Inside the Admissions Office: Advice from Former Admissions Officers

Hosted by InGenius Prep

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100

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Need help navigating the college admissions process? We’re here to help! Every other Monday we’ll bring you exclusive interviews with Former Admissions Officers, graduates from top universities, and admissions experts. Each episode will be filled with application tips and first-hand experiences that will help you get into your dream school. Brought to you by InGenius Prep, the world’s largest team of Former Admissions Officers. Questions or comments? Email us at contact@ingeniusprep.com InGeniusPrep.com

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60 recent

October 23, 2026Episode 14229 min

142. Graduate School Admissions vs. College Admissions: What Really Matters?

📅 Need help with your graduate school applications? Schedule a FREE 30-minute consultation: https://hubs.la/Q02WyJTt0 🔔 Subscribe for more college admissions tips, essay strategy, and Ivy League application advice. --- Applying to graduate school? Graduate admissions work differently from undergraduate admissions. A strong GPA and prestigious university aren't enough to guarantee success. Matt, an admissions professional with 31 years of experience, explains what graduate admissions committees look for, how to demonstrate program fit, whether work experience matters, and why choosing a graduate program based on rankings alone can be a costly mistake. Learn how to strengthen your master’s, MBA, or PhD application and choose a program that aligns with your career goals.

October 12, 2026Episode 14123 min

141. How to Write College Supplemental Essays (Why Us, Community & More) | Princeton Grad Explains

📅 Need help with your college applications? Schedule a FREE 30-minute 1:1 call with one of our Former Admissions Officers here and we'll help you improve your chances of acceptance with personalized support: https://hubs.la/Q02WyJTt0 🔔 Subscribe for more college admissions tips, essay strategy, and Ivy League application advice. --- Struggling with your college supplemental essays? In this episode, Elliott Eglash, a Princeton English graduate who also studied nonfiction writing at Columbia, share practical, step-by-step tips for the “Why Us,” “Why Major,” community, intellectual vitality, and disagreement essays. Elliott has helped students write their college essays for 10 years. He explains what admissions officers actually want from supplemental essays, how to avoid generic answers, and how to write authentic essays that stand out at Yale, Stanford, Princeton, and other highly selective colleges.

August 24, 2026Episode 14032 min

140. How to Break Into Investment Banking, Starting in High School

📌 Schedule a FREE 30-minute 1:1 call with one of our Former Admissions Officers here and we'll help you improve your chances of acceptance with personalized support: https://hubs.la/Q02WyJTt0 Investment banking prep no longer starts in college. I sit down with Max Adams, Head Coach at Wall Street Mastermind, to map the full path from high school to a summer analyst offer: what the job actually is, when recruiting really begins, whether you need a target school, and what a 15 or 16 year old should be doing right now. Max also breaks down why one top bank received roughly 630,000 applications with an acceptance rate under 1%, and the 4 things every candidate has to get right. 🌐 CONNECT WITH WALL STREET MASTERMIND Website: https://wallstmastermind.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wallstreetmastermind Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wallstreetmastermind/ Max Adams on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxbradleyadams/

June 8, 2026Episode 13911 min

139. The 90-Day Strategy That Gets Students Into Their Dream School (Most Families Miss This)

COLLEGE APPLICATION TRAINING CAMP — JULY 2026 👉 Register here: https://hubs.la/Q04jNZ_n0 We're back for our third year, and this one is the biggest yet. Join experts from Harvard, Yale, and MIT as they walk your student through the entire application process LIVE — Common App, essays, application persona, and more. Spots are limited! --- 📩 Want to find out what candidacy building looks like for your child specifically? Reach out to our team: https://hubs.la/Q02WyJTt0 Matt Rosenbaum, Former Admissions Counselor at the University of Chicago and one of InGenius Prep's most sought-after advisors, is breaking down the concept that separates students who get into their dream schools from the ones who don't: candidacy building. It's not about the essays. It's not about the SAT. It's about what happens in the first 90 days. The families who get this right are starting way earlier than you think. In this episode, Matt covers: → The two questions every admissions officer asks about every applicant → Why starting one year earlier increases your child's chances by 10% → The 4-step process that builds an irresistible application persona → Exactly what happens inside InGenius Prep's first 90 days → The 5 types of evidence that make an application impossible to ignore

March 3, 2026Episode 13816 min

138. Capstone Projects That Top Colleges Want/Don't Want To See

Want personalized guidance? Book a free consultation with our team here: https://hubs.la/Q02WyJTt0 Former Harvard interviewer and InGenius Prep VP of Undergraduate Services Kathryn reveals why hobbies are often neglected in middle and high school, and why that’s a huge missed opportunity. She explains how hobbies can evolve into powerful passion projects or capstone experiences that make students stand out in the college admissions process. --- Register for our upcoming webinars. We also offer tons of free resources on our website/blog . Questions, comments, or topic requests? Email jilian.yong@ingeniusprep.com . To learn more about InGenius Prep, visit us at ingeniusprep.com .

February 27, 2026Episode 13718 min

137. Your Teen Loves Sports… Now What? | Sports Biz Bootcamp

Want personalized help with your application strategy? Book a free 1:1 call with one of our Former Admissions Officers here: CLICK HERE . Whether you’re a student interested in sports careers, a parent seeking meaningful enrichment, or curious about sports management, this episode offers practical advice and insider perspective on the competitive sports industry. I sit down with Stephen Master, founder of Sports Biz Bootcamp and adjunct professor at NYU, an accomplished executive with 25+ years in sports media, analytics, entrepreneurship, and corporate leadership, to discuss how high school students can gain early exposure to sports business, management, and professional development. 💻 Learn more about Sports Biz Bootcamp here: https://sportsbizbootcamp.com/ 📅 Upcoming cohort: April 2026 📧 Get in touch with Stephen: stephen@sportsbizbootcamp.com // NYU email: sm128@stern.nyu.edu --- Register for our upcoming webinars. We also offer tons of free resources on our website/blog . Questions, comments, or topic requests? Email jilian.yong@ingeniusprep.com . To learn more about InGenius Prep, visit us at ingeniusprep.com .

February 13, 2026Episode 13627 min

136. Stop Relying on Your GPA. It’s Not Enough.

JOIN THE EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR (FEB. 24th): https://hubs.la/Q042YjBT0 Megan Bailey (Duke Graduate & Associate Director of College Counseling) reveals the exact roadmap she uses to guide students to top schools like Princeton, Yale, and Stanford, before junior year even begins. Schedule a FREE 30-minute 1:1 call with one of our Former Admissions Officers here and we'll help you improve your chances of acceptance with personalized support: https://hubs.la/Q02WyJTt0 Admissions officers see thousands of "perfect" applicants. Don’t just be smart, be interesting. In this video, we break down how to move beyond being just smart and become memorable, compelling, and interesting in the eyes of admissions officers. Learn how Ivy League and top colleges evaluate applicants, what actually differentiates accepted students, and how to craft an application narrative that makes admissions officers stop and take notice. --- Register for our upcoming webinars. We also offer tons of free resources on our website/blog . Questions, comments, or topic requests? Email jilian.yong@ingeniusprep.com . To learn more about InGenius Prep, visit us at ingeniusprep.com .

January 31, 2026Episode 13519 min

135. Early Admissions Results 2025–2026: Why Colleges Changed the Rules This Year

Want personalized help with your application strategy? Book a free 1:1 call with one of our Former Admissions Officers here: CLICK HERE . CURRENT INGENIUS PREP 2025-2026 EARLY ADMISSIONS RESULTS: 17 offers from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford & MIT. 33 Ivy League offers. 50 offers from top 10 schools. 96 offers from top 20 schools, and also 135 offers from top 30 schools. In this episode, we break down 2025-2026 early admissions results, 2026 college admissions trends, deferrals, testing policies, and what colleges are prioritizing this year. --- Register for our upcoming webinars. We also offer tons of free resources on our website/blog . Questions, comments, or topic requests? Email jilian.yong@ingeniusprep.com . To learn more about InGenius Prep, visit us at ingeniusprep.com .

January 12, 2026Episode 13418 min

134. Can You Get Away With Using AI on College Essays?

Want personalized help with your application strategy? Book a free 1:1 call with one of our Former Admissions Officers here: CLICK HERE . " Eventually AI will be good enough that it should be able to mimic that voice. I expect essays will become meaningless and either abolished completely or they just won't have a significant impact on the admissions process." Joel Butterly, CEO of InGenius Prep, discusses the current landscape of college application essay writing. The conversation explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the writing process, how colleges are adapting their evaluation methods, and what students need to understand to stand out in an increasingly AI-influenced admissions landscape. --- Register for our upcoming webinars. We also offer tons of free resources on our website/blog . Questions, comments, or topic requests? Email jilian.yong@ingeniusprep.com . To learn more about InGenius Prep, visit us at ingeniusprep.com .

December 31, 2025Episode 13319 min

133. Part 3: How to Answer Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essay Prompt for 2025-2026

Want personalized help with your application strategy? Book a free 1:1 call with one of our Former Admissions Officers here: CLICK HERE . Shannon and Titania are back—this time tackling the Johns Hopkins supplemental essay. With Hopkins celebrating its 150th anniversary, this year’s prompt sounds poetic, reflective, and… a little overwhelming. But what are admissions officers actually asking for? PART 1: How to answer Every Harvard Supplemental Essay Prompts! [ WATCH IT HERE ] PART 2: How to answer Yale Supplemental Essay + Short Answer Prompts! [ WATCH IT HERE ] --- Register for our upcoming webinars. We also offer tons of free resources on our website/blog . Questions, comments, or topic requests? Email jilian.yong@ingeniusprep.com . To learn more about InGenius Prep, visit us at ingeniusprep.com .

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