Podcast
College With Mattie
Hosted by Mattie Culkin · EN
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.
20episodes
Episodes
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Top 50 Schools: According To College With Mattie
Aug 1000:38:47Tap to summarizeIn 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/
Transcribe →Our Recommendations Οn Letters Of Recommendation
Aug 300:45:37Tap to summarizeLetters 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 soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/ Articles and websites mentioned: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/admissions/traditional-age/2025/07/09/college-counselors-write-shorter-letters-students-color https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/10/22/do-recommendation-letters-insert-bias-college-admissions-decisions https://www.nacacnet.org/factors-in-the-admission-decision/
Transcribe →Crash Course To Getting Started On Your College Application
Jul 2700:26:50Tap to summarizeWhen 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 the most of your time. Applying to college soon? You can get help from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
Transcribe →The Best Topic For Your College Essay Is Your Major
Jul 2000:27:31Tap to summarizeThe 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/
Transcribe →FLL: Mattie's Grand Strategy To Get You Into College
Jul 1300:19:33Tap to summarizeTime 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 from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/
Transcribe →Are You In Waitlist Limbo?
Jul 600:40:24Tap to summarizeHave 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: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/theres-a-crazy-new-wrinkle-to-college-admissions.html https://www.forbes.com/sites/brennanbarnard/2025/05/25/college-admission-waitlist-follies/ Trump bars Harvard from enrolling international students: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2025/05/22/harvard-barred-from-enrolling-international-students-by-trump-administration-report-says/
Transcribe →Having The Stats But Getting Rejected By College: What Happened?
May 18, 202500:42:30Tap to summarizeSometimes, 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/
Transcribe →Passion Projects: Internet Fad Or Key To College Admissions?
May 11, 202500:42:23Tap to summarizePassion 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/
Transcribe →My 6-Month Strategy To Applying To College
May 4, 202500:35:50Tap to summarizeCollege 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/
Transcribe →Why Are Students Applying To More And More Schools?
Apr 27, 202500:41:09Tap to summarizeThe 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/
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