<p>Alright, I've been wanting to ask this question for a while now, but I just wanted to get the layout of CC before I really said anything. Also, this is not meant to offend anyone.</p>
<p>Is CC an accurate representation of the American public applying to schools such as HYPSM? I mean, I understand that some schools have exceptional students and they are varied throughout the country, but someone please tell me this website has the best of the best. I go to a competitive, respected Catholic school in Masschusetts with decent Ivy league acceptances. I got the highest SAT score for my school in a few years (2320), but we still get good acceptances. On this website tho, the 2320 isn't really AMAZING; it's barely above average. Also, the way my school works, calculus is only offered senior year unless someone has an external circumstance (the majority of students take either precalculus or statistics their senior year). I am one of three juniors in AP Calculus as a junior (I took a summer course), yet some kids on here took like AP Calc BC their freshman year. How many of these kids are there for heaven's sake?! I understand that I am limited to my section of the nation and cannot even begin to fathom the depth of talent nationwide, but I really can't see there being too many of these types of kids. I mean, a kid at my school was ranked like 8 in the class, 2280 SAT superscore, and got waitlisted at Harvard (the only one to get waitlisted, no one got in). He had good ECs but no hooks, so that gives me hope as I am in a similar situation, but then I hear horror stories on here about kids with 2390s and perfect GPAs getting rejected from HYPS...I'm so confused lol! Then I have an unhooked friend who got into Cornell with nothing more than a 2160, decent ECs, and a moderate GPA. I mean, what I'm trying to say here is, does CC distort the college process? Does it make it seem harder than it actually is? </p>
<p>There are a lot of exceptional students posting here, but I wouldn’t say it’s representative of the general pool of applicants. And I would take anonymous postings with a grain of salt, with regards to stats, scores, awards, etc.</p>
<p>I know plenty of people who got into top schools without being aware of any of the “gaming” aspects that get discussed on CC, or taking 5+ APs, or volunteering for thousands of hours.</p>
<p>No. This place is mostly filled with those over-achieving individuals who are overly worried about what school they’ll be going to. Mostly. Most average people (like me) begin to look through here and get scared off. I didn’t start posting on here regularly until after the application process.</p>
<p>I would definitely say that this place has a skewed view. You will get some good advice, but a lot of it won’t be helpful at all. On CC, it’s all about the prestige/ranking.</p>
<p>Definitely a lot of nerds on here who spend Saturday nights at the library.
However, I am very skeptical of anyone who talks about how good they are at anything.
I am sure there are a lot of dwellers on here that live in there parents basement, spend there lives in their underwear and really believe that what they are typing is true.</p>
<p>This website should be treated as 95% entertainment. If you are planning your life by what is posted on this board, you have bigger problems than what school to go to.</p>
<p>What I’ve found to be most accurate (and therefore most helpful) on this site is the objective financial aid information shared, i.e. what are the “rules” (e.g. what makes one eligible for a Pell grant), how are the calculations done, that sort of thing.</p>
<p>I’ve also found “how do they do this thing in your neighborhood?” type threads helpful, e.g. what’s the process at *your school *for requesting recommendations, or how much did you spend on books last semester?</p>
<p>As far as students posting grades and ECs, as well as those gruesome “chance me” threads, my eyes glaze over. A one-on-one session with a seasoned guidance counselor is a better way to get info, and likely more accurate.</p>
<p>I think I would probably die if every single applicant to the “top colleges” were at the level these CC applicants were at, however I find this to be a pretty good eye-opener to what high school students can accomplish, with some insanity and lack of sleep.</p>
<p>What I find disturbing is the fact that a lot of these CC “high achievers” who apply at prestigious colleges asked ridiculous questions. If they had researched their preferred school, they would find most on the answers on the schools’ web site.</p>
<p>dreamsofivy, I am probably one of the only “normal” people on this site, I have a 3.0 GPA and am ranked in the bottom half of my class haha (and I have no crazy extracurriculars)</p>
<p>The CC community is not representative in the slightest. Most of the kids in our area who get into the Ivies and other top schools have SAT scores in the 2100 – 2200 range. Those who get into CALS at Cornell rarely score more than 1950 on the SAT. Granted, most of these kids are ranked near the top of their class. On the other hand, few have the exceptional ECs that many of the CC posters have. And only the cream of the crop take calculus as seniors (and very few public schools offer AP Calc).</p>
<p>CC is representative of college-obsessed people, and people tend to develop obsessions about those things in which they have demonstrated strengths.</p>
<p>definitely does not represent the vast majority of high schoolers applying to ivy leagues. i know people who have gotten just below or above the 2000 mark and have gotten in. no hooks, crazy ECs, either. as for me i like to consider myself average, an ok GPA, slightly above average SATs and no extra special ECs.</p>
<p>As readers of CC you guys also have a confirmation bias and an availability heuristic coming into play (yay psych 1, i payed 25k this semester and i’m actually using what i learned in the real world). You tend to focus on the ivy crazy kids on CC and the ones who are 2390 SAT 5 on 10 APs type kids. There are plenty of kids on here who are looking for college information. The California Community College forum has a lot of posts. I’ve seen plenty of posts from kids who aren’t in that top level of academics (tho they are still smart). You have active boards for schools that aren’t in the Ivy League. </p>
<p>However, as high school students applying to top schools, you focus on your competition of students with near perfect SATs etc etc. If you stopped and looked at some of the other stuff, there are a lot of “normalish” kids on this forum. You’ll be happy to know though, that most people at top schools aren’t like the ones you see on CC. Some people are like this, but the majority are not.</p>