Find me a “classy” school.
Make my college list for me, or for my child. I’ll sit here and wait while you do it for me.
HS students who are geniuses in everything and in the top 1% but can’t figure out how to use a spreadsheet to figure out their UW GPA.
On score reporting thread, Kid reports he got a 23 Composite and then brags that 23 is good enough for automatic admission to a Specific highly selective university because he is an athlete. A few other posters report they have scored in the mid to high 30s without saying anything more. Mr. 23 comes back to complain that they are bragging about their high scores. Annoying.
Everyone tries to game the system. If the colleges setup crazy admissions policies, blame the colleges not the applicants.
The policies are there for a reason- to create a diverse campus and to somewhat level the playing field for kids from historically disadvantaged groups. I have a kid who’s 1/8 NA but her exposure to NA culture consists of the dream catcher over her bed and a 3 week unit on the history of the local tribe in 3rd grade. For her to claim NA status for college admissions would be preposterous.
I don’t think any of us object to the threads where a kid from mixed cultures is confused about which box or boxes to check. It’s the heritage conveniently discovered the week a kid starts filling out applications we find distasteful.
If colleges didn’t want the 1/8 girl, they could require a higher percentage(ex. Must be at least 1/4 NA to check the box).
Just because a system can be exploited does not make the one exploiting it right. If a bank website accidentally allows you to transfer money from anyone’s into your account, and you do it, you both are to blame. The intent of the policy is important. The mentioned people would not be using the policy for what it was intended for. Having the 1/8th part may be important to allow someone who is culturally close to a group but is mixed cultures.
^^^This. BTW, the OP in the thread that I found annoying was 50% African American and 50% Caucasian. And whether the OP should check the AA box.
And as for "everyone gaming the system" well that's not true. Some of us are "straight shooters." :-h
Well, I have two internationally adopted kids who are 100% non-caucasian and have spent their lives with caucasian parents and caucasian friends. Would it be preposterous for them to claim their ethnic status for college admissions? Just because they are not well connected to their culture does not mean they have not been treated differently or wouldn’t be able to contribute positively to the diversity of a college. Where should the line be drawn - should colleges start requiring DNA tests from anyone who checks anything other than the white box or give them a test to determine what they know about their ethnic culture? I can see it now: “College Board SAT ethnicity tests - optional but recommended by some highly selective colleges”. And then there could be required psychological testing - to determine if low-income and/or minority applicants are truly affected in any significant way by their life experiences - or are they, in fact, just like the average joe, with nothing particularly interesting to contribute to a college community. Imagine all the “Chance me” threads with GPA, CR/M/and ethnicity culture composite scores, DNA tests, psychological profiles from certified neurosociopsychologists, compilation videos of EC activities, 10 year tax records, …
The fact is, AO’s make their selections based on what kids brings to the table. Diversity goals are to create a college environment of people of various skin tones, various SE backgrounds, various interests, life experiences, etc. (and “straight shooters”) and AO’s can admit anyone they darn well please if they meet the goals and mission of their institution.
OK, off my soapbox. Obviously this particular annoyance hit me a little too close to home. Probably because I happened to read a student’s FB post from our state flagship uni who was complaining about all the “diversity admits”. "Why do we need diversity when the dorms are already overflowing and getting the courses you want is already impossible? Like the solution would be to not have a diverse student body and just admit the “white folks”. I kid you not, this is a true story. I’m extremely glad my daughter did not choose to accept that college’s offer of admission (I didn’t tell her what I’d read).
@LeastComplicated Go back and re-read my original annoyance.
Here’s another one of my annoyances. Posters who take your post, comprehend it in a way it wasn’t intended. 
@LeastComplicated, I’m totally sympathetic. In my case the child has neither been treated differently nor does she have any knowledge of or connection to NA culture. In other words she presents as a typical white kid from the suburbs. She’s never been disadvantaged and she wouldn’t offer a viewpoint any different from any other white New England prep school kid. IOW, she wouldn’t help a college fulfill any of the goals of affirmative action.
Again, my beef is not with kids like yours or the 50/50 kid. It’s with the kid who, as the admissions season rolls around, finds some $50 kit that says 3% of his DNA is from Africa and tries to claim he’s African American in order to game the system.
I don’t think there’s any one answer as to who can claim what. I refer to what my H calls “the purple test.” Can you make that claim in public without turning red in embarrassment? In this case, would you feel okay about showing up to an event tailored specifically to URMs?
Now, back to our regularly scheduled venting. 
A blanket all-encompassing statement with no corroborating data. Yeah, like that’s not annoying.
Posts by wait-listed students who are angry that they haven’t heard yet and complain that the colleges should know if they have spots open and how many by now, how the college won’t give them this info, how unfair it is, etc.
Once a college moves to the wait-list, students offered spots are given a few days to decide whether to accept or not. If they don’t, the college moves along to the next batch. Rinse and repeat. It’s a fluid situation that can change daily until all the spots are filled, and some colleges are still moving through that process.
I understand they are holding out hope for their “dream college,” but (IMO) being wait-listed should be considered a rejection and they should plan accordingly. They sound as if they’ve put their lives are on hold because the college hasn’t made a decision yet. The college DID make a decision. They didn’t get in. They were offered an opportunity to be notified if/when spaces open up and accepted that offer. If they’re tired of waiting, stop waiting and opt out of the wait-list. Sheesh.
Threads that include multiple posts with the same advice because students can’t hear “no.” They want to go (OOS, to an expensive school, to a college whose mid-50% scores are high above their range, etc.) but for some unknown reason their parents won’t let them apply. When alternatives are suggested they repeatedly respond with versions of “it’s time my parents let me live my life,” “isn’t this the best school for my major,” “but it’s my dream,” or “it’s the only one offering my (highly specialized) major.” If parents can’t/won’t pay or a student doesn’t have the stats to get accepted, there’s nothing we can do.
Exactly @austinmshauri . I know exactly the thread in question. On the same lines, when an OP isn’t getting the answer that they want , he decides to open an almost identical thread with a different title . That title is not going to make his grades and test scores improve to what they need to be for admission or make his dream school affordable
I don’t know what to make of this concept of “dream.”
There are so many good schools to choose from that I don’t think one should get hung up on one dream college.
College choice should be made on best fit and where the student will most likely succeed.
There are just too many threads of college students who have had a bad first year and want to transfer out when what they dreamt doesn’t match reality.
I think that has to do with their parents that didn’t teach their children enough about how to deal with the real life where you don’t always get what you want.
“Chance me” threads with the OP saying, “I have a 1350 SAT, and a 3.7 UW, chance me for (insert US News’ top 20 best colleges list here).”
Please let us know when you see those, because we will get rid of them.