<p>I was planning on applying to Olin, Princeton, Cooper Union, Brown, and Rose-Hulman (backup). </p>
<p>Princeton and Swarthmore are on the list this year. So is rice and stanford. Catch is this: if I get in do I need to go? I’ll explain.</p>
<p>I need a scholarship to attend, so the program is nice, but my number 1, Olin, is not listed, and what if I get in but don’t get scholarship I need to schools on list? Brown isn’t on the listed either. </p>
<p>Now, if I get full scholarship to Princeton, you know the answer, but I won’t get a full scholarship to Princeton because of my GPA overall. I’ve got 3.9 and some junior year unweighted, but that doesn’t overbalance the 3.0 I had freshman year, hence my bad overall GPA.</p>
<p>My big selling points are my patents (one granted, two pending) and high tech research I’ve been doing, (and for related reasons I’m fairly competent at fluid dynamics w/ turbulence, programming in C++ and Python, and heat transfer.) Also taking lots of AP’s this year, including physics C both parts, AP bio, and AP econ. Finally, I co-write an editorial section (basically abstracts for new technologies in brazing and material science) in a professional society magazine. </p>
<p>QuestBridge is early decision; you’re bound to go. If the partner schools are not your first choice(s), don’t apply. QuestBridge is essentially the same as RD, except the you get to apply to multiple schools and you’re bound to go to the one that you’re matched to. It’s nice, but it’s no longer a ‘full four-year scholarship’ – many partner schools, namely Yale and Stanford, make you re-apply for the scholarship each year, and they aren’t quite ‘full’ scholarships – there’s work-study, summer contribution, part of your student savings, etc. Some even have loans.</p>
<p>In fact, I would actually discourage someone who isn’t sure of applying through QuestBridge if he/she isn’t a URM – QuestBridge has become largely another outlet for top colleges to recruit URMs.</p>
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