<p>I'm not sure I understand, but I would like to learn more. I honestly don't mean this thread or its title in an accusatory way - I'm interested in learning about why people do it.</p>
<p>I posted mostly for self-assurance, and to get a different point of view on my application. I may think I look good for a certain school, but I don’t know if the school will think I look good.</p>
<p>But what do random people on CC know about “if the school will think I look good.” </p>
<p>It seems to me, in my experience, that the chance threads are almost universally focusing on the wrong things; any advice they give is fatally flawed by the incomplete information held by the posters in the threads relative to the information held by the adcoms.</p>
<p>I don’t think most people actually think it works; I’ve posted just to see if people saw things that might be weak points, and mainly because I was worried and it was the only thing I could think of to do. Most of us don’t really believe that it’s accurate, but it’s just to help us feel better.</p>
<p>See I understand people doing it to blow off steam and just chat. My concern is that people will believe it. I mean there is a whole forum dedicated to it on CC and it STILL bleeds into the intra-college forums. </p>
<p>I appreciate how stressful it is - it wasn’t that long ago that I was applying to colleges myself and wondering what was going to happen. </p>
<p>But I can’t help but think it is ultimately counterproductive and has actual bad effects when people listen to and build their expectations around really incomplete advice.</p>
<p>Honestly I posted to just calm my nerves. Now that there’s nothing that I can do to change my application, I’m just dwelling on it and stressing myself out for no reason. I guess these chance threads just let your nerves settle (if CC members think you have a chance), even if the members may not know what they’re talking about.</p>
<p>MITCHRIS that post was great. I’m currently a Junior in a very competitive high school. 99% of our students go on to secondary education. All my life I’ve tried my hardest at everything i do, and i’m sure everyone reading this can say the same. I’ve tried to balance everything, but at times i had to choose. We all have. Many times I’ve chosen school, work, and volunteering over friends and fun. That’s not to say I don’t have friends/fun. I have plenty. Nevertheless every prospective student seeking admission to great schools is equally qualified. Although we understand that we probably won’t get in. My school is cut throat, and when it comes to what school your going to great things are expected of each and everyone of us. So the pressure to perform and get accepted is extraordinary. As previous posts have said all we want is some reassurance, but I can clearly see the stupidity and false sense of hope that comes along with possibly under qualified people commenting on your transcript. I also understand the importance of the interview and essays, but all we are looking for is a little reassurance that our hard work will pay off as we approach some of the most difficult months of high school and a little recognition for our hardwork.</p>
<p>My DD didn’t post one, but she did think about it. She is at a very good public school, and we were finding it difficult to figure out her “level.” For example, she tops 95% of students nationwide on standardized tests, but she is only at about the 50th percentile at her school. Similarly, her list of ECs is good, but when you compare them to many of her classmates she doesn’t look that accomplished. Or, while she is a year ahead in math and science, some of her friends are two and three years ahead.</p>
<p>Ultimately she didn’t post because we decided (a) too many people give responses that are unhelpful and (b) while posting on CC might give us some idea of where she fits when compared to a national pool, it wouldn’t give us any idea of where she fits compared to her real competition - which are all of her classmates above her.</p>
<p>There really isn’t a single “most important” aspect for us. That sounds like a copout but it’s true. Our particular admissions pool is so competitive that we really do have to look at everything. </p>
<p>I would not imagine there is alot of argument with your point that subjective factors (essays, recs, interviews) are well considered in the decision process, but it is a bit exaggerated, IMO, to claim that the GPA’s and ACT/SAT I and II’s, are “in many ways the least important” in M.I.T.'s or any elite schools process (in fact i have recently seen quotes by a top 10 school’s president stating that GPA is the most important factor). I understand you are attempting to make a point regarding the intangibles, but the tangibles are still what get your foot in the door if reading thousands of results threads in this forum are an accurate measure.</p>
<p>So, although chance threads are generally only useful when experienced responders take the time to reply, it is not a useless endeavor to stack your scores, GPA, AP’s, EC’s together and compare them to those whom have received favorable decisions from your dream schools to see if your ‘foot is in the door’, IMO. This can be done by reading the CC results threads of your school of choice - or a lazier method by simply posting a chance thread and hoping someone with experience in your schools admissions tendencies replies.</p>
<p>Thanks for responding. However, since you did partition quantitative criteria as “least important,” other elements must be MORE important. Which might those be and why?</p>
<p>Prospective MIT applicants will try to present themselves in the best light possible, obviously. Your link is helpful, but it’s far more expedient, IMO, to get the straight scoop directly from a decision maker who sits at the table advocating “unquantifiable” aspirants. Help them out with some insights, if you will. We appreciate your presence here.</p>
<p>I don’t honestly know what people of CC know, but you asked me why I posted, and I answered. Sorry if you didn’t like the answer, or disagreed with it :)</p>
<p>I said quantitative criteria are the “least important” because there is a point after which they mostly stop mattering. Once you have demonstrate academic preparedness, we don’t parse it much beyond that. Obviously if you’re an academic superstar - Olympiad winner etc - that matters, but if you’re talking about, say, a 750 to an 800 on any given subsection of the SAT, it doesn’t. </p>
<p>Other factors include, in no particular order: </p>
<ul>
<li>community support (LORs etc) </li>
<li>interview </li>
<li>how you spent your time </li>
<li>what you would contribute to campus </li>
<li>match for the MIT campus / culture </li>
</ul>
<p>We spend the vast majority of time in our committee discussing these things.</p>
<p>This is very helpful, Chris. Thank you very much for the illumination. What chances seekers have to realize, obviously, is that their quantitative stats must be at a certain platform level in order to move into the subjective round of consideration.</p>
<p>I think some chances seekers here are hoping against hope that their non-quantitative factors will be strong enough (or at least interesting enough) to offset numbers that fall below the platform. I don’t see this happening too often at MIT (or other elites) simply because the pool is so strong. Of course special rounds are the exception (AA, development, legacy, etc.), as at most schools.</p>
<p>Do you ever have the latitude to admit an occasional “risk” candidate who falls pretty well outside both your numbers and subjective criteria cutoffs, but rings an intuitive “gut” bell within you? I ask this in light of our chances discussion so that seniors out there whose overall profile doesn’t fit the MIT template might feel that they have at least some chance.</p>
<p>One of the significant X factors that no one but admissions knows from year to year is your institutional priorities. I think that’s why there is so much frustration every year when seeming auto-admits don’t make the cut. Those seeking chances comments from others here will always be at risk because of this unknown factor.</p>
<p>Finally, I think one of the core motivations for our posters to ask for their chances is the “majority rules” syndrome. If I post my stats and the majority of responses are positive, then I’m going to feel good about applying. Of course, I’ll be aware of single-digit acceptance rates but, hey, I’ve got the nod from my CC pals. OTOH, if the verdict is “No way!” I may still apply, just to say that I did. Who knows, maybe I’ll be one of those risk admits. :-)</p>
<p>Thanks again for taking time away from app madness to lend your perspective to our forum, Chris. Getting inside the mind of high schoolers can be a perilous journey.</p>