(accidentally put this in the wrong category)
I applied for QuestBridge CollegePrep Scholars and was rejected. I believe I was rejected due to my family’s income bracket being too high. Our 2015 income was abnormally high and not reflective of what we’ve made in the past and what we’re making now. I was wondering if I should apply to the National College Match or if my family’s 2015 income would be a turn off for colleges and thus lead to an automatic rejection. I’m not sure what income year I would be able to use if applying to a college on my own instead of through QuestBridge, but if I were able to choose a more representative income level, I would greatly prefer that.
Also, I was considering whether or not I should put my religion as Muslim and if that would count against me.
Thank you!
Putting your religion as Muslim will not count against you at all. If anything it might help you since they are looking for a diverse set of students. There is a section of the application that allows you to explain your financial situation. Did you fill this out and explain how there was an abnormal fluctuation in your income on the prep scholar app?
@okruth Yes, I did, which leads me to believe that the rest of my application was weak, or they discounted the explanation (although I felt fairly confident with my essay).
What are your stats like? The prep scholar thread used this format to share SAT I (breakdown):
ACT:
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Award(s) Granted:
[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurricular Activities (place leadership roles in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays:
Teacher Recommendation:
[ b]Other:**
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate):
Hooks (First Generation College, Minority,Learning Disability, etc.):
[ b]Reflection:**
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/rejected:
What other Scholarships will you be applying for:
[ b]General Comments: **
Overall to answer your question I think you should still apply to the program, it won’t hurt.
OP I am sorry to hear that you were not accepted. Your app may be very strong overall – I do know that it has gotten more and more selective because there are so many more applicants each year. If you give your stats as outlined ^ maybe others can help you get a perspective.
QB states that it is not a hard and fast rule but the general guideline (barring exceptional circumstances like medical bills, etc) is $65,000 for a family of four.
It is really up to you whether you want to put in the time to apply.
ACT: 31 (first try; will retake to try to get a higher score)
SAT II: Literature-700
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 1%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
5s in both AP Lang and Lit
IB (place score in parenthesis):
none
Award(s) Granted:
lol none
Subjective:
Extracurricular Activities (place leadership roles in parenthesis):
Gay-Straight Alliance
National Honor Society (treasurer)
Piano lessons on a scholarship
Job/Work Experience:
Working part-time at grocery store
Volunteer/Community service:
Local history/science museum at least once a month
Local animal shelter (not anymore)
Local hospital weekly
Summer Activities:
I worked a lot
Essays:
My essay was pretty fun to write, so I think that came through in the writing. My AP and IB-qualified English teacher said it was strong.
Teacher Recommendation:
Said teacher above, so I think it was a good recommendation.
Other:
State (if domestic applicant): Iowa
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Eastern European (parents are refugees)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): the year that Questbridge wants is around 80,000, but we usually made 60,000 and are making 50,000 this year for a family of four
Hooks (First Generation College, Minority,Learning Disability, etc.): Being the child of refugees
Reflection:
Strengths: I like to write a lot and I think I’m fairly okay concerning my skills. I’ve published three books.
Weaknesses: I guess nothing really stands out about me, but I’m hoping really good essays can change that! Also, income bracket.
Why you think you were accepted/rejected: I guess some people are lucky and some aren’t, and my income bracket definitely didn’t help. I emailed them asking how I could improve the strength of my application, but I received a stock response (which I understand; I’m sure so many people ask the same question and they don’t have time to answer all of them).
What other Scholarships will you be applying for: not sure
**General Comments: **
Again, I cannot wrap my mind around whether it would be better for me to apply through Questbridge or on my own. Would no colleges accept me through Questbridge because of our super high, unrepresentative income? If so, should I just apply on my own and hope the financial aid gods are generous?
And THANK YOU if you read through all of this!!