Back in the day (last year), I was admittedly, a very anxious high school senior applying for colleges. After I was selected as a Questbridge College Prep scholar, I dreamed of getting matched to a prestigious institution. It seemed like a feat so unattainable with my average-test scores and unimpressive resume. However, I still had hope. In the months before the match process, I began searching for validation. College Confidential soon became my addiction as I looked for records of other students getting into selective colleges with test scores similar to mine. My hope dwindled as I found little to no records of these acceptances, and was pretty much obliterated when an alum the site calculated that I had less than a 3% chance of getting into the school I was ultimately matched (given a full ride scholarship through Questbridge) with. I elected not to post my results on College Confidential for the damaging effects that the site may or may not have on students for multiple reasons.

One factor about the site that students fail to realize is the fact that, the information doesn't take into account how holistic the college process is. Test scores alone will not allow someone automatic acceptance into an institution. The colleges looks at everything, extracurriculars, essays as well as background. While some threads do ask information on a student’s entire application as opposed to just test scores, essays are almost never shared so people do not truly know what was the deciding factor for these admissions. Not to mention, the people on the site are not admissions officers and therefore have no jurisdiction is determining who could get into a certain school all because they did.

When browsing College Confidential, students must keep in mind that the site isn't exactly a nurturing supportive community, the posters on there are usually cutthroat, and sometimes just downright rude. They are there most of the time to brag about their credentials, the institution they got in and basically hype their school up to people to make themselves feel better about it. The information could even be exaggerated purposely to discourage others from applying or to make their institution seem more impressive. Any information should not cause a student to feel as though they cannot get into their instution and students should take caution, keeping this factor in mind, when exploring result threads.

Also, many students go on college confidential to determine whether or not they would fit into a school or like it, based on the accounts of others. While it is understandable that not everyone has the finances to visit their dream colleges, everyone has a different experience and outlook. What I mean is, someone’s perception on a school may vary drastically from others due to different interests, attitudes and preferences. One person may rate a college well based on the food alone while another may need multiple factors to help them decide on a school.

Bottom line, while college confidential is a good resource to learn about new colleges and whatnot, it must be used mildly. No one knoww the intentions of the posters hiding behind a computer screen. And it is impossible for students to assume their chances on going to a good college based on the results of others. It is harmless to be curious, but do not assume that one application will be looked at the same way as others. One person’s acceptance, or rejection, will not determine another’s and it is important for students to try their best regardless of the stats presented in front of them.