Rant? Maybe. Questions & Such...

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I started to browse this site earlier this week in pursuit of information regarding admissions at certain schools. Much to my displeasure, many of my hopes and dreams of getting into my dream school(s) were shattered when I searched through the "Do I have a chance?" threads, lol. Needless to say, I was very disheartened. </p>

<p>Has anyone ever used the site ********<strong><em>.com? I have found it to be very helpful regarding info. that sites like College Board would fail to disclose. I have an account there and filled out my profile. One of the interesting features that College *</em></strong> offers is a "Do I stand a chance?" calculator. </p>

<p>With my resume in consideration (including a relatively poor SAT score), the calculator claimed that I have a 54% chance of gaining admission to my dream school. However, I came here to see fellow students posting outstanding resumes (quite better than mine) only to be told that they were reach/high reach. </p>

<p>Is getting into a highly competitive school essentially a crap shoot for ANYONE who applies for admission? That's the impression I've gotten after visiting various schools and especially after reading this forum. </p>

<p>Meanwhile, the University of Chicago (roughly on par with my dream school), has basically stalked my mail box and electronic inbox for the past month. Does this mean I have a shot at my dream school? Or if the UofChicago just looking to waist paper and kilobytes in my inbox?</p>

<p>FYI~ I haven't mentioned the name of my dream school due to superstition, lol (hint: think ivy)</p>

<p>Also, how accurate is College *******?</p>

<p>If you've made it this far into my rant, I commend you! lol. Thanks for reading.</p>

<p>Seeing as the name of the site is banned, I guess it isn't too reliable!</p>

2

<p>Honestly, the most selective schools in the country are reaches for anyone. Each high school in the country has a valedictorian, an editor-in-chief, a football star. There are even more people who are just good, well-rounded students. Do you have a chance at Harvard if you’re qualified? Yes. Is it a good chance if you’re just as qualified as everybody else? No.</p>

3

<p>Hi!</p>

<p>First of all, it’s banned because CC doesn’t want advertisement on these boards. So that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s not reliable.</p>

<p>The top schools such as Harvard, Yale, MIT, etc. are crapshoots for everybody. The chances thread can be a bit harsh - but if it’s on the level of UChicago you could certainly still have excellent stats and it still be a reach.</p>

<p>Chicago and other schools send letters to try to get students to apply to their schools. It does not mean you have a greater chance of admission or anything like that.</p>

4

<p>While the top colleges are reaches for all, they are much more likely for those who have stats above their 75th percentile across the boards, and highly unlikely for unhooked students with below median stats.</p>

<p>Email and snail mail from colleges tells you nothing about your chances. It tells you they are spending lots on marketing.</p>

<p>Chicago is not a good school to use for comparisons. It’s long used uncommon app and self selecting pool long skewed admit rates and they are not relevant to other schools.</p>

5

<p>/bump</p>

<p>Thanks everyone.</p>