<p>Applied Early....What do you think? Thank you for your thoughts</p>
<p>About me: White female from the midwest. I'm not catholic and i attend a public school. no one has applied to ND from my school in at least the past 20 years. i'm not sure if anyone has ever been excepted on a non athletic basis (if they have, it was probably a very long time ago)</p>
<p>ACT-33
SAT-1410
Rank: 3/505 (could have been 1/505 but opted to take art, explained this in the extra section)
GPA-uw=4.0 weighted=5.4ish (out of 6, again, thanks to art)</p>
<p>Taken all honors or AP classes except...4 years of art</p>
<p>Also sent in art portfolio (possible industrial design/mechanical engineering double major) i'd say it was average of a person majoring in an art field</p>
<p>Consistent community service</p>
<p>Essay/Teacher Rec-I feel fairly confident in both of these. I chose the essay that referred to being different from your peers and discussed my Macedonian heritage and the impact it had on me and my love for unity and tradition</p>
<p>Extracirric's=the ususal you'd see on here with leadership roles in the majority</p>
<p>Awards
-National Merit Commended
-Exchange Club Youth of the Month
-Various Art shows (highest level was only statewide as opposed to nationwide)
-Scholar Athlete, Honor Roll, etc</p>
<p>Attended ND's Career Discovery in Architecture-discovered i didnt like architecture ;)</p>
<p>thanks! i think ill just feel better once i get that envelope..hopefully it'll be a big envelope</p>
<p>the unweighted is out of 4.0, the weighted is out of 6.0...just how my school works. an A in a general class is a 4.0, in a advanced class a 5.0 and in a honors/AP class a 6.0. its not possible to get a 6.0 though because gym, an arts class, health, and a computer technology classare required and they're all considered "general". techincally the highest u can get is a 5.55 i think. its screwed up, i know</p>
<p>I think you have great stats to equal anyone in the EA pool. What I think will tip the balance big in your favor are character issues, which are huge with the ND admissions board. </p>
<p>In today's absurdly hyper-competitive admissions process, there are way too many kids who are pushed way too young and whose high school existence is defined by the acumulation of a resume. To be willing to forgo valedictorian status in order to take a non-weighted course in the arts shows a real understanding of what education is supposed to be about--not just the bottom line on the report card. </p>
<p>Cross country, too, is a big indicator of character. Two of my kids ran XC, so I got to see it up close and personal. There are few things more grueling than running 1000-meter hill workouts or finishing a 3.1-mile race on an uphill slopes. There's absolutely no glamour in the sport; kids who run XC do it because they are committed to themselves and their teammates. </p>
<p>Then, to top it off, you are a woman in engineering--and an engineering intent who loves the arts, to boot.</p>
<p>Notre Dame has stacks upon stacks of applications, with all ranges of test scores and GPA's. No matter how much people on these boards obsess on stats, the fact is that the university isn't comparing applications like box scores, trying to crank out some BCS-inspired master formula to generate who gets in and who doesn't. They are looking for genuine thinkers who are going to make a difference in the world. They are looking for character.</p>
<p>Jvon, I think you ought to clarify, for the sake of those holding their breaths right now, that you didn't have the 33 when you applied early action; you had a 31. I'm not knocking either score--just saying that, since so many people surf these boards for stats and are walking on eggshells right now, it's good for them to know.</p>
<p>ddjones, thank you for your thoughts. i kept going back and forth on what i should take my senior year. it was a hard choice to give up something i had worked essentially 11 years for already. but, i've grown completely in my art abilities and it was well worth it. and cross country...this year was my first year. my coach was basically crazy. i trained with girls who made it to state and we ran upwards of 50 miles a week. it taught me the worth of self-discipline and perseverance. if anyone ever needs an attitude adjustment...run cross country.</p>