1300s SAT? Always a Rejection???

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Notre Dame
1

<p>My SAT/ACT is the weak point of my application. Visiting this website has made me doubt my chances of getting into ND more and more. Most of the people who post about getting accepted have scores in the very comfortable range of 1400+; so I wonder, is it really that much of a longshot for me, as a legacy, to get accepted with a 1370 (M:660, CR:710, W: 750) and 30 ACT? Of course, I will be retaking both SAT/ACT; but for now, assume my scores are sent as is.</p>

<p>I'm pretty confident in the other aspects of my resume. Should I be?</p>

<p>Academic Overview / Test Scores</p>

<p>Class Rank: 1 of 126
Weighted GPA: 99.6/105 (School’s highest GPA in 4 years)
SAT: Composite: 2120 - Math: 660; Critical Reading: 710; Writing: 750
ACT: Composite: 30 - Math: 34; English: 31; Reading: 28; Science: 26; Writing: 7
SAT II Subject Tests
• Math Level II - 760
• Spanish - 730
• Chemistry - 700
AP Classes Taken / Enrolled in (available scores in parenthesis)
• AP World History (5)
• AP English Language and Composition (5)
• AP U.S. History (4)
• AP Chemistry (4)
• AP Calculus AB
• AP Physics
• AP Literature
• AP Environmental Science
• AP U.S. Government</p>

<p>Athletics</p>

<p>JV Football (9th, 10th) Scholar Athlete Award 10th
Varsity Football (11th, 12th) Region Champions and State Runner-up 11th (Championship played in the Georgia Dome!)
Varsity Track and Field (10th, 11th) Scholar Athlete Award 10th; 8th in Region Discuss 11th</p>

<p>Clubs</p>

<p>Philanthropy Club (11th, 12th) Founder and President – 20+ members
• Raised $1147 for the Red Cross for Haiti earthquake relief and 10 boxes of shoes, baby formula, and peanut butter for the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission (11th)
• Collected 37 gift boxes for Operation Christmas Child (11th)
National Beta Club (10th, 11th, 12th) President 12th
Key Club (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th) Vice President 12th???
Academic Quiz Bowl (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th) Team Captain 10th, 11th, and 12th
Math Team (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th) Team 2nd Place 2008 Georgia Southern University Mathematics Competition, Team 3rd Place 2009, Team 2nd Place 2010
Ancient Order of Hibernians (10th, 11th, 12th)
National Honor Society (10th, 11th, 12th) </p>

<p>Work</p>

<p>Lawn Service (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th) 5 regular customers
Private Tutor (11th)
Life Guard (Pre-11th, Pre-12th) roughly 30 hours per week during the summer
Made $4800 to buy a car and saved over $6000 so far to help pay for college.</p>

<p>Other Activities</p>

<p>Georgia Tech Engineering Camp- Summer before 11th
Savannah Science Seminar (11th) Met bimonthly at various sites across the city (St. Joseph’s Hospital, Gulfstream Aerospace, Georgia Tech Savannah, etc.) for lectures and science oriented activities (Constructing Underwater Robots, Rockets, Web Sites, etc.)
Youth Volunteer at St. Joseph’s Candler Hospital in Nuclear Medicine (32 hours) Assisted nuclear medicine technologists in daily operations</p>

<p>Awards/Competitions</p>

<p>Georgia Region 3A Boys Extemporaneous Speaking Champion 2010 (4th in State Competition)
Georgia Region 3A Boys Essay Champion 2010 (3rd in State Competition)
Subject awards received for the highest school-wide academic average in the following classes:
• Geometry
• Adv. Physics
• Spanish II
• Adv. Spanish III
• Adv. Spanish IV
• Old Testament
• Algebra II
• Chemistry
• AP U.S. History
• Adv. Algebra and Trigonometry
Presbyterian College Academic Achievement Award
Wofford Scholar
Georgia Certificate of Merit
Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award</p>

<p>I am a white Catholic male from Georgia.</p>

<p>Hook: Legacy--> Dad was class of '73</p>

<p>So I guess this was just an awkward way of asking for my chances :p</p>

2

<p>I know it’s not what you are looking for but I hope it’s encouraging.</p>

<p>Collegeboards “How Do it Stack Up” within the NORMAL population.</p>

<p><a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board;

3

<p>Thanks, I will definitely be using that tool from now on.
But…I already knew that I am slightly out of the middle 50% in the SAT Math, so I guess my question should have been this: Even though I’m out of that one particular score range, is that enough to make my chances questionable for admission considering everything else on my application? Would an acceptance EA be utterly unreasonable with a mediocre SAT like my 1370?</p>

4

<p>I got in this year with a 1330 SAT. 660 CR 670 M 700 W so 2030 altogether. I had no hook (white male from FL, no legacy). I was ranked 10 in a class of 350. I had a 34 ACT though, maybe that made the difference. Just make it clear you want to get into notre dame, not just another college and I’m sure it will work out for you. Good luck!</p>

5

<p>what is the rush with EA ??</p>

<p>ND weighs test scores heavily, and yours could be better. put yourself in their shoes . . . . . . . </p>

<p>i suggest practicing the tests, retaking, and going regular admission. where is the harm ?? you want to put your best picture of yourself out there.</p>

6

<p>The admissions folks would tell you, if they could, not to apply EA. Their consistent message is that EA is for the absolutely strongest candidates. You know that many applicants will have higher SAT and ACT scores than you.
But you also know that many students are admitted with scores in your range.<br>
Wait until RD. In your situation, there is no benefit to going the EA route.</p>

7

<p>You’re in.</p>

8

<p>The clear message this year from Mr. Saracino was the #1 criteria still remains rigor of curriculum. I agree with the other posts that RD is the way to go. Your AP curriculum will help your app stand out in admissions and if you can add a solid theme of why Notre Dame is the only place you want to be in your communications (essay, personal statement, emails and phone calls to your local admission counselor…) than I believe you have a very good chance of being admitted. My son had the same numbers and background basically as you have. He got in off of the waitlist and will be part of ND’s incoming Freshman class this fall 2010.</p>

<p>Good Luck</p>

9

<p>LondonGentleman, I’m wondering, were you on the same high school team as current Irish frosh WR TJ (Tailer) Jones? He was also on a GA HS team that lost in a GA state championship game this past year.</p>

10

<p>@ejh074- that’s encouraging, if only I had a 34 ACT :slight_smile: </p>

<p>@bitti1- Yes, I’ll be retaking the test in October and again if need be, and this time with plenty of practice under my belt. </p>

<p>@bitti1, claremarie, and WestPaND- I will certainly keep in mind your suggestions about waiting for RD should I not improve my scores.</p>

<p>@WestPaND- Thanks, I have wanted to go to ND since birth so hopefully my desire to attend will show naturally through my essays.</p>

<p>@novaparent- thanks, I sure hope so.</p>

<p>@SOC2015- No, I was not. We lost the A (Single A) championship game.</p>

<p>Thanks for everyone’s posts, I feel more confident now about applying and how to go about it.</p>