<p>It seems that half the time, students who want to be chanced themselves offer their opinions on whether another student could get into a given school. What makes them at all qualified to do so? </p>
<p>At the people being chanced, why don't you just apply? It's not like these threads are going to give you a better chance of getting in if you're a rising senior, it's a little late to change much.</p>
<p>If this has been asked before please point me to the thread.</p>
<p>Students could get a better feel for their chances by looking at the freshman profiles and the admission requirements published on the college's own website. Many schools also publish a summary of their evaluation process and how much weight they place on the various elements of the application.</p>
<p>The majority of "chancers" use their own qualifications as a guide: if they WANT to get in to a particular school, they will look at others applying to that same school. If the other has equal or better qualifications, they give excellent chances. If the other has lesser qualifications, they say "no chance."</p>
<p>There are several post-ers who are very knowledgeable about certain schools (not me) and they give excellent information. One that comes to mind is kyledavid80 for the UCs. </p>
<p>Even so, the titles of threads such as "I'm desperate," "Please help," etc... make no sense because having people tell you their opinion of whether you will get in in no way affects or "helps" whether you will actually get in. The only way to find out is, as carsonne says, to apply.</p>
<p>I'd only put stock in the opinions of people who've actually gotten into school and, in that case, have some solid advice to offer up. Some of the things people say on this website are downright ridiculous (I've seen 2200 SAT scores called "low"). I suppose these topics provide reassurance at best, but in no way should they totally change anyone's opinion of whether they should or shouldn't apply somewhere. It's always worth a shot.</p>
<p>People either know some info from hearsay or will look at stats and compare.</p>
<p>For example, I know tons of people who have been accepted and rejected from U of Illinois and Wisconsin, but I haven't a clue about the University of Washington or Oregon. I could probably give a pretty good chance for U of I or Wisconsin based on my numerous previous experiences knowing specific numbers and such, but if I was looking at Washington, I might defer to others with more knowledge of that specific school.</p>
<p>I don't see what's wrong about gauging where you are as an applicant. It's not like it costs money to post a thread. Somebody may give you a particular insight that proves to be valuable.</p>
<p>It's hard enough to go through 3 years of High School, waiting for the moment to come when you can finally apply to your dream school - but the months between your application and your acceptance or rejection are torturous, especially for people who are fixed on a certain school.</p>
<p>So I feel that when people post "chance" threads, the thought "I wonder how I can IMPROVE my chances" doesn't cross their mind. They're not posting to improve their chances; they just want to be reassured that they have a shot. They want peace of mind.</p>
<p>and also, it's easy to be blinded by your own stats, extracurriculars etc. it's very hard to be honest with yourself about the whole picture and your own chances, but when you chance others, your judgement isn't as clouded. you have a clear perspective because you haven't been over-analyzing.</p>
<p>That's why I never post a chances thread... lol. </p>
<p>I seen so many stats, and read so many admissions results that I know chancing is inherently inaccurate, and that admissions is full of holistic measures such as essays, recs, and college needs/focus. </p>
<p>But they can be extremely valuable to someone who has absolutely no idea where they stand. And I don't mean those braggers with 2390 SAT's asking whether they have no chance at Stanford...</p>
<p>As a ''chance me'' threads author myself, I would say I do not take anything for granted when reading the replies I get. </p>
<p>I'm from the province of Quebec, in Canada, and there is a very restrained amount of information available here on American college admissions and requirements (in fact, most students here have never heard about Harvard, Yale, Princeton being called ''Ivies'' and have no clue what SATs are). </p>
<p>I'm using this kind of thread to figure out whether I am a ''strong'' applicant or not. Access to info meetings is extremely limited here. I barely know anyone who ever studied in the States, so posting a ''chance me'' thread is basically the closest I can get to people who actually know about the admission process (may they be undergraduate, alumnis, or just high schoolers who have a better access to information than I do)</p>
<p>Perle, that's a good point, i didn't even think of that. Although consider most posters are US residents...</p>
<p>I feel like it can only make you feel worse if you have top schools on your list, since you're likely to get rejected; if someone here tells you you'll get rejected you feel bad. If they tell you you're a sure thing and you get rejected later by the actual school you'd feel terrible.</p>
<p>Agreed.
NO ONE should ever take a Chance thread seriously. it's rather pathetic if you think some idiot thinks you'll get into your first choice. here's an example: people who apply to UCs. UCs are VERY number oriented and wouldn't give a crap about your extracurriculars unless they really stand out. Case in point: if I have good numbers and poor extracurriculars, they are going to look at my numbers instead. Do not let someone who lives in some random state who doesn't know the UC system at all tell you otherwise.</p>