Notre Dame EA Class of 2020 Results Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Notre Dame
1

Results rolling in:

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments:

2

Decision: Accepted

College of Business Mendoza!!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): none
ACT (breakdown): 35
SAT II: none
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): none
AP (place score in parenthesis): didn’t send any in! I was kinda surprised
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Human Geo, AP US Gov, HAP, Physics, English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none (maybe missing like 1-2 but can’t recall right now)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Key Club (Pres), DECA (VP), Stock Market Club (Pres)
Job/Work Experience: Paid Intern as a operations analyst and unpaid internship at a web-design company
Volunteer/Community service: nothing much
Summer Activities: Internships, dance
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App - 10 (To be honest, I really think that this got me accepted. I can rest assure that my supplements were worse than normal because I did them the day before the deadline).
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Have no idea but assuming it was pretty good?
Teacher Rec #2: Have no idea but assuming it was pretty good?
Counselor Rec: Pretty good terms with her. She knows that I go out of my way to ask her the questions and meet her whenever necessary. It seems that she really appreciated my responsibility and motivation.
Additional Rec:none
Interview: nada

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Of course, w/o I’m dead meat.
Intended Major: Business
State (if domestic applicant):CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 40-50k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen

Reflection

Strengths: ACT, essay (Common app for the most part)
Weaknesses: Supplements (haha), GPA?, Volunteering, no AP’s sent
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My common app essay and my passions for business and dance. I know that this post my look really bland, but on my actual application, you could defintely my passions liven up throughout the entire application (almost like setting a main theme). I didn’t do an extensive amount of subjective stuff and my academics were kinda ehh. But my common app essay expressed my passion for dance to another level.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Not yet applied, going to cram out the rest in the next 2 weeks.

General Comments: Find a passion and pursue it. I used to be iffy on these type of advices, but I can now proudly say that I’m a firm believer. Good luck to everyone else!

3

[ b]Decision: Accepted**

Objective:

  • [] SAT I (breakdown): M 700 CR 750 W 800 (12 essay)
    [    ] ACT: N/A
    [] SAT II: Lit 750 (only submitted this one)
    [    ] Unweighted GPA (4.0 scale): 3.975
    [] Weighted GPA (4.0 scale): 4.467
    [    ] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (all I know is I’m top decile)
    [] AP (place score in parenthesis): Microeconomics (5), Macroeconomics (5), U.S. History (4), Lang & Comp (5), Chem (5), Stat (5)
    [    ] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
    [] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Gov, AP Lit & Comp, AP Latin, AP Physics 1
    [    ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): UChicago Book Award, Silver/gold medals on National Latin Exam, AP Scholar with Distinction, second place in state for literature/writing contest, many school academic awards

Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Congressional intern for this whole year, debate team (co-captain for 2 years), two dating violence/domestic abuse/healthy relationships awareness clubs (one of which I founded, the other I’m a co-chair on), school newspaper (section editor & staff writer), weekly school TV show (co-anchor), 2 environmental activism clubs (one of which I instituted at my school, the other of which I was a founding member & am “political chair”), intern for my town’s clean energy taskforce, HOBY student delegate, NCL (see community service), campaign volunteer (local/state/federal – since I was 8), member of National Honor Society, member of Mu Alpha Theta, member of Latin Honor Society
[] Job/Work Experience: instructor at Kumon for 4 years, babysitter for 5 years, tutor for 2 years
[] Volunteer/Community service: Not sure how many hours, definitely 100+, but did much of it with National Charity League (President in grade 11, currently VP)
[] Summer Activities: Georgetown American Politics Institute, Great Books Summer Program, working
[] Essays: Common App essay was very original & was very “me” — really portrayed my mind as an academic; my “What excites you about ND” was very passionate, referenced experiences I’d had while shadowing classes/on campus, my two other supplementals were cool — I chose “what question fascinates you” and got pretty philosophical (haha), & then I chose the Fr. Hesburgh one on civil rights and discussed political apathy in America
[] Teacher Recommendation: I think pretty good (8/10 or 9/10 but I’m really not sure)
[] Counselor Rec: 10/10, she and I know each other very well and she knew a lot about my character as a person & as a student
[] Additional Rec: Great!!
[li] Interview: N/A[/li][/ul]

Other

  • [] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
    [    ] Intended Major: Political Science
    [] State (if domestic applicant): CT
    [    ] Country (if international applicant): N/A
    [] School Type: public, 1500ish students… Don’t know if I’d call the school itself competitive? I live in a very competitive area though
    [    ] Ethnicity: White
    [] Gender: F
    [    ] Income Bracket: $250,000+
  • Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): legacy (both my parents attended, as well as multiple other relatives), did a shadow day/toured multiple times/attended the high school visit and the regional admissions event
  • Reflection*
    [list]
    [] Strengths: Legacy, grades (pretty much straight A’s/A+’s throughout HS), essays
    [    ] Weaknesses: Test scores — not great at testing, also being a white girl from the Northeast…
    [] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly betting the legacy was the tipping point, but I’m not complaining! Thanks mom & dad :slight_smile:
    [    ] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Was literally just accepted to Georgetown earlier today! I’m so humbled by the fact that I’ll get to choose between these incredible schools.

General Comments: So, so, so happy to be accepted here. I love the ND family. Go Irish!!

4

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33; English- 36, Reading- 36, Math- 30, Science- 31
SAT II: Didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.91
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP English Lang (5), AP Human Geo (5), AP Psych (5), APUSH (5), AP Euro (4), AP Physics 1 (2) lol
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Macro, AP Biology, AP Comparative, AP Statistics, Senior Thesis, AP Spanish Lang, AP Studio Art
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Can’t think of any…

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Interact Club (President & Founder), Art Club (President), NHS (Secretary), Skiing for over six years, Girl Scouts (Assistant Counselor), Drama Club (Sec. & Treasurer, director), HACIA Democracy, a few other things
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: ~60 hours working at low-income schools for impoverished children in my city
Summer Activities: Absolutely nothing :smiley:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common app- 9.5 wrote about unique experiences of living in a foreign country, personality really shined through; Supplements- What’s broken and how would you fix it- 10/10 wrote about my lamp :); Why ND- 8.5/10 a little generic but well-written nonetheless
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10; from my 12th grade English teacher, everyone else who read it said it was spectacular
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10; 11th grade APUSH teacher, was one of his favorite students but isn’t well known for stellar letters of rec
Counselor Rec: 9/10; she loves me to death
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope
Intended Major: English
State (if domestic applicant):N/A
Country (if international applicant): Nicaragua (the clincher)
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: F
Income Bracket: waaay too high for any sort of aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM (kinda?), latin country

Reflection

Strengths: essays, letters of rec, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: scores could’ve been a little better?, GPA maybe… since this is CC and all, AP Physics score…
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: IDK I’m lucky af
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Purdue (accepted), haven’t sent out any others

General Comments:
I’m just really, really happy. Sorry about the sucky formatting- it’s my first time doing one of these… Anyways, good luck to everyone else, and I hope to see you all in fall! Go, Irish :smiley:

5

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 35, don’t remember specifics
SAT II: didn’t send (apparently that didn’t matter)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 UW, 4.25 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang 4, Euro 5, BC Calc 5, Chem 4, Lit 5
Senior Year Course Load: Spanish 5, AP Bio, AP Psych, AP Stats, graduation requirements

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience: Pizza Place (9 months), Babysitting (consistent job for over a year), Intern at a lab (not on application)
Volunteer/Community service: the usual + stuff through theater
Summer Activities: professional theater work
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I wrote so many college essays I barely remember. Those prompts were short, so I recycled some stuff from other ones. Common app was very strong writing and talked about my work with theater and how that has made me a better learner
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): chem teacher 10/10 - long and personal. english teacher 9/10 - honest and praising of character, which seems better than of achievements. counselor 8/10 - short but personal and very kind.

Applied for Financial Aid?: always
Intended Major: chemistry (premed)
State (if domestic applicant): WI
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: girl

Reflection

Strengths: stats/scores, writing is very strong, theater ecs were unique and showed commitment and collaboration at high level
Weaknesses: I haven’t overloaded on AP, unique work experience not on app
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Stats and writing mostly
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Minnesota Twin Cities, UofAZ, Ohio State. Waiting on UChi, Northwestern, Madison, NC Chapel Hill, Miami Ohio

6

REJECTED

Objective: Mendoza School of Business
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 32 (35 E, 31 M, 29 R, 34 S)
SAT II: 720 math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): idk out of 4.0 but 94 ish
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: IB diploma so IB bio, ib italian, AP calc BC II, ib econ, ib psych, ib english
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):varsity basketball(captain junior and senior year), math club, aau basketball and summer and fall leagues year round pretty much, and others.
Job/Work Experience: camp counselor in summer lol
Volunteer/Community service: package clothing for the underprivileged in my area, and a lot of tutoringg
Summer Activities: work
Essays (rating 1-10, details): my common app essay was dope as fuck, easily a 9/10… wrote about my father’s immigration to america from the middle east at 19 and how he went on to graduate from columbia and related the starting from the bottom idea to my basketball
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10 (bio teacher who loved me)
Teacher Rec #2: 9.5/10 (theory of knowledge teacher who told me it was such an honor to write my recommendation)
Counselor Rec:8/10 she knows my life story and struggles and really likes me
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:no
Intended Major:business
State (if domestic applicant):NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: caucasion, well middle eastern but that doesn’t count
Gender:male
Income Bracket: 250,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first gen american

Reflection

Strengths: essays and reccs
Weaknesses: prob gpa and act score
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m a terrible person
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted to fordham gabelli school like really early for some reason but that was major safety.

General Comments:
congrats to anyone who got in

7

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I: 1580/1600 (800 CR 780 M)
SAT II: didn’t take
ACT: 34 (didn’t send)
Unweighted GPA: 3.97
Weighted GPA: 4.17
Rank: 2 out of 99
AP: None yet, school only offers 3 and I’m taking them this year
Senior course load: AP chem, AP calculus, AP English, Dual Credit Bio, Government, Econ, Weightlifting, Film Lit, Business Law

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Varsity Tennis (4 years MVP, 3 years captain), Varsity Baseball (4 years, 1 year captain), NHS (President), youth group youth leadership council,

Job/Work Experience: Year and a half at local fast food, nothing special.

Volunteer: About 200 hours, many as youth basketball/baseball coach. On committee to develop digital citizenship curriculum for elementary school students in Indiana. Lots of youth group stuff. Created event at county rivalry baseball game to raise sunscreen for local food pantry.

Summer Activities: HOBY Indiana, Hoosier Boys’ State, Opportunities to Learn About Business (small, but pretty sweet business camp- some high-profile speakers), church camp

Essays: Common App about sunscreen drive, 8/10, Why ND? BORING 7/10 “What’s broken?” Wrote about political media (Economics major but wrote down government as future career) 9.5/10 “Fascinating question” wrote about collegiate athletes being paid 8.5/10

Recommendations: Counselor: No clue, probably pretty average writing, but she was probably very praising. Small school, never had a kid get into ND before. ?/10. Teacher rec: History Teacher, really likes me 9.5/10. Other recommender: local lawyer, fantastic 10/10.

Applied for FA: No
Intended major: Economics
State: IN
School type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male

Strengths: SAT score, involved at school, plenty of activities, class rank (kinda, small school)
Weaknesses: Weak schedule, small school, uninspiring essays, absolutely no hook

Why I think I got in: SAT score, and I’m pretty involved. Really, strong scores and no glaring weaknesses.

8

ACCEPTED

Mendoza College of Business

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2200 (670 R, 750 M, 780 W)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (34E 35R 35M 31S)
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0UW 6.2W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 12/589
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Human Geography (4), AP Spanish Language (4), AP Calculus BC (5), AP English Language (5), AP US History (4), AP Chemistry (3- didn’t report), AP World History (3-didn’t report)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:AP US Government, AP Statistics, AP English Lit, AP Physics B, AP Environmental Science, Chorus, Yearbook, AP Macro/Microeconomics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Athena Society Young Woman of Promise Finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction, State Math Bowl 3rd Place Calculus Team

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Yearbook (Editor-in-Chief), Chorus (Historian), Service Club (President), Beta Honor Society (President), Varsity Tennis Team (State Champions, Captain), Competitive tennis, NHS, member of 6 honor societies, HOBY delegate, FCA
Job/Work Experience: Babysitting, tutor
Volunteer/Community service: Sunday School Teacher, volunteer with local hospital
Summer Activities: ND Summer Scholars, Volunteer, HOBY,

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Why ND?: 10/10 - wrote about being bred for FSU, but born for ND; gave me a really good hook!
Others: 8/10 - well written and personal, but not amazing

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10: this teacher loves me and was the sponsor of my service club, which I helped reinvent so I think it was really good
Counselor Rec: 10/10: coming from a HUGE public school, this counselor is oddly close with me- made me the president of her club

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Finance and Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): Florida!
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large, public school (>2400 kids!)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Catholic

Reflection

Strengths: test scores, GPA, extracurriculars/leadership positions, essays
Weaknesses: I’m not a legacy and I’m white (no real hook)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think overall I had good marks across the board and spent a LOT of time on my essays
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted to FSU! Haven’t heard from anywhere else

General Comments:
Notre Dame is my dream school and I can’t wait to be there next fall!!!

9

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (740 M, 800 CR, 800 W)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 780 Math II, 800 US History, 780 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
Weighted: 4.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank, but I’m probably the top of my class of about 100
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Euro (5), APUSH (5), AP Lang (5), AP Calc BC (5), AP Physics Mech. (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP French, AP Chem, AP Gov, Multivariable Calculus, Theology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semi-finalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Student body president, sophomore and junior class president, school band, and lots of theatre stuff
Job/Work Experience: Summer internship at an architecture firm
Volunteer/Community service: Medium amount of community service; I wrote my essay about tutoring homeless children
Summer Activities: Johns Hopkins CTY for 6 years
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I thought they were pretty good
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9 or 10/10
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec: 10/10
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: philosophy
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Catholic, all girls
Ethnicity: white
Gender: f
Income Bracket: $250,000 +
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: gpa, test scores, recs, extracurriculars

Weaknesses: no hooks
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: nowhere else yet

10

Results rolling in:

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t send (2100)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (28 sci, 34/35/36 in everything else I’m too lazy to check whoops)
SAT II: 780 US, 730 Bio, 650 Lit (whoops)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): US (5), Bio (4), Lang (5), Gov (5), Macro (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP: calc, lit, psych, enviro, comparative (self study), honors physics, advanced journalism, applied medical research
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): scholarship to prep school but transferred out

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): varsity field hockey (mvp, captain, all-state), varsity track (captain, state finalist), journalism (managing editor and sports writer for local paper), student council, NHS, freshman mentoring, piano, varsity hockey
Job/Work Experience: tutor special needs student daily
Volunteer/Community service: various volunteering in Detroit
Summer Activities: see above. Was also journalism student at Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10- wrote about death of a friend
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Teachers knew me well. Two are amazing writers, other one I could have not gone for but whatever.

Teacher Rec #1: Great
Teacher Rec #2: Great
Counselor Rec:Great
Additional Rec: AMAZING- from newspaper adviser
Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes yes yes
Intended Major: finance
State (if domestic applicant): michigan
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: >140,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection
Stayed true to myself, pursued what I was interested in. I’m a very strong writer and I think that it made my app much stronger
Strengths: Writing, ACT
Weaknesses: no hook
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m a ND type of student and likely to matriculate idk
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Georgetown

General Comments: Good luck and congrats to all!

11

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 750 CR 760 M (1510)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 770 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8-ish
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): US (4) World (3) Psych (5) Language and Comp (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Macro, AP Gov, AP Lit, Honors Calc, Theatre, 4th Year Language
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USSYP (Although I didnt have this on my app at the time)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): ASB Vice-President, Club President, Theatre (Lead Roles 4 years), Glee Club
Job/Work Experience: Tutor for 4 years, work at my HS over the summer the last two years
Volunteer/Community service: Little to none
Summer Activities: YYGS, NDLS, Work
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Supplements were probably an 8 or a 9, I was very happy with them especially why Notre Dame. I would rate my Commonapp at an 8.5-9, a little untraditional/risky of a topic but I’ve gotten nothing but good comments about it
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9-10, my favorite teachers who loved me wrote them and I’ve used their recommendations before and have been accepted everywhere with them

Teacher Rec #1: Great
Teacher Rec #2: Great
Counselor Rec: tbh I have no idea haha, would imagine it was fine since it hasn’t failed me before
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Sub $25,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Low-income, Questbridge, Jewish, USSYP, NDLS

Reflection

Strengths: Testing, Extracurriculars, Resume
Weaknesses: GPA is a little eh
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I imagine NDLS helped A LOT, their admit rate is insanely high
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments: Super grateful to have been accepted to my dream school!

12

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (750 M, 750 CR, 780 W)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 760 Math 1, 760 US, 730 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.2 (school doesn’t give unweighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (5), Spanish (5), Statistics (5), Gov’t and Politics (5), US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Language and Composition, AP Psychology, AP Spanish Lit, AP Macroeconomics, Calculus Acc, Physics Acc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ distinction, Nat’l Merit Semi-finalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Make-A-Wish Club (President), Young Republicans Club (member)
Job/Work Experience: Cashier at supermarket for 3 years
Volunteer/Community service: Catechist at CCD, Servant Leaders Team, Eucharistic Minister, Bridges Teen Committee
Summer Activities: work full time as Cashier
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Why ND (9.5 b/c it was really heartfelt and well written), Fascinating Question (8), What’s broken (7)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Soph Year History Teacher (10, I got a chance to read it and it was amazing)
Teacher Rec #2: Statistics Teacher (no idea, I’m sure it was good but didn’t read)
Counselor Rec: I LOVE my guidance counselor and see her all the time so i’m sure it’s good
Additional Rec: Youth coordinator at my church, she went to Northwestern and is very smart and knows me well so I’m sure it was good
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: History or Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Medium public school, extremely competitive and nationally ranked
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: >200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: Test Scores
Weaknesses: Probably no special talents or major awards
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Strong numerically and I think I was able to convey my love for the school really well
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Deferred at Georgetown, also applied to BC and Villanova

General Comments:
This is my dream school and I couldn’t be more excited!

13

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2200 (700CR, 770M, 730W)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 750 Math II, 730 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2
AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (5), US History (5), Eng Lang and Comp (4), Spanish (3), Chemistry (4).
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ, AP BC Calc, AP Physics 1, AP Bio, AP English Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Soccer (Captain), Science Club (President and Founder), MUN, Lots of volunteer and Church activities, History Club, Spanish Club.
Job/Work Experience: 20 hours of work a week at a grocery store since junior year.
Volunteer/Community service: lots
Summer Activities: work
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Why ND ? 10 (I’m a legacy so my supplements were really personal about my experience with the school and my relationship with my dad.) Question: 10, How can I reach completeness 8. My main essay 10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):10, 9

Teacher Rec #1:10, I do a lot of volunteer work with my AP Chem teacher, so he knows me really well.
Teacher Rec #2: 9, my APUSH teach we got along really well.
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Chemistry or Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Catholic, Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, grades, activities
Weaknesses: probably test scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I felt pretty confident due to Legacy on top of being qualified in my opinion
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

14

ACCEPTED

Mendoza School of Business

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33 C, 34 Superscore - 36 Science, 36 Reading, 29 Math 35 English
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio (4), English (5 on both), APUSH (5), Micro (4), Physics 1, Gov, Psych, Calc AB
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 1, AP Gov, AP Psych, AP Calc AB, Team Sports, Cont. Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Badger Boys State

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Key Club (Officer 11)
DECA (Leadership team 10, Officer 11-12) District Champion (9-11), State Champion (9,11), National Qualifier (9,11)
Student Council (Class Vice President 10-12), Link Crew, 11-12, Athletes Committed, 10-12, Class Representative, (VP), School Board Planning Committee Member, 11-12, Football Leadership Committee, 10-12, Sun Prairie Young Life, 10-12, National Honor Society, Parliamentarian, 11-12, History Club, 12, Football, Track, Hockey
Job/Work Experience: Delivery Driver 15+ hours a week
Volunteer/Community service: 400+ hours, local food pantry, younglife
Summer Activities: Worked on farm (40 hours a week), Volunteer
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10/10, had current students help me - very awesome topics
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 10/10, Teacher said she wished her sons would grow up to be like me

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: N/A
Counselor Rec: 9/10, Never read it
Additional Rec:
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: In process
Intended Major: Finance
State (if domestic applicant): Wisconsin
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public, Large
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150,000 +, Divorced parents
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy, Essays were so important

Reflection

Strengths: Leadership, Extracurriculars, Teacher Recs, Essays
Weaknesses: GPA/Class Rank
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’ve been working for this my entire life.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted St. Norbert, Georgetown, Boston College

General Comments:

This is the best day of my life. If you put the work in, you will be rewarded most of the time, but its honestly a crap shoot.

15

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): 32: 36 math, 35 English, 29 Reading, 29 Science
SAT II: nopes
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Ap Economics, DE Calc, Ap Physics AP chem Ap English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
National Merit Semifinalist
Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4 year varsity Starter basketball (captain Junior and Senior year), Sophomore Cross Country All District, Special Needs Basketball Coach, Green Team (VP), Stuco NHS ect. Kairos Leader, Lead panel on Board of Special Needs Education at my School
Job/Work Experience: Summer job, ware house worker
Volunteer/Community service: tutoring students with special needs, coaching special needs basketball, soup kitchen, well over 150 hours
Summer Activities: Basketball during the summer, went to Engineering camp @Missouri S&T (sounds like fun right?)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, thought it was pretty good. It was good content atleast, I wrote about my experiences with special needs education.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: was probably pretty good! Had a lot of support from both recommenders and they both were very experienced recommendation writers
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec: our counsellor was new but she asked around and I think she wrote a good rec too
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Mech Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Missouri
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Catholic co-ed
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: extracurriculars, volunteer activities, essays
Weaknesses: ACT
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I was accepted because of my extracurriculars in combination with my scores and leaderships
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

16

Congrats to everyone who got in!!! I’m so happy for you guys!!! Also thanks for sharing those information; these are great references for RD applicants (like me) :wink:

17

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 33 composite, 34 english, 34 math, 35 reading, 30 science, 31 writing
SAT II: n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): school doesn’t do unweighted, 4.133 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/563
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem (3), Lang (3), World (3), Calc BC (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP U.S. Govt/Politics, AP Literature, AP Physics 1, Multivariable Calculus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honor

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Cross Country and Track (captain for two years, league and state medallist), Happy Healthy Club (Vice President and Co-Founder of a club at my school committed to promoting healthy lifestyles), Science Club (Treasurer, State Champion in Science Olympiad), Mu Alpha Theta (Corresponding Secretary), National Honor Society (member), Piano student for 6 years, school newspaper (Photography Editor), Math team member
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: Leo club (Treasurer), Lunch Buddies program (eat lunch twice a week with my school’s special education students), George B. Carter Serteens Club of Hawaii (Vice President of Finance and Recording Secretary, a service club made up of gifted and talented students from schools throughout the state)
Summer Activities: Local youth summer track club coach (volunteered to coach aspiring runners ages 4-13)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common app essay (9, wrote about my development as a runner and how the sport has taught me to be more lighthearted and not so serious all the time), required Notre Dame prompt about why you want to attend (7, wrote about how Notre Dame’s family-oriented environment would suit me well since I grew up in a very small state-Hawaii), first chosen prompt about what makes you incomplete (8, wrote about how I never set aside time to enjoy myself and how I’m always focused on the future and don’t get to “live in the moment”), second chosen prompt about what’s broken and how I would fix it (7, wrote about people’s disregard for the environment and my desire to help companies develop more sustainable operation strategies since I applied as a chemical engineering major)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Teacher Rec (9/10, written by my former AP Calc BC and current Multivariable Calc teacher, said I was one of his brightest students he’s ever known, and he’s been teaching for a while), Other Rec (never read it so can’t say anything about the details, but it was written by my track and cross country coach who is like a second father to me, so I’d assume it was pretty good)

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10, written by my former AP Calc BC and current Multivariable Calc teacher, said I was one of his brightest students he’s ever known, and he’s been teaching for a pretty long time
Teacher Rec #2: n/a
Counselor Rec: 8/10, pretty cookie-cutter counselor letter (similar to my resume, but it was still good)
Additional Rec: Never read it so can’t say anything about the details, but it was written by my track and cross country coach who is like a second father to me, so I’d assume it was pretty good
Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: not yet?
Intended Major: Chemical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Hawaii
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: Public, approximately 2500 students
Ethnicity: White, Asian, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: High ~190,000 to 200,000 per year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not much but an ethnic minority, come from a very unique environment (Hawaii)

Reflection

Strengths: extracurriculars, ethnicity, volunteer, essays
Weaknesses: AP scores, GPA could be considered kind of low
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Lots of leadership positions and a state-caliber athlete
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: only submitted two other apps but did not receive a decision, did not submit a lot of apps because I was waiting on ND decision

General Comments: This is my dream school and I’m so excited!!!

18

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective: Accepted
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 33 composite (English-35, math-33 reading-32 Science-31)
SAT II: US History - 760 Math 2 - 780 Math 1 - 730 World History - 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): It is a 4.27 weighted, don’t know UW but I had straight As with the exception of 3 A-s and two B+s
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a, if I had to guess I would say somewhere from top 10-top5, but I go to a very rigorous and well-known school

AP (place score in parenthesis):World History (5), US History (5), Statistics (5), Physics 1 (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):n/a
Senior Year Course Load:AP US Gov/Politics, APES, AP Physics C, Human anatomy & physiology, English 12 HN, Phychology, AP AB Calc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): President’s Volunteer Service Award, Eagle Scout, Academic letters, Excellence in APUSH (only given to one kid per year)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Boy Scouts (Senior Patrol Leader – like President in a troop of 70 kids), National HS, Young Republicans Club (President), Social Interact Club (Treasurer), Spanish HS, Math HS

Job/Work Experience:Worked for 2 political campaigns, worked as a dining server at an assisted living home, worked for 5 years as a baseball umpire, currently work as a manager for a safe company (lead a team of 16 peers)

Volunteer/Community service: President’s Volunteer Service Award, did over 500 hours in Scouts and led most of the projects, volunteering for NHS, went on a service trip one summer, assistant teacher for a religious ed class

Summer Activities: Interned on Capital Hill, went on a service trip once

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app - 9. I am not a great writer, but I worked extremely hard on it and started it with a perfect anecdote tied to my service trip (though it was NOT a generic service trip essay),

Why ND essay - 8 - I tried to do alot in just 250 words, but I made it VERY clear that ND is and has always been my top choice. I discussed the things I liked (mentioned the sense of community and common drive to serve on top of ample research opportunities, etc). I was fairly specific and cited specific examples of programs at ND.

The social media essay - 8 I talked about a video I shared about Danelle Green (look her up if you don’t know it, she’s incredible) and how I encompass the values that she discussed

Academic question – 9 Essay on ‘what is knowledge?’ I tried to show a more academic side here, it was awesome

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9. My physics teacher loves me and told me he “pulled out all the stops” on the rec and made it very clear that he put a lot into it.
Teacher Rec #2: n/a
Counselor Rec:7 - My only interactions with her were changing my schedule and other boring stuff, but she liked me and thought I was a fantastic student
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: none

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Undecided
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 250+ combined
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not a recruited athlete and not a legacy. So for everyone thinking that if you don’t have those things than your screwed, don’t worry about what you can’t control! I stressed over this a lot but it really is insignificant if you have a well-rounded profile.

Reflection

Strengths: Top leader in almost every organization, very dedicated to service, very solid essays and teacher recs. I also emailed my counselor a couple of times (sent a resume and asked a question), and I met her twice at my school and I think I left a solid impression on her. My ACT and grades fit in the average profile for an accepted student. Also, I’ve had plenty of work and internship experience which surprisingly most kids do not. I guess it shows commitment.

Weaknesses: No legacy, not recruited for a sport

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Aside from what I listed in “strengths,” I cannot stress how important demonstrated interest is at Notre Dame. It is without a doubt the ultimate factor for them. If you make it very clear in your essays that ND is your number 1 choice and perhaps contact your admissions counselor, you will be in a stronger position.

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: So far just heard from BC, accepted.

General Comments:
Don’t freak out, ND admissions is kinda subjective. If you are well-rounded (great grades/test scores, lots of extracurricular dedication and leadership, great essays and demonstrated interest), than you are in good shape. Please DM me if you have any questions or would like any advice. I’d be more than willing to look over essays or give suggestions as well. Congrats to everyone that has already been accepted!

19

Decision: Accepted

School Applied To: Arts and Sciences

Objective:

  • [] SAT I (breakdown): 2160 (740 Reading, 720 Math, 700 Writing)
    [    ] ACT: 35
    [] SAT II: 760 Biology M, 760 Math II, 690 US History
    [    ] Unweighted GPA (4.0 scale): 4.0
    [] Weighted GPA (4.0 scale): 4.74
    [    ] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t report (I’m ranked 6/250ish but no colleges will ever know that)
    [] AP: English Lang (5), Biology (4), US History (4), Chemistry (3)
    [    ] IB: N/A
    [] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 1, AP US Government/Politics, AP Calculus AB, AP English Lit, Spanish 4, Theology 4, World Religions
    [    ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:

  • [] Extracurriculars: JV/Varsity/Club Volleyball (Team captain multiple times), Speech and Debate (Team captain, won many tournaments, did well at many more), Business Investment Club, Students for Others Club (Service club; President)
    [    ] Job/Work Experience: Swim Coach (2 yrs), Lifeguard (2 yrs), Busser at Country Club, Private Tutor (5 yrs)
    [] Volunteer/Community service: Worked at assisted living home, worked with the homeless at various locations, went on an immersion to Mexico
    [    ] Summer Activities: Service trip to Mexico, rec swim team, summer jobs, family trips
    [] Essays: Pretty good, don’t think they stand out too much but they accurately represent who I am so that’s good
    [    ] Teacher Recommendation: One from my AP Lang teacher which is probably really good, the other from my AP Calc teacher which might not be as good but who knows
    [] Counselor Rec: Probably really good, she loves me
    [    ] Additional Rec: Speech and Debate Coach = 10/10, the only one I got to read

Other

[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: Biology
[] State (if domestic applicant): California
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Jesuit, Catholic, private
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: $150,000-$200,000
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Jesuit High School, not much else I guess[/li][/ul]

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: Test scores, GPA, extracurriculars
[] Weaknesses: Essays were probably pretty generic
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred: I’m a pretty well rounded and successful guy. If anything stands out, it’s my accomplishments in Speech and Debate.[/li][/ul]

General Comments: Very excited

20

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 2070, lol! (680 R/610 M (super bad at testing in math)/780 W/10 E)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Did not send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank/Percentile: 1/182
AP (place score in parentheses): AP World History (5), AP Psychology (5), AP Statistics (3, oops! Got an A on the final exam, though!), AP English Language (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP French Language, mandatory theology class, AP US History, AP Physics (1 and 2 crammed into 1 year), AP English Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholar Commended, but that is about it besides some debate awards or school-level recognition.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Mock Trial program founder/team captain/Head Plaintiff Counsel
Varsity Golf
Junior State of America (Cabinet position)
Student government: homeroom representative for 3 years and Co-Class President the other (there were 2 of us)
Advanced Concert Choir for as many years as we have had the program
Varsity Policy or CX Debate (went to State and won some speaking awards at a national tournament)
Harry Potter Club Co-President
National Honor Society Officer

Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: 300+ hours with Campfire USA, some other local events throughout the years
Summer Activities: Some work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Economics for Leaders (10/10 would recommend!), French cultural immersion experience, did Golf Camp one time (hilarious), performed at Carnegie Hall with my school’s choir.
Essays: Hard to gauge but Common App ~9/10, “Why Notre Dame” 7/10, Hesburgh essay about feminism and why it matters to me 8/10, “What question fascinates you” 8.5/10.
Teacher Recommendations: One from my Mock Trial coach/English 11 teacher and one from my French teacher/NHS supervisor. I waived my right to read them, but I have a good relationship with both teachers.
Counselor Rec: Also waived my right to read this, but we have a solid relationship.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Was going to.
Projected Concentration: Political Science
State/Country: WA
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: XX
Income Bracket: $200k + between two households
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None whatsoever!

Reflection
Strengths: Essays and commitment to my ECs.
Weaknesses: TEST SCORES!!!
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Test scores and just an overall lack of hooks or anything relevant to them. I am sad but am taking solace in the fact that I don’t have to wait until the next round if it is a definite no.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: State flagships (accepted), Notre Dame EA (rejected), Georgetown SFS EA (deferred), UMichigan LSA EA (also deferred). RD: USC, Berkeley, UCLA, Wake Forest, American, Boston College, Johns Hopkins, Brown, Cornell
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
Congratulations to everyone who was accepted!!

To all those who are deferred: I know it is frustrating (I have three of them) but I am trying to stay positive and wish everyone the best!

To all those rejected: Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to this process (look at my stats and decisions!), but know that we will all end up where we are meant to end up!

To future applicants: At the end of the day the process is so random that it is best to stay true to yourself. I spent years trying to guess what the AdCom wanted to see on paper, and I finally realized at the beginning of this year that I needed to just be me. All of you are amazing individuals who will change the world in some way and will end up at the right school for YOU! Admissions can be a tough pill to swallow but if you do your best and keep working on those grades and test scores, you should feel accomplished for even trying!