[Michael Blake]

Originally Posted by jspatz1

Dean and FIRST are not misleading us when they claim that a Dean's List Finalist award in your portfolio will improve your chances of attending an elite university. It will. But you must keep in perspective the daunting odds you face when you apply to a Yale or an MIT. The numbers are so great that there will always be somewhat of a lottery nature to it. Be proud of your Dean's List status, and use it to help yourself get into another fine university.

Jeff... "misleading" is a negatively-loaded word that I HAVE NOT used.

Representations are made in writing and verbally at the Champs ceremony, WHERE'S the substantial evidence to support those representations?

IF you listen to the video carefully, NOBODY say's Dean's List will only "improve your chances of attending", there's NO DISCLAIMERS or warnings... here's a direct Dean Kamen quote right after M.I.T. and Yale folks finished speaking:

"As I said, the colleges get-it, they want to get YOU (pointing to the entire D/L audience)..."

That's _powerful_ stuff for a 17 year old and his parents to hear for the first time. The credibility factor was _VERY_ high, now not so much...

My OP premise is that my experience is that this award MAY BE overstated and over-sold as it relates to getting into M.I.T. and Yale. Though, data (results) might prove me wrong...

--Michael

BTW... you guys have an AWESOME robot this year... hoping to see you on Einstein!! ;-)