What are my chances? Who cares!

 What are my chances of getting in?

I have a better question… who cares?


Not to be glib, but really, who cares? 

Last year, Duke had 27,000 freshman applicants for 4000 spots. Most Ivy League schools saw similar numbers. Why?

I am not going to get into the argument over whether these schools are superior to all the other schools in the United States. That decision I will leave up to you. What interests me is why, if getting into these schools is so difficult, do they receive so many applications?

When I was in high school, my guidance counselor told me to do what I believe every other guidance counselor tells their students: Pick safety schools, schools you would attend if accepted, and reach schools. This is sound advice.

If a student follows these words of wisdom, then it really doesn’t matter what your chances are. Each of us has heard stories of students who were accepted to schools they thought they never stood a chance of getting in to. But that’s just it, you never know. If a college is looking for something in particular, and you happen to have that something, maybe you will get accepted to that reach school. From the numbers, it seems a lot of people agree. After all, what do you have to lose, a few dollars on an application. These days, most students apply to nearly a dozen schools so what’s one more?

At MoreThanGrades.com , we believe that making informed decisions about college is a must before submitting any application. That is why we provide students with a host of resources to do their research, including our online guidance counselor who answers every question our students pose. Most of the questions we receive center around college majors and financial aid. The one question we have not been asked…you guessed it, what are my chances? We agree with our students, it really is not a very important question. Perhaps the best reason to send in that application comes from Cinderella,

“A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling thru
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
the dream that you wish will come true.”

Perhaps Cinderella went to high school too. 

What do you think? Post your answers.