If there is one trend that should be abolished on CC, it is the posting of stats. Students are all incredibly impressive and have accomplished a lot so far. I feel as if stats are one of the things that we should start to veer away from because it diminishes our accomplishments. Stats are for the admissions committees and they serve no purpose other than self-aggrandizing posts.
Should we stop posting stats? What do y’all think?
Terrible idea based on your own thoughts as expressed above.
Most posters want to know which schools to target so stats are of critical importance.
Stats–honestly presented–cannot be exaggerated as “other accomplishments” can.
All for it if we can also abolish all the “chance me” threads.
All kidding aside, stats are the first hurdle in college admission. I think it’s helpful for people to share for advice on establishing their safety/match/reach schools and to also know they are in good company when they are denied admission.
I disagree, reading old posts, in 2015 a transfer student with 3.3 was accepted to Hopkins where a student with 4.0 was rejected.
In 2018 A transfer student with a 3.4 was accepted to Princeton while a transfer student with a 4.0 was rejected.
In 2016 a transfer student with a 2.89 was accepted to Dartmouth, while a transfer student with a 4.0 was rejected.
If all we are doing is basing what stats a person has, well then that is what we are basing their worth on, numbers. If someone has a unique story, then they should be able to articulate that to an admissions committee without fear of the high scholastic achievers.
YEs, the chance me threads gotta end.
You’re more than welcome to just not post your stats.
I never look at the “chance me” posts. I definitely recommend avoiding that completely.
Totally don’t agree. There are scholarships at colleges, for example, that absolutely use stats.
Many posters want to know the likelihood of receiving scholarships and probability of acceptance given their stats.
How would you propose giving any kind of advice if stats were not included.
I also don’t agree that everyone posting here has high stats. My kids were not in the top 1%
Which I think is helpful to highlight that stats aren’t everything, and that hooks matter.
No one should be equating their self worth on their stats or college entrance for that matter. That still doesn’t mean that there isn’t merit to use them.
@momofboiler1 the very vast majority of college students do NOT have “hooks”. But they all have stats.
Stats and financial needs are very useful at letting applicants know what their reaches, matches, and safeties are. I would not abolish them, but I also never tell people not to apply to X. I just think they should know their odds.
I know one student who was sure he was a shoo in for U Miami and bragged about it. When I asked his stats he was in their bottom 25%. I suggested he apply to other places - just in case. He didn’t make it in. Had he only applied there he’d have been more unhappy than he was. There are plenty of eager students just like him. A few will make it into their dream school against the odds, many do not.
I think that stats are helpful, actually. As a senior who just went through the process, it was helpful trying to figure out which schools were targets, reaches, or safeties. They also give some context to who you were competing with, whether you got in or didn’t. However, I do think the “chance me for xxxxx” posts are very counterproductive, leading to people giving advice when they probably shouldn’t. Especially since most schools people want to be chanced for are top 20s that are reaches for all.
Agreed, but I would bet the 2.89 GPA that was accepted to Dartmouth that the OP referenced had a serious hook.
Or lied.
I think they were a Veteran. however, yes, if they did lie then that is part of the problem with stats anyways.
Stats are critical to helping students create college lists and determining chances of getting scholarships. People might lie, or exaggerate, but most of the time, when they do so, they are caught out by their lies. I would go as far as to say that if people didn’t post stats, depending on their questions, there’s not much point in being on CC.
I would disagree, CC is incredibly important for finding solutions to admissions issues and generally connecting with others across the world. It is a solution to an admissions cycle that usually yield little to no information.
If people lie on here about their stats making themselves look better, they will still know their real scores when they contemplate schools suggested. If they don’t get better suggestions to fit them, that’s their fault.
If I may ask, what are your stats ?
So…is this what you would suggest for chances threads?
“Please chance me on Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UMich, UVA and Syracuse. I’m not including my stats because I don’t think those are necessary. Here is the list of my ECs”.
Can’t imagine how anyone would provide info.
I see you have applied as a transfer to Princeton and started a thread for others doing the same…and requested that no stats be provided. That’s a little different because it’s only one college where everyone’s stats are likely excellent. But at the end, wouldn’t it be helpful to future transfer applicants to know the stats and other info about who got accepted…or not?
ETA…no one is forced to post their stats on this forum. That’s an option they can choose…or not.
My stats are irrelevant, I know how to base a transfer decision on what I can offer the admissions committee in terms of a competitive applicant through my voice.
You’re applying to several T10 schools as a transfer; perhaps your anxiety is kicking in a bit when you read your competition’s stats? Hiding from and avoiding other’s accomplishments won’t improve your’s and won’t help you in the long run. Yes, admissions to these schools has a holistic component, which aside from ECs can include things like SES, underrepresented state or county residency, URM or hooks like a coveted athletic ability or large familial donations. Those things are out of most applicant’s control; they either fit in that category or not, but stats are something most can focus on and improve. Knowing other’s accomplishments does not diminish your’s; it’s just one more piece of information in the puzzle.