<p>Last year's thread was started at around the same time, and I'm getting impatient...so fire away guys :) </p>
<p>Past participants, please share your insights and experiences. Current applicants, feel free to post your questions and concerns~ </p>
<p>All relevant comments are welcomed.</p>
<p>Quote from dolcevita's 2010-2011 thread:</p>
<p>"The QuestBridge National College Match helps outstanding low-income high school seniors gain admission and full four-year scholarships to some of the nation's most selective colleges.</p>
<p>If you are a student who has achieved academic excellence in the face of economic challenges, we encourage you to apply to the National College Match. You may be concerned about tuition costs, but QuestBridge's partner colleges offer generous financial aid packages that cover 100% of demonstrated financial need, making them very affordable for low-income students.</p>
<p>Visit QuestBridge</a> National College Match Program for more information."</p>
<p>The announcement on the website states that the application will be released in August 2011. Good luck in advance to all applicants!</p>
<p>byaaaaaaa. Get pumped y’all. lol, I don’t have anything productive to say, but you should change the name of this thread to “Official Questbridge National College Match 2011-2012” so that it’ll be really “legit.”
To all prospective applicants (especially college prep people), let’s make a pledge. Lol, I’ll go first: I pledge not to start the college match application the week that it is due. 
fingers crossed</p>
<p>Bleh…I wish I can change the title, but I can’t believe I don’t have the power to do that here as the thread starter. 
Oh well, I can always call other similar threads “illegitimate” later on if there is any, haha.</p>
<p>Merp, application time is really close, isn’t it? Thanks for starting the thread, ixiedin.</p>
<p>liddydonaghy - Nope. The application is not available until August. Shame. I’m in a rush to get a start on it!</p>
<p>Me too! I’m anxiously waiting…I wonder if they will have the same essay questions as in years past (read about them on other threads) or if they will change… Where are you guys hoping to apply through QB?</p>
<p>@ Azyrk13: I know it doesn’t open until August, but it feels like the past few years have flown by. I’ll probably blink and it’ll be August. :)</p>
<p>You can always outline your essays and think about what you want to include! That’s my plan anyway. Make sure your SAT scores and recommendation letters are ready by the time you leave school for summer vacation.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you all, and I will be lurking around once in a while. :)</p>
<p>Hmm. One thing occurred to me when I realized today that I should ask my teachers for recommendations next week to make sure they’re done in time for Questbridge. </p>
<p>I’m stuck between asking two teachers: </p>
<p>One I’ve had for three years and will have again for next year, thinks I’m a good student but not outstanding (she told me that she would not pick me to be an officer for her club because I was inactive after school), but I have done a research project with her and I’m the youngest in her class (also project leader), and I often received the highest scores on her AP exams. She was also the one who wrote the rec for me for the Questbridge scholarship, which got me to the conference.</p>
<p>One I’ve had during sophomore year (will have for next year) thinks I’m great/awesome and specifically asked to write me a rec for colleges(mostly because I worked on a project for every lunch period and entire weekends with him during that year), but has awful reputation as a teacher in school (won’t go into detail, but he lost his position as the department head due to complaints from students). He even gave me a gift at the end of the year for being the best student in class and understands my socioeconomic background well. His wife was an admissions officer and he claims that he writes great recs, but I don’t really know.</p>
<p>I’ve been told that to ask the teacher who loves you more as a student, but I’m iffy about asking the second teacher due to his bad reputation. The first teacher wrote a rec which helped a guy get into MIT, but I know she doesn’t feel as strongly towards me as she does towards him. I’m torn between the two (and I wish that I had better relationships with more teachers). Who should I ask for a rec?</p>
<p>You’re going to need at least two, so you will have to ask them both (I guess this makes things easier). Plus all the non QB schools require two. MIT, for instance, asks for one math/science and one humanities teacher. Make sure you look at the schools which interest you and check their requirements.</p>
<p>Thanks! But both of them are science teachers I picked my humanities teacher already (I’m applying to MIT 
) and my counselor knows me really well, so this is the only rec that I’m kinda worried about…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>MIT will accept two math/science teacher recs if you apply through Questbridge, but not two humanities recs. I asked an MIT rep at a traveling presentation this year because that’s what my son had already submitted by then.</p>
<p>I didn’t know about that exception. However, I would suggest adhering to their requirements anyhow. </p>
<p>ixiedin: It is really hard to say who would write the better letter. A teacher’s reputation may not be a factor at all because colleges would have no way of knowing these things. Additionally, if I teacher offers to write a letter and adores you, chances are the letter will be better than if you were to ask a teacher who has some negative things to say about you. If you still can’t decide I would do the following:</p>
<ol>
<li>Ask the current seniors about how these teachers have written letters for them. Do any of them think that one teacher is simply a wonderful writer while the other isn’t?</li>
<li>Talk to the teacher who wrote your QB recommendation and ask how strongly she could recommend you for MIT. Be honest and explain that to get into MIT one needs almost a “best in my career” type of letter. If she doesn’t think she can vouch for you that much, don’t waste her/your time. </li>
</ol>
<p>Weigh both options. Sometimes it comes down to who can write better or who can write more sincerely. Sometimes even teachers who don’t think you’re the most exceptional can write amazing letters. Just be careful, because you never want to be stuck with a bad letter that will jeopardize your chances. The rule of thumb is: a great letter can help while a bad letter can really hurt, but as with most letters, if they’re a standard series of praises and generic recommendations, it will just be a part of the application you have satisfied with no noteworthiness.</p>
<p>Hey guys! As someone who was in y’alls’ positions last year, I would be glad to help you in any way! I didn’t match (as there are VERY few matches at all), but I ended up with a pretty decent set of results. I’m officially going to Stanford, and I’m certain that Questbridge is super-beneficial! So if any questions arise on this thread, I’ll try my best to answer them, and if you prefer, feel free to shoot me a pm! (: I wish all of you the best of luck!</p>
<p>Quoted directly from the QuestBridge Facebook group:
“If you are for CERTAIN that your income does not meet the “0 EFC” threshold but does qualify for a significant amount of aid and you are hesitant to commit to a school you may have never visited, then I suggest you take advantage of the non-binding, non-single choice early action admission process (as opposed to early decision or the College Match, which are binding). I know MIT and UChicago have early action programs which allow students to receive decision notifications MUCH earlier and if you happen to get in to any colleges through early action, the knowledge that you have a solid school to attend without it being binding is such a relief when you apply to other schools through regular decision.”</p>
<p>@Metrical Thanks so much! I followed your advice and contacted some students, but unfortunately I’m getting mixed signals as well. I’ll ask the first teacher about how strongly she’ll recommend me, and if I’m getting a no I’ll turn to the second one. :D</p>
<p>I’ve got a question about letters of rec as well. Should we only have teachers fill out the Questbridge form and then have them forwarded if we’re not matched, or should they do the Common App form too? Can the letters be used at schools that aren’t part of the College Match program?</p>
<p>Teachers usually write a letter on your behalf without forms. You should let them know you’re applying through QB, but also that you will be using common app. They can then add information and attach their letter to school-specific forms. More than likely though, they will need to work on a QB application separately because it’s a bit different. </p>
<p>For now, ask for a letter in advance, let them know of your plans, and give them a resume and anything else they may need to help them write a letter for you.</p>
<p>Hey I was just wondering about if it turns out you are a finalist, if you can apply to other schools. Also, if you find out you are not a finalist, it seems pretty close to the ED date, so should I have the common app all ready to go? ( Just in case?)</p>
<p>You can definitely apply to other schools if you are a finalist. If you are later matched to a school, you can withdraw your applications (unless it’s non-binding). But if you’re a finalist and want to do ED somewhere, you can’t do the Match Program. It might be a good idea to have the Common App ready, because some schools in the Match Program want it with the QB application anyway. Hopefully that made sense :)</p>