<p>^The class of '08 is one of the largest in several years, with a "bumper crop" of applying students. I don't know the exact numbers, but it's somwhere in the hundred millions I believe.</p>
<p>CC scared the crap out of me the first few times I came on here. I've always considered myself as one of the brightest in my class (rightfully so, since I'm in the Top 40 students of a class of 840 or so), and then I come on here and basically got the answer equivalent of "start looking for City Colleges". </p>
<p>Then I realized: I don't want to go to an Ivy League. It bothers me that this board is so Ivy-obsessed. I think Ivies get all too much credit. There are, in fact, majors and fields where being from an Ivy can HURT you (<em>GASP</em>). </p>
<p>To the students who are like me (1670 SAT, 3.7 GPA, 28 ACT): Chin up! Ivy League is NOT the only choice, and you'll find a school (Like I've hopefully found with my 1st choice) where you'll thrive and enjoy living for the next 4+ years.</p>
<p>As to whether it's easier to get admitted ED than RD, I read an interesting series of posts on Williams' Ephblog. Breaking it down, it's true the admissions rate percentage is higher ED, and the students accepted in that round had slightly lower SAT scores than students accepted in the RD round. However, when looking at the stats for matriculating students, the SATs were virtually the same in both groups. That means more extremely high-scorers were admitted in RD, but were probably also admitted to HPYSM and opted to enroll there. Not making a point with this really, just found it interesting. I think the admissions committee knows exactly what they're doing and the get a class between RD and ED the blends together very well.</p>
<p>What blows my mind is how many of the same people go from relief once they get into undergrad X, to anxiety about getting into grad Y. There's no end to it with many people.</p>
<p>These are, I suspect, the same people who will be stressing about the rank of their child's kindergarten.</p>
<p>I can understand some of the "chances threads," since I've found myself at various times wondering if I have any chance whatsoever against some of the amazing students on CC. A majority of them, I also believe, are meant to stroke their egos, but there are a few that I think sincerely want to know if they should not even get their hopes up high. </p>
<p>UCLAri's comment about the kindergartens' ranks brings another point into the discussion, that of the overemphasized regard for each respective school's rank. It's insane how everything is ranked, from class rank, to SAT percentiles, to USNEWS, and other publication's ranking of universities. I, for one, am sick of all the rankings. I'm sure there are plenty of "regular" students who go on to live happier lives for not worrying about them, and isn't happiness what it's all about?</p>
<p>"I find it hard to believe that the top intellectual institutions of our country are eager to fill their freshman classes with the "OMG, I am such a DREADFUL student with my 2350 SAT and 5.9 GPA" freaks...but if they are, I'm very happy to have my kids go elsewhere."</p>
<p>"These kids are geeks. I'd like to see how they'd react if you put them on a football field. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, that's what makes the world go round."</p>
<p>people need to stop stereotyping. Not everyone who gets good grades/scores is a "freak" has no athletic talent whatsoever. according to that chart posted earlier i'm in the 99th percentile SAT-wise, and i played on a state quarter final football team in a very competetive football state (ohio) and my brother, (who academically is just about equal to me though he is a junior so hasn't taken his SATs,) was one match from qualifying for the state wrestling tournament as a SOPHOMORE.
so please. we're not all puny, nerdy stereotypes with no social skills who spent every waking minute studying, then worrying about grades, then studying some more.</p>
<p>i agree with redluke. if you look on the what are my chances threads, then you will truly see that every other person posting is "captain of their varsity tennis team for 4 years," "nationally ranked," or something crazy like that.</p>
<p>"These kids are geeks. I'd like to see how they'd react if you put them on a football field. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, that's what makes the world go round.""</p>
<p>Harvard has more NCAA Division 1 teams than does any other college in the country.</p>
<p>The students who have to spend every moment studying to earn top grades are not the ones that the very top colleges accept. The top colleges accept the students who have the grades and also have a life-- which includes ECs, sports, a job or other activities at a high and very involved level.</p>
<p>A high SAT or GPA doesn't necessarily mean they're the best and brightest. The valedictorian for my class is an idiot in all aspects of life unless it involves studying until 3 in the morning.</p>
<p>Haha, I kinda felt sad when all these people posting their scores with 2000+ and asking people to chance them. I mean, I rarely seen a 1600 scorer ask someone to chance them( even though I seen it once) :P</p>
<p>The reason I chose to put up a chances thread was because I was unsure if my list was balanced enough (not enough matches or safeties). I had a solid GPA and SAT but I needed to know, judged (yes, judged, from a flawed and biased perspective, but a second opinion nevertheless) by another human being, how realistic my chances were. I had what I considered a balanced list when I realized I didn't want to go to most of the schools I'd likely be admitted to - and I narrowed that down to one true likely. It doesn't matter that I fall within the median ranges for scores for certain places because the process is truly unpredictable, and also consider while only 1500 in the entire US will score over 2300 (roughly quoted, and understanding these stats are from single sittings), at the same time, there are only so many top schools in the country, and only so many spaces in their respective freshmen classes. I'm not obsessed with a certain school or athletic conference, but I'd like to be at a place with excellent, top-of-the-line, best-in-the-country facilities, resources, alumni network, and with other students with demonstrated skill and talent. It bears repeating that no, the average CCer does not have the US's average scores, but most of us are not applying to "average" schools but those that are very selective. When you're looking at a 5% acceptance rate RD or 9% acceptance rate overall, it doesn't matter if you cured cancer with a 2400 and 5.0 GPA, which was achieved from independently studying outside your school which had its own limited resources and you therefore convinced some wealthy company to contribute to your school blah blah I'm sure you get the point. I, for one, was not looking for recognition or ego-stoking, but an honest perspective. After carefully considering what my family, friends, and college counselor have told me, whatever college admissions research I've read, and the responses I've received on this board, I whittled my 14 college list down to 9, which I'm very satisfied with. </p>
<p>My conclusion: for some people, chances threads can provide valuable insight.</p>
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I think what angers me most is how many students here seem to tell people they have "No chance" at a certain school when that student falls into the middle 50% of that school's acceptance. That just makes no sense...
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<p>That's because people below the 50% percentile are recruited athletes or legacies. An applicant in the 50% percentile doesn't have that good of a chance compared to the better ones.</p>
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Ivies aren't the only schools many kids here aim for. I see a lot of chance threads made by people looking at LACs, public state schools, second tiers, UK schools, rural schools, commuter schools, and so on. Another benefit of chances threads is that if you are interested in X school, you get to see what kinds of other applicants are applying to X school and how you stack up to them.
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<p>As an international student, if I were to apply to a second-tier college in the US, then I would have applied back in my home country. Sorry about that comment, but that's my belief.</p>
<p>Actually I must comment tat we all know that there are so many outstanding schools out there, ones that even the most driven students could be happy in. I do think a big part of the problem is our materialism as a society and ututer obsession with anything "name brand" whether its a college, car or clothing.Parents particularly in the upper echelons of society love nothing more than to brag at the next Christmas party where Jr is going or can't wait to post that ivy sticker on the back of their car for all to see and let everyone know "that they have arrived".</p>
<p>My point is that its really not the students fault as I think about it but the culture and often the environment/family setting which shapes the mind in obsessing about such things. Frankly I think its a shame. I know of one boy in my sons class who has now gone to live with his grandmother because he and his parents could not agree on which schools he was applying to. He only wanted Cal Tech and his father refused to consider it, he only wanted Northeast Ivies...........sad.</p>