How to post a 'Chance Me / Match Me' thread -- START HERE

[skieurope]

You use whatever GPA is reposted on your transcript

[helpingthekid73]

So I have two questions, our school only uses weighted so how do you calculate unweighted, do you use the =/- if the school uses it? And I was wondering for others, how do you compare kids when some people use whole letters only and others use +/-?

[ucbalumnus]

@helpingthekid73

how do you calculate unweighted,

You can calculate a basic unweighted GPA by looking at all grades in academic courses, counting A=4, B=3, etc., adding those values, and dividing by the number of grades.

At some colleges, there is a known GPA recalculation method. If applying to those colleges, it can also be helpful to list that GPA with a note like “for [name of college(s)]”.

[lkg4answers]

@CC_Mike

Title It Well

Include a few details about you in the title:

Transfer student from Boston aiming for UCs and ASU

Tag it

• If you want chances on specific schools, use the chance-me tag
• If you want others to suggest schools to you, use the match-me tag

Can we come to a consensus on a recommendation for what to include in a title? What is too little information? And what is too much information?

And, just like the “help-me-decide” threads were posted in College Search & Selection, should all of the match-me, help-me-find type threads be moved to the Chance-Me/Match-Me forum?

[ucbalumnus]

@lkg4answers

Can we come to a consensus on a recommendation for what to include in a title? What is too little information?

For most high school students applying as frosh to US colleges and universities, it would be helpful to include the following in the title:

• State residency, or “US domestic without any state residency”, or “International”.
• Unweighted GPA. (or class rank if primarily targeting Texas publics, or UC/CSU recalculated GPA if primarily targeting UC/CSU)
• SAT and/or ACT scores, if available and not applying only to test-blind colleges.
• Budget limit.
• Intended or possible major (and/or goals like pre-med or pre-law). If undecided, general ideas would be helpful if known (e.g. “social sciences”, “engineering or physics”, “performing arts”).
• Target colleges of particular interest, if any.

Transfer applicants should include:

• “Transfer” and what level will be transferring as (i.e. sophomore or junior).
• State residency, or “US domestic without any state residency”, or “International”.
• College GPA.
• Budget limit.
• Intended major (and/or goals like pre-med or pre-law).
• Target colleges of particular interest, if any.

[lkg4answers]

The reason I ask is that some of the titles are becoming very long.

Personally, I think colleges should be in the tag section rather than the title. I also think “class of 20XX” could be in the tag section rather than the title. That said, sometimes the tag section becomes very long when students list multiple colleges.

Would the following format work?

Match me: State, GPA/test score, budget for major

For example: Match me: FL resident with 3.8/1400, under $50K for CS

[ucbalumnus]

@lkg4answers

Would the following format work?

Match me: State, GPA/test score, budget for major

For example: Match me: FL resident with 3.8/1400, under $50K for CS

Yes, that would be a concise and descriptive thread title. Other examples:

• Match me: International with 3.8/1400, under $50k for CS
• Match me: US domestic without state residency with 3.8/1400, under $50k for CS
• Match me: FL resident junior transfer with 3.7, under $50k for CS
• Match me: FL resident with 3.8/1400, under $50k for undecided major, probably in social sciences or business
• Match me: FL resident with 3.8/1400, $0 parent contribution but no financial aid in NPCs, for CS

[parentologist]

Please add to the GPA and class rank something like “or approximate class percentile”, along with an explanation that without this information, it is very difficult to give feedback.

[lkg4answers]

Since we are starting a new application cycle, can we review Chance Me/Match Me and maybe clean up the template and “how to” instructions?

How do others feel about including race in the subject line? I’m seeing more and more posts with things like “random white girl”, “under average Asian” or even just “Asian” and “white.”

I feel that, by including race in the title, it is insinuating that race is considered in admissions. My vote would be to ask people to not include it in the subject and only include it in their description if they feel that it adds to their narrative.

Also, please advise students that, after they hit submit on their initial chance me or match me post, others on this forum will likely have follow up questions. Students (and parents posting for their students) should make sure to check back regularly, especially within the first 24 hrs.

Can you include a primer somewhere in how one would calculate their unweighted GPA?

@CC_Mike

• If you want chances on specific schools, use the chance-me tag
• If you want others to suggest schools to you, use the match-me tag

Do you really want people posting in a Chance Me/Match Me forum and using those tags? I feel it is repetitive.

Instead of using “rising senior” or “HS junior” in the title, I would rather students use “class of 20xx” as a tag. The “class of 20xx” is consistent through their application journey, while things like “HS junior” will change.

Can we limit the number of colleges at a student is able to tag? As an example, some will use multiple tags for the same school (ie. UCLA, UC Los Angeles, University of California Los Angeles, UC General). Others will say “Chance me for Ivies” and tag every Ivy. That takes up unnecessary space and, to me, is distracting.

Edit to add: Those with edit capabilities use [ ] to add onto a subject line. When I see something in a [ ], I assume it is clarifying information. Maybe let students know that they shouldn’t use [ ] in their formatting.

[DadOfJerseyGirl]

@lkg4answers

My vote would be to ask people to not include it in the subject and only include it in their description if they feel that it adds to their narrative.

I totally agree. We should de-emphasize race by taking that out of the template. Then students won’t feel obligated to mention their race or continue believing it’s a major factor. We are already asking them to list hooks and if they’re an URM they can simply mention it there.

[ucbalumnus]

@lkg4answers

How do others feel about including race in the subject line? I’m seeing more and more posts with things like “random white girl”, “under average Asian” or even just “Asian” and “white.”

I feel that, by including race in the title, it is insinuating that race is considered in admissions.

I am not surprised that it gets included, since people in general seem to have an exaggerated notion of how much it matters in admissions (even before the US Supreme Court decision on the matter). Meanwhile, some posters who put their race/ethnicity in the subject title often leave out much more relevant information, like whether they are international students, GPA, test scores (unless applying only to test-blind schools), etc..

[ucbalumnus]

@DadOfJerseyGirl

We should de-emphasize race by taking that out of the template.

I do remember that it took some lobbying some years ago to move it to a less prominent place than it was in a previous template.

@DadOfJerseyGirl

We are already asking them to list hooks and if they’re an URM they can simply mention it there.

Except that URM by itself is not really a hook any more.

[lkg4answers]

@ucbalumnus

I am not surprised that it gets included, since people in general seem to have an exaggerated notion of how much it matters in admissions

Right, and that is my point. By “allowing” it in the subjects, it perpetuates the perception that it is important in admissions.

I would like to see a statement such as “Do not include race in your subject line”

@CC_Mike

Title It Well

Include a few details about you in the title:

The bolded words in Mike’s first post have a hyperlink but it doesn’t take me anywhere. Is there a place that gives instructions on how to “Title It Well”?

Instead of “include a few details” I would try to be more specific about what we are looking for in a title.

For Chance Me/Match Me, I would ask them to choose either CM or MM or indicate that they are open to both. Most of the time CM threads turn into MM. Sometimes OPs indicate that they already have what they feel is a balanced list and they just want to know their chances for a few schools.

[DadOfJerseyGirl]

@ucbalumnus

Except that URM by itself is not really a hook any more.

Not directly, but I don’t want to get sidetracked by that discussion. We should simply stop asking applicants about their race.

—————

I know this thread is about chance me templates and guidance to OPs, but do we have a section providing guidance to responders? I have a few thoughts on that and I’m sure others do as well. Probably worth a discussion.

[momofboiler1]

@CC_Sorin - please see the comments above about changes to the template