I am a senior in high school and I was wondering if anyone can help me figure out if I have a chance to get into my dream school based on their own experience. My top school is Notre Dame but if I dont get in id also like to go to Boston College.
GPA: 4.1 (not sure how much they care about this but my gpa improved every year since freshman year)
-Took 9 APs and 3 honors but my school district does not weight honors so it is reflected in my GPA as a regular class
SAT: 1510 (800 math, 710 english)
ACT: 32 (I am considering taking it again but I am happy with my SAT and might just go with that)
Math II subject test: 770
My school doesn’t rank
ECs:4 year baseball and 2 year soccer and lot of different volunteering that I will mention but not worth listing here
Also not sure how much this helps but my brother attends ND (will graduate by the time I would arrive) I have volunteered through through church and I have gone on a campus tour and gone to 3 ND events in California (I have heard colleges like to see you show interest in them)
Assuming I have good essays and letters of rec, do I stand any chance?
ND said that the middle 50% of admitted students’ SATs ranged from 1390-1530 so I know my sat is slightly better than average but I am hoping that will make up for my lower gpa.
I already realize that my chances are not great (especially at ND) but any feedback from someone who has already gone through the process would be very helpful since not many students from my high school apply there, looking at naviance is not very informative. Im not really sure what it takes to get in, I only know it is hard
I think you have a good chance of getting in. Talk to the Admissions Coordinator from ND for your area. Ask them if they think you should apply regular or early. Make sure they know how interested you are. Work really hard on your ND essays to make you stand out.
I agree with above - make sure your essays stand out - be specific to ND, it is a different kind of school. I am sure you have seen it but below is the link for their admission statistics. How many of these boxes can you check off? http://admissions.nd.edu/apply/admission-statistics/
I agree the essays are very important. Make sure to discuss things that are specific to ND, such as majors or programs or student organizations in which you are interested. Make the case for what you will bring to “the family”. ND is at the level of school where every student there is very smart and was in the top of their class. It’s important to highlight what you bring on top of that. The 9 APs will be helpful, ND looks for rigor. Both SAT and ACT scores are good, but I agree with you that your SAT score is more noteworthy. You don’t give a lot of details about your ECs, just that it’s two teams and volunteering. If any of those activities involve a leadership position, be sure to highlight that.
If you have a 3.8 unweighted GPA, it certainly puts your application in uncertain territory. The SAT score can offset your GPA to a certain extent. As others have said, it will probably come down to your essays.
A sibling is technically of no benefit to your application per ND admissions, but I’ve seen too many instances where students had borderline applications ended up getting in with siblings attending ND and no legacy. My personal belief is that it is a bonus to your application.