Using Questbridge vs. Not (this is not a 'chance-me' post)

Applying to College
1

I am a junior at a private international school. I happen to be a ‘low-income’ student, as well as an URM, and for those reasons I am going to apply to the Questbridge National College Match (NCM). Assuming I am admitted to the program, I may or may not move forward and apply through them, because my top choice school is not a partner. Before I even go into which school that is, or why I would like to study there it, I’d like to make it very clear that I do not think I am overqualified for Questbridge partner schools. It’s entirely possible that I am not ‘qualified’ for these schools when considering the numbers that will go on to represent my scholastic abilities.

Prior to last summer I never even considered this school (which I will name later so that you don’t write me off as just another status thirsty high schooler prior to hearing me out) to be option for me. My dad had one year of schooling when he lived in his home country, I think it was the first grade. My mom, on the other hand, went to college and studied math, but never pushed college or high achievement in school on me as a younger child. During my sophomore year, however, I was looking into options for things to do during the summer, and I came across a summer program at this school, and they offered the most attractive courses. I thought to myself, “No way I have a chance, considering the status of the school, but the courses look like they’d be super interesting.” And so I applied, and got in (because apparently admission criterion for the program aren’t exactly stringent). I went and took the courses, and to this day I haven’t enjoyed anything (in school or out of school) as much as I did those courses and that environment. Afterwards, I received an A in both of the classes, and left with friendships with professors as well as a very strong desire to come back to that school. Now here I am, looking at the range of my GPA (what it could be depending on my performance this year). So far, I have a 4.0 this year, or close to it. Freshman year and sophomore year, however, I had a 3.3 and a 3.5, respectively. Now the highest my GPA can be, assuming I maintain my current grades, is a 3.6. Now, without me writing out my life story for you all, I’ll just say that I am an accomplished musician, a debater, and an RA at a psychological research lab (those seem like the most relevant things I do).

Here’s my dilemma: I want to apply to (if you haven’t already inferred it) Harvard College. On paper, I don’t think I am as qualified as the majority of applicants, however, I am confident in who I am and what I would be able to contribute to their student body. Harvard isn’t a Questbridge Partner School, and if I were to get accepted to the NCM, I would have to choose between applying ED to partner schools that I would be more than happy to attend, or applying ECA to Harvard, and if denied, having to apply RD to Questbridge partner schools. Given my GPA alone, I know that it may seem like a stretch. That’s what makes me unsure. 1) What seems like the most reasonable choice in this situation? 2) Why?

2

I would advise you to go with QB. There isn’t enough compelling info in your background profile to make me think you will get accepted to Harvard. Without QB in the ED round you have a chance of being shut out of the top US colleges/universities.

3

Questbridge definitely. The summer programs at most schools like Harvard are not actual Harvard programs they usually are provided by an outside company that rents space and hires profs and then pays Harvard for the use of their name. It is not the same. Not to say you don’t love Harvard but what you experienced is probably not at all what you would experience if you were accepted which would be unlikely. Questbridge partners with a lot of top colleges and offers extras you would not get even if you qualified for a full aid package at the same school. If you don’t match you can apply to Harvard RD anyway.

4

I’d say apply QB only for RD. That was my plan anyways. QB is really handy for RD but hardly matters for ED, so apply to Harvard ED and then if you get rejected, apply to others QB RD. Besides, I don’t think ( this is my opinion) that you have a very rare credential for Harvard to accept you right away so I would suggest applying ED when the competition is less fierce. Not saying you won’t make it in RD, but hey it’s up to you.

5

I agree with the first two posts. @Oregon2016 has it right. International students accpeted to Harvard are tippy top students right through high school. If anything, it is more difficult to get in as an international. I am sorry to say that I don’t think your stats are going to help you. They can find URM internationals who have perfect GPAs and perfect test scores, as well as top notch ECs.

Of course, I am not an AO at Harvard, but it seems to me that you might be squandering a great opportunity with QB. And your summer experience,while no doubt enjoyable, is a for-profit summer program. You will have literally no advantage from having done it, other than you enjoyed it.

6

Just wanted to point out that Harvard itself ** does ** host a summer program for HS students. Google “Harvard Summer Program High School.” That being said, attendance at it would not be seen as a “hook” for the student when applying to Harvard.

Also pointing out that there is no guarantee that the OP would be a Questbridge finalist. Cart/horse thing.

OP, my suggestion is to start to research the QB partner schools. There are many wonderful institutions at which you could thrive.

7

According to QuestBridge’s website, to be eligible for QuestBridge you must be either: 1) an international student attending high school in the US, or 2) either a U.S. Citizen or a Permanent Resident. Just want to make sure you meet this requirement.

8

Above point is very important (post #6) - be sure you fit eligibility.

It is never a good idea to pin your hopes on a school with such low admissions rates as Harvard. Or any other! Try to reframe your goal from THE dream school to SEVERAL dream schools. Do more homework. Ask yourself…

Do you want a small, intimate liberal arts college or a large, bustling research university?

Will you focus on STEM, or will you try your hand at different disciplines in a serious way (other than just filling dist requirements)?

What are your geographical parameters?

What are your test scores, and how do they compare?

Are you uncomfortable / comfortable in more / less diverse or left-leaning or fraternity-dominated or religious environments? How much does campus vibe matter to you?

QB will have schools that cover all of these areas, but it is up to you to know what you are looking for in a school.

The first and most essential piece however is financial, and I would really urge you to formulate a realistic plan. I am not saying don’t apply to Harvard but… have a WHOLE plan, not just “I want to go to Harvard,” that allows for different scenarios. And here is the really important qualifier – make sure all of which would be affordable.

  1. Apply early to Harvard – or any other really generous need-based financial aid school, being sure to run a net price calc first. If/when not accepted or if deferred have a list ready of affordable schools. Be sure to research this very very carefully and have an extremely balanced list! Be wlling to live with the consequences and to never have the chance to compare fin aid packages (which is why most experienced posters advise against ED for high need families).

  2. You can apply to QB and not be accepted as finalist, but at least you have essays and recommendations in order. Go back to #1 and proceed.

  3. You can become a QB finalist and rank up to 12 schools, Most students are not matched but your apps will get forwarded to RD and who knows? you might get invited by one of the schools to try ED

  4. decide not to rank schools. Include QB finalist as one of your accolades on your Common App. In this scenario you can still do ED or EA at other schools, whether QB or non-QB

Good luck!

9

@Oregon2016 I completely understand where you’re coming from. I would like to say, however, that if it is my background that seems discouraging to you, I promise you I have a story to tell. Once again, I’m not saying that I believe I have a chance, but I’ve experienced and gained wisdom from quite a lot of extraordinary (not necessarily positive) experiences. I don’t know that it would be appropriate or necessary to post such things online, but I can tell you with as much confidence as I could possibly have that my story is rare, and isn’t shared by many others who are applying universities like these. I should be clear and add that that story has nothing at all to do with my EC’s. That being said, I still completely understand what you’ve commented, but I’m curious if that would change your opinion. (Please don’t think that I’m fishing for a ‘go for Harvard’ answer, I’m honestly just trying to get as much opinionated insight as I can)

10

@acdchai Not that I expect this to change your opinion, but I can say with absolute certainty that the courses I took were undergrad courses (for credit), with professors who have taught these very courses to friends I know at Harvard. So I do think it provided me with a glimpse of studying there. Granted, yes, the program is for profit and attendance alone will not serve as a ‘hook,’ but I do think that having performed well (received A’s) in their own courses which were crammed into one summer may at the very least interesting.

11

@koolguy654 Isn’t the whole point of ED to receive their strongest candidates (those who consider the university to be their top choice)? I know that the applicant pool is generally smaller, but I don’t know if competition is less ‘fierce.’ And just out of curiosity, what makes you say that QB isn’t as useful for applying ED as it is for applying RD?

12

@college_query I do meet all requirements. Thank you for the comment, though, I appreciate it.

13

@momcinco Believe me, I understand what you are saying. I’m sorry I didn’t make it clear enough above. I don’t have my heart set on Harvard, and I will not be devastated if I do not get in. It is not the only school I have researched, and I have various other schools that I would be absolutely thrilled to attend. I have done a substantial amount of research on QB schools, and I have found the ones that I would like to attend (keeping in mind that yes, I do plan to go study STEM).

One thing I am a bit unsure about, however, is the amount of financial aid that students receive through Questbridge’s RD process. I’m under the impression that financial aid packages received through RD are not known for being nearly as generous as they are for those who are successful in the National College Match. What confuses me, though, is the fact that many of the QB partner schools that I’ve looked into say that they offer need based scholarship money. I am absolutely sure that my ‘need’ will be clear regardless of when I apply, but do you think that the NCM would be the way to go, as opposed to applying to Harvard, so that I don’t miss out on financial aid opportunities?

(If that was unclear please feel free to just say so, I’d be happy to try and rephrase when I’m not in a rush.)

14

The difference between financial aid through QB Match and RD is simple. If you are accepted through RD, financial aid is what it would be if you applied independently of QB.

IF you are matched (very, very few students are) the financial aid package will probably include no loans. This is important if the school usually does include loans and parental contributions. If they don’t, they don’t, for everybody.

Case scenarios:
1-You are finalist. You rank schools in order of preference. Your #8 school gives you a match. Yay! You get the most generous financial aid possible for that school, under its own formulations, usually without a parental contribution and without loans.

2-You forego QB and get into Harvard. Or Yale, or Stanford, or MIT, or Amherst…Yay! You get an extremely generous financial aid package. If your family makes under $65,000 a year, probably without a parental contribution or loans. However…most schools will not be as generous as those! So a Match would be better financially, with the exception of those that do not include loans in their packages, or which only start factoring in parental contributions at a high income threshold.

3-You are a finalist. You rank but do not get a Match. Your apps get forwarded. Your #8 preference accepts you. Your financial aid package is generous (unless I am missing one or two, all QB schools are need-based aid schools). It does include a small parental contribution and loans. The generosity will depend on that particular school’s definition of “need” and its formulation for aid. Using a net price calc should give you an idea, unless your parents a) are divorced or b) own business or 3) have unusual circumstances that don’t fit into the categories being used by that particular school.

4-You are a finalist and you do not get matched, or you have chosen not to rank. Your apps are forwarded. You do not get accepted to ANY QB partner schools. (I have only known this to happen a couple of times but a couple of times means that it could happen!) You have included a couple of backup schools which either provide generous enough financial aid for you to be able to attend, or you have researched some merit scholarships at schools where your stats are in the top quarter of applicants, and you are lucky enough to get them.

15

No, having a story and wisdom doesn’t change my response. If you have scores, awards, recognitions, or accomplishments that are unexpected, unusual, meaningful, and substantial, then I’d think otherwise. That is no ding on you- I have no superlatives on my resume- and good luck taking advantage of the opportunities you may be offered.

16

@heroicacuau Through experience. I’ve been through it. I applied through QB and didn’t even become a finalist, but I took the same essay (while adding a few extra words TBH) and got accepted Northwestern ED. Not sure if the same applies to Harvard, but that’s just what I think. And they really do care a lot about financial status- just because you are an outstanding student doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll become a finalist. Look at the the average ACT. That surely does not represent the brightest students of the low-income class. Besides, QB usually takes students who would have to contribute nearly nothing to their college education since QB pays the rest. It would be to their best financial interest to choose a less fortunate person, which I think is totally fair.

17

I think that koolguy’s story is a very illustrative example. This story is more the norm than a match. Having your essays ready and your paperwork in order is a huge advantage especially now that so many schools and families are going ED (which will raise the stakes even higher for low income kids.) QB is fantastic but it’s not the only way for a low income kid to go to college. Note that in recent years applications have increased markedly. I am so glad it worked out for you koolguy. Thanks for sharing this story as a dose of reality which can be met with swift strategy and the best resume/app possible.

18

@momcinco Your very welcome. Its important to give prospective students hope, especially since the college process is becoming more and more stressing. I was extremely happy to be accepted ED, since it relieves 4 months of anxiety, which in my eyes is worth more than being accepted at a more prestigious school.

19

With a 10.7% acceptance rate which is projected to fall under 10% next year, Northwestern IS a prestigious school, so again, congrats. Of course the much more important thing is that 1) it is a “fit” academically and 2) you can afford it.

Which brings us back to OP’s thread. I think it is really important for low income kids to really think ahead and work on the strategy that best works for their particular situations. For some it may be QB, for others, ED or EA, and for yet others, a combination of both, like koolguy. And my S #1. S #2 is now asking himself the same questions as OP. So I am glad that OP is posing these situations now. It really helps to get started on the different options which may – or may not – present themselves later.