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

[ucbalumnus]

@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?

Perhaps make the cost constraints more prominent in the template.

[lkg4answers]

@DadOfJerseyGirl

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.

That would be a good discussion to have.

[Mwfan1921]

Totally agree, not sure that’s a separate thread or here. I would start by saying people should read the thread before posting…how many people have to ask for clarity on the budget for example. In general, there is quite a lot of repetitiveness to many posts.

@ucbalumnus

make the cost constraints more prominent in the template.

100% on this too. This should be in the top section, early on. Maybe with a note that says sharing the budget will allow posters to give more helpful feedback/information/recommendations.

[DadOfJerseyGirl]

I’ve created a new thread. Please post there.

Mods or @CC_Sorin, if a thread already exists for this discussion please feel free to merge. Thanks.

Guidance for chance-me/match-me responders

As a spinoff from this thread, creating this thread for experienced members to suggest guidance and best practices to posters who respond to chance me/match me threads.

[ucbalumnus]

@Mwfan1921

In general, there is quite a lot of repetitiveness to many posts.

Yes, questions about cost constraints are a common thing.

Another common question in replies is for an unweighted GPA, or a weighted GPA calculated specifically for target colleges (e.g. California or Florida public universities). Weighted GPA from the high school with no indication of weighting method tends to be unhelpful.

[Mwfan1921]

Agree we need unweighted GPA and I hope that makes it into the template.

As for responding to these threads…one poster asking OP for their unweighted GPA is enough (until the point a certain amount of time passes and OP hasn’t responded, assuming they are engaging with the thread.)

I don’t want to make things complicated, but reading post after post asking the same questions and/or saying the same thing multiple times helps no one.

[ucbalumnus]

@Mwfan1921

Agree we need unweighted GPA and I hope that makes it into the template.

It is in the existing template, but sometimes the poster just says that “my high school does not provide unweighted GPA”.

There is also a weighted GPA in the template with a note to include the weighing system, but the weighting system is usually not described by posters giving a weighted GPA.

[Mwfan1921]

Maybe weighted GPA should just come out of the template? It’s irrelevant by itself, it’s irrelevant if the OP tells us the weighting system. Approximate rank is more powerful information, whether the school reports it or not.

[lkg4answers]

This is why I said to provide guidance in how to calculate UW GPA. Some student say they don’t know it or how to calculate it.

Usually, for UCs, people will jump in and provide a link to GPA Calculator for the University of California – RogerHub

@Mwfan1921

As for responding to these threads…one poster asking OP for their unweighted GPA is enough (until the point a certain amount of time passes and OP hasn’t responded, assuming they are engaging with the thread.)

This is why I asked that we add verbiage to let people know that there will likely be follow up questions and that they should check back regularly within the first 24 hrs to answer any questions.

Sometimes the OP doesn’t come back for days or they come back but don’t answer questions regarding GPA, budget, priorities, etc.

[Mwfan1921]

All good ideas!

[LionsTigersAndBears]

It’s almost invariably the second question (after “but what is your budget?”) that people ask “what state are you in?”, because public universities are such a big part of the matching/chancing process. I’m not sure where “the template” is (is it the template in the first post in this thread? is it @ucbalumnus’s tuned version elsewhere in this thread?), but instead of the current bullet point saying

• US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident) or international student (or special status like DACA/dreamer), and state or location of residency

I think there should be TWO bullet points:

• Country of residence:
• State of residence (for US applicants):

… otherwise it just seems to get lost, and if they don’t think to include it in the title (it seems like most don’t), the back-and-forth to find out just adds time and noise.

[ucbalumnus]

@LionsTigersAndBears

instead of the current bullet point saying

• US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident) or international student (or special status like DACA/dreamer), and state or location of residency

I think there should be TWO bullet points:

• Country of residence:
• State of residence (for US applicants):

… otherwise it just seems to get lost, and if they don’t think to include it in the title (it seems like most don’t), the back-and-forth to find out just adds time and noise.

It should really be something like:

• US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident) or international student or special status (DACA, etc.).
• US state of residency, or outside the US.

“Country of residence” does not always distinguish US domestic versus international students. Before the US domestic or international question was added, there were sometimes long threads where the student’s international status was not mentioned until many posts in.

[ucbalumnus]

Here is the current template for reference:

---

Demographics

• US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident) or international student
• State/Location of residency: (state is important if you apply to any state universities)
• Type of high school (current college for transfers):
• Gender/Race/Ethnicity (optional):
• Other special factors (first generation to college, legacy, athlete, etc.):

Intended Major(s)

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

• Unweighted HS GPA:
• Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system):
• College GPA (for transfers):
• Class Rank:
• ACT/SAT Scores:

Coursework
(AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores for high school; also include level of math and foreign language reached and any unusual academic electives; for transfers, describe your college courses and preparation for your intended major(s))

Awards

Extracurriculars
(Include leadership, summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)

Essays/LORs/Other
(Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.)

Cost Constraints / Budget
(High school students: please get a budget from your parents and use the Net Price Calculators on the web sites of colleges of interest.)

Schools
(List of colleges by your initial chance estimate; designate if applying ED/EA/RD; if a scholarship is necessary for affordability, indicate that you are aiming for a scholarship and use the scholarship chance to estimate it into the appropriate group below)

• Safety (certain admission and affordability)
• Likely (would be possible, but very unlikely or surprising, for it not to admit or be affordable)
• Match
• Reach

[lkg4answers]

That template looks like it was designed for Chance Me. If it were me, I would organize them in this manner.

1. Demographics
2. GPA, Rank & Test Scores
3. Major
4. Budget
5. Then the rest

If one is asking for Match Me, I would like to see questions about what size school they are interested in, possible locations, and other factors that are important to them (ex. states with women’s rights or LGBTQ+ friendly)

[DadOfJerseyGirl]

I’m in favor of switching “safety”, “likely”, “match” and “reach” to @AustenNut’s classifications:

• “extremely likely”
• “likely”
• “toss-up”
• “lower probability”
• “low probability”

(Perhaps with the addition of “guaranteed” for auto-admit schools).

I see a lot of applicants saying they aren’t sure how to classify their schools. AustenNut’s probability based classification might be easier to use, and removes the negative connotations sometimes associated with “safety”.

[Mwfan1921]

The issue with using those categories is that they aren’t ’industry accepted’ and students’ HS and/or private counselors don’t use those categorizations. I do think those categories are easy to understand, but many students will ultimately need to use the terms their counselor(s) use.

[DadOfJerseyGirl]

Yes, agreed it’s not standard usage and that is why I initially resisted the idea when @AustenNut first suggested them a couple of years ago. But I’ve come around and think it doesn’t matter if they are named differently because all we really need is that a student has a balanced list with an appropriate number of schools in each category.

In other words, it doesn’t matter if the >80% acceptance school is called a “safety” at their HS and “extremely likely” out here, as long as the student has one affordable school in that bucket. But IMO the latter nomenclature will better help a student categorize their list.

[lkg4answers]

Change has to start somewhere. Never underestimate the influence of CC.

Austen’s classifications are more easy for people to understand. They are better than saying things like high match and low reach, which don’t make a lot of intuitive sense.

[ucbalumnus]

How about this revision of the template:

---

Demographics

• US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident) or international student
• State/Location of residency: (state is important if you apply to any state universities)
• Type of high school (current college for transfers):
• Other special factors (first generation to college, legacy, athlete, etc.):

Cost Constraints / Budget
(High school students: please get a budget from your parents and use the Net Price Calculators on the web sites of colleges of interest.)

Intended Major(s)

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

• Unweighted HS GPA (calculate it yourself if your high school does not calculate it):
• Weighted HS GPA (must specify weighting system; note that weighted GPA from the high school is usually not informative, unless aligned with the recalculation used by a college of interest, such as CA, FL, SC public universities):
• College GPA (for transfer applicants):
• Class Rank:
• ACT/SAT Scores:

High School Coursework (Frosh Applicants and Soph Level Transfer Applicants)
(Indicate advanced level, such as AP, IB, AICE, A-level, or college, courses as well as specifics in each subject)

• English:
• Math: (including highest level course(s) completed)
• Science: (including which ones, such as biology, chemistry, physics)
• History and social studies:
• Language other than English: (including highest level completed)
• Visual or performing arts:
• Other academic courses:

College Coursework (Transfer Applicants)

• General education course work:
• Major preparation course work:

Awards

Extracurriculars
(Include leadership, summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)

Essays/LORs/Other
(Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.)

Schools
(List of colleges by your initial chance estimate; designate if applying ED/EA/RD; if a scholarship is necessary for affordability, indicate that you are aiming for a scholarship and use the scholarship chance to estimate it into the appropriate group below; also, for colleges that admit by major or division, consider that in chance estimate)

• Assured (100% chance of admission and affordability):
• Extremely Likely:
• Likely:
• Toss-up:
• Unlikely:
• Very Unlikely:

[lkg4answers]

Regarding titles, while I understand that students want to stand out, personally, I would like to clean up the titles. I find “random white guy/girl,” “blonde soprano w grandma hobbies” and “quirky kid who never got his Hogwarts Letter” distracting. How do we encourage students (and parents) to “title it well”?