Momentum College Counseling

Momentum College Counseling More than just admission counseling, the Momentum team helps students develop their ability to think critically and become innovative.

Our strategic and collaborative approach empowers our students to develop into standout college admission applicants. Jamie Moynihan is the Founder and Lead Counselor of Momentum College Counseling and brings over 17 years of experience in college admission and counseling to his work with students and families. Throughout his career, Jamie has reviewed thousands of applications at four different i

nstitutions, including the University of California, Berkeley, giving him deep insight into what selective colleges seek in applicants. Before founding Momentum, Jamie served as the Managing Director of one of the largest private college counseling firms in the world, where he oversaw all aspects of the counseling process, developed curriculum, and managed a team of counselors. He also previously worked as a College Counselor at a highly selective private high school, helping students navigate some of the most competitive admissions landscapes. Jamie has successfully guided students to admission at all of the top 50 colleges and universities. Notably, over the past three years, nearly 90% of the students he has personally worked with were admitted to their Early Decision (top-choice) colleges. At Momentum, Jamie partners closely with students and families to create a personalized and strategic roadmap that helps students authentically and uniquely differentiate themselves in the admissions process. His approach is built on thoughtful planning, individualized support, and deep expertise in the evolving world of college admissions.

05/14/2026

The recent attention surrounding Yale University’s medical school admissions process feels like part of a much bigger shift happening in higher education right now.

For a long time, highly selective schools have relied on holistic admissions systems that are intentionally difficult to reduce to simple formulas or numbers. And in many ways, that makes sense. Admissions decisions are complicated.

But I also think families are becoming far less willing to simply accept “holistic review” without understanding how decisions are actually being made.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen growing debates around:
– testing policies
– academic standards
– transparency
– and institutional priorities in admissions

And I think those conversations are only going to intensify moving forward.

Not because holistic admissions are going away.

But because universities are facing increasing pressure to explain and defend systems that have historically operated with a lot of opacity.

05/12/2026

Brown University had its highest Early Decision admit rate in about six years.

That’s interesting because for the last several cycles, it felt like admissions numbers were only moving in one direction: more applications and lower admit rates.

During the peak of the test-optional era, schools like Yale, USC, Northeastern, and Boston University saw applications explode. Brown’s overall admit rate hovered around the 5% range during that stretch.

Now we’re starting to see a few signs that things may be settling down a bit.

Brown’s ED rate moved back up to around 18%.
Yale’s applications dropped this year.
USC is expecting its admit rate to widen slightly.

These schools are still incredibly difficult to get into. None of this suddenly makes Ivy League admissions “easy.”

But I do think it suggests that the admissions environment may be starting to normalize after several years of extreme volatility.

I’ll be very curious to see whether this continues over the next few cycles.

05/07/2026

The University of Southern California is adding Early Decision for the first time, and I think this is a much bigger shift than most people realize.

USC became one of the biggest examples of the test-optional admissions policy over the last few years. Applications skyrocketed, admit rates dropped into single digits, and huge numbers of students applied without scores.

What I found especially interesting was USC said only about 36% of applicants submitted SAT or ACT scores, but around 51% of admitted students did.

That doesn’t mean USC isn’t genuinely test-optional. But it does show how complicated admissions has become at schools with massive applicant pools.

Now they’re layering a binding Early Decision program on top of that system.

I’ll be really curious to see what happens to the applicant pool over the next few years, especially as many highly selective schools are re-introducing the requirement of testing.

05/06/2026

The University of Virginia just admitted more than 10,000 students for the first time ever.

At first glance, that sounds like they’re expanding admissions in a major way.

But the more interesting number is that UVA also received over 82,000 applications this year.

That’s up dramatically from where things were just a few years ago.

The reality is that a lot of highly selective schools are trying to keep relatively stable class sizes while students apply to more and more colleges every cycle. That creates a ton of uncertainty around enrollment, because schools have a much harder time predicting which admitted students will actually say yes.

So in some cases, colleges are extending slightly more offers simply to account for that volatility — not because the process is suddenly becoming less competitive.

I think this is one of the biggest misunderstandings in modern admissions. The applicant pool is growing much faster than the universities themselves.

05/05/2026

The University of Pennsylvania just removed alumni interviews from its admissions process.

For years, interviews were seen as a meaningful (even if optional) part of applying to selective colleges. But as application volume continues to grow, schools are starting to rethink what’s actually sustainable.

At Penn, the decision was driven largely by scale, with tens of thousands of applicants, offering consistent alumni conversations simply isn’t practical anymore.

This reflects a broader shift in college admissions.

As more students apply to highly selective schools, certain parts of the process, especially those that rely on time, people, and availability, are becoming harder to maintain.

What feels important one year may change the next.

05/04/2026

The Georgia Institute of Technology just received nearly 68,000 applications, which is another record.

But the number most families focus on, the acceptance rate, doesn’t tell the full story.

Because at Georgia Tech, your chances of admission depend heavily on where you live.

In-state applicants are admitted at a much higher rate than out-of-state students. And for highly competitive majors like engineering or computer science, that gap can feel even more significant.

This is one of the most common misconceptions in college admissions.

Families look at a single percentage and assume it applies to everyone.

In reality, admissions decisions are shaped by factors like residency, intended major, and institutional priorities

There isn’t one acceptance rate.

There’s your acceptance rate, based on how your application is evaluated in context.

04/29/2026

The University of Pennsylvania just had one of the most interesting admissions cycles this year.

After bringing back standardized testing, applications dropped by more than 10,000 students — from over 72,000 to around 61,000.

It highlights the fact that college admissions policies don’t just impact who gets admitted, they also impact who applies in the first place.

At a school like Penn, where roughly half the class is filled through Early Decision, shifts in the applicant pool can create real uncertainty behind the scenes.

Fewer applicants doesn’t necessarily mean less competition.

It often means a more self-selecting, more competitive pool, which forces schools to adjust how they manage yield, admit rates, and even their waitlist.

Admissions isn’t just about your application.

It’s about how your application fits into an evolving system.

04/28/2026

Harvard admitted its newest class, but didn’t release the acceptance rate.

They will publish the data later through federal reporting, but delaying that information creates a real challenge for students planning their college applications right now.

For rising seniors, especially those considering Early Action or Early Decision, it means making decisions using outdated admissions data.

And most families don’t even realize it.

Acceptance rates, application volume, and early applicant trends can shift significantly from year to year. When schools delay releasing that data, it makes an already complex process even harder to interpret.

Even when acceptance rates are available, they’re often one of the most misunderstood parts of college admissions. They don’t capture how applications are actually evaluated, or how a student compares within a specific applicant pool.

Strong college planning is all about understanding how your academic profile, course rigor, and activities will be read in context.

04/21/2026

Most students think the goal of SAT prep is simple: keep retaking the test until the score goes up.

But that mindset misses a bigger point.

Yes, a 1500+ SAT score is objectively strong,as it puts you roughly in the top 1–2% of test takers.

But with millions of students taking the SAT each year, that still means tens of thousands of students are scoring at that level.

And many of them are applying to the same selective colleges.

At a certain point, the difference between a 1500 and a 1540 is far less meaningful than students think, especially compared to how they’re spending their time.

Every additional retake requires significant prep, and the score gains tend to shrink.

The real question is whether another attempt is the best use of your time, or if that time could be better spent building something that actually differentiates you.

04/20/2026

Yale just acknowledged something many families have felt for a long time: the college admissions process can be subjective and difficult to explain.

In a recent report, they outlined potential changes to how undergraduate admissions could work, including placing more emphasis on academic performance, reconsidering long-standing advantages like legacy and athletic preferences, and even exploring the idea of clearer academic thresholds.

None of this is finalized. But it does say something important.

The process is evolving.

And when things feel uncertain, the instinct is often to try to “figure out the system” or chase whatever seems to be changing.

In reality, the foundation of a strong application hasn’t shifted nearly as much as people think.

Students who stand out tend to have strong academics, make thoughtful course decisions, and spend time on things they actually care about.

The details of admissions may change, but the core focus doesn’t.

04/17/2026

Most students plan their summer around internships, programs, and activities…

But very few start by looking at actual college applications.

That’s where things can go wrong.

Selective colleges aren’t just evaluating what you did, they’re trying to understand:

• What you care about
• How you think
• What has shaped you
• How you spend your time outside the classroom

If your summer is built without that context, it can turn into a collection of disconnected experiences that are difficult to translate into a compelling application.

Strong college planning is all about understanding how your experiences will be interpreted, and making intentional choices from the start.

If you’re planning your summer and want to make sure it aligns with your overall college admissions strategy, feel free to reach out.

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