Notre Dame is my first choice school. I’m planning to apply EA just because I’d rather find out if I’m accepted earlier rather than later. I don’t mind if I get deferred to regular decision. Here’s a bit about me:
~ Both parents and my grandfather graduated from ND
~ Catholic high school, active member of my Catholic parish
~ 33 ACT, 1490 SAT
~ National Merit Semifinalist
~ About a 4.1 weighted or 3.75 unweighted GPA by the end of this semester
~ By the time I graduate I will have taken 5 AP courses and 12 honors courses
~ 4 on US History AP exam, 5 on English Lang AP exam
~ 60 service hours (I know, not that many)
~ Varsity swim, student government, VP of speech and debate, blood drive committee, academic tutor, internship with a senator, part time job
Here’s the catch though. I’ve dealt with anxiety and depression since my freshman year, which I detailed in my second Common App essay. It became so unmanageable that I was withdrawn from my freshman year during the second semester. I took online classes to finish the year as well as throughout sophomore year. I was behind on credits so I took several summer school classes the past two years to catch up. I did successfully complete junior year at my high school, but my attendance was horrendous and my grades dropped. I used to get straight As, but during the year I got several Bs and even a C. What was important to me was that I finished the school year without dropping out. Compared to last year, I’m more involved and my mental health is better. I’ve come a long way, but I realize that my situation is not very attractive to college admissions reps. My counselor and teachers have full knowledge of my history and the progress I have made. I expect them to write good, if not great recommendation letters.
So, taking all of that into account: What are my chances? When should I apply? Does anyone have an experience similar to mine? Any comments, criticism, or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I have no idea what your chances would be in your particular situation. Being a Legacy and a National Merit Semi-finalist will help, but I suspect the admissions office will have a lot of concern whether your mental health is strong enough to allow you to succeed at ND. A lot of kids struggle with depression transitioning to college and they will have to be convinced that your current mental health is strong enough that you can make a healthy transition.
Given that you have a downward trend on your grades and you specifically are talking about your anxiety and depression in your Common App essay, I don’t think it’s likely that you would be accepted REA. I believe the best you could hope for is being deferred. I would think that they would want to see that your grades first semester are consistent with your explanations that your mental health is better and you’ve made tremendous progress. I would recommend applying RD.
I think on paper that you would be a good candidate for REA, but I agree with @GraceDad that there may be concerns about your depression. I would suggest talking with your admissions rep for ND, asking them about their thoughts. Please note, I am impressed with what you have accomplished with your medical condition - you should be very proud of your achievements!! Notre Dame will want you to succeed, so working with them, rather than assuming they know where you are, is in your best interest. Good luck to you, @purplevans1 - I will keep you in my prayers.
Agree with above. Your stats are impressive and would merit an EA acceptance. I believe with above though, that they may want to see that you are on track and moving forward. You have a compelling story, and I wish you the best!
your GPA is a little low for ND, but I garner that’s because of your health history. it might be a little risky for you to apply to ND REA because it’s hard to tell how the admissions committee is going to view your mental health history in addition to your GPA and lower grades junior year. I would strongly recommend applying RD because I heard that the REA pool is much more competitive so your shot in RD would be significantly higher. I wouldn’t want you to get rejected REA and then regret not having applied RD. I’m also applying to ND this year so if you have any other questions or wanna talk about the admissions process, feel free to message me!