I have been filling out my quest bridge application, but counselor recently told me that she knows no one who has ever received a scholarship from them and the recognition of being a Quest bridge finalist is not worth the time and effort. How much does the status of being a questbridge finalist actually help??
You may want to look at this area of CC:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/questbridge-programs/
My D applied through QuestBridge. She was not a finalist. However, the meets full-need school she eventually attended (and where she was admitted off the waitlist) had her coded in their system as a QuestBridge applicant. It may have played a role in her eventual admittance.
I have a good friend whose daughter was matched to Amherst through Questbridge. Not sure what the financial breakdown is exactly, but I’m pretty sure it’s close to a full ride, b/c they couldn’t afford it otherwise.
With many schools nowadays seeking out first generation/low income students QB can help a lot; its a strong hook in college admissions. My D’s friend was matched thru QB with Stanford with full ride. Her demographics and stats alone probably wouldn’t get her that far.
I did research on this when I was applying to colleges (was high school class of '11). Many good colleges will give a significant amount of weight to you being a Questbridge Finalist, since they’re often looking for first generation / low income students with strong academics. They look for students fitting this profile because they tend to have overcome significant difficulties and/or be very independently motivated, and these traits result in good performance in college and in later life. So yes, I’d say that taking the time to fill out the Questbridge application is worth the time and effort.