<p>So let me tell you my story. I never been a Notre Dame fan, i never knew there was such a school untill my junior year. It wasn't untill my girlfriend started talking about how thats her dream school ( which she currently got accepted ). I lived a very depressing/stressful life. Ive experienced everything that RUDY had..... I lost my best friend ( suicide ) soon to be my step dad, had bad grades ever since middle school up too freshman year in college. Never once reached over a 2.7 gpa. Barely any friends bc i was diffrnt, i grew up in a catholic family in a very bad neighborhood. Ive been bullied, beat up, people around me, my friends, and even my own father told me i wasn't going to be successful. My father didn't think i was meant for college since he's always telling me im not a smart kid. All these years ive been listening to them, i'm not anymore. I want to go to a college that shares my faith, i want that heart warming surrounding that i got when i surprised my girlfriend by driving 487 miles to notre dame. I'm not going to give up. But idk how my chances are since my high school grades were horrible, same with my ACT score of a 17. But now, im in community college. First semester was a waste ( going for auto tech ). During the internship, they kicked me out bc i "didnt know enough". I had a gpa of a 3.2, B's and A's in the labs and on the test. Why did this happen ? something i was so passionate about, crumbled....... Why ? I believe this is a second chance for me. God has something planned for me. I was suicidal at one point bc i started to feel like everyone that said i was a failure was right.... Untill someone told me about RUDY. That changed my life. But instead of football, i want to swim. I'll do everything i can to get into ND. 2nd semester, i have a GPA of a 3.7. God is giving me this second chance. I'm not letting anyone bring me down, i can't let other people affect my life. My mother, almost said the same words as rudy father did..... Notre Dame is for rich kids, smarts kids. I can't help you son...... My dreams did not die at that point. That movie gave me the biggest boost of confidence and is my main source of motivation. I don't belong where i am, i tried to build a Youth Ministry club at my campus, Not one person joined. This was my deciding factor that i don't belong here. Im going to prove to Notre Dame admission and ALL the kids out there that think they don't have a chance bc they screwed up in high school, that a kid can still get accpeted. I don't need someone to tell me its not possible, like how i recently got a email for ND admissions saying that its not likely to go to notre dame as a transfer from a community college. Im going to prove that statement wrong. I have a quote to share for everyone.. I found it in a magazine.... it say's " You have special powers!, you can picture success instead of failure. You can see your strenghts instead of only your flaws. You can replace DOUBT with HOPE and transform disappointment into DETERMINATION. You can do something that makes more of a difference than money, fame, or luck. YOU CAN BELIEVE, dreams do come true, and yours can too." I want to thank everyone who read this, it was the first time ive ever told anybody this. I pray that Notre Dame officials see's this, if they are... Here's a message for you.. Nothing is standing in my way to get accepeted. Im coming for you.</p>
<p>Sometimes a winner is a dreamer who just won’t quit.</p>
<p>So guys… How are my chances or is my dream over bc of my act score and my poor high school grades</p>
<p>The only people who can answer that are the admissions people. I would get in contact with them ASAP and talk to someone at your current institution about transferring. ND is very specific about what courses you should have before transferring.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>All they said was to do the required first year studies courses… They didnt answer if my chances are very low bc of my act score and my grades. I’m asking people’s opinion, what does everyone think ? Do you think I can defy all odds and really prove to ND that I am ND material ? I am so dedicated, I have been and still am transforming disappointment into determination. How else would I get a 2.4 GPA in high school, but then in college, go to a 3.7. Classes in taking are human bio, sport psych, English literature, college success skills, and foundations of phys Ed. Idk if I want to go for sports psych or just psych. The reason I’m taking the college success skills was bc my advisor advised me too and the foundations of sports Ed, I want to coach swimming.</p>
<p>I don’t work on admissions so I have no clue what they would decide, but either way I think you have definitely grown and gained something great out of this. Nice work!</p>
<p>Thank you golddomer. A little encouragement doesn’t hurt anyone. I just have such a drive right now. I dnt want to go to any other college. I feel this is where god is calling me to go. The reason why I say this is bc I dnt feel like I need to look for a backup college. But if I dnt get accepted, I just want to be closer to my gf and Notre dame, so I’ll probably go to college of holy cross. Like what my swim coach says " whatever it takes".</p>
<p>And if anyone is wondering what’s my times for swimming are, I swim the 100 breast '1:07:low ( I think I’m faster now bc I’ve been training all year round, lost 35pounds of fat, gained 18 in muscle. 200 I’m 2:12:00, 200 medley relay, and the 200 or 400 free relay. I was a two time 3rd place sectional qualifier, and a nfl ( Niagara Fromtier League ) champion.</p>
<p>darkdragon, I can’t comment on how ND would view your record because as someone else stated the only people who can do that are those in admissions. But there are a few things that are red flags to me and so you asked for honest opinions so I will give mine. You mention that you received an email from ND admissions saying that it wasn’t likely that they would take a transfer from a community college (post #1). I would put alot of stock into that. I think it is admirable to want to prove them wrong however, I do think that your efforts might be better spent going to a school that is maybe more of a match for you. Listen, there are many students who have a less than stellar performance in high school and they go on to great colleges and turn their academics around. You can’t beat yourself up for having low grades and scores, what’s done is done. But realistically, a 1.7 gpa and 17 act regardless of how you are doing now is just not going to get you in there, in my opinion. They are rejecting kids with 33’s and high 3+ gpas. Even if transfer stats are lower, the fact that you are not coming from a 4year school will hurt. I think you should listen to what the admissions office told you. </p>
<p>The next thing is that you said you aren’t even considering back up schools. That is a huge mistake. EVERYONE regardless of your stats should have several backups. Your college counselor should have told you this. You mentioned College of Holy Cross as a backup and I am assuming you mean HC College (College of the Holy Cross is in Worcester, MA). I looked up HC stats and only 2% had a gpa below 2.0. They don’t have a swimming program either which will be problematic since you want to swim. Sounds like your main reason for wanting to go to ND is because your gf is attending and that is the worst reason to want to go there. There are alot of religious schools out there that share your beliefs and so you may want to try and look at those. Call HC admissions and speak with them. I think that is a more viable solution (except for the swimming and the gf across the street). </p>
<p>Your class selection right now is a concern since you are not taking any math courses, history, philosophy courses and instead have things like college success skills and phys ed. That will be a red flag to admissions even though you were advised to take some of those courses by your current advisor. </p>
<p>You have never mentioned the cost of attending either, it ain’t cheap. And last, please remember that Rudy is a movie. While it is based on a real person, Hollywood takes some liberties there. Rudy was there when I was out there, the late 70’s when the admission standards were not as tough and the tuition not as high. Back then, most kids were Irish Catholic kids, the student body has certainly changed in the last 3 decades. I think it was easier back then for a kid like Rudy to get into ND. </p>
<p>I don’t write any of this to discourage you but I think that you have to be realistic and put your efforts where they will benefit you the most. Please, find some other schools to look at in addition to ND so you have a backup plan. ND is one of a kind, I certainly understand your desire to attend. But there are lots of great alternatives out there, many that share similiar qualities to ND. You just need to find a few that are better fits for you. </p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>I’m not just going their bc of my gf. I’m going there to prove to myself that I can get accepted. And the classes you stated that I’m not taking, I’m taking summer courses and doing one more semester at my current school to get 27 transferable credits. I appreciate your honesty but I still believe that I can get in. I want to be that kind of student that ND will look at and say " this kid went from poor high school grades to outstanding grades, this kid picked up academically and I think we can give him a chance". But really, I say 5% is bc my gf is going there. I want to go there bc it’s Notre freaking dame. I want that holistic environment. You also mentioned money… I know what I’m getting myself into. I believe it’s worth going in debt for. A degree from Notre Dame is almost guaranteed a job right out of high school. When I stayed at Notre dame for valentines weekend, the person I was stayin with said that he got in with a GPA of a 3.3, but wrote a kickass admissions essay. I believe my story is something that makes me different from everyone else. And that’s what Notre dame is looking for… Unique students. If my life isn’t unique, then idk what they mean by unique. All the kids who go there are smart with a lot of extra curricular activities… How is tht different from everyone else ? It’s not. I dnt need to be top in my class… Even though currently I’m on the deans list. I still believe I can do this and get admitted. Yeah Rudy is a movie, but it was based on a true story. They had a documentary on Rudy. It’s very inspiring to me, so I’m not giving up. I actually just got back last 3 tests in biology. 100, 96, and a 104 ( extra credit ). so saying that, I know what I’m getting myself in too. If you dnt believe me, its just another person that I’m going to have to prove wrong.</p>
<p>I think my story would really open the admissioners at nd’s eyes when they see what I’ve been through. That was my plan, a lot more can happen in two semesters that can boost my chances. Hey, maybe somewhere down the road, ppl will start joining my campus ministry club. Again, I’m going to turn my disappointment into determination. Whatever it takes, no matter how hard classes will get, I’m going to go all out and give it my all. And so far, I’m doing that. People I made friends with at notre dame says it’s very possible. I have a good head on my shoulders. I’ve been through a lot, I’m not going to back down bc the past is the past. Also, I live in NY. NY academic standards are higher than in the south and western states. So that can help me out also.</p>
<p>OP, you’re doing a great job preparing yourself for the next level of education, but you NEED a back-up plan. ND has told you that it’s unlikely you will be admitted from a CC. You know your stats don’t match the stats that ND is looking for. There are a lot of colleges out there that could meet your needs, but honestly, I don’t think ND will be one of them. You’ve shown maturity in turning things around for yourself - extend that by looking into schools that are a match, and that you could afford. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Whatever my back plan is, after every semester or two, I’m reapplying either way. All the way up to my last junior year.</p>
<p>So does transferring from a prestigious college get you a better chance of being admitted to Notre dame ? If so, tell me some colleges to attend in the buffalo new York area. It needs to be catholic/Christian college.</p>
<p>Well good luck to you. I think that your notion of applying every semester will cheat you of a college experience. It goes by quickly and you should enjoy the experience rather than spending your time pining for somewhere else. If you want to attend ND maybe grad school is a better option.
You make a statement in post #10 that you don’t have to be at the top of your class. The truth is you need to be pretty close unless you have some hook and coming from a tough upbringing isn’t it. Again I don’t mean to sound harsh, just honest. I suspect you will believe what you want regardless of what anyone here offers as advice. You should contact the admissions rep from ny and have a conversation when this admission cycle ends. I have no idea what you are talking about regarding NY academic standards being tougher than those of southern and western states. If you are talking about regent exams that is a state mandate. It is thinking like that that is going to lead you down the wrong path.</p>
<p>Canisius, Niagara, St.Bonaventure (western ny), Houghton</p>
<p>With respect to your swim times, they are definitely respectable, but during the last ND home meet this season, the (non-tapered) times for ND swimmers in your two individual events were between 56.20-1:00.00 for the 100 Breast and 2:00.00-2:10.55 for the 200 Breast. You would need to be at the upper end of those ranges even to be considered as a walk-on, especially if these are your only events. </p>
<p>[UND.COM</a> - University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site - Men’s Swimming](<a href=“Notre Dame Athletics | The Fighting Irish”>Notre Dame Athletics | The Fighting Irish)</p>
<p>I agree with a lot of what has been said already. If ND is really your dream, then don’t give up on it yet, but you can’t treat this as an all-or-nothing endeavor. You’ve already done amazing things to turn your life around for the better and that is very commendable. And yes, ND admissions will likely consider that, but it may not be enough to give you an edge over the kids with higher stats than you or those trying to transfer from better schools than your current school. That’s just reality and you may have to face that. But, if you can’t get into ND, you shouldn’t give up on your dreams of attending a Catholic college, getting your degree, or pursuing the career you want. You have a very good chance of transferring to another 4 year school and achieving those dreams. There really is nowhere quite like ND, but there are other schools that could give you a great college experience and a wonderful education and you shouldn’t cheat yourself of that just to “prove” that you can get into ND. Because the truth may be that you can’t. Admissions has already told you it’s unlikely to transfer directly from community college. You can’t prove them wrong, because the power is ultimately in their hands and they know most realistically what your chances are. BUT they did say its unlikely not impossible. So I’m not saying you shouldn’t try- just that if you try and fail, that’s OK too. You can still succeed in all the other goals you mentioned. And that’s what’s really important if you want to change your life and inspire other people in similar circumstances.</p>
<p>Do your best to put together the best application you can for ND, but apply to a few other schools as well. A quality 4 year institution will serve as a much better stepping stone to ND- or, if that fails- to you accomplishing the other things you’ve set out to do.</p>
<p>Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone. I still wana see if I can get accepted tho from community college. If I can, that just says something. I did almost the impossible. Got into nd from a CC. What a accomplishment</p>
<p>If you are going to apply to Holy Cross College in Indiana then it only makes sense to apply to other doppelganger schools like Cornell College in Iowa, Georgetown College in Kentucky and Notre Dame College of Ohio.</p>