<p>I just found Questbridge and was wondering how I would apply. My family makes approximately 45K a year, and I am going to take the SAT, ACT, and SAT II tests in the coming months. How can I start applying for colleges using this program, and is there anything I should really know?</p>
<p>Okay, well first let me say definitely apply. It is a rather selective process, especially for the College Match, but it is far less selective than some of its partner colleges with 7-20% acceptance rates. I believe about 45% of applicants become finalists, and being a finalist is where it’s at. Getting matched is amazing, but it is incredibly unlikely, and the best part of QuestBridge is the finalist status.</p>
<p>On top of having a hook in that you are designated as a high-achieving, low-income applicant, you also have free apps and you are that much closer to finishing the application process that much earlier. And even better, you are pretty much guaranteed top-notch financial aid, so you will not have to worry to much about paying for college.</p>
<p>It was mid-August last year when I heard about the process, and I figured it was worth a chance even though I was on the high end of the income levels for finalists. I would not have much time to complete the app, and I didn’t expect to be selected. Now, I have applied to 14 of my 15 colleges with 11 free apps. I have already accomplished more than I would have even dreamed of last summer.</p>
<p>So the process will run something like this:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Not sure when the app is up, but it is near the end of summer. Fill out the app as asked for. You will have to complete a few easy quizzes, get teacher recommendations, and so on. (Ask your teachers very early!) The directions for applying are very clearly written on QuestBridge’s site.</p></li>
<li><p>Apps to become a finalist are due September 30th. On October 12th, you will rank the colleges you wish to rank for the College Match process, should you choose to rank any. All colleges are binding except for Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Notre Dame, and MIT. That means that you agree to attend the first school you are matched to if you are matched. The aid is amazing, but if you are not sure you want to attend a specific school, do not rank it!</p></li>
<li><p>Finalist decisions come out on October 22nd. Then, all finalists will have to submit necessary materials to the colleges they ranked, by November 1st I believe. Around December 1st, Match decisions will come out. Only a couple hundred will be matched, but as I said, don’t be discouraged! The real gem of QuestBridge lies in the Regular Decision round.</p></li>
<li><p>Between the 1st and 15th of December, finalists should select the schools they want their QuestBridge app forwarded to. Some schools let this app take the place of the CommonApp, while others do not. Almost all will waive application fees for you, though, which allows you to apply to a lot more colleges if you want since you will not have to pay the extra money.</p></li>
<li><p>At this point, you basically are going through the same thing as everyone else, except you have an advantage because you are with QuestBridge! Schools are leaning more and more towards low-income students nowadays, so it will be a pretty big hook.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Hopefully this gives you a wealth of information on what the process is and what its benefits are. Sorry if I don’t make much sense, as this is hastily written and I did not check my facts; only going off of memory from the 2010 QuestBridge application process.</p>
<p>Please, let me know if you have any more questions! I cannot be happier that I decided on a whim to apply. There were a few points through the process that I was very confused, but if you just ask hopefully I can clear things up for you since I have been there / done that, and so on.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Thank you very much! What are the chances of becoming a Questbridge finalist? I know you said about 45%, but I’m talking about GPA, SAT/ACT, etc.</p>
<p>EDIT: I’m also wondering WHEN I should start all of this. As a junior right now, what should I be concerned with? When should I start filling out my app information, and when should I get teacher recommendations?</p>
<p>Thanks again.</p>
<p>Here’s the profile of all finalists in the 2009 process (the year before mine). There’s also a link to the profile of those who were matched if you would like to see that.</p>
<p>[National</a> College Match Program: 2009 College Match Finalist Profile](<a href=“http://www.questbridge.org/students/profiles_class2014/finalist.stats.html]National”>http://www.questbridge.org/students/profiles_class2014/finalist.stats.html)</p>
<p>A couple highlights are:
- 68% are first-generation college students (I was not though, and like I said I was already on the higher end for income; don’t be discouraged!)
- 75% are in the top 5% of their class
- About one third have a 1400+ SAT score (CR+M). Which are scores above 700 per section
- Almost half of all finalists had incomes between $20k and $40k per year
- Good mix of ethnicities/regions</p>
<p>If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate! I am a huge fan of the program, and this is the least I can do to give thanks. :D</p>
<p>Well, here’s what I can say about myself:</p>
<p>-I will be the first in my family to attend a four year college.
-I am either first or second in my class of about 600 kids.
-I am taking the SAT in May, but I have been studying and should score a 1400+ in CR and Math.
-Like I said earlier, my parents make about 45K a year.
-I am white and from Missouri.</p>
<p>Do I have a chance?</p>
<p>For sure. You are more qualified than I am on several of those points, so I’m sure if you put the effort in you’ll have a pretty good shot at the Finalist status at least.</p>
<p>P.S. Reppin’ MO! haha</p>
<p>I just want to say thanks again. I edited this in one of my earlier posts, so you probably didn’t see it. Therefore, I’ll ask this again:</p>
<p>I’m also wondering WHEN I should start all of this. As a junior right now, what should I be concerned with? When should I start filling out my app information, and when should I get teacher recommendations?</p>
<p>Well I can assure you that if you don’t want to be stressed out, start early. Take your standardized tests soon (you said you were, so you are good). Start thinking about who you want to ask for your teacher recs. I can give you advice there if you need it.</p>
<p>Once you know, maybe ask them near the end of junior year so they have plenty of time. Otherwise, I don’t believe you have to worry about filling out the app sometime during the summer. Sorry, but I’m not sure exactly when the app goes up for the next season, since I started pretty late.</p>
<p>Well, I have a list of about 3 teachers from this year who could give me solid letters of recommendation. Can I get the rest of the info about recommendations/app info on the Questbridge website?</p>
<p>Oh, and if you really want to, you can give me your teacher advice. It might persuade me to pick different teachers. ;)</p>
<p>Haha yeah, QuestBridge’s website has a wealth of information on several different topics. I would highly recommend taking a look around their site.</p>
<p>Okay, well I picked my German teacher, who has known me since freshman year, and my U.S. History teacher, who has known my family for seven years. Even though I didn’t have a math/science recommendation, I picked teachers who knew me will and whose classes I excelled in. I knew they would be able to write strong recommendations with specific details and information (anecdotes, etc) that could really help “sell” me to those colleges.</p>
<p>Definitely pick teachers from two different subject areas, and if possible from subject areas on opposite ends of the spectrum (math and English, physics and history, etc). However, don’t sacrifice an amazing rec opportunity just for the subject.</p>
<p>Again, give them lots of time, and maybe give them some help with a list of activites you are involved in, colleges you are looking at, etc. Maybe even offer to sit down with them and help them brainstorm if they need it. Some people even suggest giving them a cover letter with tips on how to write.</p>
<p>They will write their recs electronically, so you shouldn’t need to give them envelopes (at least not for QuestBridge).</p>
<p>Check back with them every once in awhile to see how they are doing. If you ask early but don’t remind them until a week before the recs are due, and they had forgotten about it, then you might as well have asked them that late anyway. haha</p>
<p>Finally, when you have to decide whether or not to give up your rights to see the recommendations, do it. If you picked your teachers well, you can trust that you’ll have a strong rec, and if colleges know you gave up your right to look at the recs then they can trust that the recs are more honest and credible.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help! So, if I really do not want to rush them at all, how early would you say to start having them fill out the recommendations?</p>
<p>Spring of junior year. Probably in late April or May. (Coincidentally, that should be right about when I’m deciding where I’ll be going next year, and you’ll just be starting up your process. It’s stressful, but it’s really exciting, trust me.)</p>
<p>If you have any other questions throughout the process, feel free to ask / PM me. I would be more than happy to help. Always good to help a fellow Missourian, and it’s the least I could do to give back to QuestBridge by helping their applicants along in the process.</p>
<p>You said that the application process will begin sometime in the summer. Besides the teacher recommendations and the tests, is there anything I should do before I have to start filling out my app? Also, about how long will the app take to completely finish?</p>
<p>Yes, the app should be up in the summer, but I would definitely ask your teachers beforehand.</p>
<p>Other than asking teachers and taking tests, I can’t really think of anything you should need to worry about. If you haven’t started the college search process, though, I would for sure. I started a bit later than I should have (although I did start earlier than many do). You get four free score reports every time you take a test, so use those on schools you know you want to apply to so that you won’t have to pay the fees later - that would require some knowledge of what schools you want to apply to though, of course. ;D</p>
<p>The app will take some time to complete if you want to do it well. There are three essays, which should be about 800 words, 500 words, and 500 words. Let these “marinate.” Take your time and really think about them, rather than rushing to write them on the last day. I would start several weeks in advance so that you have time to edit and restart if you don’t like where the essay is going.</p>
<p>There are also several short answer questions that you must answer in about 30 words. These are a pain because it is hard to stick to the word limit; that is where most of your time will ironically be spent, though (cutting down essays, short answers, etc to fit the word limit). Being concise is key.</p>
<p>There are also several other aspects. For example, you must list work experience, extracurriculars, and honors/awards you have received. You will have to prioritize here, as the number of slots available is pretty limited compared to the CommonApp.</p>
<p>Otherwise, it is mostly stuff like information about you, your academic interests, your family, your financial situation, etc that shouldn’t take too long to fill out.</p>
<p>NOTE: If you don’t have much/any work experience, do not stress. I had minimal work experience for various reasons and I still became a finalist, so it is not that huge of a factor.</p>
<p>EDIT: I’m going to bed, I need some sleep. One last time, feel free to PM me or something if you have any questions. I’d be glad to help!</p>
<p>I think I have just one question left for now. What exactly constitutes as an honor/award?</p>
<p>Sorry for double post, but I forgot something else. In addition to the honor/award thing, what is the weight of the extracurriculars? For example, how many did you have?</p>
<p>I had the same questions as the OP and am glad that he/she posted! This thread is really helpful!</p>
<p>I am a junior too and am planning on applying to QB this coming fall! </p>
<p>TenebrousNight, are you doing QB College Prep?</p>
<p>I am planning on doing that but the apps don’t seem to be up yet.</p>
<p>Did you guys, the QB finalist or alums, do QB College Prep? If so, any tips/pointers? Or comments about the experience?</p>
<p>One more question: Should we just tell the teacher ahead of time in the spring that we are planning to do QB this coming fall and give them the stuff this fall? Or do we give them the stuff this spring?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>@ FallenAngel9: You’re too awesome handling this thread all by yourself, had I been a junior, I would have loved your in depth posts. Great work answering the questions.</p>
<p>I’m a QB finalist too, but I don’t have that much to add right now. Concerning College Prep, it’s a good option for most qualified juniors. I did not apply for it because none of the summer programs interested me, and I already knew what I wanted to do over the break, so my time was well-spent on other things. </p>
<p>Educational summer programs can be pricey, and if you get a College Prep scholarship, it can save your parents the finances of sending you off to these great campuses to study new material. In addition, you may be invited to a conference at Yale or Stanford about college applications, and might even get FREE college counseling throughout your senior year. I would recommend taking the opportunity!</p>
<p>There was only one recommendation letter needed for College Prep last year, and they did not require, but asked if possible for your PSAT, SAT or other test scores. It wasn’t much writing, some boxes of what factors shaped your life, and I believe it would help you later on with the College Match program application essay. You’ll have the chance to reflect about the challenges you faced and how your grew over the years as a person and student.</p>
<p>Yes, it would be great to give your teachers advance notice concerning a recommendation; some instructors might need the periodical reminder in addition. </p>
<p>One thing I’ve learned about the college application and QB process overall is that you don’t need to treat it as a chore, but instead, as a great way to better understand yourself and what makes you “tick”. I reminisced about my past, and saw how my experiences really shaped me into who I am today. If you keep a positive attitude and work hard, things generally work out for the best!</p>
<p>Oh, wow! thank you! This thread is actually really helpful. The website does a really good job of explaining the program but it’s good to hear real life experiences. </p>
<p>I am super excited about applying to CPrep and the program, if I get in :D</p>
<p>If you apply to a non-binding school and you rank it first and apply to a binding school and rank it second and you you get deferred from the first school but accepted to the second, do you have to go to the second? Or can you wait till the RD round to decide?</p>
<p>Also, what were your stats?</p>
<p>I have been a little worried because my high school is super competitive and I came from a really bad high school and I wasn’t prepared for my current high school’s curriculum so my grades suffered a little. I also did not make NMSF. I know that it’s very holistic but I just would like to get an idea.</p>
<p>Props to fallenangel09!</p>
<p>You do have to go to the second school. It’s important to rank only colleges that you’d be satisfied with going to, especially because QB applicants do really well in RD anyway, so you aren’t hurting yourself.</p>
<p>Not making NMSF is fine, especially if you’re from a competitive state like NY. Your SAT scores matter more, anyway. Here are the stats for the class of 2014.
[National</a> College Match Program: 2009 College Match Finalist Profile](<a href=“http://www.questbridge.org/students/profiles_class2014/finalist.stats.html]National”>http://www.questbridge.org/students/profiles_class2014/finalist.stats.html)
[National</a> College Match Program: 2009 College Match Recipient Profile](<a href=“http://www.questbridge.org/students/profiles_class2014/match.stats.html]National”>http://www.questbridge.org/students/profiles_class2014/match.stats.html)</p>
<p>It’s very holistic. In fact, mitigating factors can completely replace poor SAT scores/GPA. First-gen will help a lot, and at certain schools, only URMs match although others get in RD, so URM status helps a lot as well.</p>