<p>Like the other parents here, I don’t believe that grades and test scores are all-important. It’s ridiculous when you think of it. My daughter is a high scorer, but several of her friends are B students, and I don’t notice any measurable difference in their intelligence! </p>
<p>I would gladly help you out on your journey to college if you need assistance…</p>
<p>Most of them are the trolls of CC in the admissions and WAMC forums. The professional forums have the most “straight forward” people on CC. And the college major forums people are just the average joes (like myself) of CC for the most part. The parents cafe is probably the most friendly (Don’t PO them or you will get banned as that is where many of the moderators seem to hang out). Pre college forums I dont really know much about.</p>
<p>Basically, stay out of general admissions and WAMC as that is where the trolls hang out.</p>
<p>@petrichor11, I have kids in both categories too. I was not suggesting that fit doesn’t matter–I very much believe it does. My point is that a kid who gets shut out of his top choices is not doomed to failure because he or she has to settle for Pitt or Richmond instead of Carnegie Mellon or Brown. Unless of course the kid either is a) completely unadaptable or b) heads off to college with a chip on his shoulders. In that case, there’s more to worry about than where the degree comes from anyway.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>Going on college confidential during the college admissions process is actually really stressful and probably detrimental. I almost drove myself insane doing so. The people you see on here do not make up the average student body. It would probably be better if more average kids would come on here and focus more on their futures. The fact of the matter is that the national average SAT score is around 1500. Most kids aren’t geniuses. Most kids don’t go to Ivy Leagues or other top colleges. It’s entirely pointless to compare yourself to everyone on this site. </p>
<p>If you don’t go to an Ivy League, you aren’t dumb. If you do go to an Ivy League, you aren’t necessarily a genius, either (I for sure am not). If your SAT score is below 2000, you don’t have to limit yourself to test-optional schools. You are still well above average. </p>
<p>Even the most well-intended advice on this site can be detrimental and crippling for your mental health. It can drive you insane. My best advice is to stay off CC unless you have a specific question. Don’t go reading through other people’s chancing threads. Don’t read about other people’s accomplishments (which they often play up to be much more exciting or important than they were). Don’t read through people begging for reassurance that their 2390 SAT can get them in anywhere. Focus on bettering yourself and not comparing yourself to other people. Ask for help regarding your specific situation and disregard outlying opinions or stats. Come back once you’ve gone through the whole process and are attending college and can help others. It is a much more rewarding position to be in.</p>
<p>I think that, despite whatever impressions you may get about the academic caliber of CC users, the one thing that truly unites us is drive and initiative. If you have these things, you belong here! Come to the dark side</p>
<p>@Ultimablade @Catria @sally305 @ivyhopes12 omg thank you all. @Ranza123 I think you are right, I’ve been obsessing over all of this stuff on College Confidential and just giving myself stress. Im gonna get on here less, and focus more on achieving my best efforts-- though i am still determined to get a 2000 SAT! I promise when I get my score back for the October SAT I’ll let yall know how much an average joe can improve! </p>
<p>Awesome! I look forward to hearing about all your accomplishments!</p>
<p>don’t mind me budging in but @Ranza123 thank you for such a reassuring post… I have been lurking here since freshmen year and boy have I cried myself to sleep some nights knowing that I am competing against people of such high calibre… oh well we’ll see what happens this coming year…</p>
<p>@nervousfreshie I used to cry reading some of these posts too. Don’t get me wrong, I think CC is a great community and can be very helpful in many ways – but reading about other people’s scores and accomplishments when you are already going through such a stressful time is absolutely NOT helpful at all. Sometimes it’s best to take a deep breath and turn off the computer.</p>
<p>I have a 2300 SAT score, but I too feel like a “complete dumbass”…because I was rejected by UCB, UCLA, UCSD, and Cal Poly SLO and waitlisted by UCD and UCI.
Gravitas2 is correct. The people who use College Confidential may be above average, but the majority are not geniuses. Real geniuses are too busy studying for USA_O or trying to win Intel, Siemens, ISEF, or Google. They do not waste their time on this site.</p>
<p>Just stay off the Ivy and Chances forums. Come out there for advice on finding colleges that fit for you, financial aid questions, and what to pack. :)</p>