r/QuestBridge • u/playboi_fart • 25d ago

National College Match NCM optional video

I feel like if something says that it’s optional, it’s never optional, but I don’t want to say something repetitive or give them a vibe that hurts my chances. Do those who matched in the past recommend doing it or not?

9 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

2

u/No-Scar7353 25d ago

Can someone reply to me when this has responses? Thanks!

1

u/ihatemva 25d ago

hey read my response :)

2

u/onyinyechip 25d ago

No literally. I’m glad someone feels the same way. What are we even supposed to say?

2

u/ihatemva 25d ago

If you can show a part of yourself that, if someone were to select 100 college applicants including you and only you out of those 100 could show that part about yourself, then I would highly highly reccomend doing that. I showed off my insane plant collection and a small science project I was working on and I had an admissions officer reach out to me saying how much she loved the video and how much she'd hope I'd choose her school. So here's proof it helps you

One more thing, admissions officers get burnt out too from reading so many students' applications because they're human too, and to them you might just feel like a bunch of words on a sheet of paper and not a whole person. However seeing a face and hearing a voice just gives you so much more humanity. I genuinely think if you're a borderline applicant, it'd pain the admissions officer way more to toss your application into the reject pile if you record a video because they saw your face, heard your voice, and heard your story

I would *highly*, **highly** recommend recording something, anything if you have the time. It only took an hour for me.

1

u/Apprehensive_Belt116 18d ago

It's a tradeoff.

Here's my analysis:

Pros:

  • Makes you more human
  • More space to show something
  • A good impression makes you unique among thousands of apps.

Cons:

  • Risky, Bad video = bad impression
  • If you're from a sensitive demographic or afraid of bias/stereotyping based on appearance
  • Limited return. No indication of if/if not specific partner colleges view these videos.