QuestBridge kids taking half the spots at top schools, and it’s unfair

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m so confused by OP’s reasoning for this post. “What about POC non-FGLI?” Uh idk…use that privilege and get in by merit. A wealthy person of color doesn’t need an admissions boost- maybe a reality check, but not an admissions boost.

A wealthy and/or legacy white boy doesn’t need an admissions boost either. And?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does QB look at assets? DH could quit tomorrow, but I think our assets would give us away unless they aren’t checking.

Yes they look at assets. You are always going to hear rumors of the welfare queen getting lobster with food stamps, or the person who got divorced to scam the financial aid process, but they are just rumors.

There are multiple points at which a scammer could be "caught" during the QB process, not to mention the college admissions process. These include not just very intrusive financial checks but also potentially interviews with the applicant. Your UMC kid is not going to present like a QB scholar, which is not a ding on either QB scholars or your UMC kid. They are different experiences, and that comes out in a lot of different ways.

You were doing great until the end. Those are just stereotypes. Most qb kids are from cities, grew up poor, but act just like any other student. Many went to top boarding and private schools and have lived, while not at home, very upper middle class lifestyles while on scholarship. Being a QB kid who goes to Groton is very different from being one who goes to Stuyvesant is very different from being one who goes to a rural high school. There are more qb matches that are the former than the latter.

So what? The fact a kid was smart enough to get a scholarship to top boarding schools, so they attended HS and lived with Rich kids still doesn't change the fact the kid is poor. Doubt they were going to Europe for spring break while attending that Boarding school, at least not with their family paying (a rich friend might pay). So you are begrudging them because they got to live nicely while attending HS?

Obviously that is a bit different than Stuyvesant or a rural HS. But doesn't change the fact that for that kid, the scholarship to college is huge and will be life changing once again

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does QB look at assets? DH could quit tomorrow, but I think our assets would give us away unless they aren’t checking.

Yes they look at assets. You are always going to hear rumors of the welfare queen getting lobster with food stamps, or the person who got divorced to scam the financial aid process, but they are just rumors.

There are multiple points at which a scammer could be "caught" during the QB process, not to mention the college admissions process. These include not just very intrusive financial checks but also potentially interviews with the applicant. Your UMC kid is not going to present like a QB scholar, which is not a ding on either QB scholars or your UMC kid. They are different experiences, and that comes out in a lot of different ways.

You were doing great until the end. Those are just stereotypes. Most qb kids are from cities, grew up poor, but act just like any other student. Many went to top boarding and private schools and have lived, while not at home, very upper middle class lifestyles while on scholarship. Being a QB kid who goes to Groton is very different from being one who goes to Stuyvesant is very different from being one who goes to a rural high school. There are more qb matches that are the former than the latter.

So what? The fact a kid was smart enough to get a scholarship to top boarding schools, so they attended HS and lived with Rich kids still doesn't change the fact the kid is poor. Doubt they were going to Europe for spring break while attending that Boarding school, at least not with their family paying (a rich friend might pay). So you are begrudging them because they got to live nicely while attending HS?

Obviously that is a bit different than Stuyvesant or a rural HS. But doesn't change the fact that for that kid, the scholarship to college is huge and will be life changing once again

No one was begrudging anyone at all.

[Anonymous]

Only 2400 QB students were matched last year -- hardly 50%% of all entering classes as OP claims. ridiculous post

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only issue I have with Questbridge is that so many people cheat. There are a zillion ways to hide your income. Tiktok is full of Questbridge kids posting from their large suburban homes. My teens are very salty about it: "i know the cost of living is lower elsewhere but what the heck?"

The number of QB kids I see applying from families which own restaurants, but "pay" relatives 30K to look low income comes to mind.

Asian households

I don't blame Asian parents for finding loopholes. The system is stacked against these kids.

It's no worse than rich parents buying their kid's way into college.

Stop it. These "system" is not stacked against Asian kids. Asian kids are over-represented in top colleges. The problem is the expectations of some parents. They want a recipe for Ivy admission, then fume when their kid doesn't get in because they are very similar on paper to a bunch of other kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only issue I have with Questbridge is that so many people cheat. There are a zillion ways to hide your income. Tiktok is full of Questbridge kids posting from their large suburban homes. My teens are very salty about it: "i know the cost of living is lower elsewhere but what the heck?"

This is true. I know a few ppl got in and they have a huge house

OK so QB does allow for extenuating circumstances and it is the colleges who check finances, not QB. I guess sometimes we don’t know what all is going on behind closed doors but I have seen a lot of moms say their kids have got QB even though they were not LI.

My kid is Hispanic and was offered QB. I have no idea why. We are solidly UMC and exceed the financial limits. They still encouraged him to apply but he declined.

No one is "offered" Questbridge. It is a difficult application process. If your income is under 70k, you can apply. That is not the same as an offer. Good grief. You are so ignorant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is so much disinformation here, it's nauseating. Thanks to the few who have accurate info, who have clarified the competitiveness and difficulty of becoming a QB finalist.

I work with a CBO. Here are a few clarifying details.

Many students can be financially eligible for QB (up to 70k), but many QB schools look for students with an EFC of 0. Those are students with real need.

It is a rigorous application. Students need stats, recs, ECs and effective writing to make finalist. They write an 800 word essay + another 500 word essay just for the app..Plus short answer. They also do supplements for the schools on their list.

Only about 30% of finalists match. Odds for some schools are equivalent to RD.

QB scholarship does not eliminate the student contribution. Schools vet the finances after they submit to QB and make finalist. Schools use same process for vetting as any other applicant. This can be very hard for disadvantaged students who essentially have to adult here. Bit they do it,in addition to all the other app stuff.

Many QB scholarship are valedictorian or equivalent at non ranking schools.

Schools only take 20-100 students via QB

This is such an arduous process for students already disadvantaged. They are truly phenomenal.

Stop denigrating QB students. I can only think those people are either horribly misinformed or are just vicious trolls. If you are too self-interested, miserly or mean to celebrate their hard earned succeses, just leave these kids alone.

You're the one who is spreading disinformation. QB admits are subject to much lower bar than their non-QB counterpart. Can you deny that?

Stop your crappy, baseless propaganda. I absolutely deny that. You are clearly uniformed, but it doesn't stop you from acting like you know things. You don't. Ugly and ignorant. Yuck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does QB look at assets? DH could quit tomorrow, but I think our assets would give us away unless they aren’t checking.

QB students submit BOTH to QB AND to the schools. Schools use CSS which vets everything. If anything, these students undergo additional scrutiny.

This thread is just infuriating. Why do people think it is OK to pick on kids who have been dealt a bad hand, worked hard and now may MAY be getting some good news? Why? Why do people immediately suspect foul.play from the poor kid? Why are people so freaking selfish and delusional?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only issue I have with Questbridge is that so many people cheat. There are a zillion ways to hide your income. Tiktok is full of Questbridge kids posting from their large suburban homes. My teens are very salty about it: "i know the cost of living is lower elsewhere but what the heck?"

One could also argue that having the resources to do multiple SSAT re-takes, pay for private tutors and expensive travel teams is a kind of cheating of the system as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is so much disinformation here, it's nauseating. Thanks to the few who have accurate info, who have clarified the competitiveness and difficulty of becoming a QB finalist.

I work with a CBO. Here are a few clarifying details.

Many students can be financially eligible for QB (up to 70k), but many QB schools look for students with an EFC of 0. Those are students with real need.

It is a rigorous application. Students need stats, recs, ECs and effective writing to make finalist. They write an 800 word essay + another 500 word essay just for the app..Plus short answer. They also do supplements for the schools on their list.

Only about 30% of finalists match. Odds for some schools are equivalent to RD.

QB scholarship does not eliminate the student contribution. Schools vet the finances after they submit to QB and make finalist. Schools use same process for vetting as any other applicant. This can be very hard for disadvantaged students who essentially have to adult here. Bit they do it,in addition to all the other app stuff.

Many QB scholarship are valedictorian or equivalent at non ranking schools.

Schools only take 20-100 students via QB

This is such an arduous process for students already disadvantaged. They are truly phenomenal.

Stop denigrating QB students. I can only think those people are either horribly misinformed or are just vicious trolls. If you are too self-interested, miserly or mean to celebrate their hard earned succeses, just leave these kids alone.

You're the one who is spreading disinformation. QB admits are subject to much lower bar than their non-QB counterpart. Can you deny that?

Stop your crappy, baseless propaganda. I absolutely deny that. You are clearly uniformed, but it doesn't stop you from acting like you know things. You don't. Ugly and ignorant. Yuck.

You don't even have an arugument. Just a foul mouth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does QB look at assets? DH could quit tomorrow, but I think our assets would give us away unless they aren’t checking.

QB students submit BOTH to QB AND to the schools. Schools use CSS which vets everything. If anything, these students undergo additional scrutiny.

This thread is just infuriating. Why do people think it is OK to pick on kids who have been dealt a bad hand, worked hard and now may MAY be getting some good news? Why? Why do people immediately suspect foul.play from the poor kid? Why are people so freaking selfish and delusional?

Simple. They feel entitled to it. It doesn't matter if their child isn't interesting or unique. They paid for a house in an elite school district and tutors so damn it, their child deserves the Ivy spot!

[Anonymous]

A kid who makes really good grades while having to watch his 3 younger siblings because his single mom works at a fast food restaurant displays sooo much more grit, growth mentality, leadership ability, and resilience than a coddled UMC kid who never has to do chores because the cleaners handle it for them, paid tutors to correct their homework errors, and a parent who helps edit their essays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now you know how my kid feels.

Super high stats kid, rejected to T15, Asian male.

Awww. Poor thing.

Yes, the system is inherently unfair. It's not like I grew up in a wealthy household myself. My parents are uneducated immigrants who don't speak English, and I went to a no name cheapo state u because we couldn't afford it. I worked my way through college. We were on food stamps for a bit.

But if that’a not how your kid grew up, why is this relevant to anything?

It's the assumption that the Asian parents grew up with privilege that I'm countering.

It’s not about how the parents grew up, it’s about how their kids, the ones who are applying to college, grew up.

You went to college. Even if you consider it a “no name cheapo state u,” you went to college- and your kids have an enormous leg up over kids whose parents did not go to college.

Be thankful for the advantages you have been able to give your kids, and maybe find it in your heart to be happy that other kids who are poor like you were are getting some help to go to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now you know how my kid feels.

Super high stats kid, rejected to T15, Asian male.

Awww. Poor thing.

Yes, the system is inherently unfair. It's not like I grew up in a wealthy household myself. My parents are uneducated immigrants who don't speak English, and I went to a no name cheapo state u because we couldn't afford it. I worked my way through college. We were on food stamps for a bit.

But if that’a not how your kid grew up, why is this relevant to anything?

It's the assumption that the Asian parents grew up with privilege that I'm countering.

It’s not about how the parents grew up, it’s about how their kids, the ones who are applying to college, grew up.

You went to college. Even if you consider it a “no name cheapo state u,” you went to college- and your kids have an enormous leg up over kids whose parents did not go to college.

Be thankful for the advantages you have been able to give your kids, and maybe find it in your heart to be happy that other kids who are poor like you were are getting some help to go to college.

Very much a "f**k you, I got mine" attitude from some of these posters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since the Supreme Court ruling on admissions, now universities are looking at low to moderate income high achievers from QuestBridge to fill diversity slots. But what about minority kids who are high income? And everyone else? Are we all getting the shaft? My daughter is getting rejection after rejection even though she has high SAT scores and GPA. And I’m sure they chose a low income minority to fill that slot over us. The whole admissions game completely sucks. I’m tired of all these overkill programs leaning toward lower or moderate income. It needs to be a fair shot for all.

You can always choose to become low income, OP. Just quit your job and start working part time at a nonprofit.