to matter, and who your competition really is.
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The Man Behind The Varsity Blues Scandal Is Out Of Prison
Rick Singer is out of prison and it's time to revisit the Varsity Blues scandal and how the world of college consulting responded. Mattie and Michelle discuss what Rick Singer is doing now and what you need to look for in a college consultant. Read more about Mattie's thoughts at the time:...
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Five Core Fundamentals Of College Writing
In this week's episode, Mattie breaks down college essay writing and the main elements a successful essay incorporates. These tips can teach you how to craft a compelling essay that resonates with the reader and improve your overall writing.
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The End Of Affirmative Action: One Year Later
The Supreme Court banned college admissions based on race and ended affirmative action programs in higher education. Mattie and Michelle discuss how this has changed the landscape of admitted students and how universities are responding to the situation. When is race still relevant? When and how...
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Back Up Your Major
One of the basic principles of Mattie's FLL strategy is to back up your major. This helps potential colleges get a clear idea of the place you'd have at their campus. In this episode, Mattie breaks down how this works and how you can use your goals to earn a spot at the college of your choice.
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Are Legacy Admissions Over?
As California bans legacy admissions, Mattie and Michelle discuss what this means for legacy students and non, as well as how they predict this unfolding. Tune in to see how this affects you and how to adapt your strategy for getting into college.
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Successful College Essays Follow FLL
Mattie breaks down his method: F*cking Love Learning. FLL forsters intellectual vitality and academic enthusiasm to make your essay stand out and get you into college. How do you apply it? Why does it work?
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The Present And Future Of AI In College Admissions
Michelle and Mattie delve into the impact of AI tools like ChatGPT on college admissions and essay writing. Is it cheating? Is it a tool? Does it do a good job? As students turn to AI tools more and more, the question of how appropriate that is rises.
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Terrible Yet Common College Admissions Advice
Mattie dives into the most common pieces of bad advice students receive when they begin the college admissions process. Learn how to seek out the advice that is best for you and how to recognize the so-called tips that may be holding you back.
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Learning From Essays That Got Into Harvard
Michelle chooses some essays used by students who got into Harvard and Mattie analyzes the elements that work and the problems they present to surface vital essay writing tips. The essays are found on The Crimson: https://www.thecrimson.com/topic/sponsored-successful-harvard-essays-2024/
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Why Most College Essays Are Terrible
Mattie breaks down college essays and the most common reason most of them fail: omniscient narration. Learn to recognize the ways fiction writing can surface in your college essay, why it damages your authenticity, and how to fix it.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Every week, Mattie Culkin and his co-host Michelle Martinez talk about everything you need to know about college admissions. How do top schools operate? What are they looking for? Tune in as they break down essential application aspects such as essay writing, extracurriculars, and letters of recommendation into their core elements. For students applying to college and their parents, College With Mattie is here to steer you to your goals.
HOSTED BY
Mattie Culkin
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does College With Mattie have?
College With Mattie currently has 39 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is College With Mattie about?
Every week, Mattie Culkin and his co-host Michelle Martinez talk about everything you need to know about college admissions. How do top schools operate? What are they looking for? Tune in as they break down essential application aspects such as essay writing, extracurriculars, and letters of...
How often does College With Mattie release new episodes?
College With Mattie has 39 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to College With Mattie?
You can listen to College With Mattie on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts College With Mattie?
College With Mattie is created and hosted by Mattie Culkin.
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