Remaining schools: International Relations/Foreign Affairs
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
3.85 Unweighted
4.6 Weighted
Class Rank: 10th/412
ACT/SAT Scores: ACT - 31
Coursework
AP Courses: World History (4), Psychology (4), English Language and Composition (3), English Literature and Composition, Government and Politics, Macroeconomics
Highest math taken: Algebra III (precalc/trig)
Honors Courses: Human Anatomy and Physiology, US History, College Algebra, Theatre appreciation
Taken French I & II as well as German I & II
Awards
QuestBridge National College Match Finalist
QuestBridge College Prep Scholar
Extracurriculars
Theatre (President of my troupe, stage manager, participating for three years)
Intramural Soccer
National Honors Society
Essays/LORs/Other
I think my personal statement essay is very strong because it went through phases of College Prep Scholar and national College Match decisions. I think my recommendations are strong as well because I asked two teachers that have seen my best, my worst, know me inside and out, and have know me since freshman year.
Cost Constraints / Budget
EFC $2,500, no cost restraints or budget
Schools
The only schools I have curiosities about are Boston University, Bowdoin, Brown, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, and Northeastern
I’m sorry if I left out some good details because the template went away. Because my QuestBridge essay went to all of the schools I listed (either through QB Regular Decision or Common App), each school got an essay about my challenges I’ve faced and how I faced the challenges to become a better person. I fear that me talking about my autism will make or break some admissions thoughts, but that’s out of my control.
Be honest and don’t hold back; I know my odds are low but I want to see how low.
Thanks in advance!
Yeah, so I wasn’t matched and I’m okay with that because it was just a matter of “does this school want to pay for my attendance.” I ranked as many schools as I could which is 12 schools. All of the schools I listed are QuestBridge schools with the exception of Harvard and Northeastern.
In regards to schools ranking me, I don’t think that’s a thing. They just sort of keep my QB application and place it in the piles it needs to go in as the admissions process happens. So the QB schools have seen and read my application since October/November when the applications were due. Applicants don’t really hear back at all until RD release day unless they matched.
Hopefully I answered that last question you had, if not I can take another approach at it.
I’ve been accepted into a state school in case this all backfires on me. I applied to a total of 14 QB schools and then four separately on the Common App. The ones I put in the post were the only ones I was curious about.
Ok. Hopefully you like that school and will be happy to attend if all else fails. If not, please find at least one other safety. It’s always preferable to have choices.
Thanks for your reply. It sounds like the Questbridge match is very similar to the residency matching program for medical student grads (NRMP). Since you listed 12 schools on your match list, that will give you a sense of how those schools view you as an applicant.
Going unmatched isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It looks like the overall match rate for QB applicants is in the range of 7% – which is about the same as the overall RD rate for these selective colleges anyway. You are definitely a competitive candidate.
Harvard is a crapshoot, esp in the RD round. So don’t get your hopes up. You might get lucky and have a sympathetic admissions officer. But you have a decent shot at the rest.
Well the schools I ranked through QB supposedly can’t see what schools I ranked, where I put them on my list, and what other schools I may have ranked. I think what helps QB candidates is the fact that they’ve already been through a selective admissions process via National College Match. I may be wrong but I think that’s something that plays into the process.
I also have tried not getting my hopes up about Harvard because it’s just a shot in the dark for me… especially because I did regular decision. I still have that tiny bit of hope, but I know my odds are slim to none.