<p>I don't mean any controversy by this, it's 100% my opinion, and if you love these threads then whatever.
However, I've seen wayyy too many people post their stats (all usually very stellar and well rounded) and ECs, only to receive "Blah blah blah-High reach, blah blah- Impossible reach, blah blah-Never will reach, Public State University?- Match. Now I'm only exaggerating, sort of, but you get my point.
On a side note, some people are given matches and low reaches to every prestigious university- You can only imagine what this does to someone's ego.
Now, I know that people only go into these threads with the idea that they're simply getting an idea, a big picture, not an exact guesstimate by any means. But, I don't think that enough of these posters are actually credible, experienced admissions officers or anybody who has the caliber to judge someone else- or tell someone that they are probably not eligible for a university.
I also know that sometimes, a lot of students can be unrealistic with their goals and shoot for schools that appear out of their leagues...but believe it or not, what you say or what that 2400 SAT child prodigy says CAN and DOES affect that person's application or application mindset. No one has THE perfect formula, and you can clearly tell from the diversity of scores, extracurriculars, and grades among admits. I'm not saying anything is possible, you definitely need to match a baseline of requirements, but from there on there is absolutely no way to even begin to postulate the type of reach a college will be for you (this is mostly regarding universities who look at you holistically, not simply by score/stat based admissions)
Anyway, this is more a rant than anything. I just want to let anyone who has been burned by an insincere poster, and probably a jealous one at that, that you shouldn't take these into real consideration. They have no real substance, if you get in, it's because the college believes you are a fit for the university, not because what some anonymous user online said behind his keyboard. I'm done. :)</p>
<p>I totally 100% agree</p>
<p>I will go one step further. I hate the “chance me and I will chance back” posts. If you are capable enough to “chance” someone else, why not just chance yourself! I feel that many of these posts are inconspicuous means of gloating. There are some very marginal students who may need our opinion or a dose of reality. But those are the few. I agree wholeheartedly with the OP.</p>
<p>In my opinion, even if these chance threads are fake, they help people by motivating them. Some people think all they need is a 3.5 and they can get into the top schools with no EC’s and mediocre test scores. It shows what you need to have in order to get into your school of choice. Admission officers are like machines, low GPA out, low ACT out, no community service out</p>
<p>Additionally, it seems like a lot of students post on here for the confirmation that they are smart, well-rounded, etc. because hardly anyone is brutally honest.</p>
<p>I agree with the other things you’ve said, but I also think a lot of chance threads are the cathartic. It can feel kind of nice to just write out your accomplishments and see that people take the 5 seconds they need to look through them.</p>