A Facebook application can predict whether you will get into the college of your choice or end up at your safety school.
The app, AdmissionSplash, was started by 20-year-old Allen Gannett, and predicts the likelihood of getting into colleges by having students input test scores, extracurricular activities, GPA and other material, according to the The Collegian (University of Richmond.) Gannett is also the founder of Startup Splash Networks, a Washington, D.C.-based web development company which started the Facebook application Feb. 8 as part of its suite of social applications for college students.
Prospective students fill out a questionnaire and the application calculates their chances as fair, good or great. According to the company, it has accurately predicted 90.6 percent of admitted students at New York University and 97.3 percent of students at the University of California, Los Angeles (my alma mater!)
“I was surprised to see my chances were only fair for getting into UVA but good for getting into UNC,” a 16-year-old high school student told the Collegian. “I would think my chances for getting into an in-state school would be easier than one out of state.”
While the above student had reservations about Gannett's application, the application is probably only working off an algorithm based on public information.
That's likely the reason it excels at predicting acceptance rates at public universities rather than private ones, where admissions is still a murkier process.
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