<p>Chances threads have always been a puzzle to me because the assessments are offered by posters with no knowledge of the inner workings of the admissions committees. A much bigger concern, however, is the amount of information that students reveal in the threads. Here is a recent example I came across while browsing through one college's forum: The student began with her GPA and SAT scores. She then listed groups she had started. So far so good. This was followed up with details of her upbringing and her parents health issues. The student even noted the metropolitan area where she lived. At this point I was thinking that way too much information had been provided. Taking it as a challenge, I decided to see how much additional information I could uncover. Using two common search engines, I soon had the students name, birthday, high school, and town. With a bit more poking around, I believe I found the parents names and address. If students insist on starting such threads, they should at least obscure the details. They do not need to name the sport, the musical instrument, or the organization founded. Save those details for the application. They also should not employ the same username in different venues. Perhaps the most obvious advice is to assume that everyone knows who you are when you start a chances thread.</p>
<p>I’ve actually met a few members here. Found out that I knew them from information they posted about themselves.</p>
<p>I give out a lot of information about myself, but I don’t think it’s enough that anyone could identify me without knowing me in person.</p>
<p>I started a similar thread here a while back asking folks to note what they posted. In addition to the chances threads, many posters post additional information on other threads within this forum. It doesn’t take a lot of time or creativity to connect the dots on some of this information. Agreed with the OP…if one is interested in doing so, it is sometimes very easy to figure out a student’s name, parents’ names, etc from info posted on this forum.</p>
<p>Just a warning…be careful what you post.</p>
<p>It’s true. I’ve recognized another kid from my kids’ school, and the post contained information that may not be common knowledge in the school (it happened to be all good info in this case, but still).</p>
<p>I agree about the TMI. I’m not a big fan of chance threads anyway. It’s easy enough to check online or in look in college guides to find the stats and after that (EC’s, essays,recommendations etc.) how can anyone tell anyway? Because the admission committees are the only ones who see all of the applications and are building a class, who else can say?</p>
<p>I agree completely about the TMI. Some parents have posted SO much detailed info, I’ve easily identified several people without doing any search at all. </p>
<p>If you want to give lots of detail, please don’t include your metro area. People think that a top 10 city provides them privacy, but, really, after the first two, possibly three cities, they’re all small towns. Plus there are that many more people from your area on CC. Something like Mid-Atlantic or Pacific Northwest is more appropriate. Dallas has only so many kids at the top of the heap, getting this award, that honor, etc.</p>
<p>The problem extends beyond the chances threads. There have been several recent posts by students with serious issues – e.g. plagiarism, expulsions, etc. I expect that some of these posts may be fictional, but for those that are not the information provided can easily point to the identity of the poster. The posts reveal information that can in fact compromise their appeal, or even possible legal situation. This is naive at best, or (in cases where the poster is using CC as an advocacy pulpit) it compromises the forum.</p>
<p>I’ve identified quite a few individuals from their posts here and I’m sure I could be easily identified as well if someone really wanted to know who I was. So what?</p>
<p>Why does it matter that I can deduce that “trollerkid123” is actually Sally Smith from the local HS or Billy Baker from Phillips Exeter or, for that matter, that someone else could deduce that my daughter is Vickie Valedictorian from Podunk HS in Anytown, USA?</p>
<p>Do we really need to safeguard our anonymity?</p>
<p>sherpa, I can live with students divulging stats. In fact, my original post said “So far so good” after noting that the student had listed GPA and SAT scores along with groups she had started. The problem comes with giving out details about family life and parental health issues. The student indicated that one parent had been treated for serious mental illness while the other had health issues that might require going on long-term disability. That is information that a parent would not want publicized. A more important point, though, is that the post paints a picture of a vulnerable individual, one who could become a target. Some posters on CC advised the student to talk to a counselor, and she says she has done so, but that could have been accomplished without the loss of privacy for her and her parents.</p>
<p>I think that chances threads are stupid, and due to their lack of critical thinking skills, the students who post them have less chances than normal of getting into the very top schools.</p>
<p>I also ended up interviewing a student who had posted a chances thread. He’d posted enough info here – including mentioning is ethnicity and our small college city-- that I knew who he was when I met him. He didn’t get in. His lack of critical thinking skills also was apparent during the interview.</p>
<p>I met a college admissions officer from one University and they actually ■■■■■ this board, specifically their college. They said some of these kids don’t realize that and it can put them in jeopardy. For example, one kid asked about smoking pot in the dorm, they got nailed immediately upon arrival. </p>
<p>It really also depends upon the size of the university. Giving a ton of detail can hurt the applicant for Bard, but not as much for UMich, since the pool size is vastly different.</p>
<p>I understand the chance me thread, and support it because we need to remember it is a stressful time, and all they are really looking for is some support. It only annoys me when they say “chance me” and you know that it is passed the word “reach”. I get annoyed because they can view through other chance me threads what is the avg, and to take that time to post makes me always believe they are ■■■■■■ or at best someone who really is ignorant, which explains their stats.</p>
<p>There is a difference of being on the cusp, and trying to see if others with your stats have historically been accepted and asking because you are bored.</p>
<p>I wish the “What Are My Chances” forum could be renamed “Help Me Build My List.” If you put it that way, you can actually get some helpful advice.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure you could deduce who I am if you went through all my threads here. I don’t have this screenname elsewhere however.</p>
<p>At least once when the chance thread itself included what seemed to me like way too much info, I notified the monitors and they edited the post.</p>
<p>I think the chances forum should be removed totally. Kids will get better advice if they ask chance me on the particular college forum than in the “what are my chances”. It is too generic and that is where the problem lies.</p>
<p>If the chances forum were removed, the many students who want chances would just put their chances posts on other boards, which would make it more difficult for folks like me, who hate chances posts – to avoid them.</p>
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I don’t know…I think too many of these kids have too much focus on one “dream” school in the first place. At least if they are looking for generic advice, you can tell them to add a couple of reaches, or make sure the safeties are really safe, etc.</p>
<p>I can see that, but many of them re-post their stats on the particular college thread. I do see it being good for less popular college sites, but on a whole if a student is applying for a particular school they get better advice from them than on the generic thread.</p>
<p>I highly doubt that many people have experience with every college when the thread is so generic, yet many do put in their 0.0198453 cents in, which can hurt the student more than it helps.</p>
<p>My thing that I have noticed on the chance threads more than anything else, is the size of the list. I recall one student had 19 colleges, and all I could say to them is how can you complete all of them, and at $50-75 a pop to submit the application, isn’t it ridiculous to ask your parents to pay 1K+ for this? </p>
<p>It has gotten out of hand how many schools the avg kid applies to now. Just recently I read that avg student applies to 11 universities. I think that is insane! My kids know the rule, 2 safeties, 3 matches, 2 reaches. The fact is if you picked the matches correctly you are throwing money away for the safeties. I don’t mind throwing money for the reaches, but I also don’t believe in throwing away money just for the sake of it…</p>
<p>Then again, our kids are unique because they made their decisions on where to apply to without ever seeing the campus. They never asked us to take them and visit colleges, even though we offered multiple times. The way they viewed it was the campus tours are dog and pony shows. They felt that they had a truer picture from the facebook groups than walking around campus with 30 other people. Kids are brutally honest about what is good and what is bad. A classroom inside looks the same at UVA as it does at VaTech or UNCCH. </p>
<p>The one thing I will say is that every campus is different and a good reason to do a visit, but in the end of the day, that is more of a feeling. For example, DS loves UMDCP, he loves the Federal style buildings, ACC, the city feel and the proximity to DC. All of that he could also see online. DD had the opposite feeling for her 2 top choices. Both are very similar, JMU and VaTech, small town, stone buildings, rolling hills and the ACC means very little to her.</p>
<p>Additionally, they placed more emphasis on the program at each school, than the actual school itself. I also believe many kids don’t know what they want to major in so they cast a wide net and are just looking first to being accepted, second for their intended major.</p>
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This has been hashed out ad infinitum on other threads, but I don’t think this rule of thumb works well for students who are aiming for highly selective schools like the Ivies, top LACs, and similar schools. For them, two reaches may not be enough.</p>
<p>^Agreed. I also think you need more apps when FA is a big concern.</p>
<p>I agree with the OP that some posters give out far too much info.</p>
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<p>LOL. Not surprised by this, but who would want their kid going to such a school in the first place?</p>