My son has been accepted to a mess of fine schools and may goto one and try to transfer next year. he said he doesnt want to settle and also doesnt want to miss a minute of his ND career. He threw out the idea of joining americorps, bump up his act a point or two, help the country, and apply rea this fall. What say you, oh fine and knowledgeable folks?
Transferring isn’t a bad idea, and if he really wants to attend ND, this is the next logical step for him. I will say that personally, I’ve decided to head into my university (if I’m not taken off the waitlist) with the intention of staying. If I don’t like it there, then I’ll transfer. But I want to give my college a fair chance. Who knows, maybe I’ll love it there, and maybe he’ll love wherever he goes too.
@RangerJerry Was your son waitlisted this year? If he’s not on the waitlist this year, I’m not sure bumping up his ACT score a point or two will make the difference if he plans on doing the americorps thing. Of course there is the possibility that by doing americorps, that it would resonate with ND admissions next year, showing his commitment to ND and to service. Would seem to be a bit of a gamble, which I would avoid, unless the thought of doing something like americorps has always appealed to him as well.
I would tell him to go to one of the excellent schools he has been accepted to and assume he will be there four years. If one starts off a college experience with the idea of transferring he/she will never make the commitment needed to develop new friendships, get involved on campus etc. Then if the transfer doesn’t pan out, he will be not only devastated but left on a campus he has not become attached to. If he goes to another school and decides to throw in an transfer application that is OK, but make sure he a transfer is a long-shot and he should expect to be at his college for four years.
I don’t think one year of Americoprs will make a huge difference in his application. If he does go this route I’d suggest depositing and deferring at a school he has been accepted to so there is a sure thing in hand. If he takes a gap year with the sole purpose of thinking it will get him into ND the next year, he will likely be in for another disappointment.
IMO nobody should be so fixated on one school (especially a hyper-competitive one) to the point where he/she cannot be happy with any other options. Those are the kids who get hurt in this process. ND is a great place but there are tons of other great colleges and universities out there that can get him anywhere he wants to go. I would suggest that it is time to move forward and embrace the schools that want him.
As an aside, my H is a ND alum. Our S did not apply to ND as an undergrad (he was a good student but not a viable candidate for ND) but he got is MS in Accounting at ND. So there are options down the road to attend.
Service to others is definitely his thing. He wanted the air force academy for a long time until he visited ND. This is a kid who has already said he is taking act gain even though it doesnt matter just to prove to himself that he can do it. He told me last night if he gets into Princeton, he will go to better his chances for a ND transfer.i dont know; encourage resolve, committment, and dedication or just get yourself an education! Both mindsets have served me well and poorly over the years. Wondered if americorps might be good to help him decide what he wants to be when he grows up, but then i still dont know what i want to be if I ever grow up! One thing for sure; he will learn that hard work and dedication yields success or he will learn to be really good at handling dissapointment!
And of course money is the main thing for me . We need a demonstrated need school, or more time to get into scholarship cycle…
@RangerJerry Given your son’s stats on the other thread, I think he has a pretty good shot at a transfer if he works hard in college and can get good professor rec letters.
I think he would be more likely to get in as a transfer than if he were to do something like Americorps for a year, as he could demonstrate that he will be a hard worker in college with a high college GPA.
@IvyHopeful98 and @wneely16 ; you guys have been wonderful! we really appreciate your respect and knowledge! Where are you guys thinking of going if waitlist doesn’t work in your favor?
@RangerJerry Thank you! Just trying to help as many people as possible 
Well, I’m still waiting on 3 schools, but assuming things stay the way they are right now, I’ll likely end up at Villanova or Northeastern. I got waitlisted by my top 2 schools, so that’s starting to make this process difficult. I’m leaning towards Villanova, but financial aid will be important. I didn’t get much from NEU, so hopefully Nova is a little more generous. How about your son?
UWmadison is unaffordable with the way they do financial aid, and he doesn’t like it. Valporaiso looks good, 18 liberal arts colleges want him; several were offering rides, but he didn’t pursue them(my alma mater included). He really put all his eggs in ND basket! and we didn’t know any better; who would’ve thought? been along time, I guess, since we were in this game. I think we can make Oklahoma State work; his grandfather was a VP there and he loves the campus! (I love Eskimo Joe’s french fries) His grandmother still lives there and his uncle is an alum; there would be support. He wishes he could do it all over again, knowing what he knows now. just a pisser!
He is still thinking of the Americorps, doing ND REA, then applying to ALL big schools as his backup. it will be interesting, if nothing else! He doesn’t take NO for an answer too well, and I can’t discourage him from that stance too well as I don’t either.
@RangerJerry For me, it’s looking like UGA (in the state I currently live in) or U of Dayton (in my hometown). (I’m regretting not applying to some schools I might have gotten into - UC Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon probably both would have taken me.) I’m still on the fence - at UGA, I would go tuition free, but U of Dayton has offered me 18k a year in merit aid. I personally greatly prefer UD, but UGA’s price would make it much easier to afford law school. I probably need to hurry up and make up my mind, though - deposits will be due soon!
RangerJerry,
We are a faculty family at ND, which our kids have attended, and I worked in the admissions office this season. Seeing the process at the other end was eye-opening, starting with the sheer volume of applicants (18,000+) and the very limited time between January 1 and mid-March. Based SOLELY on GPA and test scores, at least half the applicant pool is theoretically admissible. Most competitive applicants have GPA’s above 4.0, multiple AP or other rigorous courses in the core disciplines, community service, and well-rounded activities, including the important leadership positions. There are some 30,000 high schools in the US, and they all have a valedictorian (or several), at least a dozen sports team captains, newspaper editors, band section leaders, school play stars. I have yet to read a negative or even truly lukewarm teacher or counselor evaluation – nearly everyone is bright, hardworking, humble, compassionate, insightful, and respected. Unless a letter describes a student as “one of the most _____ students I have seen in a decade,” (and, by definition, those letters are not common), it doesn’t often add much to the picture. And some letters are so poorly written or clearly standardized (especially at large or less-affluent schools) that they must be completely disregarded. Many (not all) of these applicants also have ACT scores above 33 and SAT scores above 1400. All that is left are the essays, many of which (sad to say) are not very memorable or well-written, and often don’t really give any insight into the person behind the numbers. And because they are so short, and time so limited, it is difficult to make meaningful distinctions among even the good ones. It is heartbreaking to realize how much time, effort (and sometimes money) has been poured into essays that, because of the crush of applications, cannot be read as carefully as they were written.
So my point is this – much of this process is random. Thousands of applicants never had a chance (and one wonders what they were thinking when they applied), a few are slam-dunks (perfect SAT scores plus Olympic medal), many are advantaged by various hooks of diversity, athletic recruits, legacy/donor/employee status. For everyone else, it’s largely a coin toss. Even most legacy applicants are denied admission. Trying to game the system by piling up volunteer hours, attending ND summer programs, getting extra letters from people with ND connections, taking the ACT four times to add a point to your score, working to become an Eagle Scout even though you’ve lost interest, building huts in Haiti MAY increase your chances of admission, but it may also be a complete waste of time and money that could be better spent on your passions. And trying to make sense of the admissions decisions (my classmate was admitted with a lower ACT and only 100 hours of volunteer service) is pointless. The admissions office does not and cannot know you as a person. It can only make imperfect decisions based upon limited information in a limited time frame. As a result, plenty of wonderful applicants must be turned away. If you were one of them, try to think of having lost a lottery rather than having been rejected as unworthy.
@emmamarie Thanks for the insight. I’ve had a lot of these same thoughts, but it’s good to hear them confirmed.
Do you know anything about the Holy Cross College Gateway Program? I’ve been trying to reach out and get more information about it - I sent an E-mail to the person listed on the Gateway Program website as the program’s director, but obviously, she is pretty backlogged right now with everything going on.
I would immediately take a spot in the Gateway Program if it was given to me. I’m not exactly sure, though, if there’s any way I can put my foot in the door or “express interest” (since the website said students aren’t allowed to ask to be placed in the program).
I think I’ve done everything in my power as far as getting off the waitlist the traditional way, though, as I’ve done everything in this article: http://admissions.nd.edu/connect/news/56751-in-between-advice-for-those-on-the-waiting-list/.
I sent a 3-page packet in which I wrote a letter about “Why ND” (as you mentioned, the essays are so short, and I didn’t feel like I expressed myself at all about why I love Notre Dame with the 200 words given to me on the Common App), a sheet of all the extracurricular activities I’ve done since January, and my 3rd 9 weeks report card. I guess the rest is in God’s hands at this point. 
I know you’re a faculty member that isn’t primarily an admissions officer, but if there’s any other advice you can give me as to 1) getting off the waitlist or 2) getting into the Gateway Program, I would immensely appreciate it. Thanks for giving all of us some closure as to why things went the way they did.
Ditto! Exceptional insiight. Never heard of gateway program. My son is already considering holy cross option so he can be part of marchivng band
Not a faculty member (my spouse is). You have already done everything in your power to get off the waitlist, and, as you know, it’s possible that no students will be admitted from the list. The rest, as you acknowledged, is in God’s hands now. As for the Gateway program, my understanding is that students must be invited to apply, but it doesn’t hurt to contact someone for an official confirmation.
@emmamarie Thanks for your support
@wneely16 I just read about Gateway on website; didn’t know anything about it. That would be ideal as S is already considering HC with hopes of a transfer. If you both got it, it would make OA National communications committee mtgs very easy! HA Can you ask them about it or does it knock you out if you ask? Kinda like Vigil;you don’t seek it, it seeks you!
Excellent analogy! I’m beginning to think that it seeks you. I sent an E-mail asking if I could be considered. I might not get a reply for a while, as the Admissions Dept. is obviously very busy, but I’ll let you know if I do. I don’t think you get knocked out for asking, though - I would hope not because that means I wouldn’t receive it.
I think that the Gateway Program is only open to waitlisted kids, but I am not sure. If anything, your son could be like Rudy and keep trying to transfer up to ND (if you have ever seen Rudy - the 3 scenes where he opens the letters are all excruciating to watch, now that I’ve been there). I’m not sure if regular applications for HCC are still open, though.
And yes, there would be a lot of National Comms meetings if that were to work out! Maybe we could carpool to Sakima Lodge (the lodge for the South Bend area council) meetings :))