Non-Catholic Asian Indian applying for sociology major with first-generation status.
How bad are my chances since I’m not catholic or will it help me because I’ll increase the diversity?
And is first generation a hook for Notre Dame? Only mentioned it once in my writing supplement.
Religion is Hindu for those wondering
80% Notre Dame students are Catholic. You don’t have to be in order to get in and yes it may help you get in that you’re not, but Notre Dame has a very Catholic culture - not just for the classes and college History but also in ethos and values, rituals, etc. So you have to think about your comfort as a very small minority (most non Catholics will be Christian).
Check their Common Data Set to see if Religious Preference is considered in admission. And if ND is on the Common App, the first gen stuff is handled in the parent questions so it’s not a problem that you mentioned it in the essay, but you will be marked as such.
I agree with the comments on culture, ND has one of the strongest religious “presence” among bigger schools (not counting the smaller ultra Christian schools). Have you visited?
I understand the catholic presence and that’s why I am applying. I included in my essays how I’m impressed with the catholic intellectual learning and that it’ll enhance my spiritual identity. I really want it so that I can further my religious learning and help serve my community, as well as improving others. And I incorporated my religion and how I’ll bring a picture of my gods and explained how I’ve disciplined myself and achieved so much as a first generation student, you know? Idk if it was a good move to incorporate my religion into it
It was a good idea for your essay. 
And it’s an excellent motivation!
Sounds great. You may want to look into Jesuit schools, their philosophy seems to fit with yours about education and serving the community. Good luck!
@UNCCharlotte2023 On another post you indicated that you applied and got accepted ED into Wake Forest, unless I am reading too much into your post that is not there. How does an ND application at this point fit into that?
@CCSavant My family’s need was not met 100% because of a sudden termination, so Wake Forest’s financial aid office said I am free to break the ED agreement. I’m grateful they allowed me to do this.
@UNCCharlotte2023 Understood and I wish you the best in your Notre Dame application accordingly! Yes…Notre Dame is a Catholic university…and much more so than say Georgetown or BC. But other than the two required Theology courses, it is really up to students to make of it what they will. There is a real kindness and goodness on campus that flows from the Catholic community and creates a sense of family for all who attend - whatever their religion or level of religious beliefs. Not all “Catholic” students on campus attend mass regularly by any means, and to refer to the balance of students as “Christians” probably overstates their religious orientation. Interestingly I was speaking to an Islamic graduate of a Catholic university recently (not Notre Dame) who found that the culture formed by the intersection of people with active religious and moral values led to a lot of common ground in terms of views and behaviors. So the question really becomes - are you attracted to an environment where, broadly speaking, faith, education and service drive the moral and intellectual development of the students. Most universities will be more “liberal” than Notre Dame, but that does not mean that they will be more inclusive for someone of your background. As someone who only became Catholic later in life (well after attending a Jesuit university), I am a strong believer in the Catholic intellectual heritage and believe that your views on this, coming from your background, should be pretty compelling. Plus you will get consideration as a First Generation applicant.
I really don’t care if some students try to exclude me because I’m only looking forward to the moral/intellectual development.
Coming to the First Gen thing, is this really a hook? Wish I included it in my essays more than once
It’s a hook but you don’t need to include it in your essays - it’s immediately marked after the section for your parents’ college degree on commonapp is left blank.
That’s weird because I didn’t leave it blank. I clicked that they just completed high school.
Yes and then there’s no line that appears for you to write the college (hence, hs graduate +blank = first gen when the adcoms get it)
Basically there’s no box where you check ‘first gen’ - but it’s inferred from that question about parents’highest level of education.
“My family’s need was not met 100% because of a sudden termination, so Wake Forest’s financial aid office said I am free to break the ED agreement. I’m grateful they allowed me to do this.”
As you learned at Wake, getting admitted to a school does you no good if your family can’t afford the net price.
Good thing for you is that ND is one of about only 50-60 U.S. colleges that says it meets 100% of demonstrated financial need. Bad thing for you is that Wake is on that list too. The schools all use their own formulas for what your “need” is and each school has its own budget for how much aid they can give out. Perhaps your aid award at ND (if you get in) might be better than Wake’s, but maybe it won’t. Both are VERY expensive private schools.
If your aid package at Wake was insufficient, please make sure you are using the net price calculators at ND and other schools you are applying to. Given your recent family circumstances, you need to make sure you get into some schools that your family can afford. Please make sure to apply to some of your awesome in-state schools. Like UNC-CH – perhaps the single best quality/prestige/value deal in all of U.S. higher ed.
Good luck!
I completely agree with you. Submitted UNC EA and looking forward to hear back in January. Using the calculator on ND’s website, I would enroll if admitted given the termination because Notre Dame’s cost of attendance is half of that to Wake’s with the financial aid. I would be blessed to be admitted because it would only be $5k-$10k more than UNC per year.
@UNCCharlotte2023 @MYOS1634 Given your special family circumstances, I highly advise that you write to ND’s financial aid office and fully apprise them of the situation. Provide any supporting documentation you may have. This will allow them to make the appropriate adjustments to their calculations. I suspect ND will try to be accommodating but you need to inform them and give them whatever evidence is available.
@UNCCharlotte2023 , good luck to you. RE: Catholic presence - I have been pleasantly surprised by the lack of pressure to convert to Catholicism. Our concerns about that were unwarranted. ND is also dedicated to helping students of all faith backgrounds. They have Jewish and Muslim services on campus. I am not sure if there is a Hindu presence or not. RE: Financial Aid - another surprising experience. The initial offer letter was good, but not great. I reached out to the FA office. I expected an antagonistic interchange. Nope, they bent over backwards to help us. They reviewed the packet again and increased the FA offer. Once you get accepted, they want to do what they can to help you come to ND.