Lessons from a QuestBridge Finalist
Last year when I was a Junior, I decided to apply to QuestBridge very last minute. I thought I wasn't good or smart enough to do it, which pushed me back from applying. But one day I told myself to just give it a shot, and I ended up submitting my application the day it was due. Now, I am a QB College Prep Scholar and Finalist, which I never thought I'd accomplish. I highly recommend applying even though the application may seem tiring, or you may think you aren't good enough. But trust me, it's so worth applying!
My experience with QuestBridge helped me tremendously with my college preparation experience. There are two rounds where you first apply as a junior and then as a senior. The first round makes you complete their application, which did help me prepare for college. That's because the application exemplifies your identity and it showed me how I should prepare to talk about myself in an appealing way. Even after completing the application, QuestBridge would have seminars and videos explaining the whole college process. I took advantage of this because as a first-generation student, I had no idea what or how to apply to college/prepare for these supplemental essays I had to write in the future. But QB dove deep into this process and cleared up every question for me, which I appreciated.
After passing the first round, applying for the second round was challenging. It involved much more work because now I had to actually apply to the QB partners and do research on them. But QB provided everything I needed, which saved me time and effort. There were seminars conducted for all of the 42 partners where you can ask them questions and find out more info! There were even meetings where QB gave out tips on how to create a strong application. I never got the help from my family or friends to do that, and I did not have the best counselors to guide me through this whole process. But overall, QB provided as much as they could for all of their QB applicants, and definitely gave me more insight into what the college process is truly like.
Even after passing the Finalist stage but not getting Matched to a college on Match Day, QB gives you a SECOND chance to apply to your colleges again! There is so much more hope they offer you even after you were denied the first time. Overall, QB gives you opportunities to take your college application to the next level with their help and provides you with information to do so. It is worth the time and effort! I struggled to do all of this alone, but QB had my back and supported me throughout this process.
