Chance Me! QuestBridge NCM Finalist Regular Decision: I'm Just Curious

Demographics

  • US Citizen/Permanent Resident
  • Southern state
  • Public High School
  • Gender non-conforming, white
  • First gen college student

Intended Major(s)

  • Harvard and Northeastern: Anthropology
  • 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!

I’ve never really understood how the QB match works. Would you mind answering a few questions for me?

  1. How many schools did you rank on the QB match list?
  2. Were any of the schools above on your rank list?
  3. Does QB tell you if the other schools ranked you?

I assume you went unmatched, and hence you are applying in the RD round.

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.

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Do you have a safety school in mind? None of these fit that category.

Do you have any affordable acceptances yet?

Did you roll your QB app to any other schools beyond the ones you mentioned here? Any other apps in?

I can’t really chance you, but being an unmatched QB finalist is still quite an achievement and many are ultimately accepted RD to a QB school.

Yes, I have a state school I’ve already gotten into just in case.

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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.

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You have a great outlook, and this will serve you well in life. I know you’ll be a superstar wherever you go. Best wishes.

Please come back and update us. I’m rooting for you.

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