Taha Mridha: First-hand experiences of one QuestBridge Scholar
What background information do you want the readers to know about you?
Hi, I’m Taha and I was matched to Colby College. I spent a lot of time in high school doing community service work. The summer before my sophomore year, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Bronx Zoo as a Discovery Guide and I really loved working with the diverse group of people there. I also became involved in my school’s Local Outreach Tutoring (LOT) program. LOT provided free SHSAT prep and enrichment activities for nearby middle schoolers. As someone who got into HSAS through the Discovery Program, I felt it was important to help other people have the same opportunities as me. Other than that, I’m a history nerd and I loved participating in sports at HSAS. Fun fact: I wrote one of my essays about Andrew Jackson.
How did the QB process work for you?
I applied to the QuestBridge College Prep Scholars program or CPS earlier in the year and was accepted. Normally, College Prep Scholars have the opportunity to attend the QuestBridge National College Admissions Conference on campus at a partner college but this year the conference was held virtually due to the coronavirus. The Conference helped break down the QB process as well as offer tips on making your application as strong as possible. I personally found the virtual college fair to be the most beneficial because I was able to chat with admissions officers and learn more about the partner colleges.
I felt pretty “comfortable” with the application process because I was able to get a Matriculate mentor early on. One day, I got a random call from the College Board telling me about free college advising and I’m really glad I jumped on that. I was really lucky to be matched with Brian, a Williams College student. He was someone who had already been there and done that so I felt like I was in good hands. Brian helped me make a college list, edit essays, and basically anything that was college-related. I’m a first-generation college student so neither I nor my parents knew anything about the college process but Brian changed all that.
I also applied for the Matchlighters Scholarship and I was selected as a Matchlighers Scholar. Ethan Sawyer, The College Essay Guy, has so many useful resources on his websites and I happened to stumble upon the application for the Matchlighters Scholarship. Through the program, I was connected with Katie, a University of Florida student. She was an editing god and helped me make my personal essay into something that is truly Taha. It was almost therapeutic in the sense that I was taking the time to really think about my personal values and feelings. In addition, “Hack The College Essay” by John Dewis, another resource I used, really hammered in the point that the personal essay wasn’t some painful thing you had to get over with. If you do it right, you can really learn something about yourself. Taking Mr. Dewis’ words from the book, I didn't need to be brilliant, original, erudite, mellifluous, or even profound. I just needed to be me and write something that could only be said by me. That took a lot of the pressure off.
I only applied to the QuestBridge Liberal Arts Colleges (LACs) for the NCM. I looked at what worked at HSAS and built off that. HSAS is basically a mini LAC. Small class sizes, accessible teachers, and a close-knit feel. HSAS has worked out really well for me, I even had letters of recs written by teachers who knew me for all 4 years. After reading Thomas Sowell’s “Choosing a College: A Guide for Parents and Students” I knew the QB LACs were for me. LACs are undergraduate-focused, have professors who are known for their quality of instruction and not just their research and publishing output, classes won’t be taught by TAs, smaller class sizes, rich residential life, loyal alumni, and no grade deflation. Although larger universities have more resources in absolute terms, LACs tend to offer more resources per student and the resources themselves are more accessible. Again, as a first-generation college student, I needed to choose an institution that would be the most “nurturing.” All the QB LACs are pretty similar academically but when it came to environment, housing, food, and culture, Colby made the most sense. Maine is beautiful, DavisConnects (the career center) does amazing things for Colby students, and the connection between the college and the community in Waterville is truly inspiring.
What piece of advice would you give to anyone applying to the QB program?
I would tell them that there are a lot of resources out there and you can make your life a lot easier just by reaching out. I took advantage of community organizations such as Matriculate, free online resources such as the College Essay Guy, an actual treasure trove, and Hack The College Essay by John Dewis. Absolutely read Thomas Sowell’s “Choosing a College: A Guide for Parents and Students.” Sometimes you don’t even know what questions to ask but after reading the book you’ll know what important things to look for and what type of school would best suit your needs. He discusses the differences between LACs and universities, what “prestige” means, and all the other good stuff.
Start as early as possible, the QuestBridge application is due in late september. Make your summer count. A benefit of being QB CPS is that you get access to the QB National College Application earlier. Even if you’re not CPS, you can also just get the QB NCM prompts from other people and start working on those.
Reddit, The QB facebook group, College Confidential, etc are helpful but they can also be toxic, just plain wrong about things, and a waste of time sometimes. Be careful with the forums.
You have a week and some change to complete all of the QB match requirements like the supplemental essays, financial aid, etc. Some QB Finalists had over 20 essays to write and they were all due within a week. Don’t be that person please. Start on essays before Finalist decisions are out if you think you’ll have a lot of essays to write. If you aren’t selected as a finalist, you can still use those essays to apply early decision and regular decision. Thankfully Colby didn’t have any supplements!
What’s something you learned through the QB process and something you struggled with?
In a weird way, I learned to let go. Don’t get me wrong I was anxious as much as the next person, waiting for college decisions and looking over essay revisions isn’t something you do for fun. I had a lot of help and I put in the work to make sure I made the best possible application I could. An opportunity to attend college with a full scholarship was not something I was going to throw away. With acceptance rates dropping year after year, it seemed like a crapshoot but I did all I could. A part of me didn’t care if I got rejected, I really made my application as Taha as possible. It was ok if the admission officers thought I wouldn’t be a good fit. I did my best.
What are your goals for the next four years?
I’m really thankful for all the help I received. I know as of right now I’m not even a freshman in college and I might be getting ahead of myself here, but I want to do what my mentors have done for me. Hopefully, throughout my college career, I’ll have the opportunity to help out other kids who were in the same position as me.
