QuestBridge (QB) (2023-2024)

[untold raptor]

okay

im basically done

if any of you have any questions just ask

[grim narwhal]

I got questions

[untold raptor]

talk to me

[grim narwhal]

So my plan was to apply NCM see if I get finalist and if I do get finalist: rank no schools OR rank 1-3 schools so I can hard focus the supplementals

[untold raptor]

ok

[grim narwhal]

then, apply through commonApp listing QB finalist in my awards section

[untold raptor]

nope

[grim narwhal]

because QB RD doesnt have lots of the schools I want to apply to

Why

[untold raptor]

well

it doesnt mean anything

if you want to include it as an award, sure

but the label in and of itself is almost meaningless

[grim narwhal]

Huh I see

[untold raptor]

since it's just an agency saying you're a good applicant

an AO is already going to know whether you're a good applicant or not

they have the file

[grim narwhal]

Now another question

[untold raptor]

ok

[royal gorge]

[grim narwhal]

regardless of whether I am selected as a finalist, I can do the QBRD as long as I applied but I'm assuming: I cannot apply through commonapp AND QBRD? Even theyre to different schools?

[untold raptor]

i ranked penn and just never finished the app

[royal gorge]

No you can

QBRD is not binding

[untold raptor]

oats is correct

[errant spoke]

are there any benefits of applying to qb partners with the commonapp if you need to give your qb id

[royal gorge]

QB's early ass match is except MIT

[errant spoke]

they could just see your qb app no

[untold raptor]

ok so this gets slightly technical

[royal gorge]

You can't apply early to other schools if you're doing the match tho

Except for some exceptions like in-state publics and rolling admissions schools

[untold raptor]

you can apply to ALL SCHOOLS you DO NOT RANK and DO NOT LIST ON THE QBRD FORM through common or coalition app

but the SECOND you select one of those schools on the official questbridge website, you HAVE to use the QB portals given to you by each school

[grim narwhal]

shit man this is stressful

[untold raptor]

it's complicatesd

[grim narwhal]

Ohh I see

[royal gorge]

Bureaucracy 😍

[untold raptor]

but i have a basic piece of advice to sort through all of it

apply to the program

rank ZERO SCHOOLS

[royal gorge]

Tfw each school has their own policies so shit's weird as hell

[untold raptor]

and then, if your QB essays are dogshit dont submit them

otherwise use the QB app

you will probably get more aid

[grim narwhal]

for QBRD do I submit a whole new application

[untold raptor]

and i think the app generally improves chances of admission slightly

[untold raptor]

nope

[grim narwhal]

Like I am confused whether I should do QBRD or commonapp

[untold raptor]

it all rolls over

[grim narwhal]

or both?

[royal gorge]

No but you usually need to send some supplemental info

That's it

[untold raptor]

id recommend QBRD

i personally vibed more with the QB essay

[grim narwhal]

Im not applying qbrd for sure then

[untold raptor]

no but its like the same as commonapp

[grim narwhal]

I know 100% my commonapp RD is going to be way stronger than my QB app bro

[untold raptor]

i mean

[grim narwhal]

I have two weeks to bang this shit out and for commonapp Im not waiting till last two weeks lol

[untold raptor]

id recommend applying QB anyways

think about it

[royal gorge]

I'm fucking banking on the 42194129429 essays that QB has you write lmao

[grim narwhal]

thats why i was just gonna list finalist on my commonapp bc I dont think its worth QBRD if I cant do a new essay and stuff

[untold raptor]

even if your QB essay is dogwater you have a solid draft EARLY

[royal gorge]

Plus LORs and shit are done early

[grim narwhal]

Draft

[untold raptor]

yeah

[grim narwhal]

But I can't change it bro

I cant change it for QBRD?

[untold raptor]

you get 90% of the hassle of applying to college out of the way before january

so, if your app is garbage in september, that shit will be shining like a diamond by january

[royal gorge]

~~Not gonna I'm fuckin' stressin rn tho in september 💀 ~~

[untold raptor]

also

if your QB essay is goodf

then awesome!

[grim narwhal]

but u said u cant change what u submit in september?

[royal gorge]

Ngl if the match does work out tho the entirety of senior year, spring semester is gonna be so chill

[untold raptor]

officially, no

but like

you kind of can?

you just send an email to the school with the updated material

[grim narwhal]

Like if I submit NCM with a shitty essay then when I QBRD later on I submit the same essay

[untold raptor]

yeah

in that instance you can just choose not to do QBRD

and write a better essay for commonapp

[errant spoke]

did this work with the schools you applied to?

[grim narwhal]

Ok I am fosho doing that

But I watched vieos somewhere that the finalist award does mean something in commonapp tho

[untold raptor]

i sent my biggest EC as an application update and I think it worked (?)

I also had a friend that matched to UPenn and he sent a completely revised version of his primary 850 word essay as an email to the school a week after nov 1st

and well

full ride and all

[royal gorge]

Admissions offices are really nice about this tbh

[untold raptor]

yeah

generally AOs are not bueraucratic assholes

they want to work with you

[errant spoke]

wow i never knew you could just email the updated essays

[grim narwhal]

So if you write a crappy essay for the NCM you can just rewrite it completely, make it good, then email it to the colleges that you RD through QB to update them

[untold raptor]

bro i didnt know either until my friend did it and got in

[untold raptor]

theoretically, yes

[errant spoke]

so you can kinda change them thats good to know

[grim narwhal]

thats like a stretch bro

Im not gunna lie

[royal gorge]

Simply mail in a 30 page pdf of your entire application

[untold raptor]

teehee

[grim narwhal]

when is QBRD due?

[untold raptor]

yeah questbridge is kind of unnecessarily complicated

QBRD is due when RD is due

so january or so

[grim narwhal]

so like same time as commonapp

[royal gorge]

Iirc the same as other RD deadlines

[untold raptor]

it's RD but you use the questbridge app

[royal gorge]

It's set by the colleges themselves

[untold raptor]

same exact time as commonapp

[errant spoke]

also for this, do you know for certain that admissions accepted it or did your friend just email the updated essay

[grim narwhal]

I actually feel so bad now

I shouldve done my QB essays earlier and made them good

[untold raptor]

well, every single application update you send in is added to your application regardless of whether the update matters or not

[grim narwhal]

just gonna pour my heart in the commonapp and pray

[untold raptor]

after I got in to Yale, I sent them an application update with the words "thanks guys"\

that single phrase was an entire page (almost all blank, but still) of my app when I read it

as in my file

[grim narwhal]

Thanks for explaining dawg Yale is crazy

How do you think you got in like super good essays or ec's whatcha do

[untold raptor]

so if you submit a revised version of your essay as an official supplementary part (basically if you click a specific button) of your app, it's there

[untold raptor]

good grades

not val, sal, or top 10

[grim narwhal]

thats not enough lol u know dat my man

[untold raptor]

school had a grad class of <800

good SAT

and one good EC

alongside some other stuff

[grim narwhal]

what was ur EC

[untold raptor]

no big awards

[errant spoke]

by official supplementary part do you mean on the college’s portal or by email to admissions? also thanks so much for answering our questions

[grim narwhal]

like research or something

[untold raptor]

i partially ran some conventions some people went to

[royal gorge]

AOs reading file updates that explain that applicants were, in fact, the Quarterback and not the Center

[grim narwhal]

W

[untold raptor]

that was legit fun

and i think i made it clear in my apps that i did that stuff because i liked it

[grim narwhal]

Bro I think I have like good scores and grades and stuff because Im about top 3 but I dont know if my eCs are strong enough

[untold raptor]

i wasn't considering college when i did that

[untold raptor]

you'll only know by applying

admissions is a big black box most of the time

[royal gorge]

I ain't gonna lie I'd be top 10 in my entire school if not for my PE grades (Shit gets counted in) 💀

[grim narwhal]

For real man

Lmao whats ur weighted

[untold raptor]

we (as a2cers) do know some general things about the process, but whether any individual person will succeed or not is almost unknowable

[grim narwhal]

I thought pe was only freshmen

[royal gorge]

4.21; our school only weighs APs 💀

[grim narwhal]

what is an a2cer

[untold raptor]

us

[grim narwhal]

who is us

i just got here

[untold raptor]

the college application community writ large

[royal gorge]

Shit dropped my grade by about .06 points, awful

[untold raptor]

it's moreso collective knowledge

[royal gorge]

Sophs for us

Some poor bastards have gym all years

[untold raptor]

i had pe all four years

[grim narwhal]

U think thats awful bro I took 3 college classes over the summer and only one turned out to be weighted then I dropped from a 4.85 to a 4.74

[untold raptor]

a 4.74 is crazy inflated

[grim narwhal]

like i put so much work into that sh

well I've taken like 10 college classes dual enrolled

[untold raptor]

damn

bro is prepared

[grim narwhal]

11 aps I think 10-12 honors

but like thats kinda mid compared to a majority of the applicants tho

[untold raptor]

you can't think of it like that

[grim narwhal]

its only classes and ao's dont care that much about classes lol

[royal gorge]

...No? 💀

Bro you're fine

[untold raptor]

some schools inflate or deflate what honors or ap-weighted means

that's why you can't compare

because some high schools (like my own) overweight APs so GPAs can seem higher than they theoretically should be

[grim narwhal]

Dawg I dont use discord and I dont talk to anyone outside of my school about college stuff you guys are so knowledgable its so nice to talk

[royal gorge]

Let's be real at some point you're probably better off focused on doing something fun and/or spending your time improving the other parts of your app than just grinding away at APs

[untold raptor]

that is nice to hear

thanks dude

[untold raptor]

sometimes

there's a balance, y'know?

[grim narwhal]

Bro I have never talked to someone from yale

like thats crazy to me

[untold raptor]

hello

👋

[grim narwhal]

Im scrolling down the list and theres kids from all these crazy colleges I want to go to

[untold raptor]

we have a few yailies here

[errant spoke]

wait are you majoring in physics

[grim narwhal]

Its unreal

[untold raptor]

tentatively, yes

i declared my major as applied physics but it doesnt really mean anything until end of soph year

[royal gorge]

True, take rigorous classes but not so many that you're going out of your way to take classes that you hate

[errant spoke]

how do you like yale for physics? im thinking of majoring in it too

idk what your experience has been like but whats been good for you at yale

[royal gorge]

My school's basically anti-inflated by those standards 😭

[untold raptor]

when you're dealing with an elite school like yale, almost every program offered is cracked out of the wazoo

[royal gorge]

The valedictorian a few years ago got like a 4.5-4.6 and that's only 'cause they took 16 APs

[untold raptor]

our physics department is really good

i enjoy it here

is MIT better for physics when looking at outcomes and content mastery? maybe

even probably

[grim narwhal]

Bro I'see u at yale next year we can meet up grab lunch

[royal gorge]

Yeah but that's MIT

[errant spoke]

also if you did qb, are you in stars?

[untold raptor]

but i believe it's the combination of the atmosphere of yale, the freedom of course selection, and the strength of the department that makes yale a better experience than mit

i forgot to apply to stars lol

i really should have

but eh

[untold raptor]

if you're ever on campus and want to go inside schwartzmann or something dm me

funny dome building

[errant spoke]

this seems like a really bold statement, but undergrad physics is pretty much the same everywhere i guess

[untold raptor]

pretty much

[grim narwhal]

bro thats if i get into yale LOL

[untold raptor]

no like if you visit campus ever

[grim narwhal]

where is yale

[untold raptor]

connecticut

about an hour and a half drive (no traffic so not this) east northeast of manhattan

[grim narwhal]

ok I will pull up if I somehow end up in connecticut

[zinc terrace]

I do 😭

i have gym twice a week every week for all 4 years

[royal gorge]

QB app due in 12 days

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/800761415388102676/1151651423507972157/SPOILER_cuter_cat_story.gif

[zinc terrace]

1 teacher rec submitted 🔥

[spice wyvern]

nice

i still got 0

hey atleast my counselor submitted the school report

but only for questbridge rn still waiting for common app

[tardy forum]

my counselour ignored me for my school report but responded to the school rep.

[zinc terrace]

still waiting on school report and 2nd lor

[graceful ridge]

One of my teachers literally did it that same day lool

And the other did it after a week

Only missing the essays and I'm getting nervous

[zinc terrace]

you got this

[graceful ridge]

I'm having some trouble with concluding the historical/book character short essay

Don't know how to actually end it

[zinc terrace]

yeah that one was a random one

since most of my essay demonstrates my interest for policy and law i centered the question around it too

[graceful ridge]

Kinda same thing, I related it to my interet in history (lol) and politics

Emperor Maximilian help me get into Stanford

[zinc terrace]

oh i find his life so interesting ngl

[graceful ridge]

Yeah he was cool

And died tragically

[royal gorge]

I ain't gonna lie I really like my response for this essay prompt 😭

[zinc terrace]

same everyone who read it says its also really thought-provoking

[graceful ridge]

It's a very interesting prompt yeah

[graceful ridge]

Wonder what would be the wilderst character to choose

[zinc terrace]

i chose a founding father

[royal gorge]

I somehow ended up landing on Gustave Eiffel and I managed to connect it to so many things that are important to me it's great

[royal gorge]

Clearly pick the founder of the University you're applying to

[graceful ridge]

Hamilton for ever

[royal gorge]

Choose Benjamin Franklin so you can choose both a founding father AND an ivy league founder 😍

[royal gorge]

Nah screw him
But Aaron Burr 😳

[graceful ridge]

François Claudius Koenigstein (I wonder that good things this gentleman has done)

[zinc terrace]

i went with james madison lmaoo

[royal gorge]

The french name's all that you need to understand it

[royal gorge]

Ah yes the guy who hated France so much that he rode over the border on a donkey's back just to escape to spain

[graceful ridge]

Wait a minute what happen to Adams? 🤨

[zinc terrace]

i got them mixed up lmaoo

[royal gorge]

Mood tbh

I'm gonna have to edit my essays so much over the next (less than) two weeks

Shit sucks

My counselor got their report in tho at least

My LORs are... Yeah, I'm expecting them to go in Sep 25

[graceful ridge]

I had everything done by August basically lol

Except the actual essays

Anyone knows what's on their letter?

[royal gorge]

😭

[graceful ridge]

Literally me

Wait they posted something about getting a badge this week

What do y'all have on the secret ones?

I have five currently

[royal gorge]

Bruh

[tardy forum]

which one?

I think I picked a wife of a founding father tbh

[royal gorge]

Ok y'all, remember to check your application proof to see if shit formats properly

Checked it and some answers got cut off, so... yeah 💀

[zinc terrace]

yh i did that yesterday and made lots of edits

[graceful ridge]

I'll do it too when I paste all my short answers and short essays

Basically done with them

Except the "What do you bring to campus"

What else do you want from me

[zinc terrace]

that one took me weeks to just think about

i kinda just BSed it a little

[grim narwhal]

wonder why theres no option for supplemental rec

[hallow crane]

when should i remind my teacher abt qb rec

Like the 21st?

[hallow crane]

most optional recs dont add much lol, and u can send them to the colleges specifically anyway

[grim narwhal]

really?

i was gonna add two supplemental recs for all the colleges that offer it in commonapp lol

[hallow crane]

Why

are they from non-teachers?

unless its from someone whose over you for an ec ur very involved in, generally dont

[zinc terrace]

i was gonna do it like the 20th

[hallow crane]

my chem teacher did hers, im waiting on history

[grim narwhal]

its a PI from a summer research internship and also a phd guy from a school board I served on

I figured it would stand out because who else gets a LoR from superintendent yk both are Dr’s

[hallow crane]

can they add a new perspective and new info that a teacher cant?

[grim narwhal]

Lol I mean they see me outside of class hahaha

So probably

[hallow crane]

Then its fine

Alot of ppl think "oh more lors = better"

but colleges hate that

because most of the time its just filler

so unless they are important for a new perspective and new info then dont add extra lors generally

[grim narwhal]

fact

[untold raptor]

You can always submit those as “additional/supplemental documents” on the application portal for each school after the match

I don’t remember where the Questbridge “add info” button is

some schools may actually be mad at you for including another rec letter

[fading karma]

hey did anyone apply to gates scholarship

[royal gorge]

I signed up just because

'Boutta get denied in the first round

[zinc terrace]

same

[grim narwhal]

Wish me luck guys banging everything out this weekend

[main briar]

good luck o7

[royal gorge]

I'm getting an aneurysm

[royal gorge]

Djcnkwfjlsjdbrkzojwliof4nid

[sour palm]

get on that bud

[zinc terrace]

im gonna die

time to annoy my teachers and counselor until they submit

[spice wyvern]

1 teacher submitted

and she started it 2 weeks ago

my other teacher who hasn't submitted finished my letter 2 months ago 💀

all she has to do is to just submit it man

[zinc terrace]

same

[grim narwhal]

Rahhhhh finished 800w and first 200w in two days

Master procrastinator

[brisk spindle]

For national college match on average, are your stats more important than your essay or are they truly held in equal regard?

[zinc terrace]

i would say essay is prob held higher

since they do know it is more difficult for lower income students with little to no resources to get perfect scores

[brisk spindle]

Oh, that's good. I'm aiming for a 30+ ACT since my sat has just not been it and hoping that won't influence things too much

[zinc terrace]

no you should be fine

[royal gorge]

Essay(s)

Ngl them asking for 4 whole essays and a shit ton of short answers + additional info is enough of a clue

In any case they evaluate stats in context

So better use those writing sections to give them that context

[brisk spindle]

Yeah, but I always think that admissions counselors spend like literal seconds on essays so yeah

[royal gorge]

It depends, sometimes they just skim essays, sometimes they go all in on them, which section they focus on most really depends on the individual app

But with QB having so many damned writing slots, it's not like AOs have a choice 💀

[brisk spindle]

Oh, okay cause I know I need to explain why three of my classes are Pass/No pass instead of actual grades on my transcript

[royal gorge]

COVID or something else?

In any case they have additional info sections you can use

Like, a lot of additional info sections

[brisk spindle]

Dual enrollment course that I took the initiative to pay for myself outside of my county

[brisk spindle]

Yeah I'll use those to explain why I essentially got kicked out of a club and why I have few ecs

[royal gorge]

Damn, that'll be a good thing to write about

[royal gorge]

I mean, QB only has 5 ec spots to begin with

But yes if it's due to extenuating circumstances that's also additional info you can include

[brisk spindle]

Good as in like yay initiative or good as in like yeah explain why their pass with no grade on my transcript

[royal gorge]

Both

Like, obviously they'll need to see that to understand your transcript, and they'll also like the initiative shown in doing that

[brisk spindle]

For sure, had to take care of my family but I've been told I can put it down as an excuse so kind of confused there

[royal gorge]

Family responsibilities is an entire section of the QB app

[brisk spindle]

Oh! I didn't know that

I really need to look at it more, I've been trying to start but I've been preoccupied with a state program that I'm applying for

[royal gorge]

Additionally family responsibilities are something that you can put as an EC on the common app too

[brisk spindle]

I'm trying to get a better idea before applying my senior year

[royal gorge]

You really, really should put them on - it's really important context and can show other qualities that would make you a better admit

[brisk spindle]

Oh, okay, is it okay if I go in depth about my family and financial situation? I know that's kind of the point but I don't want to like throw them off ig?

[royal gorge]

The QB app has additional information sections for basically of them - that's the information they need to know

[zinc terrace]

nope absolutely spill anything worth mentioning

i even put down the rent and grocery expenses my family pays monthly just so they know how much of our income is blown away on expenses

[royal gorge]

Same I need to do that

LA rent 💀

[zinc terrace]

yh nyc rent is no joke

[brisk spindle]

Yeah, I wanted to add in how we were affected by trying to get our documentation as immigrations, lack of transportation, etc

[royal gorge]

$2000 rent not even counting utilities like bruh for us

[zinc terrace]

we pay 2.3k

[royal gorge]

Expensive metro area moods

[zinc terrace]

for a 2 bed 1 bath bruh

[royal gorge]

1b1b here 💀
We dragged my bed to the living room

[zinc terrace]

omg that was us in our old apartment but that was like 1.5k

[royal gorge]

Shits actually so fucked 😭

[zinc terrace]

our rent control sucks ass like our rent increases by 12% each year

[brisk spindle]

But it's not weird that I'm starting out the application now in my junior year right? Like it's the same questions every year so it's not like it'll be too different

[royal gorge]

The QB app? Apply to QB's college prep scholars program for juniors

[brisk spindle]

Yes I'm doing that! I've somewhat started on college prep scholars

[royal gorge]

I didn't find out about CPS (wow that's a really unfortunate acronym) until after the deadline lmao

[royal gorge]

Yeah apply for it when it comes around

They'll help you get a head start on apps + iirc they give out some awards that'll help you pay for stuff

[zinc terrace]

i found out like a week before and scrambled for everything only to get rejected

[royal gorge]

Mood

Me with fly ins fr

[zinc terrace]

but it did help me focus on starting my college apps early

[brisk spindle]

It feels like I'm scrambling for a lot rn ngl

[royal gorge]

I started scrambling right at the end of junior year

[zinc terrace]

thats still earlier than a lot of ppl

[royal gorge]

Ngl I'm thankful I didn't scramble at the start of the semester lmao

I remember my first essay draft and holy shit, if that's the stuff I submitted

😭

[zinc terrace]

i got a lot of my PS and fly-in stuff done over the summer and i can just reuse a lot of the fly in essays for my supps now

[brisk spindle]

Well, at least I'm starting off early 💪🏽

[royal gorge]

It's really helpful learning more about the process, essay writing etc. Long before they're due, cause holy shit

Procrastinating last minute on college apps (+recs too)

Seems actually painful

[zinc terrace]

yeah im honestly so glad im ahead of most ppl bcuz helping them also helps me improve my own apps

[royal gorge]

Bruh I'm so nervous now 💀

Legit only a week left until QB's due 😭

[grim narwhal]

You’ll do great Oats

And Luce good luck on Prep Scholars

Dang bro living in LA or NYC must be crazy

I live in a small town in Cali near SF area and dang its so chill

[hallow crane]

Prep scholars ez

20% acceptance rate

[grim narwhal]

Thats low lol

[royal gorge]

My Spanish teacher took pictures with the Kardashians at a Walmart since they were promoting their hand sanitizer brand 💀

[grim narwhal]

Lol Kardashians need that

[hallow crane]

i got in with terrible essays

[zinc terrace]

i got rejected with godtier essays lmaoo

[hallow crane]

Do u make too much maybe

could be cus of how low income i am 💀

I like to think they felt bad

[zinc terrace]

19k for a family of 4

[hallow crane]

hmmm

[zinc terrace]

in nyc thats like way below the poverty line

[hallow crane]

Odd

Did u submit a score

[zinc terrace]

nope i went test opt

[hallow crane]

what ab gpa

[zinc terrace]

my sat was scheduled over the summer

[zinc terrace]

like a 91

[hallow crane]

uw or w?

[zinc terrace]

we just do weighted

idk my uw

[hallow crane]

ah, that could be it maybe

idk much ab qb criteria

But ik mines above that

So im just guessing 💀

[zinc terrace]

nobody from my school got into cps last yr tho so ig its wtv

we got 3 ncm matches tho

[hallow crane]

Do u go to a rich school

that could be it

[zinc terrace]

no just large public

[hallow crane]

idk why u were denied then

I cant think of a single reason 💀

[zinc terrace]

idk either but it could be anything so idc

[hallow crane]

had a single typo in ur personal or smth

Could be literally anything

they didnt like ur hair or smth

[zinc terrace]

i mean my cps personal evolved into my common app essay so it did help a little

[zinc terrace]

def this

hairism

[hallow crane]

mine def did not 💀

[royal gorge]

My school only shows weighted but they calculate UW too on my transcript, which is goofy

[hallow crane]

My cps was a trauma dump ngl

[zinc terrace]

yikes

my school doesnt report class rank and doesnt let yk unless ur val or sal

[royal gorge]

Legit no reason

[zinc terrace]

but my naviance glitched and showed my percentile rank

[hallow crane]

for me they tell u if ur top 10%

[royal gorge]

They calculate four GPAs but only show one

[hallow crane]

They post it in the hall in january

Im really hoping i pull valedictorian out of pure spite

[royal gorge]

UW, W, UW Academic (10-12), W Academic (10-12)

[hallow crane]

my friend said there was no way i could beat the current val so

I will simply beat the current val

[zinc terrace]

at least im in the 25th percentile in a class of 1100

[hallow crane]

i have a 4.38 idk how hes above me

im 4/160

but to be fair, top 5 are usually off by like a decimal place

Cus of how high it is

[royal gorge]

I have a classmate that's doing three online APs to go from from 4/934 to Salutatorian 💀

Iirc I'm like 16/934

[hallow crane]

im taking 4 de per semester (highest ur allowed to take) 💀

[royal gorge]

Could've been higher but I managed to get a B in PE, which is included in GPA calculation 😔

[hallow crane]

How tf u get a b in pe bro 😭

[royal gorge]

Tfw being a slow ass mf cost me a few ranks

[royal gorge]

We get graded on how well we do on the mile, and I've always been slow af

[hallow crane]

That seems... illegal

It was only participation in pe for us

[royal gorge]

My PE coach got fired for being a... 💀

Mightve had something to do with

Bro didn't take shit

[zinc terrace]

were only allowed to take 1 per semester

cuz its a double period starting from 0 period

[hallow crane]

De is our only course rigor

We only have 3 aps

[zinc terrace]

oh yh we have lots of aps

[royal gorge]

Same, we have 28 💀

[zinc terrace]

but we limit it to like 3-4 per year

[zinc terrace]

yh we have like 19-21

[hallow crane]

i remember one made me hurt my foot because when he had us stretch he made us have our feet straight up

And i have penguin feet naturally

So my feet dont go straight without it hurting

[zinc terrace]

our pe isnt included in our avg but its a graduation req to take it for 4 yrs

[hallow crane]

Damn 4 years?

[zinc terrace]

yep

[hallow crane]

we only need 1 year of pe

[royal gorge]

I haven't had to take any DE courses because of how many damned APs we have - we somehow even manage to have a Calc 3 class in-school

I know a friend that got ripped off by textbooks for DE courses already tho 💀

[hallow crane]

brother we dont even have precal 💀

[royal gorge]

I don't even know why we have so many APs, like, we're not that much better funded than other schools in the area

We're not even the sweatiest school in this part of LA either

[zinc terrace]

we have to take 4 years of pe (if ur in a sport it counts towards the pe grade) and 1 semester of health

[hallow crane]

I emailed every school in my district seeing if they had ap biology or chemistry and none did 😍

so i cant even self study

[zinc terrace]

all the ap bio kids in my class drop out cuz the ap bio teacher is a stickler

[hallow crane]

Id love to do bio olympiad

[royal gorge]

We have a rival school that's even more ridiculous, like, bruh

[hallow crane]

I know i could do well

[royal gorge]

One of the (current) Calc AB teachers is so infamous that he basically made the Calc III class dissolve by himself

It had to be revived 😭

[hallow crane]

i wonder if its possible to do bio olympiad if ur school doesnt have it

Like can i do it at a big city school

[royal gorge]

Maybe, but like, that's so much effort 😭

[royal gorge]

Ngl reminds me of my school's chem teachers now

[royal gorge]

One of the Chem teachers used to be the student of the other Chem teacher 😭

...20 years ago. That other chem teacher's still here

[hallow crane]

I alrdy drive an hour to my internship

if i can find one in the same city it would work

[zinc terrace]

we have a gym teacher who taught half the teachers back when they were in hs

hes been teaching for 47 yrs now

[royal gorge]

Damn, y'all got AP Chinese and Japanese

We've just got AP Spanish

For some reason we've got a lot of the AP art classes tho

[zinc terrace]

we have like 6 languages

[royal gorge]

French, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Spanish 🥴

[zinc terrace]

they dropped greek a while back and replaced it with korean

[royal gorge]

KPop Stan congregation

[zinc terrace]

90% of the kids in chinese are all native speakers

spanish and japanese are the most taken ones

i take french tho

[royal gorge]

I ain't gonna lie we make fun of the kids who take French here just because there's so much Spanish spoken here in LA

[zinc terrace]

same with nyc like spanish is basically the second language here

[royal gorge]

Didn't help that the AP French kids trashed the library and delayed our AP Physics 1 exam by like an hour

[zinc terrace]

i took it cuz i didnt wanna be basic by taking spanish lmao

[royal gorge]

Je suis le premier ministre du Canada

[hallow crane]

We have 1 language and only standard

So i didnt take it

[zinc terrace]

oui oui

je ne le connais pas

[tired yarrow]

If you want, I can try and give you access to my ap bio teachers lecture videos? I literally did nothing but listen to his lectures basically, not even really take notes and still got a 5 on the exam

[graceful ridge]

"i didnt wanna be basic by taking spanish lmao" bruh it is my native language

I took like three classes of Spanish at my school for the credits lol

Dual Enrollment classes and AP

Let's go

[zinc terrace]

no i meant cuz most ppl at my school take it

[graceful ridge]

yeah I get it

Here we are right at the border

A surprissing amount of people don't speak Spanish at all lol

[spice wyvern]

Today is a great day!

Both recommenders finally submitted the letter

Both QuestBridge and common app

[royal gorge]

💪

[royal gorge]

I ain't gonna lie I don't wanna think of the common app rn 💀

I'm mostly focusing on the UCs and CSUs, legit the only reason I'd use the common app is to apply to QB schools or the few non QB privates that actually give good aid

[zinc terrace]

i used the common app to ea to my safeties

prior to the qb app

[royal gorge]

Nice nice

I applied directly to ASU for shits and giggles

OOS tuition tho 💀

[zinc terrace]

yh the only schools i got accepted into rn are the niche direct ones who all sent me an acceptance letter in the mail

[royal gorge]

The UCs and CSUs have no early options so I'm just waiting until October to shoot the CSU app and wait for "safeties"

Stressing over the UC app is a separate matter 💀

[zinc terrace]

yh my friend was worried about the piqs but i was more worried about the oos tuition 😭

[royal gorge]

70k tuition lmaooo

[royal gorge]

*Some of the CSUs have ridiculous acceptance rates

[zinc terrace]

exactly like idk if ucla is worth 70k/yr

[royal gorge]

Cal Poly and SDSU are infamous for it 😭

[royal gorge]

I mean, you got the UCLA dining halls but holy shit that's 300k total over four years

30% of a million

[zinc terrace]

exactly like you might as well ea to usc and at least get some merit and financial aid

[royal gorge]

Ngl tho UCLA does have that vibe tho

Westwood's a cool place, despite how sad the rest of LA is

I remember the first time I ended up in the area

[zinc terrace]

yeah if i was a cali resident it would be my top choice

[royal gorge]

We just wanted some in-n-out, but got lost in the area and ended up circling around the block in front of UCLA three times

[royal gorge]

Oddly enough UCLA has really great housing, unlike UC Berkeley

[zinc terrace]

yh i heard Cal is horrendous

for housing

[royal gorge]

Berkeley and the other campuses are infamous for their housing shortages

Iirc UCSC kids are camping outside in the woods next to campus

Great place to camp tbh but bruh 💀

That's how screwed the housing situation is at some of the UCs

UCLA tho seemed to have the foresight to actually build enough housing for its student population so it has four year housing guarantees

[zinc terrace]

lmao thats exactly syracuse rn since they over admitted in the last few cycles

so now they rent out nearby hotels to serve as housing

[brisk spindle]

For QuestBridge NCM why don't they allow students to apply non binding early action to other schools outside of QuestBridge? I mean legally how're they gonna know (just jokes but srsly)

[zinc terrace]

my counselor told me its some bs underhanded trick to get more people to pursue the match

idk how accurate it is tho

[brisk spindle]

But realistically would they actually know/be able to stop me if I applied to other schools outside of QuestBridge?

[zinc terrace]

not really

i submitted all my ea applications before starting qb

so they prob cant say anything now

[brisk spindle]

Oop, then I might as well, especially since I actually quite enjoy my safety and will be applying. Don't like the idea of putting all my eggs in a basket with qb

[untold raptor]

you can apply outside of QB

the issue is if you send two apps to the same school: one QB and one CommonApp/Coalition

eyebrows will be raised (but tbh if one is blank they'll probably connect the dots themselves)

[brisk spindle]

Oof, good thing the schools I'm applying to on common app aren't on QB

And thanks for answering!

[zinc terrace]

alr so my safeties are fine

[untold raptor]

yes

[zinc terrace]

just found out 28 ppl from my school are applying to QB lmaoo

also dropping this for yall

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k6r04w9qK3P2Pce3Xw2p22qxToFcAhX9236MTQmPr-0/edit#heading=h.fpiax9dewhjj

[spice wyvern]

how are yall questbridge scholars gonna afford ucs if u get in

[zinc terrace]

not applying to ucs since im oos

[spice wyvern]

same

[spice wyvern]

arent the prompts same as their supps prompts in commonapp, coalition, and their school app?

[zinc terrace]

some schools have diff ncm requirements

[graceful ridge]

How different would it be if I get accepted at a QB partner Uni in my state as compared to OOS?

Financially

[zinc terrace]

like matched?

[spice wyvern]

darn

[graceful ridge]

Yeah

[zinc terrace]

on the website u can see each schools match scholarship package

[spice wyvern]

yh i got everything i need to submit it idk if i will be a finalist tho

hopefully they don't audit my family

our finance is so sus

[zinc terrace]

@graceful ridge the only public school on qb is uva and they give a full ride regardless of if ur in state or oos

[graceful ridge]

Why exactly?

Are you part of a mafia or something?

[graceful ridge]

I meant regarding like transportation or if it would cover travel expenses and the like

[spice wyvern]

78k income but with 500k assets all paid off and no liabilities

[zinc terrace]

most of them make u cover it out of ur own pocket

some provide an allowance for that

[graceful ridge]

I assumed so yeah

I would probably put Rice #1

Is the only one in my state so

And I do like it

The campus is amazing

Architecture 11/10

[grim narwhal]

where u get this

[zinc terrace]

the qb subreddit

[hallow crane]

those r just the prompts on common app 😭

ik they normally dont change them but why make a doc

[fading karma]

can ppl in qb ea usc???

[zinc terrace]

like if they decide to rank it?

[royal gorge]

I mean you get the money anyway through QBRD

Ngl tho USC kinda gives me bad vibes

[zinc terrace]

i might submit qb today so fingers crossed

[royal gorge]

I'm too neurotic about my essays lmao

Plus one of my teachers is still procrastinating on his LOR 💀

[royal gorge]

Let's fucking go tho 💪

Nothing to damn lose

[zinc terrace]

ugh same

[zinc terrace]

honestly i hope i get in it would make this cycle so much easier for me

[royal gorge]

When March rolls around and you're chilling while everyone else is boiling over:

Main motivator for me to do QB tbh

The early ass deadline is awful tho

[zinc terrace]

honestly but wtv i wont have to scramble during winter break

[royal gorge]

Mood

[zinc terrace]

i genuinely dont get how ppl write essays and submit like 20 apps in winter break

[hallow crane]

man i hate this

6 days until its due

i still have so much stuff

well not rlly

But still

I gotta send it to my consultant

And he needs ample time to review

So i rlly need everything drafted by tmrw night

[zinc terrace]

I SUBMITTED QB

[spice wyvern]

gonna submit mine tonight

gotta study for ap physics first

[hallow crane]

Im prolly submitting a day before lmao

[zinc terrace]

yeah my mentor just read over it and then we submitted it together

[zinc terrace]

my teachers are going to submit it the day before and so is my school counselor

[hallow crane]

Gotta have my consultant review my stuff later

[zinc terrace]

we just went over it like 30 min ago

[spice wyvern]

damn yall have mentors and consultants?

[zinc terrace]

she took me on pro bono

she usually charges like 5k or smth

[hallow crane]

mine was a pro bono as well

^ same

[spice wyvern]

from where

[hallow crane]

us poor kids who luck out get the best of both worlds

[zinc terrace]

did u get it through matchlighters?

[hallow crane]

no

[zinc terrace]

oh i got it through the matchlighters program

[spice wyvern]

i get all the tips from a2c and tiktok

[hallow crane]

Mines a long story (not rlly i just dont feel like explaining)

But it was unaffiliated w any program

[zinc terrace]

lmaoo that was me until she debunked like half of them lmaoo

[royal gorge]

Ngl I should've tried doing matchlighters, but oh well

[spice wyvern]

like what?

[zinc terrace]

i applied for the earliest one but most of my friends did the latest deadline

[royal gorge]

Ngl I've just synthesized all the advice I've read from A2C's wiki and Books I've read

[zinc terrace]

like the whole test optional is a scam lie and also cringey essay metaphors

[zinc terrace]

books do help

[spice wyvern]

lol the ivyleagueroadmap dude

[zinc terrace]

a2c is generally kinda helpful but depends

[spice wyvern]

i ignore all of his advice tbh

[royal gorge]

Who Gets In and Why, Write Your Way In, and Valedictorians at the Gate 😳

[zinc terrace]

hes so dumb the yale ao i was talking to today said she can tell when someone follows his advice and it doesnt look good lmaoo

[zinc terrace]

valedictorians at the gate, acing the college application, and essay that worked are nice too

so is colleges that change lives

[spice wyvern]

collegeessayguy got some good tips too

[zinc terrace]

he runs the matchlighters program

thats how i found out about it

[spice wyvern]

o nice

[royal gorge]

Idk why people get so angry about test optional

Like, it's one test, c'mon

[zinc terrace]

coping mechanism to blame their rejections on others

same thing with aa

ppl need to brush off the blame on someone else

[royal gorge]

Tbh if they're the type that blames their rejections on those kinds of things then that's probably why they got denied lmao

[zinc terrace]

exactly almost all AOs have said they want character above everything else because they only use grades to see if u can handle advanced courses

beyond the whole 3.7-3.8 gpa thing everyone is the same

[royal gorge]

Tfw some mfs spend 99% of their time grinding to get the sweatiest things on their app but fail to present themselves as little more than a piece of cardboard

[zinc terrace]

exactly

as long as u have competitive grades its all the same

[royal gorge]

The TikTok tips 💀

The college kids who get accepted to some prestigious institution and somehow decide they're suddenly a super mega expert on the college admissions process

Don't forget to pay $10k for one on one consulting (per hour)

[zinc terrace]

my consultant was shitting on them lmaoo

she was like if u wanna do consulting at least wait till after u graduate from college so u have credibility

[royal gorge]

PASSION PROJECT PASSION PROJECT PASSION PROJECT

Aaaaaaaaa

Their advice boils down to "don't be authentic; gameify the admissions process" a lot

It's awful

[spice wyvern]

lol some are good ngl like @saraharberson since she was a former deans of admissions at upenn

[zinc terrace]

they hate that

AOs genuinely want to know who u are

[brisk spindle]

Actually? Cause that sounds like something they say to seem nice cause they don't actually care

[royal gorge]

Yeah but they're not the ones blowing up huh

[hallow crane]

Thats literally how they admit u lmao

Is by knowing ur passions and knowing ur life story

[royal gorge]

Think about it - who would you rather want on campus...
The kid with a 4.0 and a shitty personality that clearly does everything just to appear impressive
Or the kid with a 4.0 and a genuine personality, and a genuine intellectual curiosity that shines through - someone that'd hugely benefit the campus community?

[brisk spindle]

Sometimes it just doesn't seem real y'know? Like what if my story seems like some cliche 😭

[hallow crane]

Tell it in a way that isnt

Its all about presentation

[zinc terrace]

they want to admit u for who u are

[royal gorge]

Being admitted for who you aren't 🤢

Ngl curating a personality and profile just to get admitted to a college is sad

[hallow crane]

a 4.0 and a 36 with a snobbish and angry personality aren't gonna be picked over a 3.9 and a 34 who is kind and wants to help the world

[royal gorge]

That's basically a recipe for burnout

[zinc terrace]

ppl act like they cant expel u for faking ur apps

[spice wyvern]

so is there like a questbridge ao? since they accept u as a finalist and then u can rank to actual schools?

[hallow crane]

no

Well maybe

Varies by school

Sometimes ur put in with the other ed'ers

Other times ur viewed separately

[zinc terrace]

not really like qb as a whole team selects u but then regular aos at each college review ur app

[spice wyvern]

the questbridge comittee team that accept finalists

[royal gorge]

QB does have the finalist selection process but they're not AOs per se

[zinc terrace]

yh qb is a scholarship org not a college

[spice wyvern]

so its like a separate qb comittee

[hallow crane]

Yeah

Qb isn't affiliated with any college in that sense

[spice wyvern]

yh thats what i meant

[royal gorge]

Imagine being the AO that reads those types of kids' essays 💀

[spice wyvern]

how do they know u have an angry personality lol

[hallow crane]

i imagine those ppl as mr crabs

[royal gorge]

Imagine having an essay so bad that it goes beyond mediocre - into the territory of being actively harmful

[hallow crane]

It shows

In interviews, in essays, in teacher recs

[zinc terrace]

u would be surprised how many entitled essays there are

[hallow crane]

bomb threat essay

[zinc terrace]

ive read some that made me wanna rip them to shreds

[royal gorge]

Essays that "worked".jpg

[zinc terrace]

bro that could just get cops called on u

[hallow crane]

When ppl w amazing stats and ecs are rejected from everywhere ppl usually ask if they mustve a bomb threat as an essay 💀

In reality theyre prob just dont have a good story or good cohesion

Ur app needs to all tie together

[zinc terrace]

my friend wrote her common app about being a victim of SA, and cornell called her local cops 💀

[hallow crane]

bro what 😭

[zinc terrace]

yeah the cops called and told her a cornell ao called to report an SA against my friend

[hallow crane]

did she get in though or did they just like, not say anything after that

[zinc terrace]

and they asked if she wanted to press charges

[zinc terrace]

NOPE

[royal gorge]

An excellent reminder that AOs are... human 💀

[zinc terrace]

she got rejected from cornell but they did try to help her seek justice ig

[hallow crane]

Yeah its ok to mention some things but dont mention crime or theyre gonna call the cops

like i mentioned racism and homophobia

[brisk spindle]

This is def a warning to avoid writing overly traumatic things I feel as that can very much affect AOs too

Well, not a warning but something to remember

[zinc terrace]

the yale ao said she hates sob stories

[hallow crane]

what's considered a sob story 😭

[zinc terrace]

theyd rather u tell them a heartwarming story instead

[brisk spindle]

Good thing I'm not applying to Yale like 😭

[hallow crane]

In personal?

[zinc terrace]

anything overly traumatic like death or crimes etc

[spice wyvern]

like ur parents or siblings passed away

[hallow crane]

Ah

[zinc terrace]

its ok if its really imp to u but theyd rather see it in the adtl info

[brisk spindle]

Thanks for letting me know to cross death off as one of my topics

[hallow crane]

So talking ab racism and homophobia i have faced and how i fight for those who experienced what i have is fine right

[zinc terrace]

thats fine

like its a whole trauma dump that affected u theyd rather u put it in additional info instead of ur ps

[royal gorge]

When it's obvious that you're telling the story just to score pity points

[hallow crane]

Ah ok

yeah id never mention my dead dad cus that happened forever ago

id only mention if it was during hs

[royal gorge]

If you write your essay in a way that isn't 99% negative and focused on your hardships that's fine

[brisk spindle]

Is it fine if I write about religion? I've heard a lot of conflicting viewpoints about how that might end up being perceived depending on how I present it

[zinc terrace]

devi from never have i ever 💀

wrote her ps, supps, and loci about her dead dad

[hallow crane]

yeah it depends on ur presentation

[hallow crane]

bro 💀 it aint that deep

[spice wyvern]

i think it would be fine for supps

i wrote my religion in notre dame's supps

[brisk spindle]

But not for the ps?

[zinc terrace]

try not to be too controversial

[hallow crane]

^

yeah dony start talking abt religious conflict or anything

[zinc terrace]

like they want u to highlight the good aspects of ur personality

[spice wyvern]

if religion is a huge part of ur life then ig u can make it ur ps

[royal gorge]

Here'a a helpful quote from ScholarGrade a few days ago in #📝-essays

Worse though, pity can be powerful, so its allure to desperate 17-year-olds is strong. But pity never invites attachment, only charity. In other words, pity is why you give the homeless guy $20 and wish him well. But you're not going hire him, befriend him, date him, marry him, or otherwise form attachment just out of pity.

Colleges are the same way. The AO feels bad when they read your pitiable story. They really do regret to inform you. But inform you they must.
#📝-essays message

[zinc terrace]

dont give them a reason to doubt u

[brisk spindle]

Oh no, I wanted to write about how it was connected to my culture and how my perception of it has changed as I've grown(not lost it but how I approach it has changed as I changed)

[royal gorge]

If you do write it, focus on yourself and not on religion

[zinc terrace]

thats nice it shows growth

[royal gorge]

Don't sound like a crazy fundamentalist or whatever lol

[zinc terrace]

bro everywhere i look today random yale things pop up

is this a sign? /s

[royal gorge]

Tbh out of all the Ivies Yale just passes that vibe check

[zinc terrace]

yh brown is a close second

like yale just feels like a big lac

[royal gorge]

Ngl I haven't heard ANYTHING about brown other than that it's chill (and weed)

[zinc terrace]

same plus open curriculum

also apparently yale doesnt have minors which i never knew

[royal gorge]

Goofy

[untold raptor]

what you can do is "rank" USC, get deferred (because only ~5 out of the HUNDREDS genuinely match) and then, upon deferral, ask USC to put you in the EA round

so you get the benefits of the questbridge application while also applying early to USC

[untold raptor]

very goof.

[sour palm]

wait wtf?

[zinc terrace]

yeah

[grim narwhal]

Real

[royal gorge]

I got my shit drafted already but ngl my ass still feelin' nervous af

[silver jay]

i have one short answer left 😩

[royal gorge]

I want to choke

[royal gorge]

LET'S FUCKING GO

[hallow crane]

Those badges are so helpful to navigate with 💀

[royal bear]

What is the point of doing Match?

[untold raptor]

what match do you mean

do you mean the umbrella NCM program or the specific early-decision-like match round

[royal bear]

The aerly-decision-like match round? I guess.

[untold raptor]

Personally, I believe that the point is to get into college early to either:
(1) not have to work on applications later

(2) relieve (potentially unfounded) anxieties about your future

(3) boost their chances on getting into an elite college due to the binding nature of ED or to leverage the added space of the Questbridge app, which may tie back to (2)

(4) ED to a dream school an applicant otherwise may not be able to apply ED to; this may tie back to (3)

or some combination

@royal bear

[royal bear]

So; My dream college is MIT. They don't have ED either, but their College Match isn't binding either. I would never give up my chance to getting into MIT so I wouldn't even attempt to match with any other college other than MIT. But, decisions don't come out until after the EA app is due for MIT. I don't know if I should just apply EA or try to Match.

[untold raptor]

You can do both

you can apply match for MIT and then, upon not getting in, email their admissions office to move your app to the EA round

nobody gets rejected from the match

only deferred

[royal bear]

Oh interesting

[untold raptor]

Also, for colleges like MIT that offer EA and that don’t track demonstrated interest (DI), applying EA is the same as RD but earlier

You generally receive little to no benefits admissions wise, except in the rare case where you can only qualify for certain scholarships during the EA round (like USC)

[royal bear]

Would you recommend doing match for MIT?

[untold raptor]

If you were to get into mit EA, you’d get in RD and vice versa

[untold raptor]

I think the question should rather be do you want to do Questbridge

Have you started your QB app yet?

[royal bear]

I mean I looked over it

[untold raptor]

Did you fill it out

did you do the paperwork

write the essays

[royal bear]

The demographic part and scores part yes

Yes

[untold raptor]

and get letters of recommendation?

[royal bear]

Yes

[untold raptor]

so you have a nearly completed application

[royal bear]

Yes but my MIT application is also completely completed just waiting to hit submit

[untold raptor]

so, I am of the belief that the Questbridge app does provide a slight advantage over the common app and coalition apps

I understand MIT has their own portal, though

[royal bear]

Yuh

I wouldn't do Questbridge Match for any of the other colleges I'm applying to

[untold raptor]

and if you feel that your Questbridge app is in a good enough spot or will be in a good enough spot come September 26th, I’d recommend submitting it and then only ranking* MIT

You’d still be able to do QBRD later to any school you want

provided they take the Questbridge app

and still reap the benefits of the increased application space

You can also choose to submit commonapp or coalition if you feel like your essays were dog

—

Are you considering any other colleges besides MIT?

mentally speaking

[royal bear]

Yes

[untold raptor]

ok

Do they take the QB app?

[royal bear]

I'm fairly certain they all do

[untold raptor]

Nice

then I recommend submitting the QB NCM app

ranking only MIT

and then applying RD with your already completed Questbridge application come January

[royal bear]

I'm just skeptical of not submitting an EA application via the MIT admissions portal

[untold raptor]

don’t submit two apps

the Questbridge app IS your MIT app

they are one and the same

[royal bear]

Yes but if I'm not a QuestBridge Finalist?

[untold raptor]

then once you get your finalist decision you submit the app for MIT (assuming you don’t get into the NCM program)

when is that due?

[royal bear]

MIT app is due November 1

[untold raptor]

my understanding is that QB releases its NCM decisions mid October

[royal bear]

oh

Really?

[untold raptor]

you have two weeks to complete all college supps for ranked schools to submit by Nov 1

[royal bear]

So..

There is really only benefit for doing NCM

[untold raptor]

I’d say so

[royal bear]

[untold raptor]

but only in your position

for a lot of people considering Questbridge, the fact that apps are (a) due in September as opposed to November and (b) you can’t change your essays ever are drawbacks

[royal bear]

I understand though I'd have a better chance of getting into other colleges via the Match but I would just like die if I did not give MIT all 250% I've got

[untold raptor]

it’s not the match that gives you improved chances necessarily

I’d argue it’s just the QB app

At least for schools that normally (a) don’t have ED and (b) don’t consider demonstrated interest

Applying QB could be giving MIT your 250%

It’s a trade-off: submit now with more info (which could help you), or submit later with less info but potentially slightly more polished essays

just whatever you do don’t submit BOTH until you get notice of a rejection from NCM

[royal bear]

So hold on before I continue if I don't match with MIT, I've basically wasted my EA chance?

[untold raptor]

No

Questbridge is confusing

so when you apply to the NCM, that’s the first ring

[royal bear]

Yes

[untold raptor]

only after you’ve applied to the NCM can you then apply via QB anywhere

if you do become a NCM finalist you can utilize the “ranking” system

this is considered by almost every school that does Questbridge to just be an earlier form of EA/ED

[royal bear]

So if I am going to match with MIT via QB then I would've got accepted EA? Or if I get rejected I would've got rejected anyways?

[untold raptor]

I’m not sure how MIT works there

I do know that you can, upon not getting into MIT during the MATCH phase, you can email their admissions office

when you don’t get into the match you don’t get rejected

EVERY MATCH APP that IS NOT ACCEPTED is DEFERRED

so if you don’t match your app automatically defers to the RD round

but you can also ask MIT to move your app to the EA round too since that technically didn’t end yet by the time you get your decision (Dec 1)

[royal bear]

But MIT doesn't accept the QB app. So how would I be put into RD?

[untold raptor]

MIT 100% accepts the Questbridge app

ah wait

I think you’re right

[royal bear]

Yuh me too

Can I not send images here?

[untold raptor]

so MIT is a unique exception to the rule then

you might be too new

send it to me in dms

So you aren’t wasting your chance at MIT EA

QB is an early round for MIT

[royal bear]

So from what I sent you

It basically seems the same?

[untold raptor]

ok

[royal bear]

So now the question is: I have short responses done, essay 1 done but not essay 2. Do I try to work through it this weekend?

[untold raptor]

yes

[royal bear]

https://tenor.com/view/oopsies-ohno-gif-25793283

[royal bear]

You happen to know how I download an unofficial report from the ACT website? Lol

[untold raptor]

no

[main briar]

i just did control p on the scores page

i asked my school counselors n they said it should be fine cuz its still unofficial

it has name and score so

[royal gorge]

Bruh I ain't gonna lie I feel so embarrassed thinking about my letter of recs

I gave my recommenders basically everything that I wrote

Revealing all that shit about yourself in the application is hard enough, but having people right in front you read all of it 😭

[hallow crane]

QB CPS AR is about 20% and QB NCM AR is about 30%

i figured it would be the opposite

[brisk spindle]

No cause how am I supposed to let me teachers read my essays for QB CPS and qb NCM, like I'm literally exposing myself 😭

[brisk spindle]

Wait what are these statistics?

[zinc terrace]

we got this guys come tuesday

[untold raptor]

they look like acceptance rates for the first round of each program

CPS is College Prep Scholars\

[brisk spindle]

Terrifying

[untold raptor]

it can be daunting for sure

[brisk spindle]

I've heard that being a CPS helps in the NCM and I really need it as someone who is ridiculously low income 😭

[untold raptor]

but a fair amount of people get rejected because they aren't poor enough

[brisk spindle]

What

[untold raptor]

QB has an income limit

generally it's 60-80k for a family of four

[brisk spindle]

We're below 60k and a family of 5

[untold raptor]

you 100% qualify

also, i would probably guess that A2C's acceptance rate to QB CPS or NCM-- not counting the people rejected for having too high of an income-- is probably >50%

id guess it's closer to 75-80%

maybe

[royal bear]

Does QB base upon primary living?

[untold raptor]

idk

[untold raptor]

wdym primary living

[royal bear]

My dads household income is 150k maybe more. But I don’t live with him and he refuses to give me money (messy divorce) I live with my mom who is my primary provider both financially and otherwise who makes below 40k on a teacher scale

[zinc terrace]

ok so 19k for a family of 4 in nyc better help me 😭

[royal bear]

But they maintain 50 50 physical custody. @untold raptor But my mom has 100 legal

[brisk spindle]

Also, I really want to go to Emory, and I plan on ranking it for NCM but I'm scared that if I add others schools, I might get accepted into them and I don't want to be forced to go 😭

[royal bear]

Same here with MIT

So I’m only ranking MIT

[untold raptor]

i would hope you'd get into QB

but if your dad doesn't pay child support you'll probably get full aid at most QB partners

[fading karma]

apply to the fly in luce

[untold raptor]

but whether you get into QB is likely dependent more on whether you submit the right paperwork rather than any personal qualities on your end imho

[brisk spindle]

Emory has one?

[royal bear]

Right so I need access to our court order to prove that lol?

[fading karma]

yeah

[untold raptor]

if that's the document you need than that's the document you need

[brisk spindle]

I live right next to them 😭

[untold raptor]

i recommend uploading a copy of it as a supplemental part of your QB app

just as an extra precaution against being rejected unfairly

[fading karma]

maybe theyll pay for gas reimbursement

[brisk spindle]

I've already visited and toured their campus 😞

[fading karma]

hmm it still doenst hurt to apply imo

[brisk spindle]

Yeah, I hope it gives me a higher chance of acceptance too especially since they visit my county often and a lot of students from here apply

Wait no, it says I have to live outside of Atlanta and I live in it 😭

[hallow crane]

Explain in adl info

[fading karma]

oh dang

well be sure to talk to reps at your school and stuff

[fading karma]

did u get into emorys fly in?

[hallow crane]

no

[fading karma]

oh im sorry

[hallow crane]

i woudve had to drive anyway

and i dony wanna do that

[brisk spindle]

Yeah, I've talked to my regional admissions officer and she was nice

[tired yarrow]

I procrastinated too hard and still need to write my personal statement for questbridge...I fear it may be over for me

[brisk spindle]

I mean, you could probably still do it if you really get to work in the next 2-3 days but it may be a lot harder than compared to having a month

[tired yarrow]

I have an outline, but I really procrastinated doing it because it was painful

[brisk spindle]

Then work off the outline, I hope things get better for you tho!

[royal gorge]

My school's out of the way in the LA area so not many reps come here 😔

Tfw yesterday they forgot to mention that the UC Santa Barbara rep was here in second period, so we were just sitting there awkwardly in AP Lit while the teacher commented on it