What you need to find out is the value of submitting a pile of extra LORs. It could very well be not in your interest to do so.
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Interesting. I feel like my employerās letter, at least, has a very strong uniqueness to it, though. As they know me better than any of my teachers.
Colleges that allow supplemental letters might be interested in your employer. But rememberā¦you are applying to these colleges to attend rigorous classes. The colleges want to hear from folks who have had you as a student first.
I still donāt understand why you wouldnāt want your application sent to RD from the Questbridge pool. This is a notable thingā¦in my opinion.
Also, regarding your activity listā¦there was a recent thread here about some college that is only looking at the first 5 or 6 activities. I think this could potentially be the wave of the future, because quality, not quantity is very important.
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Princeton also says this about optional LOR:
DOES IT HELP TO HAVE EXTRA LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION?
We believe that the required teacher references and a school counselor reference give us much of the information we need to make thoughtful, well-informed decisions. Additional letters are only helpful if the person writing the recommendation knows the candidate well and can provide new, detailed information.
Even is your optional letters provide new, detailed, firsthand information, you need to accept that Princeton is telling you that itās the academic references that they value most.
You will be lucky if an AO has 10 minutes to spend on your application, and it will most likely be less. Even if a school accepts optional letters, they may only get a glance and wonāt carry the gravity of your academic record and references. More is unlikely to be better in this situation. On the flip side, a Questbridge application is an automatic signal that needs no additional time or review.
You donāt seem to be interested in other perspectives, even from those who have more experience. You are clearly bright and informed, so this may work out for you but as you move forward you may want to reflect on how you hear and receive opinions that donāt match what you want to hear.
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Thank you. Another concern of mine (generally another part of the ālooking worse on my Questbridge appā umbrella) is that I seem less interesting. When Questbridge has questions about, for instance, what I do over the weekend, and my answer is politics and volunteering, I am afraid that I will come off as boring or one sided. Whereas my dedication to my interests comes out clearly in the CommonApp without hammering the reader with it in question after question.
I apologize-I donāt mean to come off that way at all and this thread has been very helpful. Neither of my parents went to college (one didnāt even graduate high school) and Iāve essentially just done most of this myself. I just want to be certain as it is a major decision, regarding how to apply. I genuinely do apologize if I come off as standoffish or overly questioning.
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This is what you doā¦and itās interesting enough. Iām not sure why you think itās boring or one sided.
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You are doing a great job and great research! Good luck. You will be successful, not matter where you end up.
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Hi. Your doing great especially doing this all yourself.
One pro tip
Many here are extremely knowledgeable about this process. I would recommend taking a step back and rereading some of the advice given. If you PM one of them that seems to know a lot my guess is that they will go out of their way to help. This isnāt my forte but itās pretty obvious the oneās that know this subject well. Sometimes in life we all need some help from people that have more experience then us.
I agree to the statement that you will flourish wherever you land.
Good Luck.
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Yes, thatās for finalists who donāt match (and doesnāt apply to those who donāt become finalists). Iām not sure itās a bad thing though? Not all QB partner schools work that way for unmatched finalists. Also, if a finalist doesnāt rank schools, they could still apply Yale SCEA, something to consider.
Finalists who do not match cannot be considered for admission through Single-Choice Early Action to Yale, but instead will be automatically considered in the Regular Decision process.
Finalists who did not rank any colleges may apply to Yale in the Single-Choice Early Action program.
https://www.questbridge.org/college-partners/yale-university/application_requirements
You are probably correct, I suppose I am being unreasonably worried.
Thank you so much.
Thank you; I appreciate the help and will consider reaching out for more detailed inquiries.
Blockquote Iām not sure itās a bad thing though?
My worry was that my QB application made me look like a weaker candidate than my Common App did, but folks in this thread largely alleviated my worries therein.
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Do you have a contact at Questbridge who could advise you on your options? @Juno16 do you know if there is anyone at QB who can help here?
You need to feel good about your decision and applications. I think you are finding comfort here that the QB tag is strong (as is being first gen), but none of us knows all the details of your app. If you could walk through the options with someone from QB, you might have more clarity.
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Sorry, no personal experience with QB!
@CottonTales any suggestions? Is there a help line at Questbridge??
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Sorry! I misread a post.
questions@questbridge.org is their email. They were always helpful with any concerns when my daughter went through it.
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Is it possible to update an application submitted RD? If you donāt get a match and your apps are submitted RD, can you just send in your LORs, or update a score or gpa change? I donāt know the rules but you could ask.