A letter from your fellow Quest Scholar about prestige

Paying for College Access Programs (Questbridge, Posse)
1

<p>Hello everyone,</p>

<p>When I was in 8th grade, we were to make a presentation about an institution of higher education. To make the project more interesting for myself, I chose to do it about Stanford University. The palm-tree lined place had always been dear in my heart. By the time high school came around, it quickly became my dream school. An academic power-house. Excelled in the rankings. Gorgeous campus. And if I got in, my parents wouldn't have to pay anything. Back then, I believed Stanford and the Ivies were the only school that could offer me all of this. </p>

<p>The name-brand mentality continued throughout high school. As far as I could tell, the only schools in the country were the Ivy League, MIT, Stanford, California Institute of Technology, local state schools, and out of state schools that I would never consider. When the College Prep Scholarship opened, I only checked the schools I had known about in the information request portion. In other words, just 10 schools. My thought process was this: If I haven’t heard of it, it must clearly not be very good. I was convinced that the only option for me was to either attend one of those schools or just go to the University of Houston. </p>

<p>Fast forward a few months later. My Questbridge application has been submitted. I am anxious, but relieved at the same time. It would be a blessing to be admitted to any of the schools that I have ranked. My list: Pomona College, Swarthmore College, Bowdoin College, Williams College, Northwestern University, Haverford College, Amherst College, Emory University. </p>

<p>“Wait what?”, I’m sure my past self would have said. “Where is Stanford? Columbia? YALE? What in the world made you destroy all of your dreams for some schools that no one has heard of?”.</p>

<p>‘Ah, but you’re wrong there, my friend. I did not destroy old dreams. I chose to refine them, create new ones, and prioritize them in a way that would have benefited me in the long run. I chose to eliminate the prejudices that limited you, and I chose to dream with more freedom, flexibility, and opportunity.’</p>

<p>It’s an unspoken truth among many of us low-income and first generation students. We have worked hard in school, and our parents and friends look to us as their inspiration. Attaining a college education would be an accomplishment for most of us, no matter where the degree comes from. But an education from one of THOSE schools? We believe it would change our lives. We believe it would be that important step in eliminating the precedents of our backgrounds. And to many of us, the relief and smiles on our family’s face to have someone finally represented in an Ivy League school would be priceless. And while much of this is possible, this belief undermines the complete picture.</p>

<p>Some general perspective: if the world was a village of 100 people, only 7 would have a college degree. Yes, even an education from the worst college or university in the world would put you among the fortunate human beings blessed with such a gift. The name brand of your education will never make up for the amount of individual drive you put into the process, especially for your undergraduate years. So no matter where you apply or end up, don’t ever forget that. </p>

<p>There are benefits to attending any top-tier institution (including all 35 QuestBridge partner colleges). First of all, you will be in the center of a residential life with some of the most hard-working, talented, and driven students in the nation. You will be in the center of a life in which you’ll gain independence and growth rapidly. Secondly, you’ll be taught by premier professors who represent the most knowledgeable in their area of expertise. Third- just about all of these colleges will be cheaper for you to attend than a state school. You are at a blessed position that your parents were not in. All of these institutions meet the entirety of demonstrated need, or close to the entirety of it. Most do not penalize you in the admissions process for requesting financial aid. Several do not even include loans in the financial aid package, which means you won’t be like the typical college graduate, having tens of thousands of dollars of debt to pay off. Lastly, they all will have more open doors and opportunities than you could possibly take advantage of.</p>

<p>Let us go back to my original thought of Stanford. An academic power-house. Excelled in the rankings. And if I got in, my parents wouldn’t have to pay anything. Here is the truth: ALL of the QuestBridge schools represent the best educational experience you can receive in your undergraduate years. To simplify the complexity of education to ranking them is trivializing the much more important fact that you will graduate as a beautiful contributor to civilization, no matter which QuestBridge school you go to. If rankings truly mean so much to you- the QuestBridge schools perennially rank in the top 30 best universities and liberal arts colleges. 24 of the top 30 schools on Forbes are QuestBridge schools. When you consider there are over 4000 colleges in the country, being ranked 1st versus being ranked 30th is a difference only those obsessed with prestige would consider significant. And financial aid? That’s the next point.</p>

<p>QuestBridge is truly a magnificent opportunity. Free applications to 35 colleges that represent the best of the best are absolutely nothing to scoff at. And the Match process offers an unparalleled opportunity: a guaranteed financial aid package that covers the full cost of tuition, room, and board for four years with no packaged loans, and no consequences if you are not matched. Remember that 7% statistic for those obtaining a college education? To graduate from any of these top schools with little or no debt would put you at probably the lucky .01% of human beings to do so. Please remember this perspective when you rank schools- no matter where you end up being matched, the fact that you are most likely done with the application process is much more trivial than the fact that you are BLESSED. </p>

<p>Those who succeed in getting the most out of the National Match process play their cards right. Instead of ranking the most familiar schools, they thoroughly research the individual merits of all 35 partner colleges and rank all of the ones that they realize are the best fit for them. They know that it is irrational to claim that only one possible school could fit their needs. They recognize the statistics and use the process to best advantage their chances of getting a full ride. They do not put all of their hopes on the schools that are “least risky”, because to them, being Matched is not a risk, but rather an opportunity to attend one of the best schools in the country, and their research has assured them in their choices. If they are not matched, they take the time to evaluate their applications in all the schools that they ranked so that they can fare better in the regular pool. I promise you- if you do your research, you will find at least 8 schools that you’d be happy to attend, and that you should feel comfortable in ranking. </p>

<p>This is not a treatise against applying to these familiar schools; on the contrary, I highly recommend you to do so because they are fantastic institutions. It’s a plea to understand the bigger picture and to gain appreciation for not just the schools you know, but all of the partner colleges. Do not waste your time and effort on schools that you know aren’t the right fit for you, even if they have a very strong brand-name. Having mentored QuestBridge students in the last two years, I have noticed that the greatest regret that students have is not having researched all of the partner colleges and only applying to the schools that they know of, in the end being rejected by all those schools and losing the full potential of such a lovely opportunity, or having to choose a school which wasn’t a right fit for them at all. By following this advice, I assure you that more would be matched and more would be accepted to a partner college during regular decision.</p>

2

<p>And what of my journey with the National Match? I ended up receiving a full ride to Pomona College, which became my top choice after a thorough investigation of all the partner colleges :slight_smile: You’d be surprised by what you learn! For example- my presumptions about Pomona (and liberal art colleges in general), and the reality:</p>

<p>It’d would be way too small
Pomona is in a consortium of 5 other liberal art colleges located directly adjacent to one another. The consortium has 7 dining halls, a library collection of 2 million people, 6300 students, and open events at all 5 colleges, which makes the experience feel more like a mid-sized university. [Other schools with a similar reality: Swarthmore, Haverford, Amherst]</p>

<p>It’d feel too isolated
Pomona is located 45 minutes away from Downtown Los Angeles and is in the heart of a metropolitan area with over 18 million people. The amount of opportunities, internships, activities, venues, and places is countless. [Other schools with a similar reality: Swarthmore, Haverford]</p>

<p>Academically, it would be limited
Through the consortium, Pomona students have access to 2500 unique classes, all offered with the intimacy of a liberal arts class. This includes 140 unique math classes and over 200 different literature and English classes. By contrast, Yale offers 2000 courses each semester. [Other schools with a similar reality: Swarthmore, Haverford, Amherst]</p>

<p>Liberal art colleges are not for the sciences
Pomona had the most Goldwater science scholars per capita of any school last year, and ranks among the top 15 in production of science PhDs, more than schools like Brown and Stanford. Science majors make up 8 of the top 10 most popular majors. More than 15% of the student body does school sponsored research every summer. [Other schools with a similar reality: all of the QB LACs]</p>

<p>No one knows about a liberal arts college
Maybe my parents. But Pomona ranks 8th in the number of competitive fellowships won per capita, which means it is well known and respected by those prestigious competitions. The med school acceptance rate is twice the national average, and those who matter not only know about the school, but highly respect it. [Other schools with a similar reality: all of the QB LACs] </p>

<p>Liberal art colleges are not as resourced as universities, and the facilities would be worse
The endowment per student of Pomona, Amherst, Swarthmore, and Williams is close to a million dollars per student, one of the highest in the country. Bowdoin and Pomona top technology rankings for all schools. Most of the top LACs meet full demonstrated need with no packaged loans- very few universities do this. [Other schools with a similar reality: all of the QB LACs]</p>

<p>Just goes to show you how amazing these QuestBridge partner colleges can be! I highly recommend listing conceptions you have about any school (well known or not), and seeing if that is really accurate. Having completed my first year at Pomona I’m very blessed to be accepted and can’t see myself anywhere else.</p>

3

<p>My goodness…that is long…</p>

<p>To sum it up in a paragraph: I was prestige obsessed about schools. I gained a realization that getting matched to any of these schools is a blessing. I thoroughly did research on the Questbridge partner colleges and came up with a list of 8 schools that I’d have been happy to go to, and I got a full ride to Pomona. Putting it into perspective that these are all the top colleges in the nation, and that it is a full ride, should make others appreciate that it’s not just about the most well-known or familiar schools. I encourage everyone to thoroughly do research on every partner school and rank for a combination of both strategic options and viable, individual options. Most should be able to easily find 8 schools they should be happy to receive a full ride to. It has happened year after year that people don’t make the most of the match process or the value of all 35 schools; if they did, the acceptance rates would be greater.</p>

4

<p>Well said.</p>

<p>Anyone who is applying should take your words into consideration. There is an evident obsession with “brand-name” schools among most high-achieving students. I once told a girl that I was probably going to the University of Houston and she replied, “I could never go to one of your crappy third-rate schools. I’m going to a real school.” She was a silly girl whose mother paid for her to visit Stanford over the summer. Despite knowing that it is petty and cruel, I am happy that she doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.</p>

<p>Few seem concerned about self-enrichment or pride in dedication. They’re apparently arbitrary when compared to the all-mighty significance of meeting societal standards. The problem is that it seems nearly everyone in power hails from these top schools, thus somewhat proving the point of the people who put a lot of stock into the hype.</p>

<p>It’s all a reflection of American society’s shifting standards and the growth of the belief that the elite deserve their pedestal and the so-called inferiors deserve to be under the foot of the more fortunate. The statistics shamelessly reveal that three quarters of Ivy League students are from America’s highest tax bracket (source: QuestBridge’s website). I personally find the economic disparity both shocking and nauseating.</p>

<p>I didn’t mean to hop on a soapbox, it’s just a little frustrating. I’m really glad that you, who at least seems to have genuine integrity, found success through QuestBridge. It’s clear that there would be more matched finalist if people would stop ranking the ridiculously competitive universities.</p>

5

@nostalgicwisdom Thank you for your post! It has really motivated me to research and has actually given me hope! Thanks! :smiley:

6

Great post!

This should be pinned at the top of the Questbridge Programs forum!