Please chance me (don't go easy on me)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Notre Dame
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<p>Currently a Junior, will be applying to Notre Dame. I'm Asian and will be the 1st generation in my family to attend college. </p>

<p>OUT OF STATE applicant. </p>

<p>I took the toughest courses my school had to offer each year.
Freshman and Sophomore Year: Overall weighted average was about a 98.50
Junior Year: Advanced Pre-Calc, AP Chemistry, AP US History, AP English Language, Spanish III Honors.
Currently, my weighted GPA for the Junior year should be around 101-102, depending how I finish.
Senior Year: I plan to take AP Physics, AP English Literature, Spanish IV Honors, BC Calculus, AP Psychology. </p>

<p>SAT: Taken three times thus far.
1st time: 630 CR 720 M 780 WR
2nd time: 640 CR 770 M 720 WR
3rd time: 660 CR 690 M 710 WR</p>

<p>Best Single Score: 2130
Best Super Score: 2210
*Will my inconsistency on separate test dates be a problem for me? </p>

<p>Assume my AP tests for this year aren't phenomenal (I think I may have bombed Chemistry [score:2-3]) </p>

<p>Sports: Fencing (4 years), Crew/Rowing (3 years) -- Varsity in both </p>

<p>Clubs: President of Asian Culture Club, President of Liberty in North Korea, member of the Newspaper Club </p>

<p>Honor Societies: Math (Vice President), English, Spanish, National (Secretary)</p>

<p>Class President - hopefully four years
*It is it better to be a Student Council VP over Class President? Student Council President is out of the question</p>

<p>Service: Hospital (100+ hours), Science Museum (120 hours)</p>

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<p>BUMP</p>

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<p>for the fencing: have you talked to the coaches? do you have a rating or junior ranking?</p>

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<p>No, I’m not rated. Fencing is more for fun, nothing serious. Anyone else who comes across this, please leave an opinion. Thanks for reading!</p>

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<p>What is your UW GPA on a 4.0 scale? </p>

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<p>State residence does not matter. Notre Dame is a private school.</p>

<p>You’re SAT reading is a little low. But don’t retake it because taking it a 4th time would not do you any good. Instead try to ACT. My SAT reading was 590, but my ACT reading was 32. Try it next fall and see what happens. And no inconsistency among sections will not be a huge problem for you.</p>

<p>Don’t sweat the AP scores. I got into Notre Dame having scores of 3, 4, 4, 4, and 4 when I applied. And your strength of schedule is good.</p>

<p>The thing that I think will be holding you back the most (disregarding essays and letters of rec) are your ECs. I don’t think you have anything substantial. Many people play sports, are involved in more than 3 clubs, and volunteer. Most people who apply to ND do more outside of school than that, with more impressive activities. Most applicants would be smart enough to be in honors societies too, so that does not do much for you. You need something that relates to what you want to do. Something you feel passionate about. I don’t see that, so I think ECs will hold you back.</p>

<p>To answer your question, Student Council VP would probably be more impressive because you are responsible for the entire school, but I honestly don’t think one or the other will make any difference at all. Just do what you would rather do. </p>

<p>To sum it up, you are qualified academically, but don’t have much else going for you. To best increase your chances start the essays early (in August) and spend much time on them. Then hope for killer letters of rec. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Unfortunately, 50% of students who fit in the mid 50% are denied. Notre Dame doesn’t look at Writing, so the 1430 is pretty weak. Also, you need some Subject tests if you’re submitting SAT. good luck man, but I’d definitely take some ACT tests and subject tests, and apply regular admissions.</p>

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<p>ND does not require subject tests unless you are applying as a homeschooled student.</p>

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<p>Why wouldn’t I apply early action? I’m freaking out now; I’m seeing no hope for me to get into ND with a 1430 two part…</p>

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<p>1460 was the median score for the Class of 2016, and Notre Dame has grown more competitive each year. I’d do some practice for the critical reading section, if you can manage 780’s and 770’s you can definitely bring that up. Does your school give you your class rank? that’s easier to chance with than GPA</p>

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<p>No my school doesn’t rank. But I’m probably like 4th or 5th. High 700’s are almost impossible for me and I don’t feel comfortable taking it a fourth time. I might just take the ACT twice in September and October and hope for the best. All my other stuff wouldn’t help me get into ND despite my low two part…? </p>

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<p>ACT’s may help, but when Notre Dame accepts students EA, they’re looking for students who will fill their top 50% of the incoming class. if you get say a 34 or higher on the ACT it may be worth while to apply early, but otherwise you may get denied early action and not get looked at in regular, where you stand a better chance.</p>

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<p>DD got in EA with comparable SAT Scores. She went to a very small school that does not rank, but all students to to college. I believe she had a very strong essays and recommendations. She was very involved in multiple varsity sports, was an all-state athlete (but will not be playing at collegiate level), involved in school leadership and some outside extra-curricular activities. Because so many highly qualified students apply, I really do think the essays can be a very important part of your application.</p>

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<p>I don’t agree with @IliketoFence If you apply early and are qualified they will still accept you. If they are unsure they will defer you. They will only reject you if they feel you are not qualified/a good fit for the school. Why would they reject someone EA that they accept RD? That does not make sense.</p>

<p>When I was applying last year I had concerns about applying EA, but admissions told me that there is no difference between EA and RD other than when you hear back. If you are accepted early you would be accepted RD as well. If you are rejected EA then you probably would have been rejected RD. I personally applied early with a 33 ACT and was accepted, so you really don’t need a 34+. </p>

<p>Only apply early if it is your best application. If you need to retake tests, get better grades first semester senior year, more time on the essays, etc then don’t apply early. In that case it would work against you to apply early. But if you are satisfied with your app then apply EA. It WILL NOT work against you to do so.</p>

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<p>The good thing about ND is they do look at SAT super score and you have a great score. You can take the ACT (I would suggest without writing). That’s what I did and I scored my highest test score cause I felt I didn’t have to worry about taking an hour to write an essay at the end of it. Also ND does accept the ACT without writing. As for AP scores don’t worry. I applied EA for Class of 2018, got in, and I had a 4 on Eng Lang and a 2 on APUSH. I would focus on the essays. I talked to an admissions counselor when I was there earlier this year, and he said one of the essays I wrote really won him over. Be confident about your essays and write about what makes you you. As for ECs you have some good ones. They’ll like the athletics and community service for sure (PS I’m a rower as well :D). As for the difference between applying Early and Regular, ND stresses this a lot and they are not lying, if you have the strongest application you can present at the time of Early Action, then apply Early Action. Do not constrain yourself to numbers though. If you’re in range and you don’t plan on testing again or if one more semester won’t boost your grades, you should really consider EA. As for the “you need a 34 or higher to get in during the Early Action Pool” myth, I had a 33 and got in. ND is looking for smart people, but they’re also looking for people who show themselves in the application process. It’s not just numbers with them. The best advice I can give during the application process is enjoy it and really show yourself through the essays! :slight_smile: Hope this helps :)</p>