Notre Dame Chances? I'll chance you back for sure

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Notre Dame
1

I’m a white male from Georgia, and my parents make six figures. (Yes, I am Catholic)
I’m applying RD - mainly because I got my Eagle Scout after the restrictive EA deadline, and I wanted Eagle to be on my application.
I plan to major in biology.

GPA: 4.0/4.0 (unsure what my weighted would be - I’ve taken 4 APs so far, and I am taking 4 APs this year, so I would guess around 4.3 ish) (never made a B)
Average so far: 95.28/100
SAT CR+M superscore (the metric that ND uses): 1530 (790 CR + 740 M)
My SAT score is exactly 75th percentile for ND

Class rank: 47/408
Took somewhere around 15 honors courses at my school - the only non-Honors academic courses I’ve taken are Spanish 1/2/3 and 12th grade literature

(Class rank is really the only part of my application that I’m frustrated with. I attend a large and competitive public school, and many people that took an easier schedule than I have taken have a higher rank than I do. I talked to an ND admissions rep about it when I went to an admissions event, and he says that the rigor of the classes I’ve taken will be taken into account, as course rigor is more important than rank to them.)

AP Scores:

US History: 5
European History: 5
English Language: 5
World History: 4
Currently taking 4 APs: Spanish Language, Calc AB, Bio, and Gov/Politics

AP Scholar with Honor
National Merit Commended (score of 213)

Extracurriculars:

Eagle Scout
My Eagle Project gave 160 hours of service to the local community - built an outdoor chapel overlooking a lake and posts for hammock camping
President (this year) and vice president (last year) of Boy Scout troop
Vice president of Order of the Arrow (Scouts’ honor society) lodge - responsible for conducting registration for tri-annual events of ~150 participants and mailing newsletters to ~300 members (youth AND adult members) (for 2 years now)
Principal/first chair trombonist of school concert and jazz bands (out of 15 trombonists)
Section leader of trombone section during marching season
President of my high school’s Young Democrats this year, and founding member of the club last year
Attended Duke TIP’s 3-week summer courses for 4 consecutive years - took courses on business, criminal trial advocacy, rhetoric, and international relations (to put it in perspective, high school freshmen complete a semester’s worth of a college intro course in 3 weeks, on Duke’s campus)
Spent 2 weeks on a conservation project in New Mexico this summer for Scouts
Member of NHS, Beta Club, music honor society, and Spanish honor society

I’ve participated in Scouts for 11 years, trombone for 6 years, and Young Democrats for two (since its beginning.)

I wrote a great essay. It’s been critiqued by my parents, two of my lit teachers, and several of my Ivy-bound friends. If you’d like to read it, I’d be glad to send you a PM with the Google Docs link.

Other schools I’m applying to include: Kenyon, Northwestern, Oberlin, Carleton, Vassar, Macalester, and U of Dayton.
I’ve already applied to UGA, Michigan State, and Minnesota.

I appreciate your input, even if it’s negative! I’ll chance you back whenever I get the opportunity.

2

You are a very competitive candidate. Good luck.

3

Agreed with Happy, there isn’t much to worry about on your application. My school gives consideration to people who take honors/AP classss as far as ranking goes, so I’m sure that the fact your school doesn’t will explain why your rank is relatively low. Best of luck!

4

D is freshman at notre dame. You are a very strong applicant with very good chances. 4.0 is as good as it gets. Very unusual to have slightly less than. 10th percentile with your grades. You also have compelling service EC which Notre Dame really places emphasis on. Nobody is a sure thing but your chances are very good

5

You have a really strong application and I think you are a very compettitive applicant! Good luck!!

6

As everybody else is saying, you are very competitive for ND. What I am having a harder time with is your other colleges, esp.Oberlin and Vassar. I know a fair few Vassar kids, and a couple of ND ones- all of whom are quite happy where they are, but I don’t think any of them would be happy at the other school. That is of course a small sample! but it is worth thinking about what exactly attracts you to each one.

7

Thanks to all of you for your opinions and advice! I hope as much as you guys do that these predictions will come true next April.

@collegemom3717 I agree that a lot of the schools on my list are polar opposites, but I feel like I would fit in well in both environments.
Notre Dame would be a great fit for me; I would love to be part of their marching band, I would be able to maintain my Catholic faith in college without much difficulty, and I really admire how their dorms have so much pride and spirit. From what I’ve read and watched on Youtube, ND dorms are very unique in comparison to other schools.

A lot of liberal arts colleges would match what I want out of college, as well - I like how the emphasis is put on undergraduate learning, Ph.D. matriculation rates are very high (I eventually want a doctorate), and small classes encourage friendships and better learning. I’m also very politically liberal, and I would fit in better in that regard at an LAC.

If I didn’t get into ND, and an LAC were to offer me a great financial aid package, I would be very happy attending an LAC.
You are right, though, that I do have a preference for Notre Dame. If I get in to ND, I am certainly going. It’s my ultimate goal, and in my projected career path, the debt would be manageable.

Thanks for encouraging me to think this through more - it’s something every high school senior ought to do more.

8

Would be surprised if you didn’t get in.

9

I agree with what everyone said. Your extracurriculars are fantastic and your grades/scores are competitive. Good luck!

10

I definitely think you have a great chance – obviously no one is guaranteed a spot in any of these kinds of schools, but if I were an admissions rep, I’d want you as a part of the incoming class.

11

I’d be surprised if you aren’t accepted. Good luck!!

12

Your chances are pretty solid. I’d be surprised if you DIDN’T get in. Your grades and course rigor definitely help, and being president of Young Democrats shows solid leadership. Your EC’s look great. Good luck!

13

I would be shocked if you didn’t get in. My son was accepted EA with similar stats. He had slightly better test scores but you have better EC’s.

Just out of curiosity, how are they determining a class rank? You said you have a 4.0 unweighted and you’ve taken almost all honors classes. Normally those work to your benefit in a class rank over those that don’t take honors and go for easier schedules. Are they basing the rank on the percentage that you listed of 95.28/100?

14

I guess I should’ve qualified my opinion in the post above. As you have already pointed out, the class rank is really the weak link. If that fact can be reasonably explained, I think you have an excellent chance.

15

@GraceDad You are correct - class rank is determined based of grade average, and mine is 95.28/100. Since I’ve taken so many honors classes, I’ve made a lot of low As, which is what brings my average down. (AP classes have a 5-point curve attached to them, which has helped me out a lot.)

If it were done based on a weighted GPA scale, which is what most schools do, I’m pretty confident that I would be in the top 15, due to the number of APs I’ve taken and the fact that I haven’t made any Bs.

Thanks for your reassurance!

16

Hey i was wondering if u could chance me for admission for regular decision, i have a 34 composite act, 4.2./5.33 and go to one of the best schools in the nation( GBS ) as well as many extracurriculars and activities including cross country track boys and girls club and teaching religious ed and a few others. I also had internships in engineering firms and am applying to civil engineering. Finally, I moved to the US from France sophomore year after having gone to a completely french school previously. Chance me if u can if not i get it.

17

@yayomfg Sure thing. Just a few questions:

  • What's your unweighted GPA? Have you made any Bs? If so, how many, and in what subjects?
  • Could you make a list of all your extracurrics? (A detailed one, like mine)

I think that your ACT is great, and the thing about moving here from France might be a great selling point. You should write an essay about how your multi-cultural experiences affected you.
If you can show me your detailed list of extracurrics and your unweighted GPA, I can give you a more accurate prediction, but I think your chances are very solid.
You submitted your app before two hours ago, right? (or are you a junior?)

18

Thank you for the response!
Yea I am a senior, I have a 3.2 unweighted gpa which is low but I only take honours and ap courses, also I have a few C’s but other than that A’s. I have an upward curve from sophomore year where I changed from an all french speaking school to a completely english speaking school. And yea I did write my common app essay about moving and am confident that my extra essays are very good.

19

Also I go to New Trier High School which is one of the very top schools in the US, it was ranked 10th on forbes last I checked.

20

extracurriculars include teaching religious ed, boys and girls club, varsity athlete in two sports(track an cross country), volunteering at misericordia, home for disabled people, boys and girls club volunteering once a week and referee for AYSO soccer.