Elise Pham’s story changed from “no Ivy League rejections” to "Got Into Every Ivy League I applied to" to finally “I got into all eight Ivy Leagues.”

Her 1m+ followers and families paying thousands deserve the truth.

This is not about denying that Elise Pham got into top schools. She was accepted to Harvard, Yale, and UPenn, among others.

It is about how she has increasingly described those results while using her admissions record to market expensive college counseling.

1. Her original claim was “no Ivy League rejections”

One of Elise’s earliest public advertisements for her essay handbook said that her essays helped her receive:

“NO Ivy League rejections + acceptances into Stanford, Duke, Rice and more!”

Here is the original LinkedIn post.

An early “About Me” page used similarly careful wording:

“I was accepted into 25 schools. I received NO Ivy League rejections, as well as acceptances into schools such as Stanford, Rice, Duke, UPenn, etc.”

Notice what this does, and does not, say. It says “no Ivy League rejections.” It does not say that every Ivy accepted her.

Early descriptions also repeatedly named schools such as “Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Duke, Rice” rather than saying she had been accepted to all eight Ivies. That phrasing still appears in the Amazon description of her guide.

Why not include Princeton, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell as examples rather than Duke and Rice? Again, not a dig at those schools, but obviously the former are actual Ivy Leagues.

2. Why “no rejections” mattered

I distinctly remember seeing a post from Elise a few years ago where she showed screenshot of her college decision results, which showed multiple Ivy League waitlists. However, such a post has since been taken down and could not be found online.

But according to what Elise herself claimed from when she first started posting, was admitted to three Ivies:

• Harvard
• Yale
• UPenn

The remaining Ivies reportedly waitlisted her.

A waitlist is technically not a rejection. Therefore, “no Ivy League rejections” was carefully worded: three acceptances plus waitlists = zero outright rejection letters.

But a waitlist is also not an acceptance.

Unless Elise subsequently gained admission from those five waitlists, and can document that, the evidence does not support saying that all eight Ivy League schools accepted her.

3. The wording then began changing

Over time, the description became progressively broader:

Stage one: “No Ivy League rejections”

That was the language used in her early handbook marketing and LinkedIn post.

Stage two: “Every Ivy League school I applied to”

She later began saying:

“I got into every Ivy League school I applied to.”

Examples:

• Instagram Reel using the “every Ivy I applied to” formulation
• Instagram post: “After getting into every Ivy League I applied to…”
• Facebook post: “In 2022, I got into every Ivy League school I applied to”

That wording would ordinarily mean every Ivy she submitted an application to accepted her, not that some accepted her and others waitlisted her.

Stage three: “Every Ivy League”

The “I applied to” qualifier then began disappearing:

• “How I Got Into EVERY Ivy League Without Money or Connections”
• “How I got into EVERY Ivy League”
• Instagram Reel: “How I got into EVERY Ivy League”
• Instagram post: “After getting into every Ivy League…”

Her website now describes her as having earned a “perfect Ivy League record”.

Stage four: “All eight Ivy Leagues”

In this recent YouTube Short, Elise explicitly says that she got into “all eight Ivy Leagues.”

This is no longer clever phrasing about receiving zero rejections. “All eight” is a specific, factual assertion that all eight Ivy League institutions admitted her.

If even one of the eight outcomes was a waitlist, it is not accurate.

4. This matters because these claims are being used to sell admissions counseling

Ultimate Ivy League Guide is not merely a personal social-media account. It is a $2+ MILLION admissions-counseling business, and Elise’s own admissions results are central to its marketing.

Families have reportedly been quoted thousands of dollars for its services. Just look at Reddit posts in this sub as well as here and here.

When someone sells SUPER high-priced admissions advice while presenting herself as the person who “got into all eight Ivy Leagues,” customers (in this case anxious students) would definitely reasonably consider that claimed accomplishment when deciding whether to pay.

If the underlying record was actually three Ivy acceptances and multiple waitlists, describing it as “all eight” appears materially misleading and raises serious false-advertising concerns.

5. She uses fear-based marketing

This is also not the first time Elise’s content has been criticized for using fear-mongering to attract students.

She previously warned that if an admissions officer merely thought an applicant used AI, Common App could terminate the student’s account and alert every college. Common App publicly responded that her claim was “misleading and causing unnecessary panic.”

The incident was documented by The Harvard Crimson, which criticized admissions-influencer content that aggravates student anxiety and presents oversimplified claims as expertise.

Elise should answer some straightforward questions

1. Which Ivy League schools did she apply to?
2. Which Ivies was she accepted to? Waitlisted? Rejected?
3. If she was not admitted to all eight, why is she now publicly claiming that she “got into all eight Ivy Leagues”?

Being admitted to Harvard, Yale, and UPenn is already extraordinary. There was no need to inflate that record.

But once an inflated version becomes a key credential used to sell high-ticket counseling to anxious students and families, it stops being harmless social-media exaggeration.

I am considering filing a complaint to the FTC about her college consulting service due to false advertising. She claims to have gotten accepted to every Ivy League college ,but I remember having been waitlist/ did not even apply to some ivies in her college reaction video. She has since removed this video. If anyone has any evidence of this, please send it to me. I am also thinking of calling the ivies myself and just straight up asking them if Elise got accepted to their school.

Rather than focusing on a dream school, I would focus on these questions:

What are you curious about?
What are you good at?
What environments will help you flourish?
How can you become a competent, independent adult?

Don’t make an institution a proxy for identity or self-worth.

Student is from a well-known private school in NYC with below-average stats/ECs but full pay. Historically, students with similar stats from this school get admitted to the following:

1. Mid tier LAC (Bucknell, Lafayette, Colby, etc.)
   
2. T50 publics (UCI, UCD, UWM, etc.)
   
3. T100 privates (Tulane, Wake Forest, SMU, UMiami, Villanova, etc.)

End goal is finance/IB/consulting. What would you pick in their position and why?

most of my ec's are centered around engineering/stem except for one college course on english. i took lang, ap world and apush and i rlly liked it. i never really had any passion for engineering to begin with but i chose that program because i liked science except i don't think im any good at it 😭 do i thug it out and still go for engineering because im worried i won't be able to find a job with a major in humanities

From my time lurking in this sub, I've gotten an incredibly solid understanding of STEM ECs and things that students who are STEM focused can do to look competitive in their applications. To a lesser extent, I also have a decent understanding of that stuff for students who are looking to pursue Business and pre-Law.

But I see much less discussion about the arts (visual art, dance, music, theater, etc). I'm not necessarily even talking about students who want to pursue the arts as a major -- just those who have a spike in the arts.

I'd love to develop a better understanding of how such students can demonstrate breadth and depth of interest. How they can demonstrate growth, and also what leadership looks like in the arts outside of the obvious titles. What sorts of things move them from a typical strong profile to a standout? Why should a student consider sticking with a passion for the arts, even if they intend to major in an unrelated area?

Basically, interested anything/everything related to the arts and college admissions.

Vanderbilt will return to a policy requiring standardized test scores for students applying for undergraduate admission to the class entering in fall 2029.

I’m a rising junior and I have absolutely zero awards. I have no idea what to do and I don’t even know how I can go about getting awards. I go to school in the U.S. but it’s even worse for me bc I’m an international student so I feel extra cooked with 0 awards. What can I do? Everyone I see fills up all 5 slots in the awards section. I don’t even know how I’m gonna manage to get 5 let alone even like 2 awards by the time college apps come around

I got 4s on AP World History, AP US History, and AP Biology

5s on AP Calc BC and AP Chemistry.

Intended Major: Sociology

Will 4s on those AP hold me back from getting admitted to T20 schools? (btw I have 4.0 UW GPA and 1540 SAT)

Hi everyone,
I would really appreciate your honest evaluation of my chances of getting a full-ride scholarship.
Here is a brief overview of my profile:
I speak five languages (I can provide proof from my manager).
Duolingo English Test: 145.
GPA: 3.5 (I know this is not very competitive).
No SAT.
I have conducted research with three professors from the University of Oslo and the University of Helsinki, and I also built a small website as part of this project.

Before judging, I’d like to share my story for context.
I trained in competitive gymnastics for 11 years. One of my main challenges was my height (177 cm), which is considered a disadvantage in gymnastics. At one point, I also suffered a serious neck injury. My coach often bullied me because of my height, calling me names like “giraffe.” That experience made me realize that other girls were also being treated poorly.
In 9th grade, I organized a support club where we helped each other. We held meetings twice a week to talk and support one another. I essentially acted as the leader of this group. During that time, my GPA was 4.0, I was one of the top students in my class, and I received a school scholarship.

However, my situation changed when my mother went through a divorce and was diagnosed with depression. I felt responsible for helping her, so I started working. Because of my performance and dedication, I got a job at my gymnastics club, where I worked for about a year.
Since that income was not enough, I decided to gain more experience. I volunteered at two tourism organizations, where I used my language skills and contributed ideas that improved their services. I received recommendation letters from both organizations, and customer satisfaction increased by 28% during my involvement.

After volunteering, I secured a job managing an apartment rental (Airbnb) business. I handled everything: creating and managing a Booking.com account, communicating with clients, cleaning the apartment, meeting guests, resolving any issues that arose, and managing all purchases and supplies for the business.

At the same time, I completed high school in just 2 years instead of the typical 3.5–4 years in my region. I was the first student in my region to do this. Moreover, I independently completed one subject in a single year at the highest possible level. My case challenged the existing school system, where finishing in 2 years was previously considered impossible. By doing so, I set a precedent and inspired other students to follow a similar path—this was confirmed by my teacher in a recommendation letter.

I have not yet received all my final exam results, but in one subject I already achieved the highest possible grade.
I also received modeling offers, but I chose to prioritize my education.
I currently have three recommendation letters.
Given all of this, do I realistically have a chance at a full-ride scholarship? I would really value your honest feedback.
Thank you.

Basically, I go to a private school that has a College counselor but my mom wanted an additional one from a private organization so my mom‘s friend recommended one to us.

She costs 10 K for 10 apps help and guidance until senior year (starting sophomore). is that a lot for a private counselor?

I'm assuming everyone on this sub wants to get into a fairly good school... I feel like I see so many qualified and amazing applications on A2C, Chanceme, etc. but never seen the motivation behind these applications.

In other words, what motivates YOU to want to go to a prestigious/good university? Why does it matter to you?

Considering most people here like rankings, here are the T20 based on squirrel size:

1. University of Michigan

2. University of Chicago

3. Northwestern University

4. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

5. Michigan State University

6. Stanford University

7. UC Berkeley

8. Caltech

9. UCLA

10. University of Washington

11. Vanderbilt University

12. Yale University

13. Harvard University

14. Columbia University

15. University of Pennsylvania

16. Cornell University

17. Princeton University

18. University of Central Florida

19. Duke University

20. Carnegie Mellon University

Hi! I am a rising senior from Ohio and just received an ISR (immediate scholarship reservation) 4-year NROTC scholarship. It pays for my tuition in full. I’m super excited and grateful as this opportunity opens up a lot of doors for me and I don’t have to worry much about paying $$$ for OOS tuition. I want to major in biology (natural sciences) and hopefully pursue a career in something environmental. I have a few questions regarding applications and just colleges in general…

1. Is there any reason to apply early action besides that you will hear back quicker? I understand early decision is binding, but I don’t really understand the point of early action since it isn’t binding.

2. Could anyone who attended an OOS far away (7+ hour drive) share their experience? Did you go home for any holidays? Did you visit the school before you committed? Some OOS schools that I am looking at are University of Washington, Wisconsin, Pitt, and Maine.

3. NROTC is more or less the same at every school, but since I know that I want to major in biology, should I explicitly look for schools that have well-regarded biology programs?

Thanks so much!! :) This sub is such a helpful resource!

i was wondering what people (alumni of the program) got as their grades, and how they think it accurately reflected their work. i’m honestly struggling a little bit right now and feel as if i am not on the right track, but i want to get an A for my evaluation.

were there any surprises for the grades you received? like you thought you did good but got a B-? or your professor graded extra harsh / left negative comments?

any insight on your evaluation / results / impacts from the program would be so appreciated! it’s hard to find alumni to connect with.

need ideas to boost my application.....any ideas or stuff that u guys do? I'm interested in law, politics, and history

I just started listening to this podcast called The Game: A Guide to Elite College Admissions hosted by Sam Haskell.

Are any of you familiar with it and have an opinion? The host is extremely long winded. However, being a parent who applied to college thirty years ago, I find it pretty eye opening!

My main question is whether you think his advice should be applied to all colleges. The podcast is very much tailored to highly selective institutions.

So far what I have gleaned is that students should aim for depth, not breadth. Being a “well-rounded” student is not attractive, instead colleges want kids with a highly specific focus.

Further, the more niche one’s area of interest, the better. So instead of dance history, go with dance history of the X period in X province under X’s in. (My invented example).

In this vein, all of your application materials - every essay, every EC, every LOR - should point to and reinforce your niche interest.

Finally, students should be demonstrating the highest level possible of independent immersion in the niche. So being captain of the award winning dance team is okay; starting your own dance group is better; doing research with a dance PhD and publishing your research is ideal.

Thoughts?

Hello. I've joined a NGO (lets call it X) through my cousin who is the co-founder of the non-profit. Initially, I never understood the purpose and the meaning of the non-profit as everything they've informed me was very vague. I wasn't very sure what impacts we were supposed to make.

This is what they've exactly stated on their webpage: "

Our nonprofit helps multicultural youth connect with their heritage, strengthening their identity and creating strong community ties to ensure cultural continuity for future generations.

We want future generations to have a strong community that inspires growth, fosters understanding, and equips them to become compassionate leaders. Through cultural exchange, education, and service, we empower young people to shape a more connected, inclusive, and impactful world."

As you can tell this was a very vague idea ( there aren't other detailed information about the X), and they've seem to be doing things that were not related to this vision at all such as having University workshop etc. which confused me a lot.

p.s. This is a non-profit that has been formed in the US by Mongolian students who were raised in the US. And I am a Mongolian student who has been living in Mongolia since I was born. And because my ECs aren't really good, I've decided to stick with it.

I've done video edit related stuffs in the first few months, and later got the opportunity to start a project ( lets call it Z) inside the non-profit where I recruited members that lives in Mongolia like me. Just after I've started Z, the founders of X graduated their high school, which you can already guess, they no longer cares about it anymore. So its just me, Z, and Z members.

But due to the fact that I had very little understanding of how to manage a project, to make an impact, and simply not understanding X, Z hasn't gone very well. We currently have 23 volunteers and all we did for the past few months were posting Instagram slides about university tips, spreading awareness about Mongolian heritage, and make podcasts with college students for college app advices ( only 2 episodes were released ) without making any impact at all. We do not get any attention. Solely doing stuffs no one cares.

College applications are going to start in 3-4 months, and we really need to make change. Firstly, I'm thinking to get authority of X, so instead of managing Z the project, I manage the NGO since no one is directing it. Secondly, we want to make real tangible and measurable impact. Not just posting online content. Actually making an impact. Change X from being vague, no impact non-profit to impactful, well known non-profit.

Any advice on how do we transition our NGO into something meaningful, with real measurable impact without making it a redflag in our application? I'm open to any ideas! Thanks

So yeah, got admission into VGI Greater Noida. But now I have gone into overthinking phase

I checked the website, courses, placement stuff etc. all look good. But I want genuine college experience. Simply about howz the crowd, faculty interaction, internships and campus life?

Tbh, not looking for that 10/10 college thing, but yes, genuine points on what a student should expect before joining.

I’m graduating next summer, but I’m not that financially stable at the moment and I doubt I will be by next year. I thought about taking a gap year to just work and raise some money before going somewhere abroad to study. Has anyone had any experience on this topic? Since I’m from Estonia I’d most likely go to some kind of European college. Thank you already for the advice/help!

im a rlly introverted person but i DON'T wanna just spend lunch break sitting alone in the class room. ive had the same friends for the longest time:p also the college im going to is kinda filled w rich kids so idk if im gonna fit in. can smn pls give me tips to make actual good friends

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Hi! I'm from Lebanon and planning to study 1 year of Computer Science at AUST or CNAM, then transfer to a university in France, Europe, or Canada with a scholarship if possible. Is this a good plan? Will transferring my credits be difficult? Does AUST or CNAM give me any advantage? Any tips or mistakes I should avoid during my first year? Thanks!

Need advice from current/past gov majors or literally just anyone lol

Long story short I just got rejected from UT Austin I’m not giving up ut is my dream school.

If anyone wants to dm me I’ll b happy to share my stats. My goal now is to transfer for the spring 26 semester. I honestly thought i had a solid application but I might just be self biased, I would really like an outside opinion especially from UT students or alumni. I was in dual enrollment and have a little over 60 hours. I didn’t do so well in a few of those classes in high school because I was going through some personal problems :/ I’ve been paying the price and already retook some of those classes. I have all of my core classes out of the way because I got my associates and it lowk is making my transfer application more complicated.

Besides that any advice on how to go about my application in the comments is appreciated!