As the prep school admission season progresses, I continue to see bright, hopeful and perhaps naive candidates posting “chance me threads.” Though some CC members may have a better idea than others, truthfully no can correctly predict admissions since there are so many dimensions of an application outside of GPA and EC’s.
Another aspect of “Chance Me” threads that irritates me are the users who post just to boast their own statistics. I was the same way last year, but after facing rejection I realize that being cocky and looking for validation of success is very close minded. At many of the elite prep schools, there is always someone who is smarter, more motivated and more naturally gifted than you.
In conclusion, to any first-time prep school candidates, remember that no one can accurately predict your M10 and that maturity and humility will get you further in life than your 4.0 and extensive list of EC’s.
Best wishes to all.
PS. If I see another thread asking if a B+ in 6th grade is going to hurt their application I may lose it lol
Young people can be very insecure even if they look to others to “have it made”. Don’t you think that is a lion’s share of the issue. In other words, posting and getting feedback like “wow you’ve got great stats” can be reassuring to a student who is very uncertain about what it takes to get into an elite school and/or who has no idea how his/her credentials will hold up compared to others. As you said, you felt the need to post last year. You are right tho, nobody can predict until your application is reviewed by those who will be making the decisions. Sometimes students do get helpful advice about what to highlight or about other factors relevant to their application. But as you have expressed well, there is no reason to think that the “chance me threads” will elicit accurate predictions.
IMO “Chance Me” threads are beyond useless. I assume that people who post them, respond to them, or find in any value in them are just looking for something to do while they are tending to bodily functions.
I dislike the whole area and find it counterproductive.
My stock answer to “chance me” is “You never know, so try your hardest and see what happens. But don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” Which is truthfully the only thing I can say. I don’t know how anyone can say anything else short of a crystal ball.
I’d certainly hate to discourage someone who might make a true connection and “miraculously” transcend that lower than average ssat score or lack of elite ecs.
In our own search all those posts did was demoralize me, and stress me out. I’m sure if we had posted stats on there, a few well meaning folks might have dissuaded us from applying at all.
Although on further thought, like many others, I did arrive at cc with a certain “go big or go home” attitude, and my initial targets were the big ten or so we hear on here most often.
I hadn’t even heard of Loomis Chaffee. Ever.
So maybe seeing page after page of people “boasting” extremely high scores and stats did combine with the wisdom of cc to drive home the idea we’d better expand our horizons.
And it worked out. I’m grateful. So maybe everything is as it should be.
The users I am speaking of are anything but insecure which is part of the problem. They are not looking for re-assurance but rather praise and admiration. The whole concept just annoys me. Thanks for the comment!
