Notre Dame Admission Chances

SAT: 1540 (750 Math, 790 Reading/Writing)
SAT IIs: N/A
GPA: 5.2 Weighted, around 3.8 Unweighted (upward trend from 9th-12th grade)
Rank: N/A
AP: Human Geography (4), World History (4), English Language & Composition (5), U.S. History (4), Environmental Science (4)
Senior Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Physics 1, AP Macroeconomics, AP Literature & Composition, Honors Government, Leadership
Academic Awards: Commended National Merit Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, National Science Honor Society
Extracurriculars: Eagle Scout, 4 years Varsity Lacrosse, SGA Vice President and former Parliamentarian, FBLA Honors Member, one of two students from class chosen for Leadership Palm Beach County, Scholar Athlete Club
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Key Club, raised money for two children’s education (9, 10) and two beds for children in need in Bali (11) via Education Rocks, built turtle pond in local garden as Eagle Scout project, served as buddy to help disabled children to play soccer via TOPSoccer (9-11) and will serve buddy captain in program come spring (12), counselor at local Vacation Bible School (9-12), 500+ total community service hours
Common App Essay: Very unique, shows my personality well
Supplementals: Also very good, shows my passion for the school
Teacher Recs: Probably decent, though not sure how much they’ll reveal about my personality out of the classroom
Counselor Rec: Again, same as the teacher recs.
State or Country: Florida
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Strengths: SAT, extracurricular activities, essays
Weaknesses: GPA, letters of recommendation

A 3.8 unweighted GPA is the primary area of concern. Typically an unweighted GPA in the upper 3.8’s with your other stats would put you in pretty good position. Your SAT score being in the upper quartile will offset the lower GPA to a certain degree. However, Notre Dame has repeatedly said academic performance within a stringent academic workload is the best indicator of success in college and carries more weight than standardized test scores even though both are important. It may very well come down to your essays.

You stated that your unweighted GPA is “around” 3.8. Obviously you would have a much better chance of getting in if “around” meant 3.84 rather than 3.76. Also, the upward trend is good, but even that can be so nuanced. I believe a 3.4 Freshman year followed up with 4.0 Sophomore and Junior years would be viewed more favorably than a 3.75 in 9th, 3.8 in 10th and 3.85 in 11th.

I believe that any volunteer service done in the pursuit of achieving Eagle Scout should probably be listed last as I do think Admissions views that kind of volunteer service through a different lens. There is more skepticism related to that kind of service since it could be viewed that the only reason you did the service was so you could have a personal achievement in getting Eagle Scout. I’m not suggesting that you had selfish motives in your case, since you obviously have a lot of other service hours. I’m just suggesting that you emphasize the other service hours over the service hours related to Eagle Scout.

Make sure you reach out to your ND admissions counselor in an effort to build some kind of relationship and if possible visit campus.

We went through the admissions cycle 3 years ago. D had a 36 ACT and strong subject tests but her un-weighted GPA was 3.83 or something like that. One of the takeaways we had after all the rejections and acceptances were in hand was that for the very top universities and liberal arts colleges, there is a big difference between 3.8 and 3.9 or 4.0. Academic excellence means a challenging course load and very few “B” grades. You can see what I mean if you go on Parchment.com or perhaps your schools Naviance website. If your school publishes class rank or some correlation between GPA and class rank maybe your GPA puts you in the top few percentile of your class. Notre Dame is a little quirky in their admissions decisions but it is as competitive as just about any college

current freshman here. Your application seems very similar to mine, and I got in, but had to wait until waitlist to get in. I like your chances.

You seem to have a good chance of getting in. I believe being an Eagle Scout shows a lot about your character that of all Notre Dame would appreciate. Aside from that, while your GPA is not the highest, your course load is packed anyway so you should be alright. The only other concern is your lack of subject tests but regardless you should still be okay. It seems to me like Notre Dame is a good fit for you and there is nothing you can do now but wait. Good luck!