I am trying to give my son better advice than I did last year and I am hoping one of you fine folks can help. Son’s first semester courses kinda became messed up and he ended with a low load. I think we have him straightened out to make up for it second semester, but he might not match ND’s freshman year ( one or two classes might not match). admissions rep at ND said that matching those classes is pretty important on application. My question is, just how important is it? if he gets great grades, writes a good essay, and makes the minimum 27-30 hours of transferable credit, and was competitive on his initial application, would matching classes be a big hurt or a small hurt? He is going to a good Div I school and doing well, but can’t stop thinking of ND; he is pretty strong on transferring. Thank you!
Hello! So, the best bet would be to reach out to ND’s admissions crew directly. But what I can tell you is that transferring to ND is incredibly difficult. Not impossible, mind you…but very difficult. As a student at ND I worked with admissions in some capacity and never once did I see a transfer applicant make it through. But if your son is going to a comparable school academically (say, another Top-30) and is doing well, it’s entirely possible that he could transfer in. It all comes down to whether his coursework meets the transfer requirements and, more importantly, how well he can answer the “why” question – Why is ND so important to him? If he can answer that question convincingly, he’ll be in a good place I think.
I pray all goes well for him. But no matter what, your son will be very successful in life I think. 
-Horario
I would add to @Horario 's post that your son should be the one to reach out to ND, that is the best thing. In my kid’s experience the ND staff is very very helpful.
Agree about contacting admissions but it does sound like ND wants transfers to have taken the equivalent of the first year of studies coursework at ND. Look at the following website if you haven’t already.
http://admissions.nd.edu/information-for/transfer-students/transfer-faq/
“Notre Dame requires that all students complete First Year of Studies courses before entering a specific College (e.g. Arts and Letters). Transfer students are simply held to the same requirements as students who enter Notre Dame in the First Year.”
As I’ve said before while I wish your S well in the transfer process. However, he should assume he will be at his current college for 4 years and work hard to find his place at his school (friends, involvement on campus, academics etc.) as transferring to ND is difficult. My S did not to got ND undergrad but he had a fantastic undergrad experience elsewhere and ended up at ND for his Masters degree.
@RangerJerry Your son should definitely reach out to his transfer admissions rep. They have a wealth of information, and in the end they want to see students they have had contact with succeed!
Our child recently transferred to ND as a sophomore, so here are some suggestions:
- your son should definitely maintain contact with the admissions rep
- mirror first year classes as much as possible, but our child was admitted with one course missing
- discuss the possibility of taking necessary classes the summer before matriculation
Does your son have any AP credit? Some (but not all) AP credits are accepted by ND. These figure into the equation of first year requirements.
Best of luck to your son!
Question…My son was offered admission in Fall from wait list. Very difficult decision was made to attend state school honors program for engineering (closer / cost less). Still can’t help wonder if best decision was made. His grades in HS were 4.0 and all indications for similar success in college. How does ND look at this situation? Does fact that he was offered admission help/hurt/null effect chances for a transfer?
I would definitely say the fact that he was offered admission is a big advantage