There is another thread going right now on the most annoying threads, so I thought that it would be interesting to see what people really enjoy about College Confidential. I really like the threads on the NMSC competition - there is a wealth of information, mostly accurate, on there.
Well, since you posted this in the Cafe, where almost anything non-college related is discussed, I’d have to say I’ve gotten incredible vacation and travel information here. I almost prefer it to TripAdvisor, where I know no one and no one knows me.
Oops, maybe I should repost. I was referring to the college/scholarship/chances parts.
If you mean the Parent Café, this is the #1 most valuable thread:
Real people, real stories… couch potatoes turned marathon runners… tubs of lard turned weight loss gurus, etc.
Of course, there is the Good Buy and the Dressing Young threads, too! 
I second the suggestion above. If you are serious about getting healthy this is the best thread by far on CC. I also highly recommend the CC bookclub. We only “meet” every other month, but you can visit past threads for great conversation with lots of links to reviews and related material. Post #133 has links to all the book club threads: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/17860132/#Comment_17860132
The ongoing Colleges for the Jewish B Student thread in the Parent Forum has consistently been a helpful and supportive group of people with creative college suggestions with both Jewish life information and more general suggestions for schools outside that top tier for any student of any religious background.
The Good Buy thread. It has saved me a bunch of money.
I was first drawn to CC because of the many useful threads about the National Merit Scholarship process. It’s confusing. Guidance counselors and principals are often very confused. I found the CC knowledge base useful (I avoided 1-2 costly mistakes) and reassuring.
On a related note, BobWallace initiated a number of threads about big-money scholarships offered by schools. They are harder to find now, and the lists themselves have moved off-site. But if want to find out quickly where the money is (esp the merit money) those lists are a godsend.
@WasatchWriter Exactly why I found CC too, I was looking for info on the NMSC stuff. It was on here that I realized the essay wasn’t graded for the qualifying score, which bumped my score above the cutoff.
I came here because of the music majors forum. There is no place else that has the wealth of information and helpful people to assist in navigating a very different college application process.
I’m a sucker for a good recipe thread. 
We are about due for one!
The “what’s for dinner” thread provided me with many dinner ideas.
That’s a good point. Also, as it regards TripAdvisor, I always wonder if bad hotel reviews are written by their competitors.
Also recommend the Diet/Exercise thread. There is incredible expertise on that thread and you can get excellent advice on anything from apparel for exercising to weight workouts to running to cycling ALL from real people who have “been there/done that” and have the scars, successes and failures to prove it!
Whenever I need inspiration for decluttering, I go to the “Bag a Week” thread:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1599005-the-bag-a-week-club-p1.html
They are not informative, but I think one reason I stay around is because of the community that can be found in Cafe threads on fun topics to me such as football, Parenthood, AI.
In terms of true helpfulness, nothing beats the NMSF threads once those start hopping with people posting cutoffs. That’s where I learned ds2 didn’t make it! lol
Also, the communities formed on the HS Class of 20XX/College Class of 20XX threads is second to none. Each year, the diehards form private FB groups. The ones that I am a part of have been a source of comfort and help, and I love meeting new friends IRL.
The merit scholarships thread pinned in the Fin Aid firun. Lifesaver.
Parents caring for parents thread has been very valuable to me. There are also so many that I like- already mentioned above.
I can’t understand why no one thinks the Chances threads are the best and most informative. I must be missing something! 
LOL, @intparent! Funniest comment ever.
Three have been so valuable for my DD’s college search: The first was Admissions->Specialty Topics->Athletic Recruits. My DD plays in a niche sport with a young coach and will be the first to go to the NCAA at her club, so the information I gathered about college sports recruiting was invaluable.
Secondly, the “Colleges and Universities” forums devoted to each college she was interested in were very helpful narrowing down her college list. It was invaluable reading posts from kids and parents who had the same questions we did about each college/university, from the schools’ social scenes, to merit aid, to what to wear to the interview. This forum saved us money - based on our visits and what we read on CC, she was able to cross schools off the list and not have to spend the time and money applying. Now that she’s been accepted ED1, both of us are enjoying corresponding with the other ED1 students.
As others mentioned, the NM threads helped us understand the PSAT/National Merit process. Because of it, my DD was able to set her sites on a score knowing what the historical NM cutoff was for our state.