Notre Dame (Legacy) Early Action or Regular Decision?

As a senior who is in the final stages of completing his college applications (Common App section complete, just finishing up essays), I was wondering if I should apply Early Action or Regular Decision to Notre Dame? It is my second choice behind UCLA. The reason I am reluctant is because of ND’s REA pool being significantly more competitive than the RD pool, and I am afraid of getting denied outight if I apply REA due to being viewed in the context of crazy high GPAs and 1500+ SATs. I am also debating on taking the SAT or ACT one more time, but still iffy because of UC schools requiring all SAT scores (hurts me if I do worse on my fourth attempt). Here is my info to be seen by adcoms:

Race: African-American & White
Residence: California
Legacy Status: Mom’s alma mater, total of 11 alumni relatives
UW GPA (9-12): 3.9
W GPA (9-12): 4.3
SAT Composite: 1420
SAT Superscore: 1430
8 AP Classes: European History, Lang, Physics 1, US History, Spanish, Calc AB, Biology, Literature
Intended major: Pre-Med or Neuroscience & Behavior
Strong essays (particularly common app essay about affirming my passion for studying the human mind as a result of helping a child with bipolar disorder at summer STEM camp, “Why Notre Dame” essay strong as well)

Extracurriculars:
-Student government 3 years (Senior year elected student rep. for various committees like School Board, PTSO, etc.)
-Varsity tennis for 4 years (2-time captain)
-Lead guitarist at my church, entertainment at parties and school carnival, played for 9 years
-STEM empowerment club 3 years, worked as mentor at summer STEM Camp in another state
-Best Buddies club for 3 years (ASB Liaison and Secretary)
-Sports Medicine club for 2 years
-Peer (math) tutor for 1 year (senior year)

What is ND’s policy regarding legacy? Some schools want legacy applicants to apply early, others do not make early application a requirement. EA is non-binding, so I only see it as an advantage in this case. If they think you’re on the cusp, they’ll defer you to the RD round, but I think you are a solid match for Notre Dame.

I would not take the SAT a fourth time. Have you taken the ACT?

@collegebound509 Suggest to reach out to your regional ND AO as legacy student, in order to discuss your personal REA vs. RD situation. Your UW & W GPA puts you in the range for REA, on the other hand SAT scores are currently at the low end for a successful REA application and you therefore might possibly be deferred to RD anyway. As suggested above, I would seek input from your AO in person or over the phone, if possible. Best of luck!

I have taken the ACT but am considering taking the December ACT just one time to see if I could somehow pull a lucky 33 or higher (given that a 1420 translates to a 33 ACT), worse case scenario I get lower and don’t send it at all, thank you for the advice!

I know that legacy is used at ND in particular as a tie-breaker that gives equally qualified applicants an advantage who are also legacy. Only reason I would be concerned is because of test scores, it is a question of my extracurriculars, essays, and letters of rec being able to outweigh my subpar SATs.

@collegebound509 Based on the SAT/ACT Conversion Chart, a 1410 Composite Score and 1430 SAT Super Score will compare as follows with the ACT:

New SAT Composite Score__ ACT Composite Score

     1450-1480__________________33
     1420-1440__________________32
     1390-1410__________________31

As you mentioned, an ACT Score 33 or SAT Score 1450 or above will therefore provide additional support for your forthcoming Notre Dame REA or RD legacy application (ND Mid 50% 33-35 ACT). All success!

“I am afraid of getting denied outight if I apply REA due to being viewed in the context of crazy high GPAs and 1500+ SATs.”

IMHO, it is an urban myth that a denied REA applicant would have been an accepted RD applicant (had they only applied RD). The only reason to wait to apply RD is if your application will be better later (higher test scores, better essays, etc.).

But let’s talk about the huge thing not mentioned in the other posts so far – you are an African American legacy applicant. That’s pretty much a unicorn in ND’s applicant pool. I suspect your test scores (a smidge above the 25th percentile) are good enough just based on AA status. Even more so if you are an AA male. Add in legacy and you may be close to a slam dunk.

Since UCLA is your top choice, I’d do whatever makes sense to burnish your UCLA application to the fullest. If you decide to do some more testing for UCLA purposes, then maybe wait to apply to ND so you potentially could use a higher score. But I’d say apply REA to ND – getting feedback early will only help your process.

Good luck!

I would definitely apply REA. I am well aware of the cautioning that ND admissions officers provide as to the “higher bar” in REA vs. RD but I am not wholly convinced on this. Admission rates are substantially higher in REA vs. RD at Notre Dame. While this could be explained by any number of factors (higher quality applicant pool, legacies, recruited athletes, etc.), I do not think that a well qualified applicant is truly at a higher risk of outright rejection in REA vs. RD. Such applicants will get deferred to RD. More importantly, as a legacy, NOT applying REA may risk sending a message that Notre Dame is not a priority school for you (rightly or wrongly) - again despite what you may hear from the admissions officers. You appear to be a strong candidate other than your SAT scores which are not likely to increase substantially at this point. I see no reason why your application will be stronger for RD than for REA. So go for it! As northwesty has noted, as an African American legacy applicant, I think you not only have a great chance to get accepted REA but almost no chance to get rejected in that round.

FWIW…I think you will undoubtedly be admitted to UCLA based on your GPA and profile (having gone through this process with my son who is/was a CA resident).

Best of luck.

Thanks to all who replied for the advice, I applied early and was accepted!!!

Congratulations @collegebound509!