<p>Has anyone examined the company that sponsors this Board? IGAP stands for Ivy Guaranteed Admission:</p>
<p>Senior $4,000 </p>
<p>Junior/Senior $5,000 </p>
<p>Transfer $3,000 </p>
<p>HYP $10,000 </p>
<p>IGAP $15,000 </p>
<p>Theater/Musical
Theater $4,500 </p>
<p>Have you noticed that they request that you post your SAT, GPA and your 'hook' to get in. Someone suggested in one of the boards that financial would be more helpful ... wellllll, maybe for the applicants but NOT FOR OUR SPONSORS.</p>
<p>They are combing these boards to improve the information they sell to those who are desperate and can afford to attempt to buy their way into an Ivy.</p>
<p>But I have what no one can buy ... the respect of my teachers and a true and genuine passion for learning.</p>
<p>I am NOT posting my scores on these boards so that College Confidential can use me to allow someone to buy their way into and Ivy for $15,000.oo.</p>
<p>I challenge everyone on this Board who paid a professional company/counsellor to advise them to share their experience.</p>
<p>If no one responds I assume they are embarrased and ashamed they had to resort to this low level of despeartaion.</p>
<p>Obviously, some people posting on this Board used College Confidential. I would look to the early posters and those with the most posts. Those who were sitting on the board when the numbers came out. I just found the Board and while it has merit there is no doubt ....... it's true purpose is to gather information to sell to those who are having their essays written for them, their reading material selected by their counselors, and taking SAT prep courses year after year after year.</p>
<p>I know what made the difference for me. My recs from my teachers and counselors. No one can buy a real passion for learning and respect.</p>
<p>See you at Columbia. I am thrilled and I earned it on my own.</p>
<p>" I've just found this board a while ago" wow soemone's quick to jump to conclusions. this board like any other message board is a community serving people with common interest. </p>
<p>when I first discovered this board last year (in august i believe) I doubted credentials of the people and the company. as any good online user should.But after following posters such as "silver_waves" and others on the high school board, if became obvious that these are real live people. more alive than someone with 8 posts that were all out to bash company/people.</p>
<p>just because you have gotten the acceptance by yourself, don't go dimishing others' with your little "2-day suspicion"</p>
<p>Uh, I don't know what's going on between lynda and Columbia 2010, but I do have to say this: If someone used a private counselor then I think it's fine as long as the application was still the candidate's voice. I know that I personally would have liked someone to answer all my questions when I was going throught my process. But I'm not saying Columbia2010 is completely wrong because there are companies out there that just send in an app that is packaged and I think most admission's officers know that it has been handled by a professional.</p>
<p>So with that in mind, Columbia 2010, I wouldn't be angry about people using counselors because I'll bet that most admission offices will be able to tell. So everone that got in to Columbia deserves to be in Columbia. Have fun your four years there. I know I will.</p>
<p>(Not a Columbia '10er, but I feel compelled to reply as well.)</p>
<p>Firstly, "they" don't request us to post our SAT, GPA, and hooks -- we do. Just ordinary CC students -- whoever among us happens to be anxious and ambitious enough to start the "Official SomeCollege C/O 2010 Results" thread. Moreover, you can't buy an SAT score. I personally have never taken an SAT prep course, either, but from what I hear, my students don't benefit from them -- only the self-motivated ones do. Some people just go to socialize with friends.</p>
<p>It's even harder to buy a GPA, especially when you consider that there are three of more years of classes involved. And hooks? I don't even think $15,000 could do it. </p>
<p>You know... there's a stereotype about Columbia students' pretentiousness. I don't believe it, and don't want to believe it (especially since I'll be attending a university that has been long accused of the same) but you're doing a good job of perpetuating it.</p>
<p>And by the way, Lynda, I never got to congratulate you! <em>high fives</em> All right! Go women engineers! W00T!!! (I'll be in ChemE at Princeton!)</p>
<p>I agree with yupsuper, there's nothing wrong with hiring a private college councelor as long as the application is still being done by the applicant. some students can benefit from havning a private councelor, especially those from public schools where their own councelor either pushes heavily for state schools or know nothing about application to other schools. also a paid councelor will be more careful when commenting (commenting.. not wrtting) on essay or making college suggestions. note that I never received any help from a private councelor nor can I afford to.</p>
<p>ps. thanks Frozen-tears, and congratz on princeton! have fun there next year (chem is one of my fav subject too).</p>
<p>Private schools often have books where seniors can check who got in where from previous classes and what their stats were. But many others don't have access to that info, CC can be a useful guide for those people. Nobody forces anyone to reveal info or pay for college counseling. And why are so many parents willing to pay for private schools--often amounts to about the same thing. Caveat Emptor.</p>
<p>frozen-tears: congrats on princeton and good luck</p>
<p>however, the truth of the matter is, i, like lynda, wouldnt be able afford a private counselor or take an SAT course for that matter. even though i didnt have someone personally check my whole application, i really dont see a problem with it. i had and still have the confidence (not pretentiousness) in myself to do my own application, and really dont mind if someone else had a professional "edit" their application. i guess all i really want to say is that if i hadnt gotten rejected by columbia, i wouldnt be upset at someone who had been accepted that had a private counselor. sorry if you misunderstood what i was trying to say.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
i guess all i really want to say is that if i hadnt gotten rejected by columbia, i wouldnt be upset at someone who had been accepted that had a private counselor. sorry if you misunderstood what i was trying to say.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>I think you mean
[QUOTE]
... if I had gotton rejected by Columbia, I wouldn't...
<p>what would be wrong with using a college admissions expert, even the college confidential team. </p>
<p>Columbia 2010: Where did you learn this "top secret" info about the message boards being monitored all day to look at our stats, and then advise students about college admissions. Did the space men tell you?? You are being paranoid, and it doesn't matter what stats students post, it will in no way affect them or their college chances...</p>