<p>Has anyone taken a gap year before going to Notre Dame to work with AmeriCorps? I am just curious because I was considering it and don't know how it would impact my admissions chances. I applied to ND this year and was waitlisted but I'm not ready to pay 25k to go to a school that I don't want to attend and then try to transfer. Thoughts? I would really like to start at ND as a freshman, and not as a sophomore transfer student.</p>
<p>I do not have any experience with this,but it is an interesting idea. I would definitely recommend checking with your admissions rep. Also, really consider why you were waitlisted. If you think test scores and academics were holding you back then a year in college showing excellent grades and achievement may be more helpful. Also consider how difficult would it be for you to adjust to the classroom after a full year off. Good Luck, and it would be interesting to hear what you end up deciding.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input! I do plan on contacting my admissions person before I make a decision (he knows me pretty well by now). I don’t think it was academics that held me back, I have a 4.0 UW and I am valedictorian with honors with a 32 on my ACT . I also have 120 hours of OR and clinic shadowing experience in ENT surgery. I hosted blood drives through the Red Cross and attended the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine. I have hundreds of hours of volunteer time in a variety of places and have a job. When I asked my admissions person what I could work on improving in my application he said not to focus on improving it. Overall I’m pretty bummed since I don’t really want to go anywhere else and I feel like I was really close to getting in. I have reviewed my entire application to see what I could have done differently, but I am happy with what I submitted.</p>
<p>You sound like a great applicant and would do very well at Notre Dame, no doubt. Being an ND family, believe me, I know how you feel about attending.<br>
Transferring is probably not as bad as you may think, and I would be concerned that you would regret taking that year off, whether you transfer or stay where you enroll freshman year. After reading your reply it really doesn’t seem that Americorps would strengthen your application in any way because you already have service as a large component. As I said, I do not know, but would be worried about taking a year away from school. It could possibly weaken your application to have been out of the classroom for a year and your stats would be getting “stale”. My gut feeling is that you can enhance your application by embracing freshman year at another school. Follow your interests, but don’t try to engineer the perfect resume. Really, I don’t see any flaw in your application as far as what you have shared. I don’t know if you have ever thought about a gap year before now, but I don’t think that taking a gap year just for the purpose of being admitted as a freshman for class of 2018 would make you a better candidate. Remember that each year, admissions becomes a little more competitive.
If you enroll elsewhere, the money spent on your freshman year is a good investment in your education even if not your first choice school. You are talented enough that you can be successful and have a fulfilling career no matter where you attend. Talk to your family, they probably know you better than anyone else and will help you find what is best for you.</p>
<p>I agree that you should contact ND admissions to see if/how that would impact your chances next year. If you do AmeriCoprs or take some type of a gap year, I would use the year not only as a way to strengthen your ND application (because you don’t want the year to feel like a waste of time if you don’t get into ND next year) but also use the year to try to find a couple of other slightly less selective schools (you are an excellent candidate) that you can get excited about attending in case ND doesn’t work out.</p>
<p>So far I am leaning towards the gap year, just because I know that it is something I would enjoy and I would prefer to enter ND as a freshman. If I did this I would probably retake my ACT and take a couple more subject tests to show that my stats aren’t getting stale. I have an interest in biological engineering, spanish and pre-med, so it would be very difficult for me to take all of the courses that I need to transfer (that’s another thing that I will be talking to my admissions rep about). Just for engineering, I would be looking at taking over a full schedule at Lawrence all three trimesters, plus possible doing some summer classes. I will definitely set up my schedule so that I have the opportunity to transfer in case the AmeriCorps thing doesn’t work out or if the admissions team doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Thanks for everyone’s advice! I will definitely keep it in mind as I proceed. I’ve been talking about it with my parents a little bit too, since my dad took a year off to go travel Europe. Do you have any suggestions for schools similar to ND, but a little less selective? Thanks again!</p>
<p>Some ideas offhand would be Boston College (but it doesn’t have engineering), Vanderbilt, Villanova</p>
<p>How difficult would it be to transfer to ND from Saint Mary’s?</p>
<p>Don’t know how difficult it may be to transfer from St Mary’s, but here is info on a dual degree program between SMC and ND.
<a href=“https://www.saintmarys.edu/dual-degree-engineering[/url]”>https://www.saintmarys.edu/dual-degree-engineering</a>
Also, elsewhere on SMC website it states that Saint Mary’s students can take up to 2 classes at Notre Dame each semester.<br>
As far as similar schools, what are your top criteria? For example, Catholic, medium size, rural, no Greek life, single-sex dorms, great athletics…
Marquette, U Dayton, U St Louis are all Catholic, midwestern, and not as selective, but are all urban to varying degrees.</p>
<p>I’m actually not a huge fan of urban locations, but I am pretty picky about what I like. The most important thing for me is a strong sense of community. This doesn’t necessarily have to be fostered by religion or athletics, but I’m looking for high overall community involvement. Tradition is important too, since it brings the community together (even if its something quirky like the cookie house at carleton or bikes in trees at ND). I also really like schools that have unique community outreach programs. Having a hospital nearby is a must, since I plan on entering the medical field and would like to volunteer and shadow regularly. </p>
<p>Just thought I would say that it feels like I’m house shopping. It’s hard to find the one that feels right, and that’s why I fell in love with ND.</p>