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

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

It’s good he declined. It’s so much work for nothing as he would not have matched with a college anyway if you are UMC.

The kids who match in the NCM generally have EFC of 0. Then the Finalists who do not match in the NCM but get into QB schools in RD are also called QB Scholars, and for them, aid is given out based on financials!

[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.

What does this even mean? As a questbridge scholar, I don’t think most of this thread is telling the truth. There’s an income cap, and it is very difficult to get QB if you exceed that cap. For Match, many questbridge schools are looking for 0 EFC and some require it to match. The people who’ve somehow hid their incomes and properties would’ve received the same amount of money anyway. No one is “offered” Questbridge, you apply, because a finalist or don’t, and then choose to do the Match if you want to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It’s good he declined. It’s so much work for nothing as he would not have matched with a college anyway if you are UMC.

The kids who match in the NCM generally have EFC of 0. Then the Finalists who do not match in the NCM but get into QB schools in RD are also called QB Scholars, and for them, aid is given out based on financials!

Kind of correct. If you’re actually low income, Questbridge does matter. Many Questbridge schools give better financial aid packages to Qb students than peers with similar EFCs. Some will only give a full ride to their QB scholars. Others will give way better perks: Duke gives a travel allowance. My school gives excess financial aid, so we get paid about $1500 every year, and if you have any added bills to your account from PE courses or fees from the library, for example, they’re just taken out of that extra financial aid fund that only we receive. We also get 2x the amount of book store grants per semester as everyone else. Questbridge is also piloting its own career network and offered internships this year with corporate partners.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP, that was really insightful information on Questbridge!

[Anonymous]

According to my personal experience, more than 50% of the QB applicants lie about their income. This whole shit should be discontinued immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It’s good he declined. It’s so much work for nothing as he would not have matched with a college anyway if you are UMC.

The kids who match in the NCM generally have EFC of 0. Then the Finalists who do not match in the NCM but get into QB schools in RD are also called QB Scholars, and for them, aid is given out based on financials!

Kind of correct. If you’re actually low income, Questbridge does matter. Many Questbridge schools give better financial aid packages to Qb students than peers with similar EFCs. Some will only give a full ride to their QB scholars. Others will give way better perks: Duke gives a travel allowance. My school gives excess financial aid, so we get paid about $1500 every year, and if you have any added bills to your account from PE courses or fees from the library, for example, they’re just taken out of that extra financial aid fund that only we receive. We also get 2x the amount of book store grants per semester as everyone else. Questbridge is also piloting its own career network and offered internships this year with corporate partners.

It sounds like you are one of the kids QB was designed for…congrats on your achievements!

I am a new volunteer…none of my students made Finalist but I really scrambled to understand the whole process in case thy did. Still a lot of learning to do.

[Anonymous]

Are you joking? You want it to be a fair shot for YOUR kid? But you don’t care about the other kids really or what they’ve had to endure or that the deck is stacked against them?

I hope you are just a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:According to my personal experience, more than 50% of the QB applicants lie about their income. This whole shit should be discontinued immediately.

I've heard that some people intentionally get divorced to qualify for QB, like stay-at-home moms who would be considered single households

[Anonymous]

QB should release students' names who received a free ride to ensure more transparency.

[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.

How the world works, suck it up. It is stillnot as hard as 2022 and 2023 for unhooked . Those were the worst

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People do all sorts of crazy sh$%t to hide money and qualify for Questbridge because it is worth $400K/kid!!! That is worth some financial gymnastics.

No school is 100k . I have two at different T10/ivy and they are 84&87k all in. I get you are rounding up but those of us who are budgeting well to afford it know that 86x 4 is very different than 100k x 4.

[Anonymous]

First ED “really has to go” because some kid freaked out over the possibility of not getting into Duke and now QB has to go because a wealthy minority had her spot “taken” by a poorer one. Oh DCUM you are classic. The privilege and entitlement here is unreal.

[Anonymous]

Wow. I'm sorry to see so much hate for this program.

We are white UMC. My kids attend a very diverse mixed-income high school, one that DCUM sneers at. They have friends who are wealthy and friends who rely on SNAP to get dinner on the table.

DC applied ED to a very selective college, obviously a reach. His friend matched through QB to this same school. DC's application was deferred, friend is committed there. DC's grades are better, has more academic awards and leadership in ECs (but friend has held a part time job consistently since he was old enough to work, which DC hasn't done), and SAT was 200 pts above the friend. But ... the friend is really bright and incredibly hard working. DC's awards and ECs were supported by us parents, while the friend did everything on his own. The friend missed quite a bit of school last year for family reasons, which impacted his grades; DC only missed school when he was really sick with strep throat.

DC will do well wherever he lands. He really hopes the deferral turns into an acceptance, but even if it doesn't, he'll be fine elsewhere. He has lots of targets and safeties that we can afford.

If the friend weren't accepted through QB, he'd graduate high school and turn his part time restaurant job into full time. No college.

None of us are the least bit upset about his friend going to DC's dream school, even if DC doesn't. DC is just happy for his friend.

Legacies, OTOH .... those should be done away with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People do all sorts of crazy sh$%t to hide money and qualify for Questbridge because it is worth $400K/kid!!! That is worth some financial gymnastics.

No school is 100k . I have two at different T10/ivy and they are 84&87k all in. I get you are rounding up but those of us who are budgeting well to afford it know that 86x 4 is very different than 100k x 4.

Northwestern is $94,000/year.