<p>Does it bug you when others feel good about themselves? Yes, some people who claim to have amazing an essay may be giving their work more credit than it really deserves, but you have to understand that they do so on a CHANCES THREAD. Labeling their essays as dull or stupid will fail to garner positive predictions, and so many people feel compelled to embellish.</p>
<p>Now there may be egomaniacs out there that are in complete denial of any possible blunders in their essay, but to create a thread dedicated solely to expressing your disgust at individuals who take pride in their own work is just rude. </p>
<p>For the most part, these application essays are PERSONAL essays , so it is only reasonable for writers to have personal opinions, opinions that may or may not be synonymous with what the adcom might think of their writing. An essay that can leave one sensitive adcom in tears can also be labeled as a pathetic sob-story by another. So really, many people don't have a clue how good their essays are, and with the application season coming to an end, they could only wish for the best. Don't hate.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your imput. I also agree that the r word was not used well. (talha_adnan, are you a teenager?) Most teens don't see how hurtful these words are usually and just joke around, say "bad" words, and more.</p>
<p>Pride is one thing. Arrogance another. My point was only that chance me threads are not relative in a very general way. And anyone making comment that the subjective parts of their applications are amazing (recs and essays), is not exactly being objective, and certainly not confident. </p>
<p>The use of the word "gay" as in.. "this is gay" for something that is banal or stupid.. is offensive. It's used with such regularity that it has lost all meaning for it's original definition or subsequent one (happy, joyful to homosexual). While I would never use the word rape in the context that the poster did, but the intention was not completely irrelevant to the word's official definition.</p>
<p>One really can't be objective about one's own writing. Great writers often think their work is crap, poor writers think every word is a pearl. Like the apt American Idol analogy, we tend to be amazed when someone can be so <em>off</em> in their self-perception. I'm a mom, so maybe that's why I am more amused than annoyed to read about all the "amazing" essays reported here, just as I'm skeptical of all the "horrible" essays reported in the stats of accepted students to the most selective schools. I guess I prefer self-confidence to self-ridicule or faux modesty. ;)</p>
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You post your stats, and then people come and literally, rape you!
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<p>Understanding of "literally" FAIL.</p>
<p>Getting back to the original question, yes, I immediately become skeptical when someone posts how their essay was "brilliant," "excellent," "perfect." Especially if it's a "How did I get rejected when my app was SO AWESOME" post.</p>
<p>Another thing that bugs me are the "writer snobs" who reassure people who have good sat writing scores, good application essays and suck at math that they are college worthy yet when someone has great math scores and worries about getting accepted because they are not good writers, they pronounce that maybe they aren't "ready" for college.</p>
<p>When i posted my chance thread (in both the chance forum and the college selection forum), i was only looking for opinions on whether the schools fit my preferences in terms of location and social life, and suggestions for other good-fit schools. I totally did NOT appreciate all the " Uni X: good match; Uni Y: reach" kinda comments. So very worthless. </p>
<p>A Yale alum i recently talked to specifically asked me not to waste my time asking others to "chance" me on forums like CC because there're a lot of HS kids looking to put me down and trample on my morale. Luckily for me, all the people who responded to my chance threads were nice, informative and encouraging.</p>
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<p>There's nothing wrong with being proud of your work, it's just funny (and, to certain extent, annoying) when some CC posters have such a deluded perception of their capabilities. Maybe its because they haven't read enough to know what a good essay looks like, and so we're here to tell them. I see a lot of people expressing their "outrage" and "disbelief" at their rejections because they thought they've written "out of this world essays", and most of the times these emotions are totally uncalled for. It's almost like watching an outed American Idol wannabe crying over his/her failed audition because "why didn't Simon get it that I have an amazing voice???". It's both hilarious, pitiful and pathetic. And then the mom popped in and proclaimed "she's an amazing singer and will have a successful career". Now THAT is just annoying, because unless you're deaf, you know what a good singer sounds like and you're just doing your kid a huge disservice. I'm not talking about the borderline cases, i'm talking the tortured cat, out of tune, totally off-pitch ones - like gazillions of them. But I'm digressing.</p>
<p>Btw, thanks everyone who likes my AI analogy! :D </p>
<p>Yes, it's all a matter of taste, but 90% of the time a badly written/cliched/boring essay is badly written/cliched/boring to everyone (except the moms and the best friends in most cases).</p>
<p>"When i posted my chance thread (in both the chance forum and the college selection forum), i was only looking for opinions on whether the schools fit my preferences in terms of location and social life, and suggestions for other good-fit schools. I totally did NOT appreciate all the " Uni X: good match; Uni Y: reach" kinda comments. So very worthless.
"</p>
<p>If that was the info you wanted, you shouldn't have posted in the chances forum, which really is for people to give each other chance of admission estimations.</p>
<p>^ oops.. i was new then :D I did ask if my safety was really a safety though - is it "kind of" relevant to the forum? Never mind, it doesn't matter now. My bad.</p>
<p>I think a lot of people on CC have personally seen how the college admissions process is a big time where people put each other down to get ahead.</p>
<p>Yep.. missed the literally.. and therefore.. it's inappropriate at best.</p>
<p>American Idol comparison is a good one. It does amaze me how some of those people actually think they can sing at all, let alone sing well. But... one could also say that at least they're trying and putting themselves out there (the whole missing 100% of the shots you never take). But there is a difference between putting yourself out there by applying and saying: "I am really an incredible applicant. Do you think I am good enough?" On the other hand, if you dont believe it about yourself, why should anyone else? My point: I always wonder who they are trying to convince.</p>
<p>Alright, my bad! Sorry... Should have thought about it before saying.</p>
<p>Anyway, if we had a poll here @ CC about the people who think chances is a waste of time and those who don't, I'm sure more people will say that its crap. IMO!</p>
<p>i bet 3/4 of the people in here have at some point said that their recs/ essays/ EC's are amazing in some CC thread
and the same number have asked people to chance them</p>
<p>What if your essays are awesome? Not to brag, but I HAVE learned to recognize good writing, and my mom's a professional writer, so she can too. I hate just about everything I write, but I really liked my college app essay, as did my professional-writer mom (who also hates just about everything I write). </p>
<p>Just trying to show there are ways to tell if you have good essays...</p>
<p>As the saying goes, 'one man's meat is another man's poison', an essay excellent to someone might be boring to another. This all depends on things like the mood of the reader and others.
Personally, I hate the chances thread, so anytime I see them, I don't even bother reading.</p>