<p>It's all over now. I know where I'm going to college. I embarked upon this voyage April of my sophomore year of high school, and now it's drawing to a close. I have something I need to say.</p>
<p>Nothing, NOTHING has contributed as much to my level of stress as this website. The "chance" threads completely inaccurate. The obsession some people have with awards, summer camps, scores, and other trivial things is just unreal. And DEFINITELY unhealthy. The hyper-focus on grades and scores is so outrageous, and from what I read on the HSL boards, there are quite a few users who are unhappy and have weak social lives (which isn't healthy either, btw). </p>
<p>I have gained essentially nothing from these message boards, and I have taken away guilt, shame, a sense of inferiority, and plenty of anxiety. I haven't found College Confidential useful in any sense of the word, and I discourage freshmen/sophomores/juniors from using it heavily. It can be hazardous to one's health.</p>
<p>It’s what you take away from it. You can’t blame the website. Stop making excuses…okay, perhaps this is a bit harsh. But seriously, the website is what you make of it. To me, it’s helped put things into perspective and it’s fun! YAY HSL :)</p>
<p>Parliament- I only wandered into these forums just today, where I was going to ask for advice on my own predicament. Your words echo some of the thoughts that have been whispering in the back of my head. There does seem to be an unhealthy obsession with some trivial things.</p>
<p>I see a lot of people stressing out over their 3.8 GPAs or not having more than 10 extracurriculars. It makes me laugh. I don’t know how else to describe my reaction. With the crap I’ve had to deal with up to now, a 3.8 GPA is a dream. An impossible dream right now, until I fix things up in college, but a dream nonetheless.</p>
<p>@Wartsandall: You’re right, and in context, I can understand their stress. I really do. I have a Chinese friend that was panicking for half the year about getting into Harvard despite her nightmarishly rigorous academics. She managed to get accepted; I’m proud of her.</p>
<p>I am nowhere near as fortunate as her, though. My family is barely staying above the poverty line, shattered by divorce, constantly disapproving of myself for being gay, disappointed in my failing grades. </p>
<p>You know where I’m going after this? (this isn’t attacking you, for the record, just sharing an experience) Community college. I am getting the hell out of here, and I can’t tell you how proud I am of it. Leave here, go to CC, transfer into the college I originally got rejected from, live my life. Same path; alternate route.</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m just stating that those posters have reason to worry about those aspects of the application process. I suppose that we each possess our own goals and preferences.</p>
<p>This website has helped me so much over the years. Some of the posters on CC were so helpful. Yeah, I guess it can contribute to some stress sometimes, but a moderate level of “stress” is healthy. But I totally agree with you though that the chance threads are useless - except if you visit it solely for fun - why would you want someone to chance you who can’t even chance themselves? You kind of have to pick out the correct, useful information out of the useless posts.</p>
<p>Uh… you came to this website for a reason. You spent time in the unhealthy obsession of grades and such. You CHOSE to continue looking and you CHOSE to let it break your confidence. Don’t blame CC because you are weak. </p>
<p>I have been here for well over 4 years and I can tell you that this wealth of information exists no where else. Not only are these people here to help you academically, but we do quite a bit of real-life help as well. </p>
<p>But yes, do continue to look at ONLY the negatives of CC. I’m guessing you’re not even a glass-half-empty kind of person, but rather that you’re a glass is always empty even if there’s stuff in it kind of person.</p>
<p>^Please let us in on your secret - if it is not grades, SATs or ECs, what is it AdComs look at?
Favorite word? Number of letters in your name? CC post count? </p>
<p>If a bunch of whiny prep kids on a college website bragging about their (occasionally made-up) grades and you “have taken away guilt, shame, a sense of inferiority, and plenty of anxiety” then you are a weak person. Sorry.</p>
<p>CC keeps me honest, I know there’s always someone better than me. In my own school there are 199 better than me and that ****es me off. That’s why I come here, to make myself do better.</p>