<p>In this episode, Kevin McMullin, Chief Education Officer of Collegewise and founder who grew the company from 9 students in 1999 to serving over 30,000 families, shares insights from 26 years in college admissions. Starting at Princeton Review&#39;s corporate headquarters as their spokesperson, Kevin explains how he transitioned to driving to students&#39; kitchen tables before scaling to the largest admissions consulting firm in the industry with 150+ counselors processing roughly 2,000 applications per available position—statistically harder to get hired than getting into Harvard.</p><p>Kevin breaks down the brutal mathematics of highly selective admissions, explaining why Princeton could fill two and a half freshman classes with nothing but valedictorians, and reveals the surprising truth behind early decision statistics—Tulane admitted 68% of early decision applicants versus only 2.5% regular decision. He addresses the biggest misconception families have about college essays, explaining why admissions officers can spot when teenagers write &quot;playing volleyball taught me many important lessons about hard work&quot; instead of sounding like themselves, and shares the story of a successful applicant whose opening sentence was &quot;the worst part about being the slowest runner on my cross-country team is that sometimes I fall so far behind I have to stop and ask spectators for directions.&quot; Kevin emphasizes that great college essays are &quot;equal opportunity employers&quot; where everyone starts with a blank slate senior year, unlike GPAs and test scores that can&#39;t be dramatically improved in one semester, and stresses that students should spend more time building on their strengths than polishing perceived weaknesses—the B-minus in chemistry after studying harder than ever before deserves celebration, not disappointment.</p>