I guess I just don’t see the point of not discussing something that’s a major component of admissions. Are there anomalies like the ones you listed above? Of course. Are they the rule? No. As long as they are used as a comparative metric for colleges, then finding some other comparative metric for use on CC won’t be very helpful.
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You are entitled to your opinion. Most others disagree with you.
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Did you say “Please chance me on Harvard, Yale, etc…”? as mentioned above?
LOL, no, check my history, I never said that. I don’t believe in the chance me thing
Thank you for asking,
I think the first thing about finding the right fit for a prospective student in college is their career goals and what type of person they are, are they a creative, operator, what type of personality do they have?
What are their interests outside of the classroom and what inspires them beyond grades. Grades come when someone is inspired and fully engaged in what they do. That is how we should help find the right fit for students. If there is a holistic approach to an admissions package, why cant there be a holistic approach in how we match to our schools.
Call me a hippie, but that is me.
The reality is that fit is a luxury for full pay applicants. Most families can’t afford a $75K COA/year price tag. The vast majority of posts eventually get around to needing aid, whether it be merit or need based. For better of worse, merit at many schools are based on stats.
Usually after that discussion, posters will ask about major, career aspirations, hands on vs theoretical programs, etc…
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I think stats matter. A lot. I’m not a fan of chance me threads but if they help students great.
I’m also pragmatic and recognize that even top 1% candidates are a long shot to some schools. That’s just the way it is.
This thread reminds me of the parents back in elementary and middle school who did Not want kids to receive grades. It worked for THEM until kids hit high school. Of course the strongest students left in droves, driven completely crazy by this approach. Yep, even little kids recognize that some kids are better students. And guess what? The little kids wanted that good star if they earned it. They wanted to know where they stood, they wanted grades and recognition and awards. They didn’t mind working for these accolades but they got really, really tired of those in control who wanted no grades and no difference.
Guess what else? Some of those kids discovered they weren’t A students and were shocked. Don’t know if they recovered.
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Okay, my bad. I guess my confusion is from another post.
Regardless, you appear to have put in several apps to tippy top colleges. While your motives for being on CC are unclear, if you don’t think stats matter, why create this post if not to start controversy? Just let people be here for whatever reasons they choose, rather than starting a post this way: “If there is one trend that should be abolished on CC, it is the posting of stats.” Posting stats is not a trend, by the way. People have posted stats since CC was first created, afaik.
Your problem still lies in the fact that stats are essential to what opportunities/access you have. These things you listed are used for everyone to figure out what they are going to pursue in both their academic and professional careers, and are still going to be heavily impacted by stats. I’ve seen many people on here list stats with what they are looking for in a college and they have received tons of helpful advice guiding them to explore and find schools they didn’t know about otherwise. None of these suggestions could happen without stats as they decided what schools are reasonable options for you.
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My motives on CC are to connect with other prospective students and see how the admissions process is going. Admissions counselors seem to be fairly busy right now and I feel as if it is easier to open a dialogue with other transfer hopefuls.
As long as they don’t mention their stats.
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Except there ARE current and former AOs, GCs, tutors, professors/instructors, university research directors, honors college directors, corporate officers, HR directors, coaches… You may not know who they are because they post as a parent, not in their official capacity 
Not every HS has money for college counselors; many GCs at public schools get 10-15 minutes per student per year. Not every HS has Naviance. CC offers some kids/parents access to people/information that may otherwise not be available to them. Many of the same kids need significant merit to even afford college, and a lot of merit is stat based; that’s why the merit posts are so popular. Not everyone can afford a “hippie” journey through college and life.
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Just don’t read posts/threads with stats then. Grades are the most important factor when AOs compare applicants, and there are past and current AOs on CC.
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What makes you think nobody here works in admissions?
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Well OP is certainly not going to like employee performance reviews either which btw must be signed and cannot be ignored.
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And you should use CC to that end. But to issue a blanket statement that stats should be abolished or aren’t useful is counterproductive. Some schools do use a holistic approach to admissions but many do not. From a practical standpoint stats are often just the first hurdle. Without something else unusual or exceptional a 3.0 student isn’t receiving an acceptance from a T10. When AOs are sifting through tens of thousands of applications they are going to use certain parameters. For example, Penn state received over 100,000 applications the first year they used the common app…holistic is a steep hill to climb.
I wish you luck with your applications. As you already know transfer applications are even more difficult to predict. And stats do play a role. Colleges often point that out on their websites.
Very fair and cogent point. I can totally see the efficacy in some discussions. My response is that there should be a counselors corner where there and only there are stats discussed and briefed on. We should discourage the Chance Me and provide an alternative.
If you comb through the archives of CC you’ll see stats are, for the most part, used in a self-aggrandizing fashion whereas I think we can be more productive.
I am NOT saying stats shouldn’t be considered on an application.
@austinmshauri Sorry, I should have said, “If admissions officers are here, there are not here in their official capacity representing their school.”
There are AOs on CC in an official capacity from UVA, MIT, UChicago, maybe some more that I don’t know of
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Or you could go and hang out in the student lounge forum and encourage no stats. Stats and tests are part of life.
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My kids need to chance merit if they want to go OOS, affordability is the #1 factor. Before even bothering yo send in an application, they need to see the chances of getting merit, and how much merit they might be offered. Stats determine merit scholarships.
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