I would ask your admissions rep directly. Having said that, you would be positioned much, much better with a stronger ACT score. Even though Notre Dame practices holistic admissions they are holistic after making the first cut. You have a distinct advantage as a legacy, particularly if your parents give to Notre Dame but your chances would improve significantly if you could bump your ACT by 4 or more points
I think @Wje9164be makes a good point: a school wants to be as holistic as possible, but also ensure that its students will succeed. 75% of current students were varsity athletes, 90% of students were in the top 10% of their class, and 40% of students are children of alumni. With 75% of the class having a 33 or better, You’ll really need to up your stats to really differentiate yourself.
would you be against disclosing your major you applied to? I am strongly considering following the same path you did in order to give myself a better chance.
REGULAR DECISION!!! I would strongly strongly encourage this as I have heard many many times from friends, counselors, parents, deans, admissions, that the early action pools is always more competitive and elite and thus can be extremely hard to get into if GPA and standardized test scores are not up to par. It seems like you really want to go there so I would highly recommend doing regular to significantly increase your chances of getting in.
But the early action acceptance rate is so much higher?
You are looking at the wrong thing. REA acceptance rate is higher because the pool of REA applicants is stronger. There is a higher proportion of very strong candidates in the REA pool. A marginal applicant (which is crazy to say about a kid with a strong ACT, but the numbers are the numbers) has a better shot in RD where his/her application is farther along the Bell curve than it is in the REA pool. This is a very clumsy analogy, but it illustrates the point. Let’s say Notre Dame judges its admissions based on two separate 100 meter dash races. Each race has eight runners, but in one of the races the top two runners will get into Notre Dame and in the other race only the winner will get in. It doesn’t matter which race you enter, as long as you finish in one of the qualifying spots you get into Notre Dame. You are a very good sprinter, but not world class. The race in which the top two finishers get into Notre Dame is comprised of Olympic-caliber sprinters, but there’s one lane left if you want it. The other race is comprised of strong but not champion sprinters. You can choose either race to enter. And remember, all you have to do is finish in a qualifying spot to get into Notre Dame. Which race would you choose? In the race with the Olympic-caliber runners, you could argue you have a 25% chance of qualifying (two of eight racers). In the race with the other runners, you could say you have a 12.5% chance of winning (one of eight). So, would the best option be to run in the race against the Olympic-caliber runners because numerically speaking the odds are better? No, you’d be better off running in the other race because you are far more likely to beat them. Is it possible you could finish in the top 2 in the Olympic race? Sure, it’s possible, but the quality of the runners makes it very unlikely. That’s what you have to keep in mind for you REA/RD decision.
@NervousDad2016: I think your analogy is interesting, but my understanding is that Notre Dame doesn’t reject applicants in REA that would be accepted in RD. Additionally, some “runners” will be deferred from REA to RD and then accepted or rejected. Making the decision of when to apply can be best aided by contacting the Regional Rep to ask for their recommendation for the ideal application period for each individual.
Notre Dame specifically cautions students about applying Early Action, saying this: “Because the Admissions Committee is unable to extend all of its offers of admission in the Restrictive Early Action process, it is highly conservative when making Early Action admission decisions. The Admissions Committee advises students to apply in the Restrictive Early Action process only if they are in the very top ranges of our applicant pool.”
@Ruby789: Yes, that is correct, sort of. It’s impossible to say who would be accepted in RD, so a deferral from REA to RD only means you are potentially qualified to be admitted. You’re still in the running, which is a good thing. And in RD your application will be evaluated against the standards set by the RD pool, which are generally speaking slightly lower than the REA pool. That’s also a good thing for the deferred REA applicant. The point of the analogy was that it’s not just about the acceptance rates for the two pools that need to be considered. The quality of the competition is a huge factor in determining your own personal odds, as well. REA is tougher despite the higher acceptance rate because the applicants are more qualified. The OP, with a relatively low ACT, would not want to be judged among the REA candidates. He/she would have a better shot among the RD pool.
@NervousDad2016: Yes, you are right that the REA is tougher. You are right to point out in the very clear manner you did the reality of admissions for the OP considering OP’s ACT score.
My worry for the OP, and other students might underestimate their chances due to things like test scores, since some students are accepted a bit lower scores for other qualities.
From the ND Observer April 12, 2016:
“We’ve chosen to use the SATs less and the ACTs less to identify talent,” Bishop said. “It’s not that we don’t use it, we just don’t use it as as much of a separator as we did ten years ago. Class performance remains the top factor – those test scores are a part of that academic view of you, but then we set that aside and we look at your personal attributes, your motivation for accomplishment. Notre Dame’s tried very hard to identify students that don’t want to just be singularly successful. They want to embrace the responsibility of forming themselves more for the benefit of others. So how do you evaluate that when they’ve applied? We read the essays, we read the other statements that they make. We look at their activities, the school recommendations. We do our very best on multiple reads and discussions on applicants to see what motivated them to do what they did and what they’ve done stronger, and give more evidence to this sense of reaching out, helping others and feeling you’re there for others, not just for yourself.”
http://ndsmcobserver.com/2016/04/class-2020-statistics/
Now, realistically, a middle 50 range of 33-35 on the ACT means not many were below 33, and certainly many fewer were below a 30. However, I went to an ND talk with my oldest a few years ago and the discussion of what qualities ND looked for. I remember Don Bishop telling a story about a compelling essay and that the applicant was a “little light on the numbers” but that other characteristics could be persuasive. That’s why students should get their advice from ND or their school counselor about if and when they should apply to Notre Dame or other selective schools.
But you are right, that most students with a 28 ACT score would be best served applying RD. It is just hard to tell from an internet post who that kid is who could be accepted REA.
A note about legacy and the assumed benefit: I was recently on ND campus for a tour eating at a table near members of admissions and faculty (from what I could gather), and they were speaking about how so many of ND applicants are legacies, and how they can’t fill their whole freshman class with legacies (or rather they don’t wish to), so it isn’t necessarily an advantage anymore. Legacies are competing against thousands of other legacies. My daughter’s response when I shared this info with her: “Good - thanks for not being smart enough to go to Notre Dame!”