I have gotten wiser.....

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>I was just like all of you, and asked what my chances were for countless occasions. I gave my stats, my ECs, and asked if I would get in to these colleges that I listed. Whenever someone said that I did not have a good chance, I felt sad and thought about just not applying to those colleges. </p>

<p>Ever since the ED results came out for many people, I realized something that many people had told me, but I had never listened, or thought much about it.
Nobody on this board is qualified to give decisions to unknowing people. Most of the people on this board are students or parents, and while they might have been through the college process before, they do NOT know if you have a chance at a certain college or not. </p>

<p>I have seen people with 1600s + 4.0s get rejected, and I have seen 1300s + 3.5s get accepted. It all depends on your essays and teacher recs if your SAT is in the 25th to 75th percentile of SAT scores for that particular college. Don't know if you are in that middle 50%? The princeton review website has information for about every college in the USA, and you can check stats for accepted people there. </p>

<p>All I am trying to say here is that don't get your hopes down or up if someone says you have a terrible or good shot at a college. It does not matter what they say. It all depends on you, and what you do. YOU want to get into college, and so YOU have to do everything. The person telling you your chances will not do anything for you, and is only giving his/her opinion of your chances, and this will do NOTHING for you. </p>

<p>This post will probably not have any impact on this board, but hey, at least I can try. I have learned and gotten wiser about asking chances. I hope you do too.</p>

<p>I will never again go to "What are my Chances" thread because I am not qualified to give any review or decision about ANYONE. </p>

<p>Good luck to all of you, and I hope you all make it into the college of your choice.</p>

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<p>neelesh, I couldn't agree more that a lot of uneducated guesses are made here. However, I have to say, I found in analyzing the ED decisions that there were few surprises. High achieving URMs, athletes, and kids with national level stellar talents seem to be the ones who did not have to be in the top 25% stats wise. Playing the piano for 10 years and playing at Carnegie Hall, math olympiad, athletes that weren't at least State level stars and president of senior class were not the hooks many thought they would be. So many kids were certain that SATs were not so important, the schools take a holistic approach, but that didn't seem to pan out. My only real surprise was the lack of edge legacies had at many schools--legacies with impressive stats rejected over and over at ivies.</p>

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<p>I'm just here to look at other ppl's stats. I really never give honest chances here because I know it's worth a c r a p.</p>

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<p>I agree with you, neelesh. I know this girl who gets C's (and she never took all honors or AP levels), and she got into the University of Pennsylvania. The fact that she is a very good athlete probably influenced the admission committee's decision to accept her. This instance just goes to show that you never know what colleges are looking for. Sometimes they want the all-state musician, the soccer team captain, or even the guy who trains snakes. Of course, good grades and SAT scores help, but they don't ensure your chances of getting in. </p>

<p>Obviously, no one on this message board can tell you whether or not you've gotten in. However, I think it's kind of interesting to see what other people think and then find out whether they were right/wrong about you when the actual acceptance letters arrive.</p>

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<p>Thank you for your responses!</p>

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<p>Bravo Neelesh! I'm glad you have come to the realization that it doesn't matter what anyone on this board says about your chances! With that outlook, you'll be just fine...</p>

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<p>I'm glad you made that choice for yourself. Many people that post on the forums don't know very much about the admissions process, it's true. However, not everyone here is entirely unqualified to give opinions on your chances. For example, many students have taken the time to read books such as A is for Admission and What it Really Takes to get into the Ivy League. Other students have gotten assistance from renowned private college consultants who may have a wealth of experience to share.</p>

<p>And I agree with everything kirmum said. Stats do really open the door for most normal applicants. While 30-50 points on the SAT hopefully wouldn't make the difference between acceptance and rejection (after all, this could be a mere 3 question difference), un-hooked applicants that have a number of statistical factors that aren't quite top notch for the school aren't going to be read so symphatetically.</p>

<p>Joey</p>

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<p>neeeeeeeeeelesh... you are aweomse. it is most definently true. also- i have a feeling that a good number of people embellish their stats on cc. </p>

<p>out of curiosity: youre someone who went thru this process already right? as a junior who has never asked "can i get in," i was wondering: how were they at predicting you? same to all.</p>

<p>and good call on this thread</p>

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<p>collegeboard.com.....it tells you EVERYTHING. All this forum does is spit back out what that website will give you. SAT ranges, % acceptance, fin aid info.... GO TO IT!</p>

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<p>B r a v o !</p>

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<p>well this is forum is surviving because of that. Anyway check the college confidential cafe, its cool.</p>

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<p>Neelesh, I agree with you. When I evaluate someone's stats, I always base my decisions on their numbers, and I state specifically that. When I say that a school is a reach, 50/50, or foundation, I always state that my decision is on STATS ALONE, and numbers can be misleading. There are so many factors in college admissions, and numbers are only a few. Colleges take into account the essay, teacher evaluation, counselor evaluation, minority status, athletetic ability, leadership, economic status, geographic location, alumni ties, talent, etc. Numbers only let you know if you fit the range of those accepted from the college's applicants' from the year before, and the level of competition you face. Numbers are impressive, however, they don't guarantee acceptance, and I state this in mostly all of my evaluations. I hope that the students know that.</p>

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<p>where did neelsh get into? harvard? stanford??? wat school?</p>

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<p>Thanks for all your responses.</p>

<p>I am currently going through the college process. I have recieved about 4 decisions from colleges and am currently waiting for about 8 more. (I am a senior in high school) </p>

<p>I will be able to tell you if their predictions were correct or not when I get all my decisions.</p>

<p>I am not that smart Newbyreborn. :-( I would never get in to Harvard or Stanford. The only Ivy league I am applying to is Brown University, and the rest of the schools are public, only because my parents cannot afford the grand prices of private schools. So instead of being in 100k debt because of my undergrad education, I decided that I will go a decent school for my undergrad (top 40) and to an Ivy for medical school. (Hopefully Yale-my dream school)</p>

<p>I agree with all of you about stats. Stats are good, but you need a hook to get into the elite colleges. You need to show that you are passionate about certain things, which means that there really is no point just being a member of 20 clubs. It is MUCH better to be President of your school, Tennis etc. and commit your time to those specific ECs. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, I do not have any hooks, and I have average stats for many of the elite colleges. The only thing I have going for me is that I am from Idaho, and not many people from Idaho aspire to go to elite colleges like the Ivies or top 30 best colleges. In fact, last year, only one Idahoan went to Upenn. </p>

<p>What I really want is to get into a bs/md program (Brown being my first choice) or if I don't get into any of those, I want to go to UNC-Chapel Hill.....Just to let you all know. :-)</p>

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<p>"The only thing I have going for me is that I am from Idaho"</p>

<p>Actually, one of the many things you have going for you is that you seem to be a thoughtful young person. I hope that you have interviewed wherever possible. </p>

<p>I think that one of the good things about the chances board - at least before all the applications are closed - is that if someone has selected all reaches he or she may be convinced to add a safety. Or if aiming too low, adding a match (this doesn't happen too often, LOL).</p>

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<p>Thanks ohio_mom!</p>

<p>Yes, it is helpful to make someone realize that they need to add safties or add matches/reaches.</p>

<p>That is pretty much the only thing that people can truly help on in this board. The rest of the "What are my chances" posts will not do a thing for anybody, because how do we know if a person will get in? We are not the adcomms, and even if we were, they all judge differently at every college.</p>

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<p>This website is a frequented by a small, and in some ways, almost cultlike group of people....with three thousand or more colleges in this country, the focus is on around 30 (if that many)....</p>

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<p>I hardly visit this forum anymore, because it's bleeding with desperation and insecurity. I've never posted my stats because I know no one except an admisison officer can tell me whether or not they're worth my matriculation--not the other way around. But every once and a while I swing by the Chances? forum to look at the applicants make the top 10 students at my school look like mongoloids.</p>

<p>Let me quote a letter from the Dean of Admissions at Stanford:</p>

<p>Like many of you, I am deeply concerned that the overwhelming stress burdening teenagers today are rising to an alarming level. You may find it odd for me to say this, as colleges like Stanford are often considered central to the problem. That's why my staff and I spend so much time talking about these issues, often discussing what it's really like to be a high school student now, and what we need to be aware of so as not to make things even worse.</p>

<p>One thing we are trying to do is dispel the myth that a curriculum loaded to the brim with Advanced Placement courses--with no regard to a student's happiness or personal interests--is a prerequisite for admission to Stanford. Such a course load is not required, nor is it always healthy.</p>

<p>Whenever we talk to students and parents, we encourage them to work with you to develop an appropriate course load. Of course we want students to challenge themselves, but we don't want them to hurt themselves physically or mentally along the way. We try to explain to families that the students who will thrive at Stanford are those who are genuinely excited about learning, not necessarily those who take every single AP or Honors or Accelerated class.</p>

<p>At Stanford, we don't want the high school years to be one long road of drudgery and stress, and we have structured our selection process accordingly. Although we could, for example, bring in a student body with even higher median test scores, we choose instead to value a set of qualities that sometimes shows up in high scores, and other times does not.</p>

<p>Similarly, we could bring in a set of students who have taken even more Advanced Placement classes. But we want to be clear that this is not a case of "whoever has the most APs wins." Instead, we look for thoughtful, eager and highly engaged students who will make a difference at Stanford and the world beyond, and we expect that they have taken high school course loads of reasonable and appropriate challenge.</p>

<p>--
Needless to say, more schools need to adopt this attitude.</p>

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<p>Unfortunateky, Stanford's average SAT is close to 1500 and everyone has an amazing hook, so while the statement is endearing, it rings hollow. The guy who says there are few surprises is right. If you do not have an amazing hook you need the 1500, the super ECs and the 4.0. Period. Oh yea, you need to be an amazing whole person as well.</p>

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<p>amen, bobby.</p>