<p>Looking at your own results, classmates, friends, children, or anyone who has been through this process, how well do you think students are able to predict where they'll be accepted and where they won't? do they tend to overestimate themselves, underestimate themselves, or have a pretty accurate view of where they can get in?</p>
<p>At the vast majority of schools, admissions are numbers based, so everyone can predict their chances very well.</p>
<p>At the very top schools, students don’t have very reliable predictions, but neither does anyone else.</p>
<p>I’d say top students tend to overestimate their chances of getting into top schools and underestimate how hyper-selective and random hyper-selective schools are in the admissions process (blame holistic evaluation), which makes for a deadly combination. But as amarkov stated, most “regular” schools don’t employ holistic review which makes it easier for most students to gauge their likelihood of being accepted based on their GPA and test scores.</p>
<p>More and more schools are including holistic in their reviews, including plenty of “regular” colleges. I find most kids don’t know much about the schools they will apply to, beyond superficials- so, of course, they don’t get what those adcoms will look for.</p>
<p>^ Lookingforward, can you give some examples of “regular” colleges using holistic admissions?
Thanks</p>
<p>I don’t want to seem to judge schools, but meant more than “hyper-selective” or LACs The Common App folks claim all their members “share a commitment to the mission of promoting access through holistic admission.” </p>
<p>Just a few that surprsied me: Oregon State, UI, UMaine Farmington.</p>
<p>Interesting. It seems like the “most competitive” school in each state is moving that way.</p>
<p>Probably as well as we can guess at how well they guess.</p>
<p>fairly well with some surprises</p>