Hello! I am a sophomore in high school and would like to know my chances of getting into Notre Dame. Here are my stats:
4.08 UW GPA (so far)
4.33 weighted GPA
3 AP classes so far, will be taking 4 AP’s next year.
4 honors classes so far and taking another one next year.
Have not taken the ACT/SAT yet but I will definitely try my best and do a lot of prep.
EC’s
I’ll have 4 years of cross country by senior year (and will possibly be captain senior year)
3 years of French Club
3 years of Global Scholars Club
3 years of Debate Team (next year and senior year I will be on varsity, possibility for leadership down the road as well)
Best Buddies peer buddy for 3 years
Aiming for 200+ hours of community service, much of it from volunteering with a corporation that helps kids with special needs.
9 years of Destination Imagination (STEM based organization), qualifying for Global Finals twice
3 years of Student Athlete Leadership Council (possibility of leadership down the road)
Part time job for a few years
Probably National Honors Society
Achievements:
won a $500 scholarship from a local engineering company
NCWIT women in computing awardee
Aiming to be a global scholar by graduation
Skills:
partially self-taught (learned through codecademy.com) at HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and have created several websites from scratch.
I also love photography and hope to start a small photography business in the next few years and donate the profits to the company that helps kids w special needs that I volunteered with.
Should also mention that my dad went there, I know being a legacy helps.
If you have read this far (thank you :)), do you think I have a decent shot at getting in?
Thanks so much!!
Edit: not sure if this matters but I am interesting in majoring in Computer Science! Am also a white female from Wisconsin. I go to one of the best schools in the state if that makes a difference.
For a degree as ridiculously employable as computer science, there’s no need to spend $300,000. In fact, prestige can hurt you, because of the debt. You would be just as well off spending a fraction of that cost for UW-Madison or similar school.
@coolguy40 I agree to a point, but I would also suggest not making the mistake of getting too hung up on “sticker price”. Case in point, my son will be attending Notre Dame in the fall for essentially money equal to the offer that he received from our state’s flagship school.
@annaarnett You’ve done some very nice work and your credentials are impressive for a rising Junior. Keep doing what you are doing, do well on your ACT/SAT and you should have a very good shot at getting in IMHO (especially as a legacy). I would tell you not to get too hung up on “dream school” for all of the reasons that coolguy40 mentioned, unless tuition cost and ROI is of no consequence for you and your family.
@coolguy40 OP is a legacy student, hence her decision to attend Notre Dame, if admitted, will be noticeably above the already impressive average yield numbers Notre Dame reaches year over year. Even forgetting her legacy factor for a moment, there are many reasons why, in round numbers, 60% of admitted students will decide to attend, 20% will decide to attend another private university and around 20% will opt for their in-state public. I will assume, based on the information @annaarnett provided, that her chances of ending up at Notre Dame are well above average and Notre Dame, if they will admit her, will also find a way to make it financially feasible for this family as well.
Hi there
I was in your shoes not too long ago and was recently accepted to ND as a new first year. I have many friends who applied and most were rejected. Not because they didn’t have the best scores or EC- they were all very stacked in that regard. They are really going to look at your essays to show who you are and to make sure you are a good fit. Dig deep and make it about you. If you write about your grandma being an inspiration, make sure they don’t want to admit your grandma instead of you. Make sure your application tells a story about who you are, why you chose your EC and classes, what you got out of them and how you will use them in the future.
Keep in contact with your admission counselor with different achievements, join your local Notre Dame Club chapter and be active and if you are planning to go into engineering, look into applying to the Intro to engineering program next summer.
And I agree with the ignore the sticker shock Comment. My ND financial aid package was larger than any other school’s offer and it will be less expensive for me to go there than my state schools
Good Luck!
Thank you so much for your answer! I was wondering what you meant by keeping in touch with my admissions counselor with achievements. Should I email them talking about what I’ve done so far? I don’t want to annoy them or suck up to them or something haha.
I would first email an introduction of who you are, where you go to school and that ND is your number one school. Then ask if they are planning any visits to your area or any virtual events you can attend. If you get into a summer program, email again to let them know you’ll be on campus and try to schedule an appointment. If you send in your application, email and let them know you sent it in and that if accepted you plan on attending- many people apply, get accepted and go to another school. They want to know you are committed to going. If you have an update- award, higher test score, achievement- after the application is submitted let them know. You want your name to be Familiar so they recognize it when they see it. Hope that helps!
I completely agree with this because I will be a freshman next year and I know for sure that part of my admittance was due to my very close relationship with my counselor. Just keep sending them friendly emails and try to meet them in person if they come to your community or school.
I know people who got in with better stats and worst stats. This year’s admissions turned down 2/3 of the valedictorians who applied, over half of the applicants with a 1500+ SAT. They also want to see if you’re a good fit. What type of service are you doing and what are you learning from it?With so many applicants with similar grades, scores and ECs, it really comes down to your essays and how well you can relay how you are a good fit for Notre Dame. Make them personal and make them tell your story. Also make sure your REC letters show you are a good fit. Good Luck!
I always find the “chance me” posts interesting because it all is such a crapshoot at the top schools. It’s like a Yale admissions counselor said years ago. “We are doing a puzzle with each class. You all might be a perfect piece to the puzzle, but we may already have that piece”. My son’s #1 is Notre Dame. It’s tough because while he’s a bright kid and has done a lot, he’s 1 of many bright kids who have done a lot. I find I am a wreck because despite telling him, visiting schools etc. I think if he doesn’t get in, he will be devastated. Hard as a mom to see. So, that being said, anyone want to chance him? LOL
3.95UW
crap ton of AP, taking most difficult track at Jesuit high school in town
Varsity athlete
Big into Robotics (captain multiple years)
STEM volunteering (designed a STEM program for underserved population) among other things
Science team, (nationals), Math team, NHS etc.
Summer job
White non legacy but grandfather, cousins etc. graduates.
ND Summer scholars
35ss ACT, 34c
hey there- I would try to get the photo business and donations going BEFORE your application. Remember that ND students are selected to be a force for good. Everyone applying will have a ton of awards, volunteer and leadership behind them. Paint a picture of who you are and what you want to be with what you put on your application. Also, keep in mind that ND knows what it has so don’t name drop or stroke the admission’s ego but saying how great the ND programs are. Let them know what you will bring to contribute to the and culture. Good luck!
