The Quest for Financial Freedom Through Questbridge’s National College Match Scholarship By: Jayci Lucas
What if you had the opportunity to go to one of the nation's best colleges? Would you take it? What if it was a possibility to have your life changed, and the only thing you had to do was fill out an application? Now what if I told you that not only did this happen for one student at Anderson County High Schools (ACHS), but it happened to two.
Tirzah Cobb, currently a freshman at the University of Chicago (UChicago), and Lukas Hagan, currently a senior at ACHS, both matched with UChicago through QuestBridge, and both were offered significant scholarships to attend the prestigious school. Anderson County High School’s College and Career Coach, Britney Mckeehan, stated that not only is it rare for two people from the same school to receive a match two consecutive years in a row, but it is extremely rare for the students to match with the same college as well. The application pool is very large-- consisting of about 17,000 applicants in 2022. Of these 17,000 applicants, approximately 5,000 were chosen for the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship, where only 1,775 students matched with one of the 48 colleges with which QuestBridge is partnered. This year, of the 1,775 that matched, our very own Lukas Hagan was one of them.
Next year, senior Lukas Hagen will attend UChicago where he plans to study international relations and psychology. Hagen states that, “the QuestBridge application was very long and difficult; however, it is worth it and it does pay off.” He received an $80,000 scholarship from UChicago for four years. “Someone do the math and tell me how much that is, because that is a lot,” Hagen happily joked.
For any up-and-coming seniors who are interested in applying for the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship, the application opens late summer and is due by September 27, 2023. The application requires students to (1) fill out demographic, financial, and academic information, (2) write two essays and two short answers, (3) acquire two teacher recommendations, and (4) send a copy of his/her transcript to QuestBridge. For more information about the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship, go to www.questbridge.org or talk to the College and Career Coach at Anderson County High School-- Mrs. Britney McKeehan. For anyone who is unsure if they want to apply for the scholarship or not, take it from Lukas: “take this opportunity because it is worth it and it will change your life for the better." It’s time to change your life; it’s time to try QuestBridge.
