Do I have a shot at Emory College? Applying through the Questbridge College Match

Colleges and Universities A-Z Emory University
1

Demographics:

Race/Ethnicity: Asian/Filipino

Type of school: public/magnet, but I attend the magnet part of the school (STEM-focused)

State: Nevada

Intended Major: still deciding between Math (Applied Math concentration/path) and CS, leaning more towards Math though

UW GPA: 4.0/4.0

W GPA: 4.8/4.8 (on-track for Valedictorian)

SAT I: 1540 (800 M, 740 R and W)

SAT II: Math II: 800, Physics: 610 (rip)

ACT: 33 (36 E, 34 M, 32 R, 31 S, 9 W)

APs: APWH (5), AP Lang (5), APUSH (4), AP Bio (3), AP Physics 1 (1, also rip)

Senior Year Courseload: AP Calc BC, AP Stats, AP English Lit, AP US Gov, APES

ECs: HOSA, Computer Science Club, Mu Alpha Theta (volunteering + competitions), NTHS, Chamber Orchestra, Honors Orchestra, All-State Orchestra, private cello lessons

Work Experience: Mathnasium (since late 2018, during the school year and summer)

Summer Activities: AEOP Unite Program (2018), tutoring at Mathnasium, traveling

Leadership: Lead Instructor at Mathnasium, Secretary and Co-founder of Computer Science Club, First Chair Cello of school orchestras in 9th and 10th grades

Awards: Questbridge College Prep Scholar, AP Scholar with Honor, National Merit Commended Scholar, AEOP Unite Scholarship Recipient, 3rd Place in HOSA State Leadership Conference for Medical Spelling, Honor Roll-type awards from school

Essays:

  • Biographical essay about struggles being raised under a typically strict Asian household and of being an immigrant and not knowing English too well. Also talked about how I've grown out of my comfort zone and became more confident in my abilities, especially in school.
  • Topical essay about taking risks by eating the spiciest wings at BWW (kinda cheesy, connected this to other risks I've taken throughout my life and how my life would be so much different had I not taken those risks)
  • First short answer about transition from being terrible at math to being a Lead Instructor at Mathnasium
  • Second short answer about Brenda Howard and her impact on the LGBT community's presence and confidence

LORs:

  • AP English Lang teacher (11th grade): knows me quite well, I've discussed my essays and personal life with her. I paid a lot of attention, did well in her class, and got a 5 on the AP exam which hopefully helps lol.
  • AP Calc BC Teacher: I have had her since 11th grade (Precalc) and am currently in her Calc BC class. I've improved a lot in between Precalc and Calc and have consistently done well on tests/quizzes. She seems to appreciate my enthusiasm for math.

Possible Hooks:

  • I used to suck at math as a kid but have improved a lot over the past years. After realizing how much I've excelled, I decided to work at Mathnasium to help students just like me. My promoted role as Lead Instructor allows me to become more engaged with students' overall progress in math and help Mathnasium run smoothly. I am also responsible for reporting students' progress to their parents/guardians if requested. I also train newer instructors so they become more accustomed to how the Mathnasium system works.
  • My group's research paper from the AEOP Unite Program was published to the Journal of Big Data (related to math, neuroscience, and computer science), which is considered a top-quartile computer science research publication
  • Closeted LGBT
  • Immigrant
  • Pretty low household income (~60k for a family of 4)
  • Brother has DS and I have had to babysit him whenever my parents are at work, especially during winter, spring, and summer breaks.
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Questbridge generally has about 5%-6% of applicants who receive a QB scholarship. Looking at the profile of the 2018 QB finalists, your stats are substantially above average. So you seem to have a pretty good chance to, at very least, make finalist (35%-40% of QB applicant are finalists). You will know in a few days.

As for your chance at receiving a QB scholarship, about 12%-15% of all finalists receive their full tuition scholarship. I guess that it depends on how many applicants with you profile rank Emory (or another college) as their #1 choice, and how many, if any, QB students Emory wishes to accept, and, of course, if they like you. I’m not sure of the criteria by which Emory (or other colleges) select QB scholars, but the fact that you have pretty high stats may give you a boost.

As I understand, if you are not matched, there is still a good chance at being accepted with a good financial package (full need met) to one of their partner colleges. According to their website, about 40% of the finalists who were not matched with a college were accepted this way.

So a bit more than half the finalists are accepted to a partner college and either receive a full tuition scholarship, of full need met financial aid. That would be about 16%-20% of all applicants.