<p>I see it as more beneficial to become a finalist then apply RD. For the College Match Program, the acceptance rates are very low, you have to fill out a QB application which has a lot of different short answers and essays, and you have to rely on only your stats before 12th grade. That means no new potential SAT's, recs from teachers in 12th grade, more polishing of your essays, new medals and awards/ec's from 12th grade?</p>
<p>Am I missing something important? I don't really see how the time put into the College Match Program is that beneficial. I see the best way as just becoming a finalist then applying RD with the common app? Thoughts? Thanks.</p>
<p>Some colleges let you use your QuestBridge application in place of your Common Application if you ranked the colleges, but didn’t get matched. Imo, the QB application allows you to write more personally than the Common App would.</p>
<p>But for me, it was more of a time management aid. It actually made me start my Common App early, not to mention completing the CSS profile. It made my schedule a lot less stressful than most people at my school right now. lol</p>
<p>Honestly, yeah it IS a lot of work. Yes you can use letters of rec from senior year and the up to the october SAT date of senior year for the application - I did both and became a finalist.</p>
<p>Other perks - literally ANY other scholarship you apply for uses similar essays. Copy, Paste, Done. Literally any supplement uses similar essay topics too. Copy, Paste, Done. Colleges recommend you “recycle” the essays for their supplements (aka copy paste). Think I’m kidding? Yale sent me an email telling me to do so.</p>
<p>You have several college applications DONE. completely. It feels great knowing you’ve got half or all of them in the bag two months before anyone else aka more time to study for those intensive AP classes.</p>
<p>There are several student questbridge facebook groups - TALK ABOUT SUPPORT!!</p>
<p>My only concern is if your family EFC isnt 0 or very close to it, you most likely won’t get matched. RD is great as you mentioned, but its sort of a bummer if you know you’ll already not get matched.</p>
<p>:] thanks for all the advice! One question though, what other scholarship programs would you recommend I apply to? I heard coca cola was pretty bad, I’m not sure about any others…</p>
<p>btw, I don’t really want to give out my EFC, but what do you consider very close to 0 for it?</p>
<p>I don’t see how you already know you wont get matched.
I have terrible stats and all of that and I got matched.</p>
<p>I mean, what can you really do in 12th grade that you can’t in earlier years? The October date for SAT and ACT count, and how well can a teacher really get to know you in half a year?
Not to mention how it easy it makes the process. All you have to do is complete one application for eight schools. Not to mention that if you get matched, all the financial aid stuff is also taken care of and you don’t have to apply separately and stuff.
There’s only so much you can polish the essays, and they’re available pretty quick so you’ll have enough time.
Really, I don’t see any reason NOT to apply through Questbridge.</p>
<p>thanks I guess I will(at my school thought only the 12th grade teachers usually write recs, its quite rare to get it from an 11th grade teacher) ;D</p>
<p>I’m only going to rank MIT,Princeton,Yale, and Stanford though since they’re nonbinding.</p>
<p>If you want to be a finalist for QB, you have to fill out the same amount of applications as if you were participating in the Match. There’s no harm in participating in Match, especially since you chose all non-binding schools. I have to warn you, though, acceptance rates for nonbinding schools matches are 1-2% only. If you decide to change your mind and apply to match with binding schools, MAKE SURE YOU ABSOLUTELY WANT TO GO THERE. I have met several QB 2016 who were matched to their 2nd/3rd choice school and are extremely bitter about it because they would have gotten in their 1st choice if they participated in RD. Goodluck Physicsboy!</p>
<p>It was really nice to already have all the tax returns, CSS profile, etc, sent to my ranked colleges early so I didn’t have to worry about it later on. However, looking back on it I wish I hadn’t applied via Questbridge so I could’ve applied Early Decision I to Emory instead of EDII.</p>
<p>@baby - you are absolutely right and this was a definite consideration for my S.</p>
<p>I would also suggest that the QB app may not always work to the advantage of the RD applicant, when they are not allowed to use the school’s app and must only use the QB app.</p>
<p>I’d advocate not to do the QB match round. I don’t see why we should apply to this program because the selection process to be matched is highly competitive. Applicants can apply straight to Harvard SCEA and have a 18% admittance rate (like this year) or 1% being matched with Questbridge. I’d choose the former.
Also, the prompts are a little stiff.</p>
<p>I was a college prep scholar and then last year a college match finalist. I did apply to two non-binding schools via the college match process but did not get accepted. However the evening those results came out, an admissions personnel from one of the match schools I had listed called me and said it was because of our income level but would I please apply to for ED? I did and was accepted. I was also accepted via QB to every school I applied to. I did apply through their own application to CalTech as I was told when I visited the campus that acceptance rates were super low for college match. In hindsight, I think college match is much tougher because not only do you have to be a good match for the school academically and personally but your family income has to be at a specific level or below. At any rate, I think the entire QB program, both college prep and match, is fantastic. I received three invitations to visit partner campuses where they offered to pay the travel expenses. I highly doubt those offers would have been forthcoming otherwise. I also was given <em>GREAT</em> financial aid packages from two of the partner schools and am very happily now attending one of them. It is not a full-ride but between my savings, summer job and two jobs during the school year, I’m able to very reasonably swing it with little debt. There is NO way our family could afford this school ($50,000+/year Expected cost of attendance) if it wasn’t for the school’s generous scholarships. I also applied to several outside scholarships which have gone a long way in allowing me likely graduate with little debt. So yes, I think it is very worth it. But like others have shared, consider carefully before ranking a school for college match. If you’re not absolutely sure you want to attend there, don’t put it. Or apply to only non-binding schools. In addition, yes, it’s a lot of work but this is pretty important so isn’t it worth it? </p>
<p>I also thought it was nice to have so much of the college application stuff sooner than my friends. It allowed me to focus on scholarship applications then since we didn’t get a 100% full-ride. Just my perspective, for what it’s worth. All the best to everyone!</p>
<p>“I’d advocate not to do the QB match round. I don’t see why we should apply to this program because the selection process to be matched is highly competitive. Applicants can apply straight to Harvard SCEA and have a 18% admittance rate (like this year) or 1% being matched with Questbridge. I’d choose the former.
Also, the prompts are a little stiff.”</p>
<p>To offer a different perspective/correct some mistakes on this-
And also, disclaimer: I was matched to Pomona through the National Match program.</p>
<p>I’d totally advocate for people to do the Questbridge National Match program, as long as you do your research with the schools and make sure that the schools you choose are those you would be happy to be accepted to. </p>
<p>“the selection process to be matched is highly competitive.”
This is not as correct as many of you would like to think. When you do the National Match, you are evaluated in a different pile than that of the regular or early decision kids. Questbridge folks are statistically less competitive than the kids that apply to those programs. If you’re an exceptionally high achieving student, you may be at the top of the pile for Questbridge but only at the top 50% for the regular application process. Even if you’re not, you have much more leeway to be unique among a crowd of 500 applicants compared to 10000 applicants in the regular process. Furthermore, what’s the risk? They can’t reject you through the process. </p>
<p>“Applicants can apply straight to Harvard SCEA and have a 18% admittance rate (like this year) or 1% being matched with Questbridge.”
Complete nonsense. 321 people out of the 3500 who became finalists last year were matched, which is around a 10% admittance rate, not a 1% admittance rate. Harvard SCEA is such a COMPETITIVE pool that 18% does not mean it is EASIER to get in- it just reflects on the fact that Harvard had the privilege to choose more people that were qualified to get in.</p>
<p>You’d actually have a higher chance of getting matched than to get into Harvard SCEA because of how scary the pool for Harvard is. The Questbridge pool is nowhere near as intense.</p>
<p>“Also, the prompts are a little stiff.”
No, they’re more reflective of a Questbridger’s unique circumstance. They will bring more depth to your application than the Common Application. More work they may be, but I’d consider better quality to be a good price.</p>
<p>Actually, the more work is really not true for all of them. Many of the QB schools do not require any supplements which are required in the Common App.</p>