<p>Okay so senior year has finally come and it is time for my son to apply to the school he has always dreamed of attending. He let his grades dip a bit junior year so here are his basic stats:</p>
<p>SAT: 650M 660V 680W
ACT: 30
GPA: 3.7 UW/ 4.3W
Rank: ? top 10 (5%)
State: CT
Xtra: NHS, key club etc. (lots of school stuff) 3 year varsity baseball, after school tutor
Legacy: Grandfather, Father, 3 uncles, all ND grads
Will have excellent rec's and should write a decent essay
Will retake both ACT & SAT in Oct in hopes of getting them up some
By graduation he will have taken 7 APs</p>
<p>So what do you all think about regular decision? Does he have a shot?</p>
<p>i had pretty similar stats + legacy and i got in early so i'd say you have a good chance but a lot of times it truly becomes a luck of the draw sorta thing. i'd say get your scores up, write a great essay, and emphasize your involvement in your community and what you contribute</p>
<p>^Ditto, my scores were about the same, except SAT scores a bit higher and GPA a bit lower with extreme sport involvement but no other extracurriculars and legacy status. Also from CT! Good luck I think your son has a great chance, but nothing is a guarantee so don't get your hopes up too much.</p>
<p>I can't imagine him getting rejected, but make sure he writes an essay on par with his stats. And, if possible, try to get the SAT up about 100 points, which is very doable. The average SAT for ND, according to collegeboard.com, is about a 1380, but it never hurts to aim 50 points or so higher than that.</p>
<p>I'm an upcoming senior also who's looking at Notre Dame...
I have slightly higher scores. (34 ACT)
[Keep in mind that ND doesn't look at the writing SAT score]
Same GPA...
Go to a competitive private high school but am ranked slightly lower (about 27/254... which to my great dismay will be reported as second decile. This ticks me off because this is the first year my high school is reporting decile instead of rank...)
Varsity Swim Team 4 yrs
lots of school involvement (NHS, Marching Band etc...)
Will have taken 4 APs by graduation (because school only allows me to take so many...)
I'm not legacy though...</p>
<p>But yeah he prolly has a leg up against me..</p>
<p>with a 1990 SAT? it's very possible that he gets rejected, but then again, i don't know how much ND favors legacies. do your best to get that SAT score up to the 2100 range (re-take it in October) and then i'd say you have a good shot, since everything else seems solid.</p>
<p>
[quote]
But yeah he prolly has a leg up against me..
[/quote]
scores go a long way, so irishkid, i think you have a really good shot as long as you write a great essay. 34 ACT would put you in the 75th percentile of ND students, which is excellent.</p>
<p>legacy definitely helps but i don't know if it will be enough to put him over the top. i agree he needs to get his scores up at least 100 pts then i'd say he has as good a shot as any.</p>
<p>Your son has a good chance but I'd also echo those who encourage him to get his scores up. This year's entering class averaged top 5%, 32 ACT and 1400 SAT (according to an April 2, 2008 article in the Observer) so with a 1310 he's a good bit below on the SAT although in range on the class rank. Having 7 APs shows a rigourous curriculum so that is in his favor. Bear in mind that for the first time ND is using the Common Application this year, so there could well be a lot more applications than in past years.</p>
<p>Hi everyone and thanks for your posts. You have all pretty much confirmed what we already knew. He needs to get his SAT/ACT up a bit to be competitive. He is surely capable of it, just has to take the time and prep for it by practice, practice, practice. Why do 17 year olds think they have all the time in the world to get done what needs to get done?</p>