<p>Hey CC! I want to email the admissions counselor to ask if I should apply early action or not. Is that something that is ok to do? Does it show that I'm not confident?
Or do I go in person? I live very close. </p>
<p>They don’t know anything at all about you. It’s a question better asked of the guidance counselor or college advisor at your high school.</p>
<p>I agree with @JoBenny. That is not an appropriate question to ask admissions either by email or in person. It is your decision, in consultation with your parents, guidance counselor, and any other advisors to determine how you want to apply to any given school…</p>
<p>Thank you guys! I have read somewhere that a girl asked the admissions counselor. Maybe I read it wrong.</p>
<p>I would respectively disagree. There are a couple of spots on the ND website where it says to contact the Admissions Office or your regional rep if you have any questions regarding EA vs. RD. True, they don’t know you, but they do know ND, and based primarily on GPA and test scores, they will, and are happy to, indicate whether they think you will be competitive for EA. They know what the pool historically looks like and where you stand in that context. I have heard the same advice from people in departments at ND other than admissions, and from previous applicants. Also, fwiw, my daughter is a sophomore at ND.</p>
<p>I would 100% agree with ejcclc, the admissions counselors are there to help you. However I would ask them in person about test scores and grades and when you should apply. Your best bet would be to shoot them an email saying that you are interested in Notre Dame and had a couple questions you wanted to ask them. You said you live close so you could go over and take a tour while you’re at it! I’ve spoken to multiple counselors and they all seem so willing to help. My son spent a good half an hour with his counselor and I believe that was extremely helpful to get the acceptance. Your counselor is the first person who will read your application and it will only benefit you if they can put a name to a face. Good luck!!</p>
<p>Obviously meant respectfully. Yikes! But what Eeks5729 said is true. Your regional rep will be the first to read your application and the degree to which he/she has heard your name will help. You said you live close to ND. We do as well and I know ND visits numerous schools in the area during the early Fall, so if you don’t feel comfortable emailing, speak with the rep when he/she visits your school. (Also fwiw, if your rep is the same as ours, she is extremely nice and helpful.)</p>
<p>Assuming the OP’s grades are somewhere in the neighborhood of what ND is looking for…I can’t imagine a rep of the school telling a prospective student NOT to apply EA. </p>
<p>@jobenny See, I retook the SATs and haven’t gotten the results back. My past one was 1790. My GPA is a 4.093 weighted and 3.69 unweighted. It’s lower. I may be able to raise my GPA a little with the extra semester. but if i raise my SATs then… should i… should i EA… and I got a 29 on my ACT too… if i raise that as soon as they are offered again… should i… EA… though the GPA isnt high… and the leadership is low… a lot of ECs… but ya… i dont… i dont know. </p>
<p>@ejccic thank you for the tip! i missed the day they came to my school. but ya, i am not sure if living near ND is a good thing. last year, there were 24/47 admitted while this year, 22/48 were admitted. the numbers are going down. i heard ND is forced to not take as many locals. im terrified. (St. Joe?)</p>
<p>What, if any, are the negatives of applying EA? I’m not familiar with ND’s admission rules and regs. Would an EA application prohibit you in any way from applying elsewhere? Does the deadline complicate sending applications in elsewhere? And, is ND where you want to go to school? </p>
<p>ND is an unrestricted EA school, which means you can apply early to other schools as well. That being said, I think you would benefit from waiting and applying RD. Your test scores are well below the 25th percentile for ND. Your GPA is low as well. Your application could potentially be stronger with a great first semester senior year as well as improved test scores. </p>
<p>JoBenny : As of 2 - 3 years ago, the admission reps at ND actively encouraged my students to discuss with them ahead of time whether to apply EA or RD. They were very forthright/helpful with their comments and gave a very realistic view of their chances. IMHO, if the rep advised a student not to apply EA, it would be foolish to do so. From my experience, they did not encourage students “in the neighborhood” of what ND is looking for to apply EA.</p>
<p>Hello! I went on an official visit to ND last week and got the whole lowdown on this haha. Here goes!</p>
<p>I emailed my regional admissions rep beforehand expressing my interest, and asked if I could meet with him after the tour. He agreed, but unfortunately something came up in his schedule and we couldn’t meet. The admissions secretary, Mrs. Edwards, encouraged me to email him about EA anyways - she said there are many folks who apply too early, and it’s always good to check and be realistic. I then sent my counselor the following stats:</p>
<p>SAT: 1510 (800 Reading, 710 Math) ; 720 on Spanish SAT Subject Test
ACT: 31 (35 English, 30 Math, 32 Reading, 28 Science)
GPA: 4.31 weighted on a 4 pt scale, 3.991 unweighted
Rank: 22nd / 460 weighted, 4th / 460 unweighted GPA</p>
<p>The advice I received was to wait until RD, and demonstrate a strong first semester senior year in a rigorous curriculum. This really surprised me! I do believe I’m in ND’s neighborhood, but not competitive enough for such an intense EA round. I’d imagine they’re very careful about who they encourage to apply, but I’m going to try the ACT again and see if anything changes there. After all’s said and done, I’m very glad I got his opinion; brought me back to down to earth haha. I hope this helps others who are considering it - just ask! :)</p>
<p>Edit: Admissions also implied that EA may be changing this fall, but they’re still up in the air apparently. My guess was that it’ll be binding. Anyone heard more on that?</p>
<p>Yeah, I was at a fencing camp last week and early was just made restrictive early action.</p>
<p>My D’s counselor called ND last year and they said to only apply EA if you are ranked 1 or 2 AND have at least a 1500 (M/CR) SAT score. Unheard of right?!!!</p>
<p>Early action is incredibly competitive: of the four kids from my high school that got in, only one is going. The other three are going to Brown, MIT, and Vanderbilt with merit aid. If they told you to wait, I’d listen.</p>
<p>I have not talked to an admissions counselor. I just want to know if I should ask the ND admissions counselor.</p>
<p>If you live very close, then maybe consider scheduling a visit with your region’s councilor? that could be the best way to get the answer you’re looking for.</p>