Hello,
I am an incoming freshman from Brazil and I am excited to be part of this friendly community for the next 4 years!
Well, excited as I am right now, I started to search for the opportunities I will have at ND, and I was (of course) really interested in the year-long opportunity in Oxford (UK). I know it is really difficult to get accepted, but can someone share any more information?
-Is it really difficult to even get invited to apply? Do the professors have anything to do with the invitations?
-They say that one student per academic area is usually accepted (7 in total). Do the academic areas change every year, or they usually send students from same areas?
-Is it more based on the GPA or extracurricular activities? Also, because I am an international student, I am not used to the GPA system. What is considered a great GPA? Is a 3.7 GPA (minimum required) good for applying to this program?
Hi there! I am an applicant for ND at the moment which is why I came across this post. My sister, ND Class of 2018, was selected for this program for her junior year as an engineer. She had good grades and had a decent amount of involvement and, on top of that, stood out since she was one of only three female electrical engineers. She also was on good terms with her professors, which was made easier since the electrical engineering program is so small in comparison to other engineering focuses. A professor invited her to apply, so she did and was accepted. I know, as you mentioned, that one must be selected in order to apply. I know, though, that she did not apply to Oxford University, but rather to Notre Dame’s program, which, if you know about the application process for Oxford, is significantly easier! I’m not sure about the “one student per academic area” but I know that two of her ND friends who she became friends with at Oxford were not engineers, but were in the College of Arts and Letters. So, based on my sister’s experience, I would say that relationships with professors and GPA are most likely the strongest factors in being invited to apply. I know that this is a specific response, and not a general one, but I hope that this helps!
PS if you think you have a shot, start saving money now! My sister’s expenses were quite high during her year abroad! Best of luck!