A High School junior thinking about Notre Dame

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Notre Dame
1

<p>I'm a High School junior and I have recently become interested in Notre Dame's history and anthropology departments. I have not taken the SAT or the ACT, but my stats are as follows:</p>

<p>GPA: 3.78 W (with just two AP classes this year.)</p>

<p>AP courses: This year: World History and English lang. I have not taken the test yet, obviously, but I can get college credit in English regardless of how well I do on the test. Next year, I plan on taking U.S. history, Psychology, and Statistics.</p>

<p>CP: Chemistry, and I plan on taking CP Physics senior year.</p>

<p>Honors classes: Algebra 2(soph), Pre calc (junior), French 2 (soph), English (soph), American History (soph)</p>

<p>I am not sure of my class rank, but I am positive it is at least in the top quarter.</p>

<p>I am also a T.A. for my English teacher this year, I don't know if that helps...</p>

<p>As far as EC's go, I dance. Dance takes up all my time and doesn't leave much room for other activities. I also work, which takes up time...</p>

<p>I am a member of our school's Environmentally Aware Students, where we run the recycling and do trash pick ups. I also volunteer at the local animal shelter.</p>

<p>I am a member of NHS.</p>

<p>Oh, and my Dad went to Notre Dame, so I am a legacy.</p>

<p>What more can I do to better my chances? My dad loved Notre Dame, and from what I can tell, so do the people on this site. I would really love to make it in.</p>

2

<p>It is very hard to guess without those test scores, but even so I would not venture to say that your chance for acceptance is strong. I always hate to bear bad news, but my impression is that there's nothing really special on your resume to make them want to accept you. If you get high test scores then I would say your chances will go up; right now it isn't looking very likely. Work hard on those essays, get that gpa up, and do everything you can this year to doll up your application. Apply regular decision to help your chances. If you work hard this year and get test scores within or near the top quartile of Notre Dame's stats, then I think you'll have a better shot. You have some ground to cover, but just remember that nothing is impossible! Good luck to you!</p>

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<p>I'm going to have to agree with what nstar said. But you can still do it, it is not too late. I have seen people who were non-legacies in worse positions that have gotten accepted. But the big difference between them and you is that they had A LOT of community service. Just volunteer excessively. I was at an interview at Notre Dame and one of the admission representatives said community service is a big factor in acceptance. Apply regular. You can do it.</p>

4

<p>No offense Herecometheirish, but I find it ironic that you can give advice and size-up someone else's chances to a perfection when you said that you were clueless about your own chances and that you had no idea where you stood, while begging for our insight. </p>

<p>Hmmmm......Let's not get ahead of ourselves. </p>

<p>Cup o' Buddha: It is never to late for improvement. My advice would be to take an SAT/ACT prep course to ensure that you can do your absolute best on those. They are incredibly important. If you were to do stellar on either one, your chances would improve dramatically. </p>

<p>As for classes, I noticed that you plan on taking CP Physics next year. I understand that many people struggle with a particular subject in school, and maybe yours is science. I know mine was definitely science. But my advice would be to bite the bullet and take honors instead. Admission counselors would much rather see a B/B+ in an honors course over an A in a CP course. I know that this will only add to your senior year work load, but seniors who aren't afraid to actually work hard stand out from those who catch "senioritis."</p>

<p>Lastly, you said that Dance takes up all of your time, and that is prohibits you from doing other EC's. This is NOT bad. Quality and dedication is much better than quantity. Write your essay on your dancing. Let the Admission Counselor see into your world. Help them to understand what dance does for you, and show your dedication. </p>

<p>But remember one thing, ND is not the only school out there. Good luck!</p>

5

<p>Haha, well, you caught me. I do know what I'm talking about, to an extent. I have attended their lectures on what they look for in a student in order for them to get accepted. They answered some of those questions and I was just trying to be helpful. Plus, I'm using the advice you gave me......touche? Haha.</p>

6

<p>um, can i just throw in my two cents that just because your Dad loved it and lots of other people do, that really does NOT mean you will love it.....I came here because everyone just seemed in love with the place, but seriously, make sure you won;t be in the 2% that transfers (I'm pretty sure I will be...)</p>