Do I have a shot?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Notre Dame
1

<p>Ethnicity: White Female
An underachieving public school in Vancouver, WA. Only roughly 60% of our students passed the state required exam to graduate in the math, similar numbers for reading, etc.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.94/4.0
Rank:7/306
SAT I: 1790(very bad, but I didn't study) Am studying and retaking in Oct/Nov
-CR:580, M:600, W:610 (essay-8, mc-62)
Very bad AP scores Jr. Year: AP Lit.:3, AP Us history:2</p>

<p>Senior Year Schedule:
AP Comparitive Gov't
AP Calculus
AP Environmental Science
Intro. to visual art (req'd)
Aerobics (req'd)/Teachers Assistant(no other classes this period)
Ap English language
-currently considering an extra class at the local community college, but not sure since im getting a job</p>

<p>-I took/am taking most of the AP classes offered at my school, minus one or two</p>

<p>EC's:
-3years class council
-3 years mock trial (varsity last year and this coming)
-2 years NHS (officer last year and this coming)
-3 years legal magnet (officer last year and this coming)
-1 year math club (officer)
-1 year red cross club
-volunteer at various places (local library, local homeless shelter, etc.)</p>

<p>-Job at local burger place for 9months jr. year. (currently looking for another)</p>

<p>Summer Experience:
-Economics for Leaders sponsored by the Foundation for Teaching Economics
weeklong intensive camp at the university of washington in seattle.
-I also visit my family in alabama when i am able.</p>

<p>Hoping for really good recs and essay.</p>

<p>Economic disadvantige: I come from a really disadvantaged family. I live alone with my mom and she is disabled so we only get about 12,000 dollars a year.(hopefully will make me stand out)</p>

<p>Possible essay topics:
-the experience of living with my mom being in the hospital while she was fighting for her life. (why she is now disabled)
-visiting my dad in prison
-growing up in a family that is surrounded by drugs and realizing that i don't want that life.
-...among other topics im considering</p>

<p>Basically, I do not have a lot of opportunities available to me. I would love to do some of the stuff that i see on these sites, but i have no connections to get me in and i am clueless about how to try. </p>

<p>I really want to go to a top 20-25 school, but at my school my counselors are more aiming to get students into washington state or western washington, not vanderbilt, if you know what i mean.</p>

<p>I would greatly appreciate any and all input on all areas of my stats and how i can really stand out without having to aid in microbiology research or some of the things i see on these sites. Also any good websites you know for scholarships (fastweb hasn't really given me anything useful) would be appreciated.
So...do i have a shot? (I feel greatly inadequate)</p>

2

<p>If your test scores alone were all that Notre Dame considered, I would say you haven't got a snowball's chance in hell. However, ND looks at the whole individual, not just test scores. You seem to be taking full advantage of your limited opportunities, and that will probably negate your scores. I know kids at school who have higher scores but their life experience just doesn't compare. Your situation makes you relatively unique, and I'm willing to bet you have a decent chance--especially if you bring up those standardized scores.</p>

3

<p>maybe you can intertwine all 3 topics into once essay--they all sound like really moving topics... might be tough to stay concise tho... if i had to choose one topic, i like the 3rd one the best.</p>

<p>i agree with the previous post--your scores are low but your unique situation will definitely catch their eye...</p>

<p>try taking the ACT, i found it much easier and did much better.</p>

<p>for those of us who argued on a previous post about URM status--this is an example of why it is unfair. There are several wealthy minorities who get the opportunity to attend great public schools. here we have a white who prob. attends a school inferior to that of many minorities who get the URM status.</p>

4

<p>sorry, i didn't mean for you to sound like some generic example. i hope i didn't offend you. PM me if you want me to explain.</p>