<p>Do you fellow CCers think there is a possiblity some people are saying that people 'have no chance' or that the schools they list are a reach b/c they are trying to discourage others from applying and therefore decreasing the competition? If you do think this is happening, to what extent do you think it is?</p>
<p>ppl like you would think that. Nobody listens to "chances" advice here anyways, and if you do, your pretty stupid.</p>
<p>I think it occures from time to time....just look at Canuckeh and Gamingurux. Do a search. It's a bit disturbing, if I do say so myself.</p>
<p>I believe that some of the people on CC would do anything to get an acceptance letter, if it meant not getting caught. Most posters, however, are just eager to help or give advice. Just double check with other sources and you'll be fine.</p>
<p>Just my opinion. Hope this answers your questions.:)</p>
<p>There's also a fine line between discouraging someone from applying to all reaches and encouraging them to apply to more matches and safeties. Someone brought up an example of Harvard and trumpet players, I think, where someone with very little chance got in because he was a first chair trumpet player. This type of thing does happen, and if you don't apply you have 0% chance of being accepted. The danger is where you have someone applying to 10 uber-reaches and some safety they think they will never attend. This happened to a friend's daughter - she wound up at the safety - eventually enjoyed it - and is now at a top-twenty med school. But, the drive up the undergraduate college was pretty dreadful (both the mom and daughter have told me about it), and the first couple of months weren't so hot, either. Still, it would have been worse if there had been no safety.</p>
<p>Yes, I never really discourage people or tell them that they have no chance, I just tell them that they need a better choice of schools.</p>
<p>I'm consider myself harsh on the chances threads, not because I enjoy disappointing people or being cruel, but because I can offer reasonable advice and expectations. </p>
<p>I think far too many CC'ers are overly generous with their predictions, especially when they tell people they have a 90% chance at HYP. Look at this recent posting as an example:</p>
<p>People like me beramod? What do you mean by that? (Man, I must say..most people on these forums are nice but some are d***s. I guess civility isn't related to intelligence)
I was just wondering if it occured at all...I didn't even say it was occuring.</p>