<p>okay so i am a highschool junior girl and i am exremely interested in going to Notre Dame after i graduate. I have a couple of questions concerning my chances and about the school in general.
Chances?
I have a 4.1 GPA weighted and 4.0 unweighted
I have only taken the ACT once and got a 27 compostite with no studying, and i choked on math and am realistically expecting a 29-31 after a summer course.
I am in all honors classes and am a year ahead of my junior class.
i am on student senate and the exec board, student rep on school board, in math league, NHS, investment club, and i volunteer in a memory care unit.
Sports are my passion however.
I have been on varsity vb all four years, am the hockey manager and on varsity track.
I know my act is low but that leads me to my next question, i have heard that moreso with ND than other elite schools, involement in activites is looked at more than acedemics? I am wondering if that is true because i have heard of many more people getting in to ND with lower scores or GPAs than to other similar schools.
Also, right now i have my heart set on going to ND, but i have heard that you either love it or hate it. no inbetween. what type of person would hate it? the weather isnt an issue for me cause i am from northern minnesota, but what are the other big tunoffs to ND?
thank you for your time!</p>
<p>Well you sound like the typical ND student. Your GPA is great and sports are a plus and EC’s arent awful.</p>
<p>However, ND looks A LOT on the ACT score. A 32 is on the lower side of the ND range (33 is probably about average). Have you tried the SAT? Some people do better on that.</p>
<p>
Your ACT is low, though it will be better if you can get it into the 30s. You said all honors, but does that mean you haven’t taken any AP/IB/DE? Are you in the most challenging courses your school offers?</p>
<p>Notre Dame is an academically rigorous institution with very selective admissions, so academics matter a great deal. However, I will share my experience.</p>
<p>I didn’t really hope to get in, since I knew I wouldn’t. My GPA was too low (3.65), and my class rank (24/394), while good, wasn’t top 1% or anything. I have other options lined up, so I didn’t really worry about it and just sent the application in “because.”</p>
<p>But then I was surprised. Despite my lack of confidence in getting in, I had spent a couple hours on the three short essays, making them as good as I could. I feel certain that these were the reason I got in, as they really showed who I was beyond just a stat block. My SAT was 2280, which certainly helped, but could not truly balance my GPA (though I feel that they took my sharp upward GPA trend into account).</p>
<p>I don’t feel like the most deserving admit, but I think my case shows that they do look at things very holistically. However, my schedule was rigorous, and my 3.65 GPA included a 3.95 for junior and senior years. They won’t let you in if they don’t think you can succeed, but most people who can succeed still aren’t let in, because they have so many. You really have to jump out, and essays, activities, and recommendations are the place to do this.</p>
<p>
The complaints I hear the most are weather (cold), location (South Bend), and strong Catholic atmosphere (for those who do not like it). If you want to be somewhere always warm, or in a big city, or somewhere that doesn’t have a strong religious atmosphere, it probably isn’t the best place for you.</p>
<p>yes, my ACT score is what i am most worried about. i know i will raise it but still its a concern…and yes i am taking the most difficult classes i can but our school doesnt have very many AP options. it is mostly just honors or weighted classes that have an optional AP exam at the end but hardly anyone takes them.
Do you think i would stnad a better chance if i turned in an SAT? hardly anyone takes the SAT up here so i didnt know if it would be worth it. i could travel and take it somewhere else though.
…oh and i dont know if this makes a difference but i am also 3rd in a class of 200 and am class VP.</p>
<p>Try ordering the Official SAT Practice Book, if you can, and see how you do on the practice tests. If it’s much better, then it’s worth it.</p>
<p>It’s good that your taking challenging courses, and being 3/200 is good as well.</p>
<p>It’s not that ND looks at test scores and GPA’s LESS than other highly selective schools. Most applicants have VERY high stats, so ND really looks at the things that tell who you are as a person that will make you a good fit for the school. Social concerns, volunteer work, effort put into academics and serious athletics (like taking hard classes and staying with a sport for several years) are important. A perfect SAT and 4.5 GPA will lose out to lower stats with serious community involvement that makes difference in many cases. The essays are SO important because they really are read, and they will tell why you are a good fit for the school, so don’t blow them off. I think this is why nearly everyone comes back for sophomore year and graduates in four years. The admissions people do a really good job of choosing applicants who fit the school even if they can’t take everyone who would be a good fit. It’s why my parents want me to go there, because they know I will be with people who are committed to graduating on time!</p>
<p>Does it make a difference which test i submit? ACT or SAT?</p>
<p>
There is no preference.</p>