<p>Hi, I'm considering applying to MIT either through the QuestBridge program or Early Action. Does MIT treat these two groups differently? And which way is more advantageous?</p>
<p>Does anyone know how many QuestBridge applicants applied to MIT and how many got in?</p>
<p>The standards are the same for both students, IIRC. But QuestBridge is advantageous for you because, if you get in, you get a very nice scholarship :)</p>
<p>MITChris should correct me on this if I’m mistaken, but I was under the impression that QuestBridge applicants are actually matched before the EA deadline and then deferred to EA if it’s not a match.</p>
<p>PiperX, wouldn’t I get a generous scholarship anyway under MIT’s 100% demonstrated need policy?</p>
<p>Is there any advantage to being a QuestBridge Finalist in terms of getting accepted?</p>
<p>Not that MIT doesn’t give good finaid, but MIT may give you loans and/or work-study and that kind of thing, so having a QuestBridge scholarship may be a better deal.</p>
<p>k4r3n2 and piper are both correct. The QuestBridge process takes place chronologically before our Early Action process. Students whom are matched will be offered the match before EA; those who are not but who wish to be considered EA will be deferred into the EA process. </p>
<p>All students, Questbridge or not, will be awarded financial aid as needed. Put another way, your financial aid award does not change whether or not you apply during QB or EA. The only “advantage” to applying QB is that it provides students with unusually or especially disadvantaged or complex family backgrounds to provide additional information and context with a more elaborate application.</p>
<p>People on CC who have applied via QB have seemed generally pleased with the process. The QB application is a little bit different from the MIT application, so some people like one application or the other better. </p>
<p>In general, I think it’s useful to apply via QB if you’re eligible, mostly because applying via QB specifically identifies you as a high-achieving low-income student in a way that wouldn’t otherwise necessarily be obvious – it makes that piece of your context perfectly clear to the admissions officers. In addition, QB applicants who aren’t matched are rolled over to EA. It’s my position that the more times your application can be reviewed, the better – QB + EA gives your application two chances to be seen and considered by the admissions officers.</p>
<p>However, I don’t think that choosing to apply via QB or in the EA round will be a deciding factor in anybody’s admission. It’s a useful thing, and a great program, but certainly not a secret back door to MIT admission.</p>
<p>EDIT: Dithered on wording too long, and cross-posted with Chris!</p>
<p>My family’s incomes around 25,000. Pretty low, but I come from a stable home with supportive parents, and I don’t feel like I’ve suffered any significant hardship aside from the few drawbacks that come with being low-income. And I want to submit supplements like my research paper and mentor’s recommendation, which QuestBridge won’t let me.
QuestBridge also doesn’t give a lot of places to list awards, and I’ve got a lot of regional math/science awards (Does MIT, or common app for that matter, allow a list of small regional awards somewhere or separately?). </p>
<p>So I should just stick with Early Action? Yes? </p>
<p>(haha, I really want to try to get out of rushing those essays so early)</p>
<p>If you don’t get in through QuestBridge, you can submit more materials when you roll over to the EA process :)</p>
<p>I did NOT use questbridge when applying, although it was an option for me. The thing about me was that I did not have a clear first choice college at that point, and most of the schools on that list were ED, not EA. Also, many of the school’s on that list have good financial aid programs, so I knew using questbridge wouldn’t make a big difference. Anyways, I had a college list in constant flux, didn’t decide to apply to MIT until after the EA deadline (at first I didn’t want to apply because I would never get in, then I realized that not applying is equivalent to being rejected, so it was worth the risk). Anyways, without questbridge, I was accepted RD and got an amazing scholarship. So, I’m not sure how helpful QB is, but it was not necessary for me.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the great information MITChris and molliebatmit! These posts certainly answered a few of my questions. I actually went to CC today for the purpose of starting a Quest-bridge thread, but that proved to be unnecessary.</p>
<p>One more thing: Can anyone provide some comparisons of the MIT app and the QB app? I don’t come from a low income family, so I can’t say that the QB app will highlight anything special about me, but I’m trying to decide which app will allow me to present everything about myself in the easiest form.</p>
<p>It will be easier to compare the MIT application and the QB application when the MIT application for this year is released. 
Last year, I recall people commenting that the QB application had more essays, which some people found useful and others found tedious. </p>
<p>
Perhaps I’m missing something here (and I apologize if I am), but if you don’t come from a low-income family or have otherwise faced financial challenges, QB isn’t available to you.</p>
<p>I just realized that I’m the one missing something. The reason QB sparked my interest was because I received an email from them a few days ago. However I actually didn’t see that it was more so for financially challenged families.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information though.</p>
<p>If I apply EA but also make QB finalist, will I be able to submit my QB application as a supplement along with my normal MIT application?</p>
<p>It’s worth noting that the QB process can bind you to certain schools. So if you don’t need it, I’m not sure there are a lot of reasons to use it. And most students don’t even need it: many students who apply through QB for the financial aid would already get good financial aid at the schools that offer QB. </p>
<p>So just make sure you do so deliberately.</p>
<p>@sumo - </p>
<p>You mean to MIT? QB takes place before EA. If you are matched to MIT through QB you’re all set. If you aren’t you can choose to roll your QB app over for us to read as part of the EA process.</p>
<p>MITChris</p>
<p>Is there a way to include a link to a blog showing inventions/etc. like on the MIT app when using the Questbridge app during the matching phase? Also, is there a way to forward a resume to MIT? Thanks.</p>
<p>I wanted to apply questbridge but I ran into two problems. I haven’t taken my math ii or sat reasoning yet, and I also started the MIT app. I already payed for it and had the interview. Is it too late to apply via questbridge?</p>