This year’s National College Match was the biggest yet, with 5,759 students selected as Finalists and 918 students matched with our college partners! These record-breaking numbers mean that more students than ever before have been awarded full four-year scholarships. Their stories always inspire and amaze us, and as we look back at the year, we wanted to share some reactions from recently matched students.
“The moment that I discovered that I was matched to the University of Chicago, I immediately stood up and screamed with excitement that I had been given such an amazing opportunity. I just felt an extreme sense of happiness that all my hard work and determination finally paid off with the message that stated that I had matched with UChicago. My father also had the same sense of happiness that I had, and my mother wept with tears of joy.”
-Timothy L., University of Chicago, Class of 2022
“It was like an elephant had been taken off my chest, I was so relieved. I had done it! 12 years of work and the last year of working up the resolve to believe that I could get into a school like Bowdoin, validated. I was so glad. So glad to be going to a school that was beyond anything that I had dreamed about before QuestBridge.”
-Elizabeth B., Bowdoin College, Class of 2022
“It felt unreal at first. I saw the “Congratulations” message and put down my phone, thinking this was a dream. My mom made me pick it back up and read which school I had been matched to. When I read out “Duke University,” she started crying with happiness, and I finally realized that I was just accepted to one of my dream schools with a full scholarship. It was absolutely the greatest moment of my life!”
-Lina L., Duke University, Class of 2022
“A thousand tons of bricks were lifted off my shoulders. I was completely incapable of feeling the amount of joy that letter gave me, and I walked around the rest of the day in complete shock. Then I got right to making my poster in an attempt to make it feel real.”
-Morgan H., Northwestern University, Class of 2022
“Finding out that I was matched was a surreal experience. For days, I looked back on my acceptance notification making sure I was not imagining the whole thing. Now that I know I have been accepted into college with a full scholarship, I feel a weight lifted off my chest. I no longer need to worry about applications or finding ways to pay off college. My dream has come true, and I could not have done it without QuestBridge.”
-Ricardo S., Princeton University, Class of 2022
These are just a few of the stories from our newest QuestBridge Scholars, and we look forward to welcoming even more Finalists into the QuestBridge Scholars Network through QuestBridge Regular Decision!
