I am the parent of two kids - current HS senior and HS sophomore. I discovered CC last summer when researching colleges and again when my soph decided to apply to BS. I have gleaned valuable information from the parents here about individual schools and the process but am honestly baffled why a Chances thread exists and why anyone would seek counsel about their admission chances here. What am I missing?
@TheStig2, you seem to have it figured out that there is nothing to figure out. There’s no point in posting a chances thread because no one here can tell you your chances. The one thing it can be good for is getting suggestions on some schools to consider.
I think one has to consider the average age of those posting on that particular thread…
No, not really. I think the same thing about the college WAMC thread. It’s just slightly more insane here because it’s 13 year olds chancing other 13 year olds.
That said, I agree with @stargirl3 and I think that this is particularly evident on the college thread. Some of the more experienced parents there are very good about giving guidance to suggest add’l schools that might fit the applicant’s needs due to programs/need-based aid/merit scholarships, etc. That’s rather in the vein of “If you like X, you should look at Y.” It’s astonishing how many of those kids have no guidance from either their families or their schools.
Not that astonishing, @skieurope. Remember you live in the rarefied world of a boarding school with top-notch college counseling and people who, um, ski Europe. 
Most kids have very little access to college counseling and most of their parents know very little about the process.