Hi guys! As a 2008 National College Match recipient to UPenn, I just wanted to let you know that if you have any questions at all, feel free to ask! For those of you wondering about your chances, I have a theory that qualified names are put into a hat and picked at random because I know of countless people who've had spotless stats yet were denied from safety schools and then I know some who were lacking in some areas and managed to weasel their way through hard-to-reach doors.
Just to tell you a bit about myself...
-I started the QuestBridge College Prep Scholarship but never completed it and opted to just apply for National College Match in the fall.
-I ranked 5 schools: UPenn (1), Yale (2), Columbia, Northwestern, and Princeton (5).
And I'll be a Quaker in the fall!
If there was only 1 thing about the QuestBridge process that I could advise about, it would be time. A month and a half is really not a long time to fill out the Qestbridge app so starting essays and getting recs early is a must and furthermore, If one were to become a finalist, PLEASE keep in mind that there is an extremely narrow time frame to submit applications to the ranked colleges in Nov if needed (while most colleges accept the QB app alone, a few require the common app or another app form to be submitted by you). From personal experience, I ranked colleges that required an additional application thus had 10 days to fill out the common app for 3 schools and Columbia's specialized app in addition to an exorbitant amount of fin aid forms on my own; it was a nightmare. But it was worth it.
QuestBridge is an extremely beneficial program that offers a multitude of opportunity and while I don't know if they will add any more partner colleges for 2009, they have some amazing partners already. I feel like I'm rambling but I have plenty more advice to give so if anyone has ANYTHING at all to ask me, please do
