Senior Addie Weiss will be attending Boston College in the fall, with a full-ride, as the recipient of the prestigious Questbridge scholarship. 

This is only the second time in school history that this has occurred, and it is an incredible honor. In order to be eligible for the Questbridge scholarship, students must be highly motivated and show academic achievement and promise, as the application process is highly competitive. 

“I was just in shock and didn’t believe it was real. I convinced myself I wasn’t going to get it so that I wouldn’t be disappointed. I think that’s part of the reason I was so shocked when I found out that I did,” explained Weiss. 

The scholarship is worth over $200,000 and includes room and board, books and supplies, and travel expenses, along with the cost of attendance. 

Although Weiss described the application process as “relatively easy,” it has a reputation for being incredibly demanding. Applicants must complete the highly detailed QuestBridge app (which many started as juniors), the FAFSA, the CSS Profile, and possibly the Common Application, along with specific university requirements. 

If a student is “matched” with a university in the final round, they earn a full ride. This year, over 17,900 QuestBridge apps were submitted. 5,613 finalists were chosen, but only 1,755 were matched. That’s less than 10%. 

“I did not feel good about my chances, though. If I’d been applying to the school normally, I would’ve been more confident, but I truly didn’t think I was going to get a full ride,” explained Weiss. 

This year, NDA had four semi-finalists chosen, which is one of the highest in school history. In the end, two seniors advanced to the final round, but one senior, Weiss, was matched to a college. The last time NDA had a match was in 2016, when Aidan Glaser-Schoff was matched to Vassar.  

“I could not be more thrilled for Addie! She worked tirelessly on her application in addition to maintaining good grades and juggling numerous responsibilities,” said Mrs. Bain, college counselor. 

Weiss found out about her acceptance and the scholarship while in theology class. She got an email saying that the decision was posted, but sat with it unopened for another five minutes because she was too afraid to click on it. 

Finally, after much anticipation, she opened it and saw that she had been accepted and received the scholarship. The first thing that she did was call her parents and grandmother. 

“I seriously couldn’t believe it; I was scared that when I got back to class I was going to see I read it wrong and that I didn’t actually get in,” said Weiss. 

Her family is, of course, thrilled and proud of her astounding achievement, and she received dozens of messages congratulating her. Weiss said that her “dad’s been telling everyone he knows ever since.” 

Weiss was drawn to Boston College after visiting Boston junior year and falling in love with the city. She applied to a few schools in the area, but Boston College stood out to her for its amazing academic reputation and stunning campus. 

“It was the city that drew me in, but then so many aspects of the school itself made me fall in love,” said Weiss. 

Moving halfway across the country is a big adjustment, and one that Weiss thinks will be weird, as she can’t just come home whenever she wants. She will miss her family, especially her younger siblings, but is ready for this next step of independence. She feels that the International Baccalaureate program has prepared her well for college, so academically, she isn’t worried. 

“I think moving somewhere so new will give me a lot of great opportunities for growth and be a really meaningful experience,” said Weiss. 

She is most excited about getting to live in Boston for the next four years. She’s also particularly enthusiastic about getting to eat incredible Italian food in the North End. And, of course, she’s eager to meet new people from all over the world. 

“I also can’t wait to meet people. I’ve been talking to a ton of my future classmates already, and everyone has been so amazing. I’m super excited to get to meet all of them in person,” said Weiss.