We’re big fans of the discussion boards over at College Confidential. They’re one part of a much larger website with a wide range of articles and other resources. The discussion boards are a wonderfully supportive and informal place to ask questions, or solve someone else’s problem or just join in a conversation about anything to do with college admissions.

There’s literally millions of archived discussions on topics as wide-ranging as the quality of food in the cafeteria, the test results and GPA’s of accepted and rejected students, interview strategies, or how to deal with a homesick first year student who’s not sure if they want to break up with their high school sweetheart.

Of course, as with all user-generated content, you need to use good judgment when reading someone’s opinion. If anything too off-the-wall is posted other members are quick to clarify things.

Since this is the time when many colleges send out their ‘fat or skinny’ envelopes the discussion boards are hopping. Some parents are logging on daily to monitor the acceptance frenzy “as it happens”.

One self-confessed addict is Sunday Chicago Tribune columnist Barbara Brotman, whose article on the site appeared yesterday. She calls it “Explicit. Exciting. Revealing…a virtual peep show for a goggle-eyed parent of a high school junior. “ Brotman values the site for more than the mountains of raw data she finds there. There’s a sense of community that families going through the stress of college applications appreciate:

College Confidential is often sensible and sweet. I now have a circle of online friends who are there for me any time, any day. Parents counsel and help one another, on one forum volunteering to serve as emergency contacts for other parents’ children attending far-away schools.

Here’s a typical posting that came in just yesterday from the Dad of a student accepted to UCLA:

Posting for my child, who was accepted:

GPA 4.2 uweighted, 3.96 unweighted, 32 ACT (equiv to 715 avg SAT), SAT II math advanced 760, chem not sure but in low 700s I think. Some APs and honors courses though not all the very hardest ones. President of a low profile club, sports team all four years though no star, decent amount of charity work, and worked very hard - many iterations - on essays.

Everyone is posting basic stats but keep in mind the holistic process. It may explain some of the seeming inconsistencies in who was accepted and who was not. And it may convince you that there’s now more subjectivity in the decision. Perhaps an essay that hits home with the right admissions officer can make a difference.

Just some guesses!

Also, was accepted into the honors program. I would be curious what percent of entering freshman, all great students, got this offer. Also, would love to hear whether it’s worth it from UCLA students who tried it.

A dad

If you’re applying to college and need to find anything out about the process, spend some time getting to know your way around College Confidential.