Go Ivy or Go Free

High School Dropout (Almost) → ACCEPTED to MIT

Welcome to Episode 9 of the Go Ivy or Go Free Podcast! In this episode, host Andreas Stamatakis sits down with Ruben Stephen, a current MIT student and one of the most compelling comeback stories in elite admissions, for a conversation that challenges everything you were told about what it takes to make it to a top school. If you grew up believing that only perfect students end up at places like MIT, this episode will shock you. Andreas and Ruben pull no punches as they tackle one of the most uncomfortable truths in education today: the road to the top is messier than anyone admits. They dig into Ruben's years at a highly competitive magnet STEM high school — how the pressure nearly broke him, how bad grades in his sophomore year almost derailed everything, and how he came dangerously close to dropping out of high school entirely. Ruben makes the case that your lowest point doesn't define your ceiling, and breaks down exactly how he turned it all around to earn his acceptance to MIT. The conversation gets uncomfortable in the best way. Ruben and Andreas break down the parts of the MIT experience nobody warns you about — navigating seasonal depression through the brutal Boston winters, the financial aid struggles that forced him into tense conversations with the financial aid office just to afford his education, being labeled a "DEI hire" by people who couldn't accept that he earned his seat, and the imposter syndrome that followed him into every lecture hall. They also explore how Ruben went from failing a class at MIT to genuinely thriving — and ask the hard question: what does it actually take to survive a system built to overwhelm you? Ruben shares the mindset shifts, habits, and support systems that carried him from nearly dropping out of high school to succeeding at one of the most demanding institutions in the world. 🎙️ About Our Guest: Ruben Stephen Ruben is a student at MIT pursuing a dual major in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, and the digital creator behind a social media community of 60K+ students chasing top colleges. As a first-generation, low-income Haitian-American student, Ruben navigated the entire admissions process alone — no private counselor, no safety net — and earned his acceptance to MIT through Early Action. He is the founder of the LearnWell Society, a community built to help ambitious students master the game of academics and turn it into real-world opportunity, and he openly shares his full MIT experience, college essays, and strategy breakdowns to help students who are grinding without a roadmap, just like he once was. 🎙️ About Your Host: Andreas Stamatakis Widely considered the #1 Ivy Admissions Advisor on Earth, Andreas Stamatakis has spent over a decade advising on elite college admissions and has built a social media empire dedicated to democratizing elite admissions advice, making top-tier Ivy strategies accessible to millions of students worldwide for free. Andreas started his consulting practice when he was just 18 years old, right after making the ultimate strategic move: turning down multiple Ivy League acceptances for a full-ride scholarship to Stony Brook University. Holding degrees in Physics, Pure Math, and Applied Math, he brings a first-principles approach to the admissions process, debunking the myths using hard facts and contrarian strategies that have helped thousands of students get accepted. 🔗 Connect with Us! Follow Ruben Stephen: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rstephen.04 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rstephen_04 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Rstephen.04 Website: https://www.rstephen.com/ Follow Andreas Stamatakis & The Ivy League Roadmap: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivy_roadmap/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ivy_roadmap Website & Consulting: https://ivyroadmap.org/ Book: The Ivy League Roadmap (Available on Amazon): https://a.co/d/0bhf10mC

Is College a Scam? | Go Ivy or Go Free Ep 8. w/ Hannah Maruyama

Welcome to Episode 8 of the Go Ivy or Go Free Podcast!In this episode, host Andreas Stamatakis sits down with Hannah Maruyama — co-founder of Degree Free and one of the most outspoken voices in the alternative education movement — for a conversation that challenges everything you were told about the path to success. If you grew up believing that college was the only way forward, this episode will shock you. Andreas and Hannah pull no punches as they tackle one of the most controversial questions in education today: is college actually a scam? They dig into how the entire K-12 system has been engineered to funnel students toward a four-year degree as the singular definition of success — and why that pipeline is quietly setting a generation of young people up for financial ruin, burnout, and disappointment. Hannah makes the case that success is deeply subjective and that forcing every student through the same institutional mold ignores the full spectrum of how people can build a meaningful, lucrative life. The conversation gets uncomfortable in the best way. Hannah and Andreas break down the systemic rot inside higher education — excessive number of administrators, underpaid professors, a student loan system rigged so debt can never be discharged in bankruptcy, and universities more focused on enrollment numbers than student outcomes. They also explore the mental health crisis unfolding on college campuses and ask the hard question: are we sending kids into a system that's actively working against them? But this episode isn't just a healthy criticism— it's a roadmap. Hannah shares real success stories from the Degree Free community, highlighting young adults who skipped the diploma and built thriving careers through apprenticeships, certifications, entrepreneurship, and self-directed learning. Andreas connects Hannah's framework to his own admissions philosophy, exploring how strategic thinking — not blind compliance — is what actually produces successful outcomes, whether you Go Ivy or Go free. 🎙️ About Our Guest: Hannah Maruyama is the co-founder of Degree Free, a platform and podcast dedicated to helping young adults build successful careers and lives without a traditional four-year degree. After witnessing firsthand how the college industrial complex fails so many students, Hannah — alongside her husband and co-founder Ryan Maruyama — built Degree Free into a growing movement that gives people the tools, frameworks, and community to launch on their own terms. She is a sought-after speaker and writer on alternative education, workforce development, and the future of learning, and has helped thousands of young adults step off the conveyor belt and design a life that actually works for them. 🎙️ About Your Host: Widely considered the #1 Ivy Admissions Advisor on Earth, Andreas Stamatakis has spent over a decade advising on elite college admissions and has built a social media empire dedicated to democratizing elite admissions advice, making top-tier Ivy strategies accessible to millions of students worldwide for free. Andreas started his consulting practice when he was just 18 y/o, right after making the ultimate strategic move: turning down multiple Ivy acceptances for a full-ride scholarship to Stony Brook University. Holding degrees in Physics, Pure Math, and Applied Math, he brings a first-principles approach to the admissions process, debunking the myths using hard facts and contrarian strategies that have helped thousands of students get accepted. 🔗 Connect with Us! Follow Degree Free: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/degreefree YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DegreeFree X: https://x.com/degreefreepod Website: https://degreefree.com/ Follow Andreas Stamatakis & The Ivy League Roadmap: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivy_roadmap TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ivy_roadmap Website & Consulting: https://ivyroadmap.org Book: The Ivy League Roadmap (Available on Amazon): https://a.co/d/0bhf10mC

Make $1M Before Graduation (Or Get a Full Refund) | Go Ivy or Go Free Ep 7. w/ Nat Eliason

Welcome to Episode 7 of the Go Ivy or Go Free Podcast! In this episode, host Andreas Stamatakis sits down with serial entrepreneur, author, and Head of Founder Development at Alpha School, Nat Eliason — the man betting that the future of education isn't a diploma, it's a million dollars. Nat is launching Founders School, a first-of-its-kind entrepreneur high school built on the most audacious guarantee in the history of education: make $1 million in gross profit by graduation, or get 100% of your $600,000 tuition refunded. If you think high school is just a stepping stone to college, or that a business degree is the safest path to entrepreneurial success, or that kids need to wait until adulthood before building real companies — this episode will dismantle every one of those assumptions. Andreas and Nat get real about why the traditional education system was never designed to produce entrepreneurs — and why a new generation of high schoolers is ready to prove they don't need it. Nat breaks down exactly how Founders School works: the AI-powered academic model that compresses core coursework into two hours a day, the full-day entrepreneurship bootcamp that fills the rest, and what it truly means to build a school around outcomes you can measure in dollars and cents. This isn't a passion project — it's a skin-in-the-game bet that forces the institution to actually care whether students succeed. We're talking about a program designed to produce real founders with real revenue before they ever set foot on a college campus. The conversation also goes deep on Nat's own experience studying business at Carnegie Mellon — and his brutally honest take on whether it was worth it. Why did he eventually walk away disillusioned? What does it mean that most business schools are taught by people with no skin in the game? 🎙️ About Our Guest: Nat Eliason is a serial entrepreneur, author, and Head of Founder Development at Alpha School, where he's co-launching Founders School — a high school that trains teenagers to build million-dollar businesses and guarantees a full tuition refund if they don't. Nat's entrepreneurial journey started at Carnegie Mellon, where he quickly grew disillusioned with traditional career tracks and pivoted to building his own ventures — including Growth Machine, a content marketing agency, and Cup & Leaf, a direct-to-consumer tea brand. He's the author of Crypto Confidential, a first-hand account of winning and losing millions in the crypto boom, and has become a leading voice on AI-powered entrepreneurship — most recently building Felix, an autonomous AI agent that has generated over $60K in sales without Nat writing a single line of code. 🎙️ About Your Host: Andreas Stamatakis Widely considered the #1 Ivy Admissions Advisor on Earth, Andreas Stamatakis has spent over a decade advising on elite college admissions and has built a social media empire dedicated to democratizing elite admissions advice, making top-tier Ivy strategies accessible to millions of students worldwide — for free. Andreas started his consulting practice at just 18 years old, right after making the ultimate strategic move: turning down multiple Ivy League acceptances for a full-ride scholarship to Stony Brook University. Holding degrees in Physics, Pure Math, and Applied Math, he brings a first-principles approach to the admissions process, debunking myths with hard facts and contrarian strategies that have helped thousands of students get accepted. 🔗 Connect with Us! Follow Nat Eliason: X: https://x.com/nateliason?lang=en YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@nateliason [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCaggiu76cPdLduA8R2lCSQA] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nat_eliason Website: https://www.nateliason.com/ Follow Andreas Stamatakis & The Ivy League Roadmap: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivy_roadmap TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ivy_roadmap Website & Consulting: https://ivyroadmap.org Book: The Ivy League Roadmap (Available on Amazon): https://a.co/d/0bhf10mC

How to Go to College for FREE | Go Ivy or Go Free Ep 6. w/ Youssef Hasweh

Welcome to Episode 6 of the Go Ivy or Go Free Podcast! In this episode, host Andreas Stamatakis sits down with QuestBridge National Match recipient, content creator, and Gen Z strategist Youssef Hasweh — the scholar who went from never expecting to attend college to earning a full-ride to one of the most academically rigorous universities in the world — to hear how he cracked the code on elite admissions without the private counselors, prep courses, or financial safety net that most admits take for granted. If you think QuestBridge is just another scholarship program, or that Early Decision is a fair and neutral process, or that elite universities are purely meritocratic institutions — this episode will challenge every one of those assumptions. Andreas and Youssef get real about why the conventional admissions system is rigged toward the wealthy — and how students like Youssef are proving there's a smarter way to play it. Youssef walks through exactly how QuestBridge works: the College Prep Scholar program, the National Finalist process, and what the Match actually means when you sign on the dotted line — binding yourself to a school before you've seen a single financial aid letter from anywhere else. We're talking about a program that can deliver a full, four-year ride to schools like UChicago, Princeton, and Yale — but one that comes with trade-offs most students don't fully understand before committing. The conversation also goes deep on how colleges actually make admissions decisions: Why does Early Decision disproportionately favor wealthy applicants? How does the obsession with yield rates shape who gets in, who gets aid, and who gets strung along? And is a binding commitment ever truly in a student's best interest? Andreas breaks down how to think about QuestBridge versus ED versus regular decision — and where each strategy makes sense depending on your situation. 🎙️ About Our Guest: Youssef HaswehYoussef Hasweh is a QuestBridge National Match recipient, content creator, and Gen Z marketing strategist who went from never expecting to attend college to earning a full-ride to the University of Chicago. Youssef turned his admissions journey into a platform and a career: building a TikTok following of over 160K demystifying college and scholarships for first-gen students, landing a spot in the BuzzFeed Creator Residency, interning at Red Bull, Adobe, and Sony Music Publishing, and rising to Strategy Advisor at JUV Consulting. He also founded two scholarships and served as a Career Fellow at QuestBridge, giving back to the pipeline that changed his life. Nobody understands the QuestBridge and elite admissions process quite like someone who actually lived it — and Youssef isn't shy about sharing what he learned. 🎙️ About Your Host: Andreas StamatakisWidely considered the #1 Ivy Admissions Advisor on Earth, Andreas Stamatakis has spent over a decade advising on elite college admissions and built a social media empire dedicated to making top-tier Ivy strategies accessible to millions of students worldwide — for free. Andreas started his consulting practice at just 18, right after turning down multiple Ivy League acceptances for a full-ride to Stony Brook University. Holding degrees in Physics, Pure Math, and Applied Math, he brings a first-principles approach to admissions, debunking myths with hard facts and contrarian strategies that have helped thousands of students get accepted. 🔗 Connect with Us! Follow Youssef Hasweh: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@youssefuniversity Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youssefuniversity/ Website: https://beacons.ai/youssefhasweh Follow Andreas Stamatakis & The Ivy League Roadmap: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivy_roadmap TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ivy_roadmap Website & Consulting: https://ivyroadmap.org Book: The Ivy League Roadmap (Available on Amazon): https://a.co/d/0bhf10mC

This School Has No Teachers. Every Parent Wants In | Go Ivy or Go Free Ep 5. w/ Joe Liemandt

Welcome to Episode 5 of the Go Ivy or Go Free Podcast! In this episode, host Andreas Stamatakis sits down with entrepreneur, investor, and education disruptor Joe Liemandt — the visionary founder behind Alpha School — to hear how he's completely reimagining what school can look like for the next generation of builders, creators, and leaders. If you think the only path to a successful future runs through a traditional classroom with teachers, textbooks, and homework, think again. In this episode, Andreas and Joe get real about why the conventional education model is broken — and how Alpha School is proving there's a radically better way. Joe walks through exactly how Alpha School works: instead of sitting in lectures all day, students use AI to master core academics in just 2 hours, then spend the rest of their day on real-world projects that most adults never accomplish in a lifetime. We're talking about high schoolers who have made $1 million in high school, served as PR reps for A-list celebrities, built Broadway musical productions, launched apps, and more — all before graduation. The conversation also goes deep on the philosophy behind Alpha's model: Why does traditional schooling kill curiosity? What does it actually mean to be "educated"? And is a Harvard degree still worth it when a 16-year-old in your school is already running a profitable company? Andreas gives his take on how to think about the ROI of elite credentials versus real-world experience — and where the two might actually complement each other. Expect plenty of big ideas, some uncomfortable truths about traditional schooling, and a conversation that will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about preparing kids for the real world.  About Our Guest: Joe Liemandt Joe Liemandt is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and the founder of Alpha School — one of the most innovative and controversial schools in America. Previously, Joe built Trilogy Software into a multi-billion dollar enterprise, establishing himself as one of the most successful tech entrepreneurs of his generation. Today, through Alpha School, Joe is on a mission to prove that AI can deliver world-class academic instruction in just 2 hours a day — freeing students to spend the rest of their time doing what actually prepares them for life: building, creating, leading, and launching real ventures. Alpha students don't just learn about the world — they go out and change it.  About Your Host: Andreas Stamatakis Widely considered the #1 Ivy Admissions Advisor on Earth, Andreas Stamatakis has spent over a decade advising on elite college admissions and has built a social media empire dedicated to democratizing elite admissions advice, making top-tier Ivy strategies accessible to millions of students worldwide — for free. Andreas started his consulting practice at just 18 years old, right after making the ultimate strategic move: turning down multiple Ivy League acceptances for a full-ride scholarship to Stony Brook University. Holding degrees in Physics, Pure Math, and Applied Math, he brings a first-principles approach to the admissions process, debunking myths with hard facts and contrarian strategies that have helped thousands of students get accepted.  Connect with Us! Follow Joe Liemandt: X: https://x.com/jliemandt [https://x.com/jliemandt] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alphaschool_2hrlearning/ [https://www.instagram.com/alphaschool_2hrlearning/] Website: https://www.alpha.school [https://www.alpha.school/] Follow Andreas Stamatakis & The Ivy League Roadmap: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivy_roadmap [https://www.instagram.com/ivy_roadmap] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ivy_roadmap [https://www.tiktok.com/@ivy_roadmap] Website & Consulting: https://ivyroadmap.org [https://ivyroadmap.org/] Book: The Ivy League Roadmap (Available on Amazon): https://a.co/d/0bhf10mC [https://a.co/d/0bhf10mC]