Basically, does it reflect better on you in the eyes of the admissions counselors during the process… (I’m speaking about for top-notch schools like the Ivies, Notre Dame, NESCAC schools, WUSTL, Vandy, Rice, USC, UMich and other schools of similar academic rigor.) And, how much does having this title help you? A lot, a little, barely at all?
It certainly can’t be a bad thing. I know almost nothing about this program, but it seems that becoming a finalist can only be good, as I beleive it is selective. Absolutely put it on your apps in the awards and honors section.
For certain schools, like for the QuestBridge Partner schools themselves, it can help you a great deal. A number of these colleges have put out press releases in fact confirming the # of QuestBridge Finalists that they have accepted, both during the National College Match round and via Regular Decision. To determine the significance to each individual college or university, you can simply search for “QuestBridge” on that school’s website and see what comes up. I think that you may be surprised. But, in general, it is considered a very selective accomplishment to be named a QuestBridge Finalist. And more and more colleges are actively seeking out lower-income students to recruit, so there is certainly no disadvantage that I can see about listing such an achievement as part of your application packet. Good luck…