My suggestion is to skip right over the “chance me” threads. IMO, I think most of them post their amazing stats in hopes others will reaffirm for the how wonderful they are. Honestly, I don’t think chance me threads should be allowed. Anyone can read the common data stats for each school they are interested and make their own determination. Nobody here can really add anything to that.
It’s VERY easy to be spectacular behind and anonymous keyboard.
Much less so in real life or on an actual application.
And the Chance Me threads make absolutely no sense. Anyone smart enough to apply to those particular institutions should be smart enough to determine his/her own odds of getting in. The fact that they’re asking for help is a concern. Either they’re not as smart as they claim, or they’re using the thread as a thinly disguised excuse to brag.
Nobody really buys them.
Exactly. Anyone smart enough to have the amazing stats found in most “chance me” posts is smart enough to read a Common Data Set. They just want the ego stroke.
People are very quick to assign “stupid” to what might in some cases be better described by “unaware.” How are they supposed to find out about Common Data Sets without being told?
Just like the argument about whether kids (KIDS!) who ask how to calculate their GPA are “too stupid to go to (insert school here).” They’re not.
And the people telling them they are happen to be the same people insisting you can convert percentage to GPA by dividing by four, which is hilariously hypocritical.
I just googled “What SAT scores do I need to get into Princeton?” and found the information. It wasn’t called “the Common Data Set” but the info was there.
@empireapple @maud_db I guess you guys raise a point, but I feel like a lot of the common datasets can be misleading with schools that have a sub-25% acceptance rate, since a majority of kids with scores in the upper 75%+ often get rejected 
@ConcernedRabbit Adcoms, especially at the topmost colleges, Will discount activities that are only available to the wealthy and privileged. For example,an applicant who lists that they travelled t India one summer to build hoses for the poor. Adcoms know that this is poverty tourism and are not impressed.
So tell them to Google it. Give them resources. Don’t tell them they’re too stupid for their major or say they’re annoying for asking the question.
Source: this pile-on – http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/2005765-what-are-the-top-electrical-engineering-schools-for-undergrad.html
It’s too easy to feel superior about it. That thread has adults and high school students alike telling the poster they’re too stupid for college.
@bodangles In that thread it was only the last poster who was nasty. That OP was annoyed that other CC’ers would not do some basic research for him:
and
And eyemgh explained perfectly why lists created by other users wouldn’t be helpful. No need for snidely telling the poster they wouldn’t be helped in the future because they’re “annoying.”
@TN034154 You sponsored a drive in support of “NGO/NPO”. If you do it regularly, they may consider you a partner. Talk to the shelter. They will probably have categorized you for accounting purposes.
I agree that the pile ones are wrong… unkind at best. I’m not a fan of the snide “why don’t you google that?” Responses either. I did it here to show that you don’t have to know the phrase “common data set” to find the info.
I avoid the Chance Me threads and tend not to respond to the threads asking me to do the work I suspect the OP can do without my help. Either someone else will do it or theOP will get the point without any snide comments from me.
But I honestly think that many of those who,post on the Chance Me threads…particularly the “and I’ll chance you back” threads are looking for compliments, not info. How can you sincerely think you can offer advice to someone else when you’re asking the exact same question yourself? It simply does not make sense.
Quite frankly one can google most anything anymore. Sometimes I just want real time answers to a question, thus, a live forum or chat. Why even have CC if posters continue to tell people to “google it”. After being told to google it then it is piled on that they are stupid or aren’t going to make it.
I’ve read some truly nasty threads on CC.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…If you don’t like someone’s question, don’t answer it!!! Someone else might be able to provide good information or if the question is truly outrageous the poster will move on if he gets no answers.
Sadly I recognize some of the snippiest comments come from parents rather than students.
When it comes to college admission information, there is so much data in the CDS that almost anyone can see where their stats would put them. It’s a data-driven question, when you get right down to it.
Some other questions, about campus life, the food, the overall atmosphere, require a more hands-on answer, from someone who has actually experienced it.
A lot are exaggeration, but some make their own NGO, 501c3 and all
Hey guys…this thread is kinda going off track…Let’s move it back responding OP’s question/observation.
“so many kids mention they started their own non-profit/charity, or they organized a golf tournament that’s raised thousands of dollars or they designed apps that have millions of downloads, or even that they have their own patents. From my experience, kids like this would usually make the news and be very well-known in their communities”
Some of the achievements listed are actually not that unusual. Some students would even do a post graduate (PG) and use an additional year to better prepare their profiles: https://www.boardingschoolreview.com/blog/understanding-the-post-graduate-pg-year
In my town (about 150-200 HS graduates each year) over the past 5 years, I know three kids did PG or an additional year before HS graduation. One went to Africa for 1 year and later was admitted into Harvard. One took a year to Asia between her HS fresh and sophomore year and was admitted into Harvard. The third one attended Exeter and did PG and was admitted into Williams. You bet they would accomplish quite a few things when they were willing to devote one additional year into their college preparation.
Note that I do not endorse PG (my kids also think they are crazy); I am simply sharing what I have observed.
“How is it possible for so many kids to say they have done this?”
Because they really wanted IT (you can define IT any way you find sensible).