<p>I don't know about you... but before I learned about CC, I actually thought I was pretty smart. After looking at many members’ candidate profiles via their chance threads on CC, I'm not so sure. 96-99% SSAT scores achieved by rising 9th graders seem to pop up wherever I look, and GPAs of 4.0 or higher are always present too. People seem to have endless lists of fabulous extracurriculars and honors/awards/positions in all of them! Since viewing these people's candidate profiles... I have kind of been freaking out. I know I have grades that are definitely above average from a very good private day school, a good number of solid extracurriculars, and also (at least in my opinion) a pretty good SSAT score of above 80%, but below 90%. I used to think that with this material on my candidate profile, I would be a solid candidate with a good chance at getting in. However, I now have my doubts. </p>
<p>The point is, I was wondering if anybody else felt the same way I do. It would be nice to know that I am not the only one intimidated by all the amazing candidate profiles here on CC! :)</p>
<p>Don’t be intimidated, apply where you believe you will thrive. My now older daughters had SSATs in your range, great kids, well-rounded but not genius level and got into great, top-tier boarding schools. I think they interviewed well and were selected because of what they would contribute to the community. They received excellent grant aid that made attending their school of choice possible. We are still very grateful for the generosity of their chosen school.</p>
<p>No, you’re not the only one intimidated. I am as well, D:
After seeing all of these applications that look like they’ve OD’d on steroids, my self esteem is going downdowndowndowndown…(Jay Sean reference hehe)
but just remember, there’s a huge difference between all those kids and yourself and that is the fact that you’re YOU and they’re not. I’m hoping that my personalities will win me over, and again, everyone’s different.</p>
<p>you have to remember that people on CC is just a very small percentage of students going there…and dome of the other applicants wont be nearly as good as people say on CC…also people can be ■■■■■■ and try to intimidate you…</p>
<p>don’t worry…you’ll be fine…you tried your best right, and that’s all that matters at this point</p>
<p>Many with incredible stats are not accepted to their first choice schools while those with less credentials on paper sometime do well - keep in mind all the intangibles such as maturity, recommendations and essays which can push you ahead.</p>
<p>I think one particular blind spot, for some applicants, MIGHT be that students think they have had a great interviews and/or have written wonderful essays but this might be a misguided belief. I see this regularly in adults also who apply and interview for jobs where they confuse a great resume, smooth interaction and social comfort during the interview as a solid assessment. If adults misread regularly I can assure you the odds can be no better for a 14 yo with strong stats.</p>
<p>If your stats are not as strong make sure you strengthen your intangibles. Best of luck!</p>
<p>But your not the only one feeling intimidated. When I first got on here and saw all the chance threads I was really intimidated and felt like giving up. But then I realizded as Rad said that CC is a very small pool of applicants and most CCers are overachievers and extremely qualified and therefore are not a very good reflection of the applicant pool as a whole. So don’t worry, there is no more you can do. You’ve done your best, the rest is in the admissions hands.</p>
<p>My SSAT is in the high rangw and I have a 4.0 which doesnt mean crap at public school and I feel intimidated people here seem to have a bazillion ECs and I dont understand how they managed to fit all that crap in… I try and avoid the Chance section because its depressing…</p>
<p>@ Hoping
I know that there are some people who will probably never get into some schools but I don’t think you understood what I meant when I said that everyone has a chance. Some people who may be told that they have “zero chance” might write fantastic essays and have a great interview. That person may get in because of that (not likely but possible depending on the school) even if they didn’t have an A+ average and a 99th SSAT percentile. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t decide not to apply because you might be surprised and you don’t know what admissions people are looking for.</p>
<p>for some reason this is my favorite thread…</p>
<p>I agree that some people seem crazy with 349081327403 ec’s. It’s rather depressing. I don’t even think admissions counselors want more than 5 ec’s because it’s not like your going to have time for all of that when you are at a school offering rigorous academics. My guess is that that average applicant accepted into schools like Exeter have a couple of clubs, an artistic talent, and a few sports. Does anyone agree with what I’m saying?</p>
<p>You must realize that this is the actual order of importance of materials in your application
-Interview
-Essays
-Reccomendations
-Grades
-ECs
-SSAT</p>
<p>You must realize that schools don’t want walking resumes. They want full peple who will make use of the resources of the school.</p>
<p>I’d be interested in where you got your list. I have acquaintances (ok, my parents do) who are part of the admissions panel at 3 very good schools.
One said they barely skim the essays because they are all tedious (after reading 100 or so) and probably not written w/o considerable help.
Actual grades are huge because they show what you do with your intelligence.
Teacher recommendations are highly valued.
SSAT scores are extremely important, but mostly as a disqualifier. If they aren’t at a certain level than your file goes to the bottom for review after they’ve made all the easy choices.</p>
<p>So it’s not as easy as the list siddsach posted
Great SSAT scores get you an interviewer who wants to know you
A great interview makes them look closer at your school work
Great grades and teacher recommendations shows them you can and do work hard
EC’s seal the deal
Essays only affect are to hurt your chances if you are borderline and they really suck</p>
<p>@skisoccer2014 – I sure hope that’s the case! Otherwise I think I’m going to cry on March 10th when I eagerly open my mailbox only to find thin, flimsy rejection/waitlist letters and no fat, info-stuffed acceptance packages… <em>SOB</em></p>
<p>@siddsach – If that’s really the order of importance regarding application materials… it makes me UBER RELIEVED!!! :)</p>
<p>Lol I just wanted to say that it’s really nice to know that there are people out there on CC who feel the same way I do. Thanks guys! It makes me feel so much better. ;)</p>
