I love ND! The school looks amazing and seems like a great place to live for four years!
But how hard is it to get in?
What are some good characteristics to have on the application that would help get in besides grades and sat/act scores?
Is everyone who goes there the “best of the Best” in their old high schools or are some “one of the bests”?
thanks!
You should look up the admission stats. I think about 75% of the admits are in the top 5% of their classes and the median test scores are as strong (and in some cases, stronger) than that of the Ivys. The admit rate is about 20% which is probably a bit less selective than other top 20 national universities.
- You can find admission stats online if you google Notre Dame class profile 2) The other characteristics of people accepted to ND would be the same for other top level schools ex. excellent recommendations, strong ECs etc. 3) I don’t think applicants are generally compared to one another within a HS, it is more that the applicant needs to be highly qualified for ND based on his/her own merits.
Some of these stats may be old, but:
90% of students were in the top 10% of their high school class
~50% of students were in the top 2% of their high school class
75% of students were varsity athletes in high school
most students help major leadership positions(Varsity captain, eagle scout, etc)
Most students have lots of service hours, service positions.
the acceptance rate for students who fit in the mid 50 percentile (like a 33ACT, probably top 4-6 percent of their class) is only 50%.
These stats were when I applied, which was last year. The incoming class for next fall was even more competitive, and that trend will likely follow for the next few years.
Basically, the stats online will give you an idea of the calibre of student ND looks for, and you’ll find similar information in results thread. If you want a better idea of how you compare, read up about chance me threads and post one of those. Remember, the opinions you get from those are from random strangers on the internet, so take their opinions with a grain of salt.
Hope that helps!
I believe when I attended an open house this year that the average student admitted this year had test scores or class rank that was in the top 1%