<p>Any BTDT parents have advice on how accurate this website's college search function ends up being? In other words, when I input my child's scores and GPA it gives me a list of likely options. If I specify some of the colleges that D's guidance counselor suggested in our 1st meeting I come up with 33% for most of them and 100% for a couple that the counselor said would be a reach. Our small private school has a good track-record for a mixed group of students--a mix of brainiacs and run-of the mill kids. That being said, my D is a special case--recently diagnosed with ADHD and LD, which explains her lousy GPA (which is improving), test scores show potential (mid 600's) few EC's. I left the counseling session feeling hopeful with a list of schools that I'd actually heard of. When I input them here, it says "forget about it".</p>
<p>Looking back on it now, do you feel this website steered you in the right direction or is it off base?</p>
<p>I never tried using the CC search function as you describe. My sense is that it’s better with words than with numbers.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t use this forum as your sole, or even primary, source on statistical research. CC, especially the parent forums, is great for giving you ideas that you hadn’t thought of, topics for you to research, and feedback on your findings. No doubt there’s a lot of good info here, and many knowledgable people. There are also braggy HS kids, and kids who seem to delight in shooting down others’ dreams. Also, the kids here are disproportionately aiming for the tippy-top elite schools, and their stats are hardly representative of college-bound students in general. And remember, this is a public forum, where anyone can post anything; there are no editors doing fact-checking. The colleges themselves and other reliable databases are a better bet for getting the straight statistical scoop.</p>
<p>There’s a site called naviance, I believe, which can give you all kinds of useful stats. I never used that either, but there are some folks here who really know how to work it. If none of them responds in this thread, you might start another one titled “How do I use naviance?”</p>
<p>My daughter’s school is tied into Naviance. We looked at it together last week. I have to say, it looks remarkably the CC search function here and I was wondering if they were affiliated. I haven’t run the GC’s suggestions through Nav. yet. And I realize that what CC calls a 100% rating for our stats is tempered by by my counselor’s background info that a college would only admit us if were a boy. I might be just second-guessing the counselor–but it seemed like the lists offered up by the CC search were really sobering.</p>
<p>Yes, they are related. I was shocked to learn that one of my comments here on cc was posted on Naviance. I haven’t used that search function, either. There is a separate area on this web site with good info. It’s under “Learning Differences” on the main page.</p>