I only have an ACT of a 32 (33 superscore, although i know they don’t superscore). However my GPA is a 4.2 on a 4.0 scale, I have taken mostly honors and AP classes, and I have strong extracurriculars, many centering around my Catholic faith. Would my activities and Catholicism help me get in even though i have a low score? I also think my essays are very good. I have gotten the impression that Notre Dame places a lot of importance on the standardized tests, is this true? I don’t have any legacy.
@mnx9xx The good news for you is that Notre Dame has repeatedly said that academic performance in the classroom is weighed more heavily than test scores. The bad news is that your GPA (3.8 unweighted that you mentioned in a different post) isn’t on the top end to help offset a test score that would be in the bottom 25% of admitted students. If you had a 4.0 unweighted and had very strong extracurriculars, leadership, essays etc, I would actually be pretty optimistic even with a 32 ACT.
With that said, it’s still possible for you get admitted, it just isn’t very likely. Fourteen percent of the applicants that scored a 31-32 on the ACT in the past year got admitted. Your extracurriculars and essays will probably have to be pretty amazing to give yourself a chance.
The only other piece of information that would be helpful would be class rank. If for some reason you would be at the very top of your class with a 3.8 UW and 4.2 weighted GPA because your school is notoriously stingy in handing out A’s, then that would help. Typically someone with your GPA stats is probably not in the top 1%, which is where you probably need to be to have a decent shot.
thank you!
@GraceDad where did you get that statistic that fourteen percent of the applicants that scored a 31-32 on the ACT in the past year got admitted?
also, i would have to agree - a 32 has become on the lower side for ND and i have heard that they do not consider religion an advantage in the application process. it’s hard to evaluate your extracurriculars because you did not list them. if your uw gpa is a 3.8, it might be difficult for you to get in. i’m applying to notre dame early action so if you ever want to talk about the application process feel free to message me!
From this other thread. I encourage you to watch the whole video that is linked in the original post of the linked thread. The stats that I referenced are shown at the 32:24 mark of the video