Thank you for your comments and advice. I do have a PSAT, although it is not very great. 1240/1520. I also used up my character spaces, but I did not fill in many of the awards and summer programs that I may have qualified for. You are right about leadership and extracurriculars. I need more of those on my application. Thanks for the tips. It will prepare me more for the College Match.
On a side note, did you apply for anything in questbridge?
@tigersjaw Hey! I’m from the Houston area and I would love to talk about carpooling if you live nearby!
Hi! I’m a bit confused… so apparently I got in?? It says I was accepted and then received nominations. Does that mean that I’m a college prep scholar, but it’s tentative if I get into the individual programs?
@littlechild Congrats, and yes!
Hey guys! I got in but I have a few questions I was hoping some people would be able to answer.
For NCM, say I choose Princeton but don’t get matched through QB early action.
Can I apply once again regular decision through common app or is it if I don’t match I’m automatically dropped from the college for good?
Are your chances of getting into a college better through NCM or through regular EA?
Also what’s this about ALL college prep scholars getting essay help? Is this true?
Thanks!
[ color=green][ b]Decision:Prep Scholar**[/color]
Objective:
[ list][ ] SAT I (breakdown): 1390 (650 CRW 730 M)
[ *] ACT: 32C rn but did not send to QB
[ *] SAT II: 680 on Biology E (sophomore year)
[] PSAT 10: 1130, PSAT 11: 1340 (I think the gradual improvement of all my scores was a contributing factor)
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/426 (top 5%)
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Euro (5) AP Psych (5) currently taking AP Chem, AP Bio, AP Lang, and APUSH
[ ] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[ ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Science Foundation Comic competitions (GenNano) finalist, NM supercomputing challenge finalist, new mexico academy of science research symposium fianlist then dumb stuff like A honor roll and state qualifier/district finisher for varsity and club swimming (ngl I really padded and fluffed it up with the lame mini awards)
[ /list][ b]Subjective:
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model UN (PR Manager, current president) 2 years, AMnesty International (co-founder, junior year) varsity swim team, club swim team, computer science club/supercomputing team, journalist/editor for school newspaper; I feel like there’s other stuff but I definitely dont remember lolol
[ list][ *] Job/Work Experience: photographer, comic artist, journalist for local newspaper, sports clerk for sports divison of local newspaper, video editor for non profit local film organization
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:
[ *] Summer Activities: swimming, working at jobs listed above, enrolling in dual credit classes
[ *] Essays: had a BUNCH of people read them and the most common feedback I got was that it really represented my voice and people could tell I wrote it. I have a pretty distinct style and they were a little bit funny, but sentimental and unique to my own situation as well.
for the short answer I did:
A sports essay (but a spin; not your typical winning a goal it was pretty hilarious)
Downloading the GMail App
changing south korea’s perspective on mental health and how it affected myself, my relatives etc.
[ ] Teacher Recommendation: pffft probably a 10/10 but I didn’t see it… I got rejected from another program using the same rec but I have a lot of faith in my teacher.
[ /list][ b]Other*
[ list][ *] State (if domestic applicant): New mexico
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: public school(~1500 students)
[ *] Ethnicity: apart of the Asian Persuasion (south korean)
[ *] Gender: female
[ ]Income Bracket: ~55k
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): AMONG first gen american (parents have good degrees from korea, and sister attends an ivy) second gen immigrant
[ /list][ b]Reflection
[ list][ *] Strengths: unique voice? idk.
[ *] Weaknesses: definitely my scores; also, I dont believe theres a real focus in my ECs. You can kiiiinda tell Im trying to blend science and journalism together but not really. They’re actually scattered all over the place
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/rejected: The key to standing out is to either write a whole new topic, or take a different perspective on a topic thats heavily discussed, Furthermore, people have to be able to tell that youre writing about something meaningful to YOU. I think my essays really stood out, and so did my rec. My scores are pretty awful but I showed improvement so maybe that was a factor. I also think I padded the awards to make them sound more weighted… kind of like when you have a 2k word paper so you fluff it up a LOT.
[ /list][ b]General Comments:*
Also applied for USA geography, new immigrant, and arts QFA award. Invited to Pomona but I wish it was the virtual conference instead. CA is a 14 hour drive and I didnt get a travel grant… not sure if I can even attend man. A bunch of my same school friends got in too so I’m really excited. Maybe we’ll road trip it?
Reply
It makes me sad when the code doesn’t push through and my list ends up looking like absolute poo =((
@yoharamona get rid of all the spaces
@lensonoda Thank you!!
I got nominated for telementoring with an Amherst student, as well as the virtual conference and all-expense paid trips. I’m mad at myself for selecting no when asked if I would want to travel to other colleges for conferences, wish I could change that. I’m waiting to hear back from the STEM award. I applied to the Penn Management and Tech program. Does anyone know the chances of getting accepted to that?
Decision:Prep Scholar
Objective:
[ul][] SAT I (breakdown): 1430 (760 CRW, 670 M); Essay 6/5/6
[] ACT: Not taken
[] SAT II: Not taken yet
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): My school calculates GPA out of 100, but I think mine is a… 3.8/4.0?
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): My school doesn’t release ranks until senior year
[] AP (place score in parenthesis):AP Euro (3), APUSH (current course), AP Spanish (current course)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): Does not offer
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Not sure what this means, so I’ll just list all the awards I’ve received: Presidential Medal of Honor (9th and 10th), Achievement in Earth Science (10th), 2nd place in History Fair (11th)
[/ul]Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Literary Magazine 9th-11th, bowling team 10th-11th, book club 11th, NYC Debate Center 10th-11th, school debate team 11th (possibly president next year), family responsibilities- caring for younger brother with autism
[ul][li] Job/Work Experience:Employed at Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatic Center from July 2016 to August 2016 (summer job)[/li][] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at Elmcor Senior Center since December 2016, miscellaneous teacher assistance activities since September 2015
[] Summer Activities: Summer Youth Employment Program last year
[] Essays: How I used my mother’s staggering academic accomplishments to inspire me to continue my own academic achievements after her death
[li] Teacher Recommendation: From my College Now Literacy & Propaganda professor; she was the faculty advisor of Literary Magazine for my first two years there, so I’m sure she wrote a glittering review of me[/li]
[/ul]Other
[ list][] State (if domestic applicant): New York
[] School Type: Flagship, Public
[] Ethnicity: Black
[] Gender: Female
[]Income Bracket: $25,000 (plus Social Security payments)
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM
[/list]Reflection
[ul][] Strengths: Essays and short answers (I wrote a lot about my community, where my family has lived for generations, and how I want to improve it), teacher recommendation, low income, difficult circumstances
[] Weaknesses: GPA/SATs only average for a program like Questbridge, lack of EC leadership
[] Why you think you were accepted/rejected: I’d like to say it was my writing (which is my greatest talent), but honestly, I think it was my lower income and difficult family circumstances that elevated me above the rest. I’m looking at some of the rejected applicants posting their stats here and I’m thinking, how did I get in and you didn’t?
[] Where else were you accepted/rejected: I received a scholarship to Syracuse University’s summer pre-college program. I’m awaiting my interview for the Princeton Summer Journalism Program. So far I’ve gotten into every program I’ve applied to this year, which is a huge ego boost after my disastrous experience with SEO Scholars when I was a freshman.
[/ul]General Comments:
I am honestly still in shock, but I cannot wait for next year’s National College Match. I know that’s going to be a lot harder to get into, but if I’m a College Prep Scholar, I at least have some chance, right?
@Elexis San Antonio! Close enough for you?
@oswidan I get the exact same things. And I also applied for the same program. Haha, we are competitors. JK. But same, I don’t know the acceptance rate either and their website said that the decision was already released but I think that is for the regular applicants. I hope we both get the chance!!!
YAY I didn’t even realize that results were coming out so soon! but I’m glad I checked and saw that I made it and I’m really surprised because I did not think I’d make it. <3 congrats to everyone!! honestly, to future applicants, APPLY EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK YOU’LL MAKE IT BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW! AT LEAST YOU TRIED RATHER THAN REGRET THAT YOU DIDN’T. But hopefully I’ll see/meet some of you guys at the conference 
congrats to everyone again <33
@kchen0514 I applied for the Quest for Excellence Awards for both Arts and for USA Award. I also applied for summer programs at Emory (Writing for Stage and Screen) and at Pratt in NYC (Film / Media Studies.)
I was accepted and invited to the conference in Pomona, but does anyone know if I can go to a different conference instead if it is more convenient. I’m flying up to CT during the Yale conference and wanted to go to that one instead. Also, is it possible to go to multiple conferences?
^^^^ I don’t think you would want to go to more than one conference. It would be a repeat of the same information, which you would take home from the first conference.
@kchen0514 I noticed that you put “Asian Minority” as a hook. Heads up from a fellow Asian, remember that Asians (especially Eastern Asians and very especially Chinese individuals) are an ORM (over-represented minority). Therefore, make sure that you don’t use your race as a crutch for applications.
Note: Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you did use your race as a crutch, I’m just giving some advice to Asians who decide to apply to QB programs, or those applying to colleges. A lot of people mistakenly think that Asians are a URM (underrepresented minority) but we aren’t.
I just had a question about the National College Match. Do any of you guys know if there are two matching periods? Like in December then again in March? Or is it only in December?
NCM is only in December which is Questbridge’s full-ride program. If you don’t get a match school, you will move onto Questbridge Regular Decision.However, through QB Regular Decision, you can definitely get into one of the partner schools, but you may not get a full-ride, only generous financial aid. Overall, NCM gives you all the money you need to attend college cost-free while Regular Decision gives you a lot of money.
The Questbridge cutoff for income on the website states that it’s $65,000. Now, if you look at the financial aid policies of many of the partner schools, most of the colleges/universities grant incoming students with family income less than $65,000 a full-ride anyway.