The QuestBridge National College Match delivery will occur on Thursday, October 18, 2018. There are several changes this year, which are enumerated in this article.
The QuestBridge National College Match helps outstanding low-income high school seniors gain admission and full four-year scholarships to some of the nation's most selective colleges. QuestBridge applicants who rank your institution will be sent as applications in the QuestBridge CM Applications source format. Those who are non-participating finalists (qualified for QuestBridge, but did not rank schools) and non-finalists (not qualified for QuestBridge - academically, financially, or both) will be sent to your institution as person records in the Questbridge CM Prospects source format.
In addition to sending the data files, QuestBridge also sends documents. These documents are associated with specific material types within Slate using the mappings that your institution configures in the QuestBridge CM App Materials and QuestBridge CM Prospects Materials source formats. The documents are then matched with the proper record using the QuestBridge Application ID, which is why it is imperative that the mappings of these IDs not be altered from the standard source format.
The QuestBridge CM Applications and QuestBridge CM Prospects source formats contain two IDs:
- QuestBridge ID Number - This is an ID that is unique to the person record.
- Application ID - This is an ID that is unique to the application. This ID is used solely for matching purposes - this number is not known to QuestBridge applicants.
For both source formats, the QuestBridge ID Number is mapped to a person-scoped custom field with the ID qb_prospect_id.
The Application ID in the QuestBridge CM Applications source format is mapped to an application-scoped custom field with the ID qb_id.
The Application ID in the QuestBridge CM Prospects source format is mapped to a person-scoped custom field with the ID: qb_cm_id.
Important!
If these mappings are altered, it will prevent materials from being associated with the appropriate record.
- There is a new source format for this year: QuestBridge CM Prospects Materials. This source format will exclusively import PDFs for records included in the QuestBridge CM Prospects data file, which will allow your institution to handle each material type differently depending on if the record was imported via the QuestBridge CM Prospects source format or via the QuestBridge CM Applications source format.
- The Application ID is now being included in the QuestBridge CM Prospects source format this year. This ID is the unique College Match ID for that record, and it is being used for PDF matching.
- There are two new material types: AppFinancial and AppAdmission. This will allow you to view the documents as separate materials on the record if you would like to do so. The full Application material type is still being sent, so if you would like to see these items as you've read them in the past, then you can choose to do so as well:
- To continue to import the full application as a single document, no action is necessary. Simply keep Application mapped to the desired material type and keep the new document types (AppFinancial and AppAdmission) unmapped.
- To import the documents as separate materials, unmap the Application material type and map the two new document types to the desired Slate materials.
- To continue to import the full application as a single document, no action is necessary. Simply keep Application mapped to the desired material type and keep the new document types (AppFinancial and AppAdmission) unmapped.
The following source formats must be added from the Slate Template Library:
- QuestBridge CM Applications (CSV) - This source format was used last year, so if you used the source format previously, it does not need to be re-added.
- QuestBridge CM Prospects (CSV) - This optional source format was used last year, so if you used the source format previously, it does not need to be re-added
- QuestBridge CM App Materials - This source format is just renamed from QuestBridge CM Materials, which was used last year, so if your institution used this source format previously, it does not need to be re-added from the Slate Template Library.
- QuestBridge CM Prospects Materials - This source format is new for this year. This source format is needed only if you wish to bring in the PDFs onto the Folio for the records imported via the QuestBridge CM Prospects source format.
The QuestBridge CM Applications and QuestBridge CM Prospects source formats have many standard fields pre-mapped. Do not set the Remap Active flag to Active for these source formats until you have received files and have confirmed that the mappings match how your institution needs the data imported. This includes confirming the mappings on the Fields and Static Mappings pages:
Additionally, many of the standard fields that were pre-mapped require value mappings to your institution's prompt values. On the Value Mappings page, add any additional value mappings that were not able to be mapped in a standard way, and make adjustments to any of the standard value mappings as necessary.
Remember that when mapping source fields to a prompt-based destination field, value mappings are required. After you have updated field mappings, be sure to click the refresh values link on the Value Mappings page. This will identify each possible source value in the received files that can be mapped to a destination value in Slate.
QuestBridge CM Applications
This source format will handle bringing in College Match finalists as applications.
Some important items to remember that are specific to this source format include:
- Map your rounds! An application will only be created if an application round has been mapped. Finalist status has been pre-mapped to round, so be sure to update this mapping on the Value Mappings page to map CM18 Finalist to the specific application round that should be created from this import.
- PINs are automatically generated for applications that are created in an active application period. Be sure to activate your application period prior to importing the data to ensure that PINs will be generated for these accounts.
- The submitted flag is mapped as a static value. This will ensure that the application that is created will also be marked as submitted.
- Do not update the mapping for QuestBridge ID and Application ID, as this will prevent the materials from importing correctly.
QuestBridge CM Prospects
This source format will handle bringing in the College Match non-finalists and non-participating finalists as person records. If your institution does not want to import these records, you do not need to add this source format.
If your institution wishes to import only a subset of these records based on a data point in the file, you may choose to map that data point to the System - Custom: Skip Import destination, for example:
This destination requires value mappings. Map the values that determine if the record should be skipped to the Skip import value to prevent Slate from importing that row of data.
QuestBridge CM App Materials and QuestBridge CM Prospects Materials
These source formats allow you to map the document types onto specific material types within Slate. Since the materials are associated with records and material types via a script, you will never see any data associated with this source format. If your institution is importing Common Application data, your institution should be familiar with this type of source format.
Documents for records imported via the QuestBridge CM Applications source format will be eligible to receive documents using the document translations mapped in the QuestBridge CM App Materials source format, while those imported via the QuestBridge CM Prospects source format will be eligible to receive documents using the document translations mapped in the QuestBridge CM Prospects Materials source format.
The QuestBridge CM Applications records will receive documents on the application, while the QuestBridge CM Prospects records will have documents associated with the folio (person record).
Unlike the other two source formats, this source format can be mapped ahead of the receipt of data; however, the documents themselves will not be imported until the associated record has been imported via the QuestBridge CM Applications or QuestBridge CM Prospects source formats.
Because the source format is used only for the translation of the document types from QuestBridge to your institution's material types within Slate, this source format will not display anything on the Fields page. Navigate to the Value Mappings page to map your material types:
It is fine to keep document types unmapped if you do not need them to import to records in Slate. If you change your mind, you can map the unmapped material types later, and those documents will be imported at that time.
Some records that were sent in the QuestBridge CM Prospects files will later be delivered via a QuestBridge CM Applications file. Documents will not be re-sent for these records. If they were imported to the folio, then the documents will continue to be associated with the folio, and these documents can be accessed within the Reader just as if they were associated with the specific application. Any documents that were not previously imported for these records are eligible for import using document translations defined within the QuestBridge CM App Materials source format, and these documents will be associated with the specific application.
Important!
There is no retroactive refresh for the materials source formats, so be sure to check your material mappings prior to activating the QuestBridge CM Applications and QuestBridge CM Prospects source formats, as materials will be imported for all mapped material types within an hour of the QuestBridge data file imports between the hours of 2:30am and 10:30am eastern.
Once you have confirmed mappings for the source formats, the import must be activated by updating the source format.
- Navigate to the Source Formats database tool.
- Click the source format you wish to activate.
- Update the Remap Active setting to Active.
- Click Save.
Important!
Since these source formats are standard source formats, do not update any other settings in the source format.
You do not need to activate the QuestBridge CM App Materials or QuestBridge CM Prospects Materials source formats. Once records have imported successfully from the respective data files, document types that are mapped will be imported to the associated records within about an hour between the hours of 2:30am and 10:30am eastern time.