I really want to go to notre dame and am applying rd. but I have a 30 act. will this alone ruin my chances??
no. try to get that act up but a 30 won’t keep you out provided the other parts of your application are strong.
ok. I know notre dame is really big on legacy - does having a sibling help at all? @TheTennisNinja
I’m sure it does. A kid from my school who was smart-but not super smart-went to Notre Dame probably in part because his brother went there too.
@mimimo7890 I too am applying to ND but in REA. I have a 30 ACT and ND is my dream school as well. I have nailed the other application components but am only a weak legacy (grandfather)… I really wish you the best of luck as you strive to achieve your dream. God Bless and go Irish!
Thanks and same to you! Hopefully we will both be there next fall 
let me know if you get in and good luck!!
Thanks and same to you! Hopefully we will both be there next fall let me know if you get in and good luck!!
I’m applying REA but with a different ACT score. I wouldn’t say a 30 destroys your chances, but significantly lowers them. Having a sibling may possibly help but I’m not sure how much it would with only a 30 ACT.
Hopefully I’ll see you in South Bend too! I was looking at last year’s REA forum and I saw 2 people got in with a 31 and one with a 28 but tons were rejected with 33 and 34… actually I saw more 32s deferred/accepted then 33s lol
Also in my composite I have really high English and the mTh and science was what brought me down (35 English 31 reading) will this help me?
Taco, what you stated above is true. Having a 30 won’t ruin anyone’s chances, but it certainly makes it a lot more difficult… Most of the people that get in with a 32 or less have near 4.0 unweighted GPA’s. In addition, many of them have hooks such as legacy, URM or first generation.
I found the posting concerning the 28 ACT from last year and after looking at that person’s resume, I was completely shocked. They had a 28 ACT, 3.7 uw GPA, rank was around top 6%, almost no AP classes, senior schedule was self admittedly “very light” and they had absolutely no hooks. Based upon the posters self analysis, they felt that their essays were amazing. I can only conclude that the admissions department thought so as well. If you would’ve asked me beforehand what that person’s chances were, I would’ve said almost zero. It does provide an example of how important writing good essays can be.
Might have been a Tuba player; I heard they were short of those last year!
My D is applying REA. We know it’s a reach but trying to stay positive. GPA 4.1 (weighted), 8 APs the rest honors. AP scores 5 (APUSH), 4 (Language), SATs 1340 (700 math, 640 eng). Captain of two teams, work experience, NHS, a few other leadership positions. I know she sounds like a dime a dozen for ND. What do you think the changes are?
@onepan The decisions for REA came out last Monday. If your daughter hasn’t heard, they must have her in the regular pool.
Sorry yes regular decision. What do you think her chances are for regular admission?
@onepan What is your daughter’s unweighted GPA and Class Rank? Usually schools rely more on unweighted GPA since there are numerous different ways that schools choose to weight.
With a 1340 on the SAT, she has a very very slim chance. She would probably have to have a near perfect GPA AND absolutely amazing essays and probably some kind of hook. Even then her chances would not be very high.
@GraceDad unweighted her GPA is probably 3.7. Her school doesn’t give the students class rank but she’s in the top 10%. her ACTs are 31.
Her ACT score is definitely better than her SAT score. Again, her chances are not very high. Not saying it can’t be done, because there have been people who have gotten in with worse stats, but they almost always have some kind of hook. Hopefully her essays are very compelling.
Well I’m keeping my fingers crossed she’s the outlier. She’s has excellent essays and amazing recommendations along with an internship, work experience, and several leadership positions (real ones not just title ones). She’ll end up with a good choice regardless but I would love to be going to some ND football games.
i had a 33 and was rejected. i would say a score of 33-34 and a 3.85+ uw gpa and you have a good chance