<p>I am a rising senior with an A-/B+ average, good scores, good extracurriculars from a competitive HS in NYC. Should I even bother applying? BTW, I am not URM or first generation, but upper middle class.</p>
<p>if you posted your stats, then we would be able to “judge”. but then again, mitchris is just going to refer you the FAQ.</p>
<p>You have a 0% chance of getting in if you don’t apply.</p>
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<p>My favourite statement +1 :D</p>
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…but then again, mitchris is just going to refer you the FAQ.<a href=“This%20is%20a%20serious%20question%20series.”>/quote</a> Does that frustrate you guys? If so, why? And what other answers do you think any of us are able to give?</p>
<p>I’ll take the OP’s question seriously. When the gpa is in that range but everything else is high, it’s really hard to know whether a top school is possibly within reach. In 2010, the parents’ forum started a yearlong thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/767118-under-3-6-gpa-applying-top-20-parents-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/767118-under-3-6-gpa-applying-top-20-parents-thread.html</a> that served as an interesting experiment. Consider the question: Can a student with a 3.3-3.6 gpa gain admission to a so-called “top 20 school”? (“Top 20” defined as appearing among top 20 schools in the USNWP lists). The statistics of students were posted and as results came in, these were also posted. Among the dozens of families represented here, a small handful of students with very high SAT scores, strong extracurricular activities, and gpa above 3.5 got in to schools like Northwestern, Vassar, Emory University. One individual with a 3.6 gpa was admitted to CalTech. </p>
<p>:-)</p>
<p>I’d conclude from this that it’s a reach, of course. But if you really are interested in MIT – then as everyone says – you have no chance at all unless you apply.</p>
<p>P. S. Many of the parents posting in the thread above were encouraging their sons and daughters to follow their desires and apply to schools that appeared well out of reach. In case anyone’s wondering, this wasn’t a case of parents pushing students to apply to top schools simply for the prestige, or whatever. In our case, my daughter had gained admission to MIT with high SAT scores, strong extracurriculars, and a perfect gpa. Her brother had the same scores – the same level of extracurriculars – the same talent – the same potential – BUT, he had a health problem that had caused him to miss around 3 weeks of school each year, and his gpa suffered. In a fair universe, the explanation of his condition should have leveled the playing field, right? But no. I was interested in this thread in the parents’ forum because of my son’s situation. In the end, he was admitted to Emory and UC San Diego among other schools and chose instead a school that offered him a very, very generous merit scholarship. He’s very happy there, so you could say that all’s well that ends well.</p>
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<p>It doesn’t frustrate me, especially since I believe the FAQ referenced above is probably good. But I’m not applying. It’s also sometimes nice to hear what fresh ideas people have to contribute. I don’t think most of these “should I apply” questions are really yes or no questions, despite being phrased as such - they are invitations for more (sharing experiences, etc).</p>
<p>I think what would be ideal is that if something has been covered, the person asking be linked to a few helpful things (maybe a blog post that shares something that could inspire). In fact, having a positive experience with such a reading could encourage someone to read the MIT website more thoroughly. To those who already know it, it’s plainly obvious how helpful it is, but to the outsider, not so much.</p>
<p>^I don’t disagree, and I find referring people to Chris’ “chancing” thread, and the first post of the FAQ, and the stats threads from previous years, etc., to be helpful. But if people don’t find those links helpful, I guess I’m not entirely sure what they do want.</p>
<p>(I also think it’s good for posters to learn how to ask answerable questions. :))</p>
<p>^ Yeah, I think the heart of my belief is that if they knew how to ask the right questions, they’d be in a good position to be referred to some link. But if they’re asking a typical “unanswerable question,” a short summary of why it is unanswerable and a hint at what might be a different question to ask might get them going. Even sharing some information that one thinks might be relevant - that might at least get the one asking to rethink what he/she really wants to ask.</p>
<p>Else, there’s a tendency for people to assume that there must be someone with more patience for them out there - and they may seek advice at dubious sources as a result of a terse response given by someone well-meaning.</p>
<p>Why? </p>
<p>Dubious sources tend to be opinionated beyond belief, and give what are interpreted to be actual answers - which are very soothing to the anxious, even if the opinions communicated are negative.</p>
<p>As a related point - I think the efforts of Chris [from admissions] are better positioned to help those who already have spent way too much time on the internet thinking about this stuff. To the others, who ask questions that are seemingly meaningless, I think it can be hard to know where to start. </p>
<p>It is probably quite counter-intuitive to some people that chancing isn’t useful as a real predictor.</p>
<p>^ I think I see two distinct pools of people who post chance-me threads.</p>
<p>The first seems rather uncertain and nervous, not knowing if their stats are up-to-snuff or even if they should be applying at all. I think it’s often worth telling these people, “Yes, you’re academically qualified, but realize this is a very hard place to get in” - both as encouragement, and to make them realize that if they are rejected (likely for any applicant!), it is certainly not personal.</p>
<p>And then there’s the second pool, who just want their ego stroked and to be called gods amongst men, who I internally laugh at because of how wonderful they think they are 0:-). These people tend towards being shocked when they don’t hear, “YES! YOU’RE A SHOE-IN!”</p>
<p>It can sometimes be hard to differentiate between the two.</p>
<p>^ I agree.</p>
<p>Sure, that’s definitely true. As habit, I tend to assume they are of Type 1 until it’s overwhelmingly clear they are of Type 2 and have no interest in learning new info. </p>
<p>Sometimes, I do think a poster who seems overconfident in terms of his/her chances is simply misinformed rather than arrogant. I don’t think everyone realizes precisely how competitive the process is, and the nature of the competition. Heck, even I probably have only a bit of a clue, because I don’t really know the admissions process inside out - only a handful of statistics. </p>
<p>Of course, a misinformed student not open to correcting his/her perception of things shows arrogance, but at the same time (in the spirit of the question Mollie asked) it’s important not to snap at misinformed students too early, which is unfortunately something I see going on a lot on CC.</p>