. The demographic one-liner is usually followed by a cryptic string of letters and numbers like “ACT: 31 4.651w/4.000u; 2/317” and lists of schools labeled “Safety,” “Match,” and “Reach.” Finally, posts typically end with a variation of the same two words: “Chance me.” For the average Reddit user , these numbers and words don’t mean much—but to thousands of high schoolers applying to college this year, they are everything.
Online forums like r/ChanceMe introduced themselves as the answer to the gap; students have flocked to an opportunity to have their questions answered and a look into the playing field that might await them in the admissions room. What they often find instead is a nest of vipers waiting to bite them and tear apart their entire academic and extracurricular lives.
Chloe, a rising high school senior, told me she regrets posting to the subreddit after she asked about her chances of getting into her dream school, Columbia. In a, she explained losing out on her dream of being a recruited athlete after being concussed last year and receiving a B in her calculus class due to her piano teacher’s death and personal grief.However, she quickly realized that members were less concerned with the context of her academics and more with attacking her directly.
Another chunk of members have accepted the forum to represent a seesaw of soul-crushing commentary versus unwarranted ego boosts. One student told me she believes that the sub pushes a “one size fits all” mindset of the college admissions process which is fueled by users who “lie for validation,” exacerbating the anxiety of the average applicant.