<p>I always thought ND selected the best of the best until I read through the stats of some of the accepted. It looks like ND is more concerned about legacy or a gift of $200,000 than accepting those of us far more qualified. I have been a life long ND lover but reading that thread made it a lot easier to move on to my second choice school which is actually ranked higher!</p>
<p>It is a shame that the first time that you post on these boards you write a message filled with such negativity. It is not the students fault that they were accepted into Notre Dame so please don't insult them. There are more tactful ways in which you can express your disappointment instead of "attacking" Notre Dame and those students who were accepted into the school.</p>
<p>You might as well get over being angry. There is not a college or university in the country -- public or private -- that would not do, and does not do, the same thing as Notre Dame. Legacy admissions are how you build an institution's "family," thus encouraging future dedication to the school (a.k.a. donations). Moreover, existing contributions to a school are often rewarded.</p>
<p>Thanks to the fact that schools need donations and endowments to stay in the black, such admission decisions are part of the landscape of higher education. Is that fair? Well, can you think of any institution, company, or program in the country that would not reward loyalty and financial support? I can't think of any.</p>
<p>So don't be mad... it's just a fact of life.</p>
<p>I love legacy admits! And I especially love those who give huge whopping donations to their fav schools. Those generous people enable some of us less-financially-endowed to live out our dreams at whatever school.</p>
<p>hihoo - I am sorry you were not accepted to ND. But, as is said, "bloom where you are planted." Try not to harbor any bitterness. It's a crapshoot!</p>
<p>Are you kidding? Could a school NOT accept someone who donated 200k to the school? That would be the biggest slap in the face imaginable.</p>
<p>This was the most ignorant thread ever started. Think before you post next time, eh? And don't be bitter.</p>
<p>I think you have to donate quite a bit more than $200,000 in this current admissions climate to ensure the acceptance of someone who is not qualified.</p>
<p>I would also like to add that I totally understand the anger of the OP. It is upsetting to work so hard and then see others with seemingly lower qualifications accepted, whether they are accepted because they are legacies, urms or athletes.</p>
<p>Endgame, we are referring to the first person to post on the Decision 2012 thread. As you can see, her scores are good on average (SAT 1880, ACT 29), but well below the 25-75% range at ND, so by most standards, you could, in your words, consider her "not qualified". However, her family has generously donated $200,000 to ND which obviously gives her a huge edge. I think there is no wrong in this because her family's donation of basically a student's four year tuition paid in full either made it possible for other students to attend ND or contributed significantly to the school in another way.</p>
<p>I know someone from my year (2003) where the family donated a million dollars a year and the kid didn't get in. They still have to be qualified and able to thrive at ND.</p>
<p>The first post on the acceptance thread states that she has been accepted at two ivies, so her stats aren't revealing her strengths. The foundation she started may be a very big deal.</p>
<p>Ok, I didn't mean to imply that it ensures the acceptance, I just mean to say that apparently it helped. She's obviously a very smart girl and can do well there, as most applicants are, but the donation just seemed to help, right? It would be a different story if she had 1400 total combined SAT and donated 200k, but it just seemed to tip in her favor. Toshima, I noticed that too, so I agree that probably was a pretty big deal.</p>
<p>Also, in my first post, I meant that it was not wrong that it maybe helped her to get in. It was a very generous thing to do.</p>
<p>OK, I now see what you are referring to. Whoa! How did CTCUTIE get into ND and 2 ivies with those scores? There must be something that we don't know.</p>
<p>Notre Dame is no different from any other school that has its share of legacies, urms and athletes - it is what it is. Everyone knows that there are no guarantees when it comes to college admissions so why does everyone act so surprised/offended when they hear a story/stories about students getting accepted or rejected? It truly is a crapshoot and there is nothing that can be said that will make sense of any of it.
The girl who was accepted (who has been mentioned in the above posts) did not post her stats so that she could be open up to criticism - she applied and got accepted. It is not her fault so one should stop using her as an example as to why they think Notre Dame's admission process is "terrible/wrong/political" or whatever else people are saying about it.</p>
<p>
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There is not a college or university in the country -- public or private -- that would not do, and does not do, the same thing as Notre Dame.
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</p>
<p>Sure there are! I'll name a few high profile ones for you, just in case ;)</p>
<p>Stanford university: Legacies have their admissions chances virtually doubled....meaning they have a whopping 20% chance of getting in--which, ironically enough, is still 5% below ND's regular admit rate--and about 25% below ND's admit rate for legacies.</p>
<p>University of Michigan: Legacies are given ONE additional point on the rubric used for admission. 100 points are needed to gain admission. </p>
<p>University of Virginia: Legacies are given in-state privileges for the purposes of admission. This increases their chances of admission from around 30% to 43%---unless, of course, they are already VA residents, in which case it doesn't help them at all.</p>
<p>University of California: Legacies are given NO additional points, percentages, hugs, or kisses. I've seen quadruple legacies whose parents are MAJOR donors rejected with 2300 SATs.</p>
<p>ND doesn't have to do it that way, simple as that.</p>
<p>Heycow: Perhaps if ND DID have a fair and open admissions policy, they would be ranked higher--to have their strength of applicant pool and still be considered several places behind Duke, Cornell, Dartmouth, etc., is troubling. But obviously the admissions office could care less unless you're a legacy or minority. </p>
<p>I realize it's not legacies' or minorities' fault (which is why I've never criticized them). The decisions are completely up to the office of admissions. For a university that was founded on the establishment of fair play, they sure don't reflect that very well in present times.</p>
<p>You just have to believe in fate and believe that you will end up where you are meant to be. My oldest attends Georgetown's SFS, which rejected my son. BC took him EA and ND deferred EA and now waitlisted him. He is not bitter, yes disappointed I am sure, as well as wanting this 'process over'. But ND is still his #1 choice- so he is keeping that option viable. ND must 'see' something on his app. they 'like'. His stats are good, but not over the top like others and we have no legacy. So he will wait and if he is not 'meant to be' at ND, he will happily attend BC. Some things are just beyond our control and we must put it in God's Hands.</p>
<p>VC08 -</p>
<p>I am just curious - I believe that I have read so much on this subject that now I can't remember - but what are the stats on legacies and minorities?
What are the percentages attending? I live right near Chicago, Illinois (you can't leave the house without running into an ND student/grad) and most of the people who I know attends/attended Notre Dame are neither a legacy nor a minority. I truly would like to know (I believe that it was stated that 23% of the students in the school(?) or each class(?) are legacies).</p>
<p>Notre Dame basically has a quota for legacies at 25%... they usually fall a bit sort of that ...around 22/23</p>
<p>Minorities (including asians) are around 20% I believe</p>
<p>heycow: I'm not referring to the % of the class that is legacies, I'm referring to the % of legacies ADMITTED. </p>
<p>anywho, I'm over this topic, but again, congrats to ALL admitted! Have the best 4 years of your life and good luck!!!</p>
<p>When we toured ND 18 mos ago (last year's ap cycle), I too was curious what the % of admission was for applicants which were non-legacy, non-recruited athlete. I asked this question of the admissions dept. I was told that they did not know that answer. Sure....more likely they didn't want to divulge that answer! ND, like most schools, keeps tabs on every statistic. In fact, ND further breaks most answers apart according to whether the student is Catholic or not. (check their Institutional Research Dept.)</p>
<p>As for the minority statistic they publish of 20% of student body--I wonder how accurate this is. It certainly seems high from what one observes when on campus.</p>
<p>I am sorry for my original post, however, as I read the stats of many of the admitted I was shocked they believed parental donations and legacy did not play a role in their acceptance. I do not have a problem with universities admitting students for these reasons but lets not pretend it does not happen. My dad told me at a very young age "the rich get richer". It is time to accept this fact, wish the accepted well, and to move on.</p>