IMPORTANT: Is Questbridge Worth It?

<p>Okay. So I'm a Pakistani female whose total family income is about 17K. Would I have better chances of getting into Columbia ED or through Questbride's College Match program (assuming I'm even accepted) which only lets u do RD with Columbia? Thanks in advance! :D</p>

<p>like could it be that one would have a better chance of being accepted ED, but not necessarily be "matched" with Columbia due to the limited number of questbridge scholarships? I heard that the partner colleges, like Columbia, mainly use questbridge as a way of recruiting UVM's, which I'm obviously not. Any advice? I would SO appreciate it!</p>

<p>i see people viewing this thread, but nobody replying....:(</p>

<p>I would reply but I have no clue =( sorry</p>

<p>oh, its okay. i guess nobody knows the answer at CC either...</p>

<p>can't you hedge your bets and do both?</p>

<p>with an income that low, an ED acceptance would probably include financial aid allowing for a full ride. Of course, it's not common for people relying on aid to apply ED, but when the income is so low it's unlikely that you'll get shafted.</p>

<p>denzera: i don't think so as questbridge is also binding and it's like ED, but just to more than one school. B/c even if I were to do questbridge i would only put down Columbia. But I think I'm going to stick with ED, be/c I just don't want to take the chance with questbridge.</p>

<p>on the other hand, you're exactly the sort of person that questbridge wants to see, and furthermore your chances may be boosted, %-wise, by going through questbridge.</p>

<p>That's "may". I don't know. But it wouldn't surprise me.</p>

<p>And just because Questbridge is binding and similar to ED, doesn't mean it prohibits you from doing ED to a school in their network. What is the application timeline for QB and when do you hear back? Does it overlap with the ED timeline (apply nov 1st, hear by dec 15th)?</p>

<p>well the website did have a quote from an admissions officer from Amherst college who said that the value of quesbtridge was considered a hook like a legacy or an athlete. But, the whole ED vs RD is exactly what's confusing me. The deadline is REALLY early - September 30th. But when u go to additional info for Columbia, it says Regular Decision only. Now I don't know if that's because finalists who aren't "matched" with colleges early on can simply forward their questbridge apps to the partner colleges Regular Decision without having to fill out another additional form. So yeah, I'm CONFUSED. Thanks by the way for trying to help me out in this dilemma. :)</p>

<p>NYGirl, I am not sure where all the confusion comes from. I think you are mistaken about being allowed to apply RD only and that Columbia only uses QB as a recruiting for URM students. You may want to explore the listing of the past students who won a scholarship at Columbia. </p>

<p><a href="http://questbridge.org/students/student_profiles.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://questbridge.org/students/student_profiles.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The next place to visit is the web page that describes the entire process by ... date.</p>

<p>
[quote]
September 30, 2007
The National College Match Application is due at 11:59 p.m., Pacific Time.</p>

<p>*October 26, 2007 *
Applicants are notified of their finalist standing.
Finalists are given instructions about how to proceed. Applicants not chosen as finalists should proceed with their Early Decision, Early Action and/or Regular Decision applications.</p>

<p>November 1, 2007
Finalists must submit required documents to the colleges that they have ranked. See College Specific Requirements for deadlines and details.</p>

<p>November 30, 2007
Finalists notified of College Match results.
Finalists who are not matched may apply to QuestBridge's partner college through the Regular Decision process. See the Regular Decision Process page.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Understanding the different deadlines will help you see why you cannot be a QB finalist and file AN ADDITIONAL ED application for Columbia at the SAME time. . Why? Because your QB application is essentially a ED application to all the schools you DID rank (except for the schools that are specifically EA.) You're named a QB finalist on October 26 and the Columbia deadline for ED is November 1st. So you can't submit you QB Finalist documents to Columbia AND file an ED application to Columbia. Even if it was accepted, it would not make any sense.</p>

<p>Regarding your disinterest for any school except Columbia, that should not be a problem at all --except it does not make much sense to an outsider. Simply apply by the QB deadline, check the requirements for Columbia, and when making it as a finalist, simply rank Columbia Number 1 and ... nobody else. Then your application will only be reviewed by Columbia. If they accept you, you're done and you'll know before December 1. While you can't submit two ED applications, nothing precludes you to resubmit your QB application to Columbia and a bunch of the other schools RD or EDII. </p>

<p>Do you increase your chances at Columbia by completing the QB application AND the Columbia application? Absolutely! And as a bonus, you save some money!</p>

<p>I was going to do the same thing - just check Columbia as number one and leave the others blank. However I decided to go with the RD option and applied to UPENN ED (A&S) because I've always wanted to attend. I'm doing QB and a bunch of other applications EA, rolling and regular outside of the QB choices. Good Luck!</p>

<p>grtskt89, you cannot apply for Questbridge and another non partner school ED at the same time. Questbridge IS ED for up to 8 schools, but you must wait until October to find out if you have made it to finalist status before you submit any other ED applications.</p>

<p>No that is not correct. There is an option on the form that says you don't have to do the college match program and just submit all choices on the following page as RD. The box is at the bottom of the college match page. </p>

<p>"I do not wish to participate in the College Match Process and will only use QuestBridge's Application Forwarding service for the regular decision process"</p>

<p>I live in GA too and was a QB college prep winner so it was nice to have most of the form filled out and I finished a couple days ago. Just waiting on the teachers and counselors. In fact I have almost all my college applications finished just need the recs and school reports.</p>

<p>Thanks for the correction, I had not seen that option. I guess I am confused as to what the benefits of the program are if you opt not to do the college match? Thanks</p>

<p>wow, i hadn't realized that either.</p>

<p>I know isn't it great. I guess the benefit is if you are chosen to be a finalist that's an honor. And free forwarding of your applications (in some cases). I would really appreciate help with the fees since I don't have any vouchers left. Personally I have loved the newsletters QB emails to me. The only prob is that I think my counselor hates me now because she has to do so many school reports - and the teachers I wanted retired and IDK no one really cares about this sort of thing at my school.</p>

<p>but if u don't get "matched" then as a finalist u then apply to the other schools Regular Decision right?</p>

<p>Well if you check the box then there is no match process (No ED to the 8 or how ever many colleges you chose) , but you can still become a finalist. If you are a finalist then some of the colleges will waive the ap fee (some don't). If you aren't a finalist then your on your own just like if you were to apply RD.</p>

<p>I have another question regarding QB or ED. If my family income is not really low, just a little below normal, would I have a better chance in ED? In QB colleges offer you full scholarships, so I'm assuming ED, which doesn't offer full scholarship, would be slightly easier. Is it okay to think this way??</p>