What Is the Best Liberal Arts Colleges College Confidential

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Higher Confidential seems to exist a lot like the US News College Rankings. Either people use it blindly as the terminal discussion on higher admissions or they run into it as simply the manifestation of all that is wrong with the higher admissions process. The reality is that College Confidential, like US News College Rankings, can be a useful tool in your college search toolbox if used properly.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of College Confidential is a review of the Higher Confidential website past an admission'due south officer from Johns Hopkins. Ultimately, he thinks College Confidential provides enough of useful information as long as you don't visit the forums. The author is very much a laic in "credible sources" professionals in the field as opposed to anonymous posters.

He states that "the existence of discussion forums that favor anonymity over credibility and the presence of a big brother marketing visitor in the background concerns me greatly. Why tin can't such a community be formed by experts, by an organization that is unaffiliated to corporate ties, and where the most knowledge exists."

In case you can't guess my response to this let me remind yous I homeschooled my son. And Johns Hopkins was ane of the last schools to drib the requirements for extra Subject Tests for homeschoolers. What can I say, I think the guy might be a little too enamored with credentials.

Because Not Everyone Has Admission to a Good Counselor

Virtually all of his criticisms of Higher Confidential are true simply the fact remains that a visit to the Parents forum on College Confidential will provide enough of evidence to contradict his exclamation that "You'll be amazed at how helpful your counselor tin can exist. One thing is for sure, they will not ridicule you, they will not set on you, and they will not brand yous feel lesser about yourself. They besides volition not boost your ego, pat you on the dorsum, and just provide you simple lip service."

There are plenty of high schoolhouse counselors also as college access representatives that give out biased, incomplete, and sometimes flat-out incorrect information. And they aren't all nice about it. Even so, according Access Daniel, "… I am resistant to suggest there is whatever "good" involved with the give-and-take forums section of College Confidential."

Then what do you practise if you don't accept access to a good guidance counselor? Certainly don't go to the forums according to Access Daniel. However, having spent a great deal of fourth dimension on Higher Confidential's athletic recruits and parent forums, I think he's wrong to pass up the forums completely.

College Confidential Forums: The Bad

But he is right near the "Hazard Me" posts. "Hazard Me" posts are the most notorious feature of College Confidential. These tin be found in the "What are my chances" discussions.

Practise not go there.

I have on occasion read a chance me thread because it was mistakenly (more likely on purpose) posted in another forum and the moderator hadn't move it yet. It's basically students giving their stats and activities and request for their chances of getting into colleges ten, y, and z.

The most ridiculous are the "Chance me and I'll chance you dorsum" posts. Really? Y'all don't know your chances of getting into a college simply you're going to tell other people what their chances are? I'm certain at that place are all kinds of psychological analysis that can exist done about the individuals in this forum simply the easiest matter is just non to go there.

In full general, the forums can be an infuriating identify as pupil afterwards student asks questions where answers can hands be found on the college's website. A long time affiche on 1 of the forums pointed out that probably 90% of the questions tin can be answered with "ask the school" or "google it."

So at that place are the kids who mail their stats, activities, and college preferences and ask for suggestions where to apply. Half the time, these students haven't bothered using any college search engine, including the one provided on College Confidential before request for help. Why should they when someone else will do their piece of work for them?

College Confidential Forums: The Good

So why would anyone bother going to Higher Confidential? Considering like I pointed out before, not everyone has a great high schoolhouse counselor and there are a lot of people who accept gone through the process and share their experience in the forums.

And while I'd imagine that most college admission officers would deny it, there are some out there that just give out the wrong information. Information technology'south not and then much that College Confidential volition correct that information only that someone volition point out that they had a different feel and that the person should probably contact a dissimilar person in the admissions office.

There are certain forums that are worth visiting that tin can help y'all effigy out what you don't know and what questions you should be request. The three I have found near useful are College Search & Pick, College Admissions, and the Parents Forum.

The following are some threads that I think can provide help or perspective to the higher search process:

"Summit pupil" at a 3rd tier school… Four years afterward In this post the OP (Original Poster) tells how she went to a 3rd tier school and was accepted in quality PhD programs.

My Experience with a Personal College Consultant The OP describes her experience with using a private college consultant. There is some word of the ideals of the services provided and some unnecessary snide comments but enough to recollect nearly.

College Option: A list of things that trouble and irritate me This is a dandy simply much besides short thread well-nigh problems in suggestions/selections for schools.

Where did your three.0-3.3 GPA child get in? and New 3.0 to 3.3 (GPA) Parents Thread For those who need reassurance that college isn't only for kids with 4.0 GPAs and 2400 Sat scores.

Higher Confidential is definitely a "utilize at your own risk" proposition. Don't accept numbers or "how tos" from a stranger on the internet if you haven't bothered to look up the information yourself. Some opinions you'll agree with, some you won't. Ultimately, it works improve every bit a tool to expand your horizons rather than narrow them.

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