Can I get in? Please Help.

Student Lounge Hispanic Students
1

<p>I want to go to Notre Dame. </p>

<p>Freshman:
Honors/Pre-IB Biology
Honors/Pre-IB English 9
Honors/Pre-IB World History
Honors/Pre-IB Algebra II
Spanish for Spanish Speakers (I and II)
Journalism
Study Skills
Visual Art I</p>

<p>Sophomore:
Honors/Pre-IB Physics
Honors/Pre-IB English 10
AP European History
Honors/Pre-IB Geometry/Trigonometry
Spanish III
Physical Education</p>

<p>Junior:
IB Biology SL
IB English HL II
AP US History
AP Calculus
IB Spanish HL I
IB Visual Art HL1
IB Theory of Knowledge
Marketing and Advertising</p>

<p>Senior:
IB Biology SL
IB English HL II
IB History HL II
IB Mathematics HL II
IB Spanish HL II
IB Visual Art SL
IB Theory of Knowledge
Advanced Athletic Training</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities:
Trinity (Catholic) Club: Co-Founder, Co-President, 11th-12th
Lighthouse (Christian) Club: Active Member, 9th-12th
Art Club: Co-Founder, Co-President
Sharing Our Humanity Club: Treasurer, 11th-12th
Key Club International: Recruiter, 12th
Unity Club: Artist, Architect, 12th
Business Academy in Action: Active Member, 11th
Journalism Team: Staff Writer, 9th
California Scholarship Federation: Member, 9th-12th
Martial Arts: Black belt, instructor, 1 in-class award, 1 regional award, 2 national awards, 3rd-12th
Drawing and Painting (Recreational): chosen to design senior class t-shirts, unity club t-shirts, and drama production advertisements, featured in the school newspaper</p>

<p>Awards/Recognitions:
Nomination for and completion of the National Youth Leadership Forum on Collegiate Success
AP Scholar with honor (1 of 3): AP Euro (3), AP US (3), AP Calc (4), AP Span (4)
1 of 15 IB diploma candidates at my school: Only one writing an extended essay in math</p>

<p>GPA: 3.98 on a 5.0 scale (33 out of 445 students)
SAT: 1820
ACT: 30
SATII Math II: 700
SATII Span: 720
SATII US Hist: 630
SATII Bio: 560</p>

<p>I am first generation American
My first language was Spanish
First in my family to attend a university after high school</p>

<p>If not Notre Dame, where might I be competitive for admission?</p>

2

<p>You should apply to Notre Dame. You have taken a rigorous curriculum, and your background would contribute to diversity on campus. Put forward your best application and write great essays. You might want to emphasize that Spanish was your first language – it’s always impressive to see someone who is fully bilingual. In terms of getting in, I prefer not to guess what admissions will do, and it’s competitive at a place like Notre Dame. Are you looking for other Catholic universities? Do you want to stay in the Midwest?</p>

3

<p>No, I’m not necessarily looking for Catholic Universities. I just don’t want to go to a state university. As for the location, preferably in the Midwest or the East coast.</p>

4

<p>Notre Dame is a great school, and I think you have a fairly good shot. The fact that you are a first-generation college student can be a plus. My guess is that since you posted this on the end of last month, you may not have submitted your application yet? If you haven’t, I’ll be glad to look at your personal statement.</p>

5

<p>If you are doing both English and Spanish HL (native speaker) you should get the bilingual IB diploma…quite rare and a lot of work. I know…my S did the Spanish HL and it is pretty tough. </p>

<p>I understand that it does help if you are Catholic and active in your parish so you should definitely address this if there is space on the application (my dental hygienist had a daughter go to ND and she was convinced that her D’s strong association with youth group, etc. was an important factor). I think you have a good shot but the test scores are a bit low. Colleges/unis use them as an indicator if they don’t know your high school well. It is the only way they can tell if a student will succeed at their university if they can’t tell if there is grade inflation at a school. Your counselor will know how other kids from your school have done applying to ND and is the best person to give you your chances. If you are the first from your high school to apply there make sure that your counselor discusses your abilities to do high level college work. You look like a very competitive student but make sure you apply to a variety of schools, particularly if finances are a major concern. </p>

<p>You don’t say what major you are interested in or if you just want a liberal arts education because you are undecided. You should look at some smaller schools perhaps (google “colleges that change lives”). Some of these will give you better academic support if you are coming from a public high school with mixed quality of teaching (our situation). I know my brother and I were top students at a good hs but really had some issues when we first hit college and found that we had “gaps” from some less than stellar teachers/classes in HS.</p>

<p>Some of these small schools may be thrilled to have a californian, hispanic, bilingual diploma, first to college student–look at places like Centre College, KY., Goucher, Elon, etc. You may get a better package from a slightly less competitive school that is very interested in diversifying their student body.<br>
Good luck.</p>

6

<p>You should get in… I got in with similar stats.</p>