<p>I am an 11th grader and my family has extremely low income (<20k) annually, and it's only my mother working, my dad is in an foreign country.
I want to apply to Cornell but that's not QB so can I still apply for ED for Cornell?
And when do I start applying for QB? On the site it says starting August 2014. How do I become a finalist? Do I just apply and wait for the results?
If I apply for QB, can I still ED other colleges like Cornell?
And if I get matched to a college do I have to go to that one?
I don't get it.</p>
<p>You can apply for the College Prep Scholarship on February when it becomes available.</p>
<p>[College</a> Prep Scholarship Overview](<a href=“QuestBridge”>QuestBridge)</p>
<p>Next year’s QB starts on Augusts 1 I believe. That was this year opening date. </p>
<p>Most of the Match Decisions are binding, with a few exceptions like Stanford, MIT, and Princeton. I Yale is also non binding. The match changes are slim anyhow…</p>
<p>[Application</a> Process: The National College Match](<a href=“QuestBridge”>QuestBridge)</p>
<p>If you are selected as a QB finalist you are not allowed to apply ED anywhere. I don’t know how the check if you did though, maybe colleges have national database of ED students, who knows.</p>
<p>Now, if cornell is you number one choice, that is YOU LOVEEE the cold weather and the small town atmosphere there, and you want to apply ED yes or yes, then don’t do QB. Being a QB finalist is only a boost when applying to QB partner schools anyhow.</p>
<p>Good luck nevertheless.</p>
<p>I would just like to recommend that you apply an a finalist even if you decide to apply ED to Cornell. If you become a finalist you can opt out of the match and apply ED to a school (which I did). The main benefit being that if you don’t get into your ED school you can still use QB to apply RD to QB partner schools. As for CPS you should absolutely apply, going to the conference was amazing and the other possible benefits of CPS are also great.</p>
<p>Oh okay I get it now, I’ll apply for CPS in Feb. But if I apply for QB and become a finalist, it’ll still be a benefit if i op out and apply ED for like’s say, Cornell?
And if I opt in for match, there’s only a slight chance I’ll get in? If I don’t, I can still apply for ED right? But if I do get matched with a binding partner, I’ll have to pick the ones that I got matched in and go there right? But if it’s non-binding, I can still go to that one for sure but I still can apply for RD for other colleges (not ED)? </p>
<p>So if I get matched, that means I’m in? Do I just apply and wait? Lol.</p>
<p>Questbridge has two programs. College Prep Scholarship (CPS) for juniors and National College Match (NCM) for seniors. You apply for CPS spring of your junior year – about half the applicants are selected and receive admission to a Questbridge conference (recently these have been at Yale, Stanford, or Northwestern), fewer applicants get an all expense paid college visit, and a very very few receive a 6 week summer program at a QB partner college. The CPS award is considered a national award/honor. There are also Quest for Excellence (Q4E) awards to students from different regions, backgrounds, etc. which you apply for separately. ArtsyGirl13 who posted above won a “fein fellow” award for Jewish students. The Q4E winners get a laptop or all expense paid college visit. </p>
<p>In the fall of your senior year, you apply for NCM, the primary QB program. This is what some kids call ‘match’. The application is due at the end of September. It is essentially a very thorough college application with extra essays, (although they have recently shortened the application itself and cut out many of the short answers) but it’s still a ‘better’ app than the common app in that it gives you more opportunities to tell your story and detail both your accomplishments and any adverse circumstances you have faced.
About a month later the group of ‘finalists’ is announced. This year it was ~ 33% of the applicant pool although in the past it has usually been 40-50%. As a finalist, you can then ‘rank’ up to 8 QB partner colleges for an early decision round which is decided in early December. The extra materials (if any) for your ranked colleges are due about 2 weeks after finalists are notified. In general (and this is very general, there are a number of exceptions) the larger universities will require that you complete the common app in addition to submitting your QB app for NCM, whereas many of the LACs will make a decision just based on your QB app. You do not have to rank any colleges and can choose to apply early to Cornell (or another school). If you do rank colleges and are matched, you will be notified at the beginning of December, and will receive a 4 year full ride to that college for the entire COA, (‘cost of attendance’ including travel and living expenses, etc.). QB will ‘match’ you with the highest rank school on your list that also wants you. So if you list 8 schools and #2, 5 and 7 tell QB that they want you, you will be matched with school #2 and never know about the others. Being matched is a binding commitment on both ends except 4 colleges: Yale, Princeton, Stanford and MIT are non binding on the student’s side. So if you are ‘matched’ with any of those 4 you have a definite acceptance but you have until April 1st to accept the offer just like with RD.
QB staff and veterans of the process say that ranking more colleges is the smartest way to take advantage of what QB offers. It is essentially the chance to apply early decision to 8 schools in a process that restricts everyone else to 1 school. So it is true that the more schools you rank the greater your chance of being matched and many past Questies will express regret that they didn’t rank more schools – but you do have to be ready to commit to a college in November of your senior year when final rankings are due. The match rate for 2012 was a little under 10%. </p>
<p>Some advantages of applying to QB NCM even if you don’t intend to rank colleges are: 1) being a QB finalist can be listed as a national award on college or other scholarship applications 2) it identifies you as a high achieving low income student which is a group currently being recruited by selective colleges – a desirable profile to highlight on those applications 3) it gives you the opportunity to forward your QB app to any colleges which accept just the QB app and not have to submit anything else for those schools in the event you aren’t accepted ED to your first choice school 4) the value of having your essays (and a complete college application) done very early cannot be emphasized enough, as anyone who’s been through the process will tell you 5) the QB community is an immensely supportive peer group - there are facebook and other social media communities, as well as face to face meetings at the conferences and fly-ins. You will have access to lots of resources and information as well as emotional and moral support. Many QB applicants say that the best part of the process is becoming friends with like-minded peers who have similar life experiences, understand each other’s struggles etc. QB scholars have a support network on their campuses, including things like having a budget for Thanksgiving dinner for “Questies” who can’t get home for the holiday etc. Even applicants who aren’t finalists often stay connected with their Questbridge friends and some even mentor the next year’s group of juniors 6) becoming acquainted with QB partner schools which you may not have heard of or not know much about. All the QB colleges are outstanding selective schools from all over the US, although only a handful have the name/‘brand’ recognition. Many QB scholars, matched or not, say that they found their dream school through QB, and often it was not a school they knew or were interested in before the NCM process.</p>
<p>I can personally vouch for much of the above esp #4,5 and 6. I’ve now mentored over a dozen QB applicants – I began by helping with essays and now act as a guide through the entire process for kids who need the support they don’t get at home or school. All ‘my’ kids have been finalists although none have been matched (yet), but every single one of them has benefited from the QB facebook groups and exposure to selective LAC’s that they hadn’t known about prior to the process. This last point was also true for one of my own D’s who did some diversity fly-ins and got to see the tremendous advantages of smaller colleges up close.</p>
<p>Ok, it seems like I’ll have to get the tax returns and any other extra papers ready by summer next year I believe, and applying for CPS seems to be less of a hassle, I’ll apply to both when it’s time, this is very helpful!
My parents want me to go to the best college that I can be in and they want me to support them later on when they get older and when they cannot support me anymore…
My parents are both sick, but my mom still works at least 5 days a week to support my dad and I. It’s not like we have no food or no shelter, we can live perfectly fine but we don’t own a house (rent), a car or enough money to pay for college…</p>
<p>It’s tons of stress on me besides the school work, I don’t wanna fail my parents.</p>
<p>But I can’t believe people get financial loans when the family income is $100,000!
My family earns $20,000 total annually…and my dad can’t work.</p>
<p>My question is
What is 2014-2015 CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE? I believe it’s this?
<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools;
<p>And A copy of your parents’ 2012 federal income tax returns(signed, with all schedules, attachments, W-2s, and other earnings statements). Include personal and corporate/partnership tax returns?</p>
<p>My dad is in another country so there’s no tax returns for him, but there is for my mother, but what’s with all the attachments and earning statements, etc? My mom doesn’t speak much English and I don’t know either, I just know that she has the tax report every year.</p>
<p>Yes that is what the CSS profile is, but you don’t need to worry about it until senior year. Also don’t freak out about financial aid documents yet, the earliest you will be dealing with them is October of your senior year. When the time comes talk to your school counselor and they can help you with the financial aid forms, there will also be a FB group eventually for your grade with current high school seniors that can help you with financial aid.</p>
<p>Oh alright. Well I’ll try to prepapre before going to senior year because it does say the application process starts in August, and my counselor at school is new because of the school district budget issue, but I’ll apply for CPS in Feb.</p>
<p>Wait, I’m curious…
To become a finalist and then getting matched, does that relate to grades/SATs more or on the financial and life situation?</p>
<p>OP, it’s both and more.
Questbridge’s goal is to help high achieving low income students apply to (and be accepted and attend!) selective colleges. QB’s 35 partner colleges are some of the best in the US and the list grows every year. Every Ivy except Harvard and Cornell is a QB school. [Partner</a> Colleges](<a href=“http://www.questbridge.org/partner-colleges/overview-listing]Partner”>QuestBridge)
You should go to the website and read about the programs starting with the letter to students from Dr McCullough, the founder: [Letter</a> to Student Applicants](<a href=“http://www.questbridge.org/for-students/introduction-letter]Letter”>http://www.questbridge.org/for-students/introduction-letter)
He explains why it is so important and advantageous for low income students to apply to top schools, esp those which meet 100% demonstrated need and have need-blind admission. If you are admitted to one of these schools, even without being ‘matched’, it will be less expensive than attending local public Uni’s and often even cheaper than a community college. If you have a family income under ~60K most of these colleges guarantee basically a free education with no EFC and no loans, although there will almost always be an expected student contribution made up of campus work study and summer jobs.<br>
The same admissions standards apply to QB applicants as other applicants but the QB application is a more in-depth application (2 long essays plus short answers) and gives more opportunities to describe your life, showcase accomplishments and importantly, talk about factors that have disadvantaged you, obstacles you have overcome, unique circumstances, whatever your personal story is…and then colleges will evaluate your application (including grades and scores ) in light of those struggles, or hindrances. It is a truly holistic process and every year students with surprising profiles are matched and accepted during ED and RD cycles. </p>
<p>But definitely, work HARD at school and start taking your SAT/ACT’s early this year (use fee waivers) since you will ideally want to have scores ready for NCM (due September 2014) and even for CPS ( March 2014) if possible. All your accomplishments will be more impressive when achieved in a context of adversity.
So…both are considered: low income, high achievement. Neither is more important but you will definitely not qualify if your income is too high, whereas the grades/scores piece is a little more forgiving. Read some results threads and the finalist profiles on QB website to get a sense of academic profile of finalists and join facebook QB groups to network with other prospective questies. And your personal qualities are very important as well. What kind of human being are you as a result of your experiences? What will you bring to a campus? Diversity is not just a label - it’s as broad as every individual who has used his/her life situation to grow.
Sorry for these long answers! QB process can be confusing and it is really good to know what you are doing while going through it. Some kids apply and don’t really understand the whole thing until it’s too late, or they don’t have their application components ready in time. It is worth it to really do your research now and be prepared!</p>
<p>Well my dad is in a foreign country, he can’t work and my mom lives with me with 20k income a year and a sickness 
We are not struggling to live or eat, but we cannot buy a house, a good car or pay for college
The problem is, my mom doesn’t know how to prove that my dad is working and sick…</p>
<p>My personality is basically hard-working, focused and dedicated.
For example, my friends who have just as good grades (or worse) compared to me in class, during math class they would talk about their gfs or bfs or whatever and not focus on their homework. And if there is no homework, they just sit there and do nothing or talk about weird stuff. For me, I work on all the homework I have and study for SATs if I have everything done. I am extremely focused and dedicated in what I do because I know it is the right thing to do. </p>
<p>Also I’m taking my first SATs in January and 2nd time in March 
</p>
<p>And I love long answers, short answers don’t help me lol. :)</p>
<p>You sound like an ideal QB candidate, as a student and a person, and your income/life situation. And you are getting ready early so you won’t miss deadlines! That’s great. Don’t worry right now about ‘proving’ anything about your dad - you won’t need any documentation for approximately another year.
To answer your earlier Q about ED to Cornell, you can opt out of NCM and ED to any college. But remember that with NCM you cannot be rejected as you can with ED - if you’re not matched, your applications automatically go on into the next decision round, and with a lot of schools if you are not matched they will kick your app into their ED/EA pool so you might have an acceptance less than 2 weeks after match decisions! But you can always apply to non QB schools during ED/EA or RD - most kids do.</p>
<p>In the meantime, keep doing that homework and studying for SATs! Good job :)!
(If you like essays/long answers you will do brilliantly on the QB applications!)</p>
<p>Yeah, not a lot of people know about QuestBridge (at least no one in my class knows), so it’s the perfect thing for me to apply for, but I know it’s a lot harder. Even though I’m not the best in my class, I strive to be the best. </p>
<p>I’m going to apply for the scholarship in March too.</p>
<p>ThePariah, you’d be surprised at how many guidance and college counselors don’t know about QB and don’t suggest it to their students. Also, it’s not necessarily harder, just more writing… but you will get started earlier and finished earlier… and while all your classmates are never sleeping and stressing out and killing themselves the whole first half of senior year trying to juggle schoolwork and EC’s AND get those apps done, (and sometimes still testing) you will be done :D! AND if you get accepted early, you won’t spend Xmas break on college apps AND because you submit your QB late September, your grades etc. for senior year aren’t reported! If you end up applying RD, your grades will get submitted in a mid year report, and some early programs will ask for first quarter grades…but overall it’s SO MUCH less pressure that it’s completely worth it :). Most of your work was already done earlier in the fall. </p>
<p>Also, you don’t have to be the best, you just have to be yourself. That’s the beauty of Questbridge. It’s not so much about the numbers as about each individual student and his/her story. You will see the difference in attitude when you start getting involved with QB.
And if you get the College Prep Scholarship - the one you apply for in March - you will start meeting other ‘questies’ at the QB conference in June. Most kids say that the friends they make are one of the best parts of the whole experience!</p>
<p>This is the most I’ve ever written to a stranger lol but I hope it has helped you and future deserving students to take advantage of the opportunities and support QB offers. Let us know how things go for you starting next spring :)</p>
<p>Yeah I see, so when do I start preparing for my QB app? Before June next year? I know I need letters of recommendation and a couple of my teachers won’t do them after summer.</p>
<p>And when do I get my results for finalists and match? So when it’s time for everyone else to do college apps I guess, do I just do nothing?</p>
<p>You will want to ask your recommenders for letters at the end of this school year - so May or June of 2014 and that will give them the summer to do them. If you wait until next year they will only have about 3 weeks which is not enough notice.</p>
<p>You can look at the flow chart here: [National</a> College Match Flowchart](<a href=“http://www.questbridge.org/for-students/ncm-flowchart]National”>http://www.questbridge.org/for-students/ncm-flowchart)
but you don’t need to worry about that now. You can read QB stuff but you don’t need to worry about it; it’s a long way away! As long as you have the big picture in mind and you know where you are headed, you should stay focussed on what’s in front of you and what you’re doing right now. And yes, when you are waiting for results you do just wait - just like all students who have to wait for college decisions. But you will have your life to live while you’re waiting lol!</p>
<p>Ok thanks, so QB is earlier than the normal college apps I guess? And if I become a finalist and apply for match, can I still apply for RD for any school? And what if I don’t apply for match? And what’s the chance of getting the 8 colleges I pick? I definitely want to pick Stanford and Yale but not UPenn because 1/2 of the people in my class are applying LOL.</p>
<p>You can look at the flowchart for this year – it will be very similar next year.
You cannot apply RD for schools until NCM decisions come out EXCEPT your state flagship, rolling decision colleges, and scholarship programs that have submission deadlines before match recipients are announced. If you don’t get matched you can then apply RD (or even ED II) to as many colleges as you want. And if you are a finalist your application fees are automatically waived at all QB partner schools.<br>
As a QB applicant it may not matter as much where other kids from your school apply - you aren’t in the same applicant pool so you’re not competing against your classmates…</p>
<p>Riiiiiiiiiiiiight
Yeah true, I might still pick uPenn lol, it’s actually the school I want to go to, but it’s the same for all my friends, lol.</p>
<p>By the way, someone in the 12th grade last year, she was ranked 9th in the 12th grade (there is actually a class rank but it only comes up in 12th grade) out of like 65 kids, and she got into uPenn. If class rank is from 9th to end of 11th, then I would say I’m around rank 15-20 at best…soooo. The other 2 people that got into ivy leagues were also uPenn, but 1 was valedictorian and other was salutatorian.</p>