Informed Opinions

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Notre Dame
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>This post is not going to make me popular, but it is something I have needed to post for quite a while. I have been avoiding this board because frankly it has been angering me. A lot of posters seem to post information which I feel is simply inaccurate, especially in the "do I have a chance" threads.</p>

<p>One such thread just today had a poster say that being an international student "will help a lot." Where did that come from? At almost any university out there it is actually harder for international students to get in <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/international-students/531029-acceptance-rates-international-students.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/international-students/531029-acceptance-rates-international-students.html&lt;/a>
Additionally, most colleges including Notre Dame (last I checked) are NOT need-blind for international students. I think the person was just trying to be helpful and assumed that international would be a good thing as it increases diversity, but we must be cautious about making assumptions! We are on this board to help people, and the information we give must be accurate. Otherwise, what good are we?</p>

<p>Another trend I have seen is that, in my opinion (only time will tell) people have been far too generous in estimating people's chances. It is tempting to look at an applicant and compare them to yourself, heck, I do that, but keep in mind every applicant and their school is unique. Some schools are feeder schools, others like Brophy, while a fine school, only send a couple to ND a year. ND treats every school differently. For this reason, I believe sticking close to the averages is warranted. In another thread on here a few weeks ago everyone told a student that he/she had a great shot at ND. However, the student's estimated rank was the top 15% of his/her class. ND's average is top 6% and it is getting more selective every year. To me, saying that they have a good shot is irresponsible, and I said so in that thread. Just because their SAT looks good or their GPA is similar to yours doesn't mean that ND looks at it the same way. ND is looking for the whole package. If someone is that far away from any ND average (SAT/ACT/Rank) I don't think you can say they have a good shot, if anything, say it is a reach.</p>

<p>Giving people informed opinions is very important. When I came out of high school I asked my chances on a board like this (it was the Priceton Review board way back in 2002, I am ancient, and apparently crabby) and people told me the truth. I had a 1290 and was ranked in the top 15% and people said I was a reach (keep in mind, average SAT then was a 1340). They were right, I was rejected (and later transferred to ND). I appreciate their honesty, because I came needing an honest assessment. Getting such helped me find good match schools. We don't want people thinking ND is a slam dunk if it isn't, then they may only apply to ND and more selective schools. What we say matters!</p>

<p>Again, perhaps I am old and crabby, and I appreciate that everyone is trying to be helpful. I am not a mod, just a fellow poster, so I have no authority here. I just am saying that I think before you post something you need to make sure that it is true. Helping is great, but helping with the wrong information can be downright harmful!</p>

2

<p>Irish68178 -</p>

<p>What a great post - I totally agree with everything that you wrote. I stopped reading the "chance me" threads because I thought many of the replies were uninformed. I especially can't believe that current high school students respond to these "chance me" threads - How can they possibly give any kind of informed opinion when they haven't even experienced the world of college, let alone be accepted yet? Sure, one can give an opinion based on facts that he/she may have discovered in their college research, but too many times, these are the posters who believe they are "experts" and give their opinions accordingly. As Irish stated above, "Giving people informed opinions is very important".</p>

3

<p>Yes, Irish, thanks for the great post! Admissions has increasingly become trickier to predict (if that is even possible!) as years pass by. It is more difficult to gain admissions to colleges, period. There are more students trying to gain admittance, thus, competition is indeed tough. The whole package and trying to maintain the perspective of having several good options (reaches, matches, and hopefully, safeties) can make the process maybe feel less daunting. Perhaps more of those chance me threads can step back and soak up some of your advice before putting all eggs in one basket! Thanks again for some good, honest info.</p>

4

<p>Totally agree irish. The international students pool is SO MUCH MORE competitive, regardless they are probably a minority. Also agree with everything else said, I try to be honest and sometimes it's better to be more harsh with your opinions to give them realistic expectations. Great post!</p>

5

<p>Great Post!</p>

6

<p>You're absolutely right...and I'll admit I was the culprit who mentioned this. I guess I "assumed" that because the OP had not mentioned anything about applying for financial aid, he/she was able to pay full tuition. In THAT case, then being international (from what I have been told) does help. Colleges do want to increase diversity and will look favorably on int'l students who can pay full fare. I know that ND does, however, turn away a lot of international students because they cannot meet their financial aid needs. </p>

<p>I'll equivocate, you were right on this one. I'll be more careful from now on, thanks for calling me out on it.</p>

7

<p>PM sent to the job. I wasn't calling you out, it was just one example.</p>

8

<p>the job, it is a common misconception that international students have the advantage, so no worries. I think a lot of this board was thinking the same way.</p>