As college application deadlines edge closer and closer, students may have stumbled upon a subreddit called r/chanceme. This subreddit allows students to submit their stats and extracurricular activities throughout their high school career for other people to guess their chances of getting into a certain school.

I believe that the act of chancing can be very toxic for some students as it may discourage them from applying to certain schools. First of all, most students posting on the subreddit are usually there just to show off their achievements in high school. Most of the students know that their GPA and AP scores are better than the average high schooler and end up creating a post on the subreddit just to receive comments praising how good of a student they are. When students with lower grades see that the poster is applying to the same colleges as they are, they may become extremely discouraged as they feel unable to measure up against others. This system is very elitist.

Additionally, everything said by chancers is speculation. Although they may have some insight into how colleges work because they were previously high schoolers, they are not actually college admissions officers. What they say really has no impact on your chances of getting into a college.

However, some people may argue that chancing can be helpful, as some people on the subreddit do provide some helpful insight on the college application process and what colleges have usually done in terms of acceptance rates.

I would argue against this by saying that there are high school counselors available to students for a reason. Counselors are professionals hired by the school to specifically provide help for students that have any questions about the admissions process or what types of students colleges are looking for.

Many high schools, including AHS, also have online resources such as Naviance which provide specific information on how many students from their school got into a certain college as well as displaying their stats. These certified sources will provide more helpful information.

In conclusion, instead of friends, family, or random people online to ask about your chances of getting into a certain university, just ask your counselors! I have no doubt that they will be happy to help as their job is to help students with these concerns. If you have any questions about the college process, a certified way to get help will always be to ask your counselors.

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