By Rachel Dinh

Remember Senior Victor Dinh, who received a full-ride scholarship from QuestBridge? Well, this year’s aspiring senior Jasmine Antony is well on her way to reaching the same goal. She recalls how she was introduced to the program: “I first heard about QuestBridge when Victor Dinh of the Class of 2015 got into Tufts through the program. Though I didn’t actually think of applying until Mrs. Moffitt mentioned it to me. If it weren’t for her, I probably wouldn’t have even tried.”
QuestBridge is a non-profit organization that helps high-achieving, low-income students obtain scholarships to thirty-six universities, including Yale, Dartmouth, and Notre Dame through the National College Match. To apply for QuestBridge, Jasmine had to send in an application that included her extracurricular accomplishments, her financial background, and two essays. All her hard work paid off, because on Oct. 21, she received an email stating that she was a QuestBridge Finalist.
Being a QuestBridge Finalist did not mean Jasmine immediately received a full-ride scholarship to her school of choice, but it did bring her one step closer. The next step was applying to 12 partner colleges and ranking them in order of which one she wanted to attend most. The National College Match application counted as a college application, but Jasmine also had to submit additional required essays to each of her top college choices. The first of November was the deadline, so the next few days from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1 were spent frantically writing and compiling personal info and other documents.
Jasmine recalls her struggle: “It was very challenging to keep track of every single detail; I made so many checklists. I spent about four hours every day working on applications and paperwork. The legal documents and financial papers were nearly undecipherable, so I had to learn a lot of terminology.” Through Mr. Schuster’s writing tutoring, Mrs. Moffitt’s guidance, and hours of dedication, Jasmine submitted her 11 college applications on time.
Jasmine has high hopes for her future. She hopes to be accepted into one of her top three colleges, Pomona, Tufts, and Swarthmore, and study engineering. Her goal is to “help make the world a better place.” Even though the whole process of scholarship applications can be intimidating, TPA students have a head start. Jasmine says, “TPA best prepared me for all the essay writing. Here, I learned how to use words to convey my thoughts in a well-paced, eloquent manner. That is a skill that will benefit a student all their life.”
As for applications in general, Jasmine says, “Apply. Even if you don’t think you’ll get it, apply anyway, and give it your all. The benefits lie way beyond winning the actual scholarship. Applying for QuestBridge taught me a lot about the application process, and I had an excellent opportunity to practice writing essays. There are so many different scholarships out there, you just have to persevere.”
On Dec. 1, she will find out if she has been accepted to one of her college choices. Good luck, and congratulations on becoming a QuestBridge Finalist, Jasmine!