Assistance on Questbridge Rankings

Paying for College Access Programs (Questbridge, Posse)
61

Definitely keep Williams, Carleton, and Grinnell on your list. Williams has an old-money, preppy-ish kinda vibe that sets it apart from schools like Brown or Wesleyan. It’s quite liberal, being a college in the northeast, of course. For Carleton, I haven’t really heard a lot about it being politically charged–you should be fine there too, and it’s an amazing school overall. Ditto for Grinnell, which also happens to be less selective than either Williams or Carleton–that would make it a match.

I’m mixed on Swarthmore. One on hand, it’s one of the best LACs out there and if you do well there, you’re set for grad school and your PhD; they have great placement. On the other hand, there’s a social-justice vibe to the school. I wouldn’t mind it, but I think you might want to take that into consideration.

Agree with other posters about looking at W&L and Davidson (I don’t think Vandy’s as conservative as people are making it out to be, though–it’s more geographically diverse than the other two southern schools).

62

I will look at W&L and Davidson, but I can overcome differences with students if it means being in a higher ranking school. They have interested me though.

63

Political activism is big at Swarthmore and, like everything, can be intense. That’s why, despite its location, I don’t think it’ll work.

Haverford is near Philadelphia too and is different in its character. I think it’s honor code and consensus system would appeal to you.

Do apply to the Grinnell fly in. See for yourself (if selected) if it appeals to you. It IS rural but it’s also superb for science. They have huge endowment funds and use them to offer lots of options for entertainment and enlightenment on campus.

W&L is “old money” conservative (hence the unofficial dress code - think DAR, Cottilion… ) and 85% Greek. Not being in Greek life would definitely keep you apart from many campus activities and away from some friends. There’s also heavy drinking. As a result, I think that Davidson would work a bit better - it’s conservative and moneyed but not as heavily Greek and not as “exclusive”.

ED= you can only apply to ONE university ED. If they admit you and offer sufficient financial aid, you promise to attend. In exchange or this pomse, you get a pioiry boost for Admissions.
Questbridge allows you to “ED” up to 12 colleges. You polse, if aktrzd to one f the colleges you rank, that you’ll attend. But you get up to 12 shots instead of one, and thy guarantee you a full ride.

Look into St Olaf. In the same town as Carleton but more conservative (although not that conservative), Christian (required class on Bible& Community, one class about any faith or doctrine, and one class where you must apply ethics to your chosen field).
They’re not part of Questbridge and I don’t know if they have EA (which is non binding), so run the NPC and if they’re affordable do apply.

64

Only 1 ED… that’s spooky. I’ve been working with the future-mindset that I’ll get the QB scholarship. Of course, I couldn’t, as I’m sure many kids don’t, and I’m having to force myself to think of that situation, as much as I don’t want to, and do what I can to make a plan B. I wouldn’t even know which college I should apply ED to. I don’t want to put all my eggs in Vandy’s basket and then have them all crushed due to its “splitting-hair selectivity”. It’s hard not to, because I have developed an emotional attachment to the school since I visited it. I know I have to break away from that mentality because it’s very risky to love a selective school. I don’t want to be depressed come mid-December, so that’s why I’m trying to become invested in other colleges that may be safer, such as Haverford.
Do you think I can get into one of these colleges, RD, with what you know about me? I would think any acceptance rate below 15%, probably not, if that’s reasonable? Especially in need-blind admission, where there is no way for me to show my disadvantages and reasons for this and that, etc.?
I have these fly-ins in my eyesight, in order of interest:

  • Haverford (completed) (10/6-10/8)
  • Rice (WIP) (9/21-9/23)
  • Hamilton (no app available, yet)
  • Williams (not started) (9/26-9/28)
  • Tufts (not started) (10/24-10/25)
  • Davidson (no app available, yet)
    I have these fly-ins in thoughts, and am not sure whether to do them or not:
  • Grinnell (no app available, yet)
  • CalTech (no app available, yet)
  • Washington & Lee (no app available, yet)
  • Carleton (not started)

Yes, I know, Carleton has been heavily discussed already, and I’m sorry for including it as “not sure”. There’s debate as to its vibe on here, but I would like to trust MYOS and Lindagaf in their deductions. You’re somewhat right, MYOS: I’m not VERY quirky, as Carleton students are described. The two quirkiest things about me that I can think of is the fact that I own birds (One of them is my profile picture) and often play bird calls outside to attract local wild birds to me and get them excited (I did this with a few broad-winged hawks today, which is a rare occurrence. I’ve done this many times with titmice and chickadees, and a few times with a tanager). I can make a few dead-on bird calls (mourning dove, eastern screech, cuckoo, and most other owls and doves). I also listen to music no one else around here listens to - electronic, most of the time with no words. It’s been described by other people as “fast paced elevator music”. Is that very quirky or no?

To respond to Linda in post 44, (you know I’m not asian now, I think, haha), I do a lot of things around the house to help my dad, such as cook occasionally, clean, and even help him perform tasks in his business. (He’s self employed in his own one-man business; no employees.) I don’t know how I would talk about this in an application, though. Isn’t this stuff just a part of regular life?
I think I said this already, but to reiterate to MYOS in post 45, I don’t actively attend a church, which is kind of sad. I was hoping that there would be a college faith group that could revitalize my faith, as it has become a little distant than what is “healthy”.

The, uh, kid’s exploded jaw story is really weird, but interesting. Is that just a fun fact you told me, MYOS? Haha.
I’ll look into St. Olaf, I guess, but I really, really want my focus to be in science and research. I see good in both an open curriculum and a core-requirement one, but I’d rather keep religious studies to a campus group.

65

As you know, QB finalists rank their top 12 schools, and can apply to all of them ED/EA. QB finalist acceptance rates have ranged from around 36% to 40% in the past several years. The proportion of finalists that match is typically in the low to mid-teens (proportion of those who match to TOTAL QB applicants is in the mid-single digits).
-2018 40% https://www.questbridge.org/high-school-students/national-college-match/finalist-profile
-2013-2017 https://questbridge.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/218776907-How-can-I-evaluate-my-chances-of-gaining-admission-to-a-QuestBridge-partner-college-through-the-National-College-Match-
You do need an affordable safety on your list and some match schools as well (none will be QB schools, they are all reaches).

A few additional considerations (I don’t know all your stats, but know they are high…will you be NMF?):
-Apply to a safety/highly likely school with rolling admissions, perhaps Alabama? or Iowa?, but there are many more that could work. Again, this school must be affordable, so run the NPCs, and look to see how much merit you will receive. The benefit of having an early acceptance will take the pressure off when going thru the ED/RD rounds, and will likely inform where you apply to and how many apps you submit.

-If you are not one of the 35%-40% QB finalists, you will have to be ready to choose which school to apply ED too. If accepted to any fly-in program(s), these schools will likely offer your highest ED acceptance chances.

-If you are a QB finalist and don’t match, you will have to decide which QB partner schools you rollover/apply to RD (some possibly EDII as well). All your QB partner applications should be free. As you see on the charts linked above, a good number of QB applicants are accepted to QB partner schools in the RD round. Being an unmatched QB finalist is a hook at many schools.

  • You will probably qualify for application fee waiver at most non-QB partner schools as well, so make sure to take advantage of those.
66

OP, you seem like a diehard conservative. Being so socially conservative, even silently, is going to be tough at a lot of the QB partner colleges. I do urge you to check out Liberty. Maybe it is affordable, run the NPC. Also BYU, which is extremely inexpensive (almost free?), but being Mormon is almost a requirement. There are a small number of non-Mormon students, and it’s pretty well regarded in science. They do sound like your people, though perhaps more religious than you.

Re your ECs, if a student is doing the normal house chores and making the occasional meal, no, I don’t think you can put that in. I’m talking about beyond regular chores: watching younger siblings every day after school, which prevents you from doing other EC’s; grocery shopping and preparing meals all week because no one else is able to; providing care for a chronically ill or disabled relative, and other things like that. Or maybe you always shovel snow, bring in the mail and mow the grass for an elderly neighbor. Basically, things that require regular commitment and perhaps don’t directly benefit you.

67

@KelseyM: I think because you’ve been encouraged do to so, you’ve begun to underestimate your chances at top colleges. The strength of your academic preparation and the sincerity of your application will determine your future. If you concentrate now on ranking the QB schools according to your preferences, you have reason to feel optimistic regarding finding a desirable match.

68

Oh, Hamilton is also interesting, for it being liberal, by the way. I can fit in wherever I need to.
Thank you very much, Merc. I’m trying hard to be optimistic but sometimes it gets stressful. Thats just how it is. Not all days are good.

69

I’m curious: How is it that selection rates at QB partners don’t really matter in my consideration? Aren’t they just like a normal ED application to a college, where their admissions processes still apply? Northwestern sent me some mail today, and I had looked at them before and was interested, but the acceptance rate is 8%. Is it safe to include a few selective schools in your rankings? I was thinking going 90% safer schools.

70

Hamilton is pretty conservative.
Probably some of the elements you mentioned about “being conservative” are the norm in your environment so you don’t realize they’re not the norm elsewhere. For instance, the disruption to Earth’s climate is not a belief, just like gravity isn’t a belief. It’s not liberal or conservative, it’s just science. Wherher it’s an immediate or medium-range existential threat is debated, in the way you debate the impact of nuclear energy but wouldn’t say that nuclear energy is conservative or liberal or a belief.
Another example: since about the 90s, the word “homosexual”, while not exactly a slur, is not used to refer to people. My guess is that that’s the word you hear and didn’t mean it in the way it’s widely read (or you wouldn’t have used it in a public forum since you are a thoughtful writer).
Both are very different from wanting to debate whether semi automatic weapons should be sold to anyone 18+, or whether healthcare is a human right or a product. There’ll be plenty of these discussions on any campus and you’ll be able to express your thoughts, they’ll try to convince you and you’ll try to convince them.
It shouldn’t be depressing: you yourself know many students in your school (and presumably their parents) aren’t intellectually curious. Based on everything you’ve said, you WANT intellectual peers. Most kids at your school have lots of other qualities but being up to date on science isn’t one of them as per your description, so why would they be up to date on climate and environmental science? You are going to college because you WANT to be challenged and learn more than if you stayed.
It should not be depressing to think there’s a whole world out there that you would be able to discover and learn from.

71

Hamilton is “conservative” in that a lot of students there will be rich and preppy, but it’s definitely not socially conservative.

72

Giving up is not going to help you. My comments are only intended to be helpful and are SUGGESTIONS. Saying someone is diehard is not an insult. It’s a normal word. Nothing to do with your views. Those are solid suggestions (and in the case of BYU, affordable) for someone who holds similar views to yours.

73

This makes sense, and even more so than selection rates, selection attributes should still apply. For example, while Caltech, because of its quantitatively oriented curriculum, as well as other factors, may rarely admit an applicant with “only” a 670 score on the math section of the SAT, this occurrence at Harvard might be fairly common.

Need-blind admission favors you, in that your application will not be weighted downward because of your dearth of funds.

Of course! Include any highly selective schools that seem desirable and academically appropriate for you. You might find anyway that your choices naturally cover a reasonable selectivity range. If it appears that they don’t, then consider some safer admits. Note, btw, that a school such as Haverford belongs in the highly selective category.

Regarding some of your thoughts on specific schools, I’d recommend choosing one from Northwestern and UChicago, but not both – their overall aspects appear too different for them to be equivalently suitable for you.

74

I’m sorry, Linda, I was just afraid of tensions because we disagree. When someone calls me a diehard, I literally think it means I would rather die hard than negotiate with someone over a belief. I didn’t want any change in opinion of me because of what I believe. I’ll still cooperate if that is okay with you. I’ve just been on a time crunch and I feel that time is running out to do this stuff, since all I’ve been doing for the past week is intern, research, work, and sleep.
I’ll post more productive stuff on my Hamilton research later. I have to go to work. Thanks for the input.

75

“diehard” as an adjective means “strong” (a diehard fan is a stan. A diehard hippie is more hippie than most :wink: A diehard nerd is Leonard in BBT.)
You’re doing everything right. Keep doing things as you are, don’t try to add anything, and you’re fine.
Send these essays.
Write a draft, send it to me& Lindagaf. While we work, write something else or
BTW what you said about science would be great for a why us essay and your interest in birdcalls would fit nicely into an essay.
St Olaf is a college known for its science and music programs. It also happens to be a religious college (although it’s more a college to explore your faith and that of others+ living it/doing things, than a college about dogma.)
UTK and Lipscomb are very different academically. The honors college, access to research work, opportunity to take advanced courses would make UTK a superb safety. Get that application done.
Look up Haslam scholars (only 15 students selected in the entire state) and Chancellor’s Honors. Both are quite selective and will use your application to decide whether to invite you (I’m 99% sure you’ll get invited to Chancellor’s I’d you don’t “wing it”, for your UTK application.)
PM these essays :wink:

76

Alright, I’ll send what drafts I have your way once I do the corrections Linda told me to and trim up some other CA essays, tonight. My issue is specificity with fly-in essays, and I’m doing research on each college’s website and history to discover some things I can talk about so I don’t write overly generic. I messed up with that on Haverford, being too general, where you could put any LAC name in it, but I THINK I’ll be okay, if I just scrape by. With CA essays, it’s just word count. I’ve gone over twice and scrapped one, the other is under review by my UStrive mentor. I’ll work on those and maybe start another tonight.
St. Olaf, from what you’ve described, sounds like an advanced Lee University. (Could be a misconception) However, Lee’s sciences are generic; it’s whole focus is religious studies and music, which attracts international students. I know one from India. I’ll take a peek at it.
I’ll definitely apply to UTK and their honors programs when I can, but I firmly believe that school is a guaranteed get-in regardless of ED or not, so I’m gonna buff myself up for the “big-leagues” first. As far as Lipscomb and Sewanee, eh. Sewanee’s an LAC, which is cool, but nothing like Hamilton or Haverford. I could get in there. Lipscomb… I don’t even know about them, really. I heard Belmont’s alright, one of the seniors at my school is going there.
Thanks a ton for the help. That’s to everyone.

77

Without touching on subjective aspects too much (their interpretation may be largely personal to you), you might want to consider further information regarding Hamilton:

Hamilton’s Jitney runs every hour. You can be in Clinton within 5 minutes, and at various places in New Hartford within 20-35 minutes: https://www.hamilton.edu/campuslife/transportation/the-jitney.

Hamilton does not currently appear on either of the Princeton Review lists related to alcohol consumption.

I agree that in order to understand the reporting available through AHI, you may need to establish a sense of its general practices. I won’t say that I read the quotation you chose without interest, however.

78

For every story like the one you mention at Hamilton, there will be a similarly distasteful incident at Davidson, or Vanderbilt, or even BYU.

You can choose to focus on the stuff you don’t like. Or you can focus on the good things, like the 250 Hamilton students who volunteered in the community on Jan. 20th. Which story will have a positive impact on your life?

79

Merc, I guess my Princeton Review is a little out of date (it is 2017). It did have some notes regarding drinking on campus, but I guess that environment has improved.
As for your notes, Linda, yes, I’d much rather focus on the positive aspects of Hamilton. It will definitely be on my list! I’ll do some more research later on other schools and see what you think.
On another note, I got my AP Lang exam score back today. I self-studied for it, and I got a 5!

80

Congratulations on the 5!!?

BTW, there’s generally a residential option for students who aren’t into drinking/partying. It can be called Healthy Living, Substance-free housing, Quiet floor… But you’re in an environment where everyone has pledged to abstain from alcohol and drugs in their rooms. At some colleges it means the residents can attend parties elsewhere as long as no partying took place in their room/on their floor, while at other colleges it means they can’t come back drunk/high. So, if you want options that reduce the odds of drunken parties, you can ask about these forms/floors. In addition, women’s colleges tend to have less drinking overall.
You could email each college you’re considering (whether safety, match, or reach) - yes, even UTK- to ask about alcohol-free housing.

Regarding your safety applications: they should be done first, to work out the kinks and iron out any wrinkle. … you really dont want your first application sent to be a highly selective one.
(In fact, if you have a fee waiver for a random university, you can use that for a practice.)

St Olaf is among the best colleges in the Midwest (along with Carleton, Macalester, Grinnell…) but it’s not quite as selective as these. It’s very serious about science, for instance it’s got an agreement with the Mayo clinic for pre-meds (along with Carleton and Macalester).

BTW I’ve not received any PM notification so if you’ve sent any essay let me know you did here. I dont know how the “redesign” has impacted notifications and PMs.