The cost for college has increased substantially over the years. Many students with excellent resumes that are eligible for amazing universities can’t even attend due to the costly price. Luckily, scholarships have helped numerous students to be able to pay for their education. One in particular, is the QuestBridge Scholarship.
The QuestBridge scholarship has supported low income students to get into elite universities. It offers resources to high school juniors and seniors, and continues to support them in college. To earn this scholarship students must demonstrate high academic performance and show their true potential. For example, sisters Valerie and Isabella Cruz-Gaona, both seniors at Culver City High School, have been granted the QuestBridge Scholarship and acceptance to Duke University. These two exceptional students have accomplished many things both inside and outside of high school that made them stand out for this scholarship. The sisters spent some of their summers working internships, which is something most colleges like to see as it shows true interest in the field they wish to pursue. Isabella, planning to major in the medical field, interned at Kaiser-Permanente, and was able to learn about the studies of medicine and even performed hands on surgery to some patients. Valerie, interested in business and economy, interned at the Culver City Chamber of Business and Commerce, an organization that allows high schoolers to learn more about that topic. They also participated in the Interact Club, a nationwide community service organization, ever since freshman year. Valerie also took classes of psychology and introduction to business outside of high school, at a local community college to strengthen her transcript and learn more about the major she’s interested in. These activities that the sisters did during high school made them stand out and clearly showed that they were passionate about what they want to do in life. Students who actively engage in activities related to their interests show a genuine passion for the subject, making colleges more likely to consider them for acceptance.
Although this scholarship is extremely helpful, it is by far one the hardest someone can earn, with roughly a 3.6% acceptance rate. It’s very similar to applying for college, as students are expected to write things such as personal statements and supplementals that the scholarship requests. In addition, they must submit their high school transcript, a letter of recommendation from a teacher, and information about their families financial status. Thousands of students from across the country apply for this scholarship, and it gets increasingly more competitive throughout the years. Numbers can go up to 25,000 applicants per year. QuestBridge selects about 7,000 finalists to be considered for the scholarship. This is an amazing opportunity as it covers the full cost of college, food, housing, flights to see family per year, a MacBook, and pretty much everything one needs to support themselves.
You can’t just apply for any college with this scholarship though, as there is a list of schools that QuestBridge offers. Students must select one of the schools that they would like to attend and write why they want to go there. Universities like Harvard, Duke, Cornell, Cal Tech, Brown, and so many more are offered.
This scholarship is a great way for high school students to be able to attend their dream school, without the fee. However, they must demonstrate financial need to qualify for this scholarship. If you are a high school student right now, and are interested in earning this scholarship, make sure to make your application stand out, as this opportunity can save you or your family thousands of dollars in tuition! This is only an introductory article, but for further information make sure to check out these websites:
https://www.questbridge.org/
