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Equipping you to successfully pursue the college of your dreams. I believe that the world needs every student to reach their full potential. College admittance shouldn't hold you back. I'm an educator and Harvard grad who has been in your shoes. I designed this podcast to accompany the Ivy League Challenge (my online course) to support my listeners. I've met with graduates, admissions officers, and professors to identify the criteria used to select candidates. I've crafted a road map for success and can share it with you.
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What if college admissions isn’t about being more impressive, but about being more clear? In this episode, I break down why so many hardworking, high-achieving students are rejected from top colleges, and what actually separates students who get admitted from those who don’t. Drawing on recent early-decision results (including acceptances to Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, and Vanderbilt, plus $100,000 scholarships) I explain the hidden trap families fall into when they chase what they think admiss...
What does it actually look like to support a highly driven teenager—without controlling, pushing, or burning them out? In this episode, I sit down with Karen DiNapoli, mother of nationally ranked speaker and Ivy League Challenge alum Ava DiNapoli, to pull back the curtain on the parent side of an extraordinary student journey. Karen shares: What it felt like when Ava first came home with an overwhelming, world-scale project ideaWhy seeking outside guidance was essential—for both parent and ch...
In the last few episodes, we’ve explored the many ways students can lead through innovation, dialogue, and action. We’ve seen, again and again, that when teens identify their core values and then make a meaningful impact aligned with those values… that’s the kind of leadership colleges simply cannot ignore. But today, I want to zoom in on something even more foundational: What does it actually mean to make an impact? When adults talk about impact, it often sounds abstract, almost mysterious. ...
Leadership isn’t about titles as it’s about noticing what matters and taking action. In this episode, three students show how real impact often begins close to home. Scarlett worked with her city to strengthen emergency alert systems and protect vulnerable residents. Abbas bridged science, faith, and community service to turn personal challenge into purpose through his thought-provoking podcast. Akilaish used curiosity and analysis to solve meaningful problems through disciplined, thoughtfu...
Is social media silently sabotaging your success? In this episode, Steve Gardner — founder of The Ivy League Challenge and Harvard Summer School instructor — shares the mindset and strategies that set high-performing teens apart. Discover how top students manage (and often delete) their social media apps during critical periods like finals, and why this one decision can be a game-changer. You’ll learn: Why most teens are reactive with social media — and what to do insteadThe exact challenge S...
Real innovation isn’t about being impressive or unique unless it’s also about being useful. In this episode, three teens show how curiosity and compassion can combine to create meaningful change. Illia Denisov uses robotics and AI to protect civilians in Ukraine. Matthew Kim designs hands-on STEM programs that make science exciting and accessible for younger students. Mohammad Aarish Khan connects cutting-edge cancer research with a mission to help underserved communities. These stories revea...
Most students think leadership starts with a title like captain, president, or founder. But true leadership doesn’t wait for permission. In this episode, two teens prove that real impact begins the moment you care enough to act. Asher Stubbs shares how his great-grandmother’s legacy in Peru inspired him to create Kusko Trips, a program helping students build cross-cultural understanding through service and entrepreneurship. Asher's email address is ajstubbs100@gmail.com Toby Hou expla...
Harvard and Stanford educator and co-author of the bestselling book Innovation-ish Richard Braden joins me to discuss how his book can help my students. We explore how teens, parents, and aspiring innovators of all ages can develop the mindsets and skill sets needed to thrive in an ambiguous world. Rich shares how his book demystifies innovation, reframes failure as essential learning, and helps ordinary people unlock their creative potential. Together, we dive into the connection betwe...
Most people romanticize mastery. They talk about "grit" and "passion" and "work ethic," but avoid the uncomfortable truth: Mastery is build by failing-- over and over again. In public, in private, both big and small failures. Failure is followed by recovery and reflection and leveling up. In this recording, you can hear me teaching this idea to my students in the Global Impact Council, which is our internal teen mentoring program. Enjoy the call! ----- To register for the Ivy League C...
Dickinson College professor Elizabeth Lee joins us to discuss how the aligning your choices around your core values helps you prepare for college and for long-term success. We discuss why her daughter, a high school freshman, signed up for the Ivy League Challenge, and how Professor Lee's experience teaching in college for over two decades made her clear that she wanted this. After we stopped the recording, Professor Lee said "I wish every student I teach could go through your pro...
You’ve done the hard thinking. You’ve found your insights, explored your contradictions, and reflected deeply. But now you’re stuck—staring at a blank page, unsure how to turn those ideas into a compelling college essay. In this episode, Steve explains why the next step is not perfection—it’s motion. You’ll learn how to choose the right moment to write about, why your first draft should be messy, and how that so-called “garbage draft” is the best way to get unstuck and start building an unfor...
If you’ve been putting off your college essay, dreading it like a monkey on your back—you’re not alone. But what if you could stop trying to sound impressive and start telling a story that actually matters? In this episode, I’ll guide you through the exact questions and strategies we used in the first week of my Personal Statement Workshop to help students uncover stories that admissions officers care about. You’ll learn: Why this essay can make or break your applicationWhat admissions office...
The personal statement can be one of the most confusing and stressful parts of the college application — but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode, I share a few key do's and don'ts to help you avoid common pitfalls and start your essay with clarity and confidence. Whether you're staring at a blank page or already brainstorming ideas, these tips will help you stay on track and write something that actually strengthens your application. 🎯 You’ll learn: What the personal statement is really fo...
The personal statement is one of the most important — and misunderstood — parts of the college application. In this short, powerful episode, Steve Gardner explains why so many students struggle to get started, what the real purpose of the personal statement is, and how families can reduce stress and gain a competitive edge now, before summer slips away. If you're a parent or student feeling overwhelmed, this episode offers clarity, direction, and a powerful invitation to tackle this task with...
You’ve made it to the end of AP season—or you're just about to. So… what now? In this episode, I share what successful students actually do after their exams are over to prepare for college applications. These are the same strategies used by Ivy League, Stanford, and MIT admits—and they’re simple, clear, and powerful. You’ll learn: Why the summer after junior year is a “bonus semester”The two questions your application must answerWhat aligned action looks like (with real student examples)How ...
Are you feeling pressure to make the most of summer—but not sure what actually matters for college admissions? In this episode, Steve Gardner breaks down the three most common mistakes high-achieving students make when planning their summer... and shows you how to avoid them. You’ll meet: Sophia, who overloaded her schedule trying to impress collegesDaniel, who created a meaningful project from a single questionAnd Bryanna, a real student whose summer project led to research, grants, and scho...
Steve sits down with Tessymol Jose — the inspiring mother of Erica, one of our incredible students — to tell the full, raw story of their college admissions journey. This isn’t a sugar-coated success story. It’s a front-row seat to the overwhelming pressure, confusion, and heartbreak that so many ambitious students (and their families) experience when they follow the wrong roadmap to college admissions — the "just do more, be more impressive" roadmap that leads straight to burnout. 🔹 Tessymol...
This episode is a special one — made especially for parents of Curiosity Lab students, but meaningful for anyone raising a curious preteen. Inside, Steve shares: Why curiosity is a skill, not a personality trait — and why that mattersThe five core pillars of the Curiosity Lab (and how they work together)Three powerful ways parents can support curiosity at homeA bonus mindset shift that will change how you respond when your child says, “This is hard.”Whether your child is already enrolled in t...
Most teens today feel overwhelmed, burned out, or stuck in the race to be impressive — all while secretly wondering: “How do some students become so great, so young?” In this episode, we break down the real process of building passion and achieving meaningful success — not by performing for approval, but by discovering purpose and leaning into long-term growth. You’ll learn: Why passion isn’t found — it’s builtHow over-scheduling and screen time quietly close the curiosity windowThe dangers o...
What if the real test in college admissions isn’t the one you think it is? In this episode, we unpack “The Hidden Test”—the one that’s not on any syllabus and can’t be studied for with flashcards. Drawing from a powerful psychological experiment, wisdom from Ivy League deans Lee Coffin (Dartmouth) and Logan Powell (Brown), and real insights from the admissions process, we reveal how selective colleges are not just looking for the most impressive applicants. They're looking for the ones who li...
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