<p>We had a college fair today at my school....except we had a ghetto one where it was only the counslors and teachers talking about each individual school. Each school sends info and then 1 teacher "acts" as the rep. Anyways.. of course my first stop was ND. And one thing I learned was that 52 people with perfect sats were rejected last year!!! That's crazy......is it true?</p>
<p>probably; ND only takes 1/2 of the valedictorians that apply. they want the entire package. and if you ever have the hopes of being in South Bend, write the essay of your life that shows who you really are</p>
<p>the perfect sat score, as illusive as it is, is not what nd is specifically looking for. rather, they want a student who would contribute to the academic, athletic, cultural, etc.... environment of the school. also, you can see that many students who do not have perfect sat scores got in by looking at the usnews average sat scores.</p>
<p>red 06.. can you give me a link to that possible?? thanks</p>
<p>I'm sure all the people with the perfect SAT scores were your typical "mathlete" as they call them at our school (no offense) who lettered in 0 varsity sports and simply had the academic part of the package or they could have had low GPAs... getting a perfect SAT or ACT and not having a top 25 school ranking kind of implies that you are lazy...</p>
<p>Brandon is applying to Notre Dame; he has a 2330 SAT (800CR/800M/730W), and is only ranked 16th in a class of 165. But he's played football all 4 years and was named varsity captain this year. </p>
<p>I had thought the SAT scores would be what got him accepted, but maybe it will be the football. </p>
<p>Or not. </p>
<p>Now I'm concerned.</p>
<p>Brandon is fine.</p>
<p>His score is excellent.</p>
<p>His rank is top 10%; it's pretty good.</p>
<p>Four years of football and captaincy of the varsity team look fantastic.</p>
<p>I wish I was Brandon.</p>
<p>I don't think a perfect or near-perfect standardized test score has ever worked against an applicant, any more than a #1 class rank. If, however, it is the only arrow in the quivver, it isn't going to be the golden ticket to admission. </p>
<p>Mom to mom, I wouldn't let this forum get you down. I was so paranoid I couldn't see straight the first time around, then my son got in. Now, it's my daughter's turn to apply, and I am more inclined to feel that everything happens for a reason. If she doesn't get into ND, it is because some place else, will, in the long run, end up to be better for what she is called to do as her life unfolds. </p>
<p>My son's counselor advised him that applying was futile, as a valedictorian on the dance team had been rejected two years earlier. My own guidance counselor told me roughly the same thing 26 years ago--that "no one gets in." Well, both of us did get in. </p>
<p>It is a great school, but not every student is Albert Einstein. Enjoy Brandon's football games, enjoy having Brandon around, and everything will work out...</p>
<p>It always does....</p>
<p>my hs counselor told me that i wasnt going to get in b/c i was ranked 55 out of 400, had an sat score of 2220, had a gpa of 91/100, and was in 8 clubs 4 of which i was either president of or captain in. go figure that i got in. sometimes i do think that it is the luck of the draw that gets some people in but really, they're looking for that special combination of traits. there are so many people with these traits that they could not accept them all. sorry if this doesnt make too much sense, but i have way too many classes for a friday. 2 small tutorials in the morning, math class in the afternoon and a book and paper to finish by sunday. but im psyched about the penn state game coming up though !!!</p>
<p>I'm surprised that you were surprised to get into Notre Dame ^.</p>
<p>i have a 31 on my act, named basketball and football captain this year, a 3.99 gpa (18 out of 650 but only one b and the rest a's-- my hs is competitive) 4.7 weighted gpa (3 out of 650)...</p>
<p>what do you think?</p>
<p>My daughter's guidance counselor told her she didn't like ND because it breaks too many hearts. She said she could wash all the floors in the school with the tears that have been shed over ND in her years as a guidance counselor. She told my daughter she didn't want to see her crying in December. Not real enthusiastic about applying.</p>
<p>I think your guidance counselor has done your daughter a great disservice by discouraging her from applying to a place it appears she really wants to go. I'm sure when my son was discouraged, it was because there were lots of tears shed by the valedictorian that was rejected a few years before him.</p>
<p>Thing is, this is about more than an admissions game lottery, it is about the experience a student has for the next four years of his or her life. What kind of message does it send and lesson does it teach to tell a high school kid that he or she is better off not to try at all than to risk the heartbreak of rejection or failure? The decisions should be made by the student, the parents, and the admissions office--not the counselor.</p>
<p>My own daughter is a much more borderline case than my son was. Both of us are aware of the possibility she might be rejected. Both of us are aware that, if that happens, it will, for a time, be a crushingly disappointing moment. Both of us are also aware that, in life, some times you stick your neck out and find yourself on the chopping block--but it is a lot better than living in a shell. If plan A doesn't work out, you mourn a bit, then move on to plan B. That's life. I say this full well knowing that I dread opening a letter that begins with "we regret". I also say this full well knowing that we'll get through whatever happens...</p>
<p>It's one thing to tell the B student with the 25 ACT that ND is not really an option for them, that is introducing a student to reality. It is something else entirely to discourage kids whose scores, grades and profiles put them in the range of admissable candidates from even trying--that in many cases deprives them an opportunity they could have.</p>
<p>Seriously, kids are a lot more resilient than the educational establishment and many parents seem to give them credit for at times. They can cope, if we let them have the chance to take risks. No one is immune from disappointment. From what I've seen, the kids seem to fare a lot better than the parents do...</p>
<p>Once again I feel like I have to opine as one of the few kids on this board who dreamt of Notre Dame and was rejected. Rejection is very difficult, but you can learn an awful lot about it. </p>
<p>I will never be able to describe the moment I read that letter, but I remember it vividly as do I remember the feeling. I won't go into it (I did but decided to delete it, lol) but it is tough, but it also reveals a lot about you. That day was the day I sent my first email to transfer admissions. I worked very hard, applied as a transfer, and the rest is history. Now I sit in Fisher Hall as a Notre Dame senior and I look back at the whole thing very thankfully. I learned a lot from that rejection and really in a lot of ways I needed it!</p>
<p>My advice to mediocre candidates is always to apply, because you never know what will happen. Yes, you may be rejected, but I think taking the shot is almost always better than deciding for yourself that you don't cut it. Then, even if the news comes back bad, there are always other ways to get to Notre Dame if Notre Dame is where you need to be. I am living proof of it, as are 150 students who transfer to this university every year!</p>
<p>Pretty much all the elite schools use the same system. They pile the applications with the best at the bottom of the pile and then throw them down the stairs. The applications at the top of the stairs get in. If your essay made them cry, then they are weighted down by the tears and don't fly as far.</p>
<p>Kr123,</p>
<p>I understand the guidance counselors comments but I strongly disagree with them. You do not know if you will get in if you do not apply. The guidance counselor thinks that she is preventing the tears of rejection only I think she just moved the date of the rejection up to the day she spoke to your daughter.</p>
<p>If she currently has good stats and ECs and ND is her first choice she should apply EA. It shows ND that she wants to go there. Admissions can be a funny thing. At the end of the day, you never know unless you try.</p>