<p>And this is why this thread exists. I think that you are right:</p>
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<p>It is this, more than any other factor, that causes so many “chances” threads to be useless, because there is so much false trashing of exceptional candidates (“What, you only have 3 patents, you don’t stand a chance”) or on the other side giving false reassurances (“Don’t worry about your combined total of 600 on the SAT’s, admissions is much more about getting to know the real you”). The ■■■■■■ do live under the bridge, and they eat you.</p>
<p>The threads usually fail at their only legitimate objective.</p>
<p>^^ The above is very funny, and very sadly true also. Exceptional candidates get “You’ve got as good a chance as any, but your qualifications aren’t really anything special,” and ones with a weakness get “Your application will be viewed holistically!”</p>
<p>But if I may say so, I think while the chancing threads are often pathetic, they do reflect how nobody knows what’s going to happen very much anymore, well except for the ones making decisions. When I see how different the case is with graduate admissions, I can only guess that if matching an applicant with a very specific aim isn’t the objective, it’s only fitting that the chance threads remain as they do.</p>