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/

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 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/

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 the most of your time.

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

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/

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 from Mattie and Michelle at https://www.collegewithmattie.com/services/

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:
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/

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/