A longer application, but worth the effort

Most college-bound high-school seniors are hesitant to fill out a more arduous application than necessary.

But college admissions counselors and students alike agree that for seniors from low-income families, filling out a QuestBridge application is well worth the extra effort.

QuestBridge - a non-profit program that links low-income students with scholarship opportunities at competitive colleges - is partnering with Penn for the first time this year.

Through the QuestBridge National College Match scholarship, high-achieving students who have faced economic challenges are offered admission and full scholarships to one of 26 partner schools.

One of the main advantages of applying to college through QuestBridge is that students can apply to 26 schools for free, using only one application, QuestBridge cofounder Michael McCullough said.

But that application, students who have applied to other colleges through QuestBridge said, is longer than most colleges' applications and includes several essays and short-answer prompts.

The application is written to help low-income students "showcase their strengths," McCullough said.

The application's length is its greatest asset, according to QuestBridge participant and Yale University freshman Daniel Chandra.

Though the application is "tedious," the "type of questions they ask really allows admissions committees to know you as a person rather than just as a student," Chandra said.

He added that his responses made his application "unique and personable."

Though Chandra did not become a College Match scholar, QuestBridge still forwarded his extended application to his top-choice schools, which he said helped him stand-out.

Yale freshman Minhal Baig - who was also a National College Match finalist but not a scholar - agreed that the longer application helps admissions officers "see a better sample of your writing abilities and get to know a little more about you."

Another advantage of applying through the National College Match program is that QuestBridge guarantees accepted students will receive full scholarship grants for all four years.

According to McCullough, many schools give "exceptional" financial aid for the first year, but then may, for instance, change some of the student's grants into loans the next year.

Furthermore, when students are identified as QuestBridge College Match finalists, they "stand out in the admissions process and receive more personal attention on the part of these top-tier schools," college consultant Matthew Greene wrote in an e-mail.

Applying to programs like College Match can lead to additional scholarship opportunities in the future, according to Greene.

McCullough said he is in the process of expanding the "QuestBridge network," which helps students with scholarships and job placement once they are in college.

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