I wouldn’t advise a car on campus, certainly for the first two years. You will likely find that freshmen aren’t allowed cars anyway.
Winter is brutal at many of those schools. Brutal is putting it nicely, haha!
@momofsenior1 , OPs original list was very-high-reach heavy. Also, LACs are appealing to her after learning about them. Having had a fair bit of contact with OP, I do think Hamilton is a very good option. Find a school without hard partying, apart from BYU and Liberty. Actually, there are a few others, but most aren’t QB schools. Given that she is trying for the QB scholarship, I think she has a pretty good list.
For the prospect of reducing a variety of potentially random opinions to data, you may want to consider 4-year graduation rates. Students at schools with high rates appear to have been sufficiently happy to have rarely transferred out while also benefiting from support and resources that allowed them to graduate on time.
^OMG, Merc. The last thing the OP needs is another data point. The QB partnership colleges are all exceptional. It is like applying ED to twelve different schools. You can imagine the strain she must be under.
I do think U Chicago is a good choice. There will be partying, but it has a serious, intellectual atmosphere. The joke is that it is known as the place “where fun goes to die.”
No single poster should presume to represent the final word on what may be of benefit to the OP. In any case, the thread, in places, appears to be rich in anecdotes, put poor in data that might comport with the anecdotes.
However, they may not be equivalently exceptional to the OP or any QB finalists who rank them. I’m less inclined than others to suggest the OP compromise even for the lower positions in her personal ranking. If she remains attracted to Vanderbilt based on an appreciation for the attributes she stated, then that clarity should serve her well with respect to identifying similar characteristics in other colleges.
I do in fact appreciate the data points, Merc. Always do. Of course, though, most of the QB partners are above 85%, which is nice. It’s interesting to see that Vanderbilt is low on comparison to the other ones even though it’s like top 3 in happiest students by the Princeton Review.
The stress can be high sometimes. Sometimes it’s not bad, it’s just when I’m advised to do this and this then this then someone else with experience comes in and advises me to stop this and do this and this. I value all of the opinions on the thread and the experienced people behind them for offering and do my best to follow them, but sometimes they clash and I get a bit exasperated.
UChicago is very alluring to me, especially because of its intensity and its motto. The selection rate is very intimidating though and makes me fear ranking it high on my list since it’s akin to the ivy leagues in selection. I know someone said it’s not good to leave schools of high fit low because it’s too much of a reach.
How does QB RD work by the way? Is it if I don’t match in any ED school, I have to pick 12 new ones? Are there any benefits of RD over ED other than the whole binding policy? I’d imagine it would be harder to get in.
Hello all, I have just come back from a small vacation. I don’t really have anything to provide except I’m close to finishing 3 fly-in applications: Hamilton, Rice, and Haverford. I will be completing Tufts, Grinnell, and Williams soon.
Any others you want to recommend? I was also considering Davidson, Washington & Lee, and Emory.
Also, when a college asks whether or not I’ve received help from a CBO yet, should I list QuestBridge even if I haven’t actually gotten anything from them?
Thanks for all your help!
You wouldn’t have that question because you’d apply through the Questbridge application (which must be up by now). An for non Questbridge schools you’d answer"no".
Work on your UTK app now - you want to iron out the wrinkles on an application that isn’t high stakes for you.
I think @MWolf ‘s post about QB is golden and right on. Read it very carefully. I do not know anyone in 20 years of focusing on college apps that got QB match. It’s a lottery ticket. You qualify to “buy” one, so absolutely go on ahead, but even through these channels, gaining acceptance has a small chance though better than without having QB in there.
Be aware that at a lot of the schools, when you apply for financial aid, you will have to fill out CSS PROFILE, and if there is a family business or non custodial parent in your life, you may not get the aid that NPCs and FAFSA EFC indicate. I’ve seen this happen a number of times.
So as much time you are spending, focusing on these very low chance schools, you should be focusing on some schools where not only is admissions pretty much guaranteed, but you can afford the school. Those schools, or at least one school of that category is your most important pick, because that is where you likely will end up going, given overwhelming odds and stats
So this is a lottery ticket? There’s hardly no chance of me actually getting it let alone getting accepted to any of the colleges on the list regardless if I apply through QB or not?
There’s no tips on how to have greater chances? Nothing that sets any candidate apart from each other?
A lot of NPCs I’ve used incorporate NCPs into it. I don’t see how that could lessen my chance of financial aid if it means my situation is a lot harder. You know, no child support. This also isn’t a family business. It’s an individual business that profits 15,000 a year. With additional bills from various situations left unpaid, roughly 10% of that money actually gets pocketed. He can hardly afford anything for us, which is why I have a job - so I can pay for food, gas, clothes, bare necessities.
With as much as I’ve been doing in comparison to my other classmates, I’d like to think I can get into some sort of selective school, surely. Most of them are going to UTK. I’ll apply, but I don’t want to go there, since I’ve heard they throw their academics under the rug when talking about sports. That’s where students at Bradley go, because of their very strong athletics program. Sewanee and Rhodes are other get intos, but I think I can get somewhere a little better. I’ve been doing as much as I can so that even if I don’t get a scholarship, I’ll at least have a lot of info and supplement when applying for regular applications. I would like to think that, out of all the schools I’m looking at that are QB partners, that I’ll get into ONE, regardless if I apply QB or not. Am I being too optimistic?
You cannot COUNT on getting into at least one of these schools. You can only do your best. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the effort. What it means is that you need a Plan B, and a Plan C. It IS very competitive. Anyone here would be foolish and unethical to tell you that you have a good chance. If you don’t get in, it won’t be because you aren’t competitive.
Often, these very selective schools are filing institutional needs. So your top choice might be Chicago, but maybe Chicago this year doesn’t need a low-income student from Tennessee. Maybe this year they need a low income student from Arkansas.
This is why you’ve been advised to improve your odds by making you top choice one of the somewhat less selective schools. I’m not an expert on QB at all, but as I said, if you get the fly in, it’s supposed to be a good sign. I suggest you make your top choice one of the schools on your list with the most favorable acceptance rate.
I like your input, Linda. Even though I like Vandy and Rice the most, should I apply ED to somewhere like Hamilton, Emory, or Haverford under a regular application if I don’t get QB? (Emory is under consideration now after a visit to Atlanta on a trip.) Their ED acceptances are a good bit higher (Hamilton - 38, Haverford - 46, Emory - 30) than their regular acceptance, based on my sources, whereas Vandy and Rice don’t increase by much. I know a lot of people say “You have to be confident in this school to make this decision”. I’m not 100% like I would be with Rice and Vandy, but I’m around 85% sure I want to attend these schools if accepted. If that okay enough to go for ED for one?
Alright, here you go:
TEST SCORES AND SUCH:
ACT: 34 (Math:30 Reading: 36 Science: 35 English: 35) (taken only once)
AP United States Government & Politics: 4
AP English Language & Composition: 5
AP Psychology: 5
(AP Eng Lang was self studied, the others had courses at my other school, Walker Valley. I was forced to switch out by my dad because of some very serious social tensions there, which are non-political, by the way.)
At Bradley, I am taking AICE (Cambridge) AS classes/exams, something MYOS knows about. I have taken Biology, Travel & Tourism, and English Language. I will be getting those scores in August. I have one Cambridge AS test score so far:
Cambridge AS-level Thinking Skills: a
SENIOR COURSE LOAD:
Fall:
Personal Finance & Economics (required)
Cambridge A-Level Pure Mathematics 1 (first half)
Dual Enrollment Gen Bio I (or II, if I can skip this one)
Dual Enrollment Beginning French I
Spring:
Cambridge A-Level Pure Mathematics 1 (second half)
Cambridge AS-Level Engllish Literature
Cambridge AS-Level Global Perspectives (required)
World History Honors (required)
Dual Enrollment Gen Chem II
Dual Enrollment Beginning French II
WILL BE SELF-STUDYING FOR THE AP CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY EXAMS WITH DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSE AS SUPPLEMENT FOR AP
Chemistry is for certain, Biology is if I can handle it.
Bradley only has one A-Level class, unfortunately. AS level is like half of an intro college class, so it isn’t accepted for credit at most colleges, unlike AP. A-level is the full course, with additional exams. It takes a year, AS levels take one semester. I don’t really do these courses for credits, I do them for rigor.
Bradley doesn’t have AP. Their highest level courses are Cambridge and Dual Enrollment. I’m taking everything I can. I know colleges like AP and IB the most, which is why I’m self-studying.
Class ranking: 3/423 (exact, I switch between 3 and 2 frequently during the year)
GPA (unweighted): 4.0 on 4.0 scale
Lowest grade on transcript is a 96 in Driver’s Ed (sophomore year), everything else is either 99 or 100, to be more specific.
I can provide Junior and Sophomore course loads if needed.
I’m probably not any different from any other high-achieving student, I know. Here are my stats, though. Make of them what you will!
(Will look at ALL safeties not QB partners recommended in this thread, i.e. St. Olaf, for those wondering about that.)
It’s fine to self study for APs, but don’t do it at the expense of your regular classes. Most selective colleges don’t consider them too heavily. You might get course placement or elective credit for some of them. They will be far more interested in your grades in real classes at school. Given your choice of major, it’s fine for you to do it. Just don’t expect a self-studied AP score to tip anything in your favor at the most selective schools.
If your school doesn’t offer AP and IB, that won’t be held against you. What’s important is to take the most rigorous courses available at your school. The college will know from your school’s profile what sort of classes your school offers. Your guidance counselor will probably check the “most rigorous” box when he/she fills out his or her recommendation for you. Your teacher reps will be important, so choose the teachers who know you well, who you like, and who like you. It doesn’t have to be a teacher from the class with the highest grade or who has the best writing style. The best recommendations come from the people who know you and like you.
Yes, those schools are all lottery tickets. Your chances going through QB give you a bit of a bump. But it’s still a lottery ticket. You need full back up with some highly likely, affordable schools.
It doesn’t matter on PROFILE whether or not your NCP paid child support or not. You have to get her financials ( and her spouse’s if married) or file NCP waivers. You can get them on line, print them out, fill them out, get them signed and send to each PROFILE school requiring one . Yes, many PROFILE schools require this. I believe Vanderbilt is an exception. University of Chicago doesn’t require PROFILE. But most all of the other schools that guarantee meeting full need do. These are the rules for everyone.
The same with your father’s business which comes under family business. Yes, it usually hurts in terms of financial aid because some of the formulas add back some of the write offs he took and also gives a value to the business. He makes out on FAFSA and usually in taxes with his business but not PROFILE .
Because of those situations and because you need money to go away to college, you should be looking long and hard for schools where your great stats will get you some merit money. Look at some sure thing; guaranteed awards based on grades and test scores. You are going to have to look hard for some good sure options. You have a great application; let’s see who will pay you for them. What about your state school, some local schools? Ask your GC about some schools known to pay for local talent. You are going to have to really search because we are talking about hidden gems that may not have name recognition A favorite here is University of Alabama At Huntsville. Look up full ride scholarships, guaranteed scholarships and see what schools offer them. They are moving targets. We used to have a list on this forum but things change too quickly with the offers.
Look at schools like Susquehanna, Albright , McDaniel and see what their NPCs generate. Soka College is an interesting find. Have you heard of Minot State? Salem university? Do you know about the Stamps Scholarships and which schools have them? Look up 84 Colleges with Full ride Scholarships. Yeah, you have some of the top schools on your lists but those are lottery tickets, remember. Look for the schools where you not only can get accepted but where you are such a star there, they’ll let you go for free or nearly so. It’s easy to find the schools every one know where you will likely be asked to pay unless you are the top of their top or have something they very much want. You need some schools that will pay for you to come there. Those are your likely schools, also called safeties.
@Lindagaf these two threads and the yolesite info have not been updated for YEARS. Really the info on those threads is outdated. Many of the awards listed there are no longer available, or have different criteria, or have been reduced.
For example…Temple no longer has any guaranteed merit awards.
This student could post her stats in the financial aid forum and ask for suggestions of schools where she would get great merit awards. That would net better and more current info.
@thumper1 thanks. I know people need to check schools on those links, but I didn’t realize they were so outdated.
Kelsey, if you post on the FA forum, you need to provide as much detail as possible about your financial situation. For instance, you don’t mention your mother, not sure if she is in the picture or not. (Edit, I guess she is around but not involved.) But if she is around, there are still colleges that are going to want her financial info and it can be a pain if you can’t get her to provide it.
