Decision: Accepted
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size]**
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (770 math, 740 critical reading/writing)
ACT (breakdown): not reported (scored 33)
SAT II: not reported (scored 710 Math 2, 710 Physics, 710 Math 1, 750 US History)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (school doesn’t weigh grades)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): (school doesn’t rank) top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP World (3), AP Euro (4), AP Lit (4), AP US (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): not applicable
Senior Year Course Load: AP Government and Politics, Religion 101, Mandarin Chinese 4, English 12, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): LeMoyne College Heights Award, Town of West Seneca Merit Award, National Merit Commended, Moog Inc. Award
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
- designed a website that allows Buffalo, NY’s youth to connect with service opportunities in their area
- petitioned my town and raised $2000 to establish a memorial for my friend who passed away suddenly due to a rare hear condition
- commissioner of my town’s Environmental Commission
- student body president
- Chinese Culture Club founder
- volunteer peer tutor
- indoor/outdoor track and field
- cross country
- ice hockey
- soccer
- Freshman Retreat planning team
- piano student
Job/Work Experience:
- work at parochial school doing maintenance (part-time, 12 hrs./week, started as freshman, currently employed)
- math/SAT tutor (part-time, 2-4 hrs./week, started junior year, currently employed)
- worked at ice cream place over summer (part-time, 5-10 hrs./week, worked sophomore and junior year summer)
Volunteer/Community service:
- high school requires service as graduation requirement (20 hrs. freshman, 30 hrs. sophomore, 40 hrs. junior, 50 hrs. senior)
- immersion trip to the Dominican Republic for 11 days, installed 2 miles of water pipeline with 7 classmates, lived in village with family (June end of junior year)
Summer Activities:
- going into junior year: robotic surgery internship through Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Junior Robotic Surgery Challenge, won the competition with my team
- going into senior year: civil engineering internship at the University at Buffalo
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
- What Excites You About Notre Dame (8/10)
- Civil Rights; wrote about the difference between de jure v. de facto discrimination (10/10)
- Chance to Take A Risk; wrote about my first day at Notre Dame, the risk being implying I knew I would attend; compared my home to my home at ND (11/10)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: junior math teacher; known two years, superb (10/10)
Teacher Rec #2: junior english teacher; known two years, superb (9/10)
Counselor Rec: very close, person I’m closest with (solid 10/10)
Additional Rec: not applicable
Interview: not applicable
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: finance (accepted into Mendoza)
State (if domestic applicant): New York
Country (if international applicant): not applicable
School Type: Jesuit (Roman Catholic), urban
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: $200,000 (both parents earn around $100,000)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): no legacy, third-generation college student
Reflection
Strengths: positive correlation of grades, strongest year was junior year, cumulative averages of each year are as followed (freshman- 94.5%, sophomore- 96%, junior- 98.5%); essays were from the heart (family has always loved ND but no one has ever been able to get in/afford it); top notch recommendations
Weaknesses: no legacy; parents both college educated; resume gives the impression of “padding” when really I was genuinely involved in my activities; ranked 18/210 because my school doesn’t weigh grades
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I was accepted because my application was genuine and I had the opportunity to meet my admissions counselor and introduce myself when he came to visit my school. I used nuances of ND in my essays such as Grotto, Touchdown Jesus, etc. (the cliche stuff) but gave it more meaning than typical. I’m a little surprised that I was accepted EA into Mendoza. 3 of my classmates were also admitted early with me into Mendoza.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: University at Buffalo Honors, Pitt Honors
General Comments: I don’t mean to flaunt my application/acceptance, but hope that doing so will help someone that will apply regular what to look out for. Well-roundedness is more important than anything else and grades are not everything. Notre Dame forms students with a wholesome education, so one must expect that they are looking for well-rounded students that will be receptive to such an education.
