<p>I really like my common app essay, so I plan on using it for my Notre Dame application. I have changed it a little, so at the end, I say why I want to do engineering at Notre Dame, but I dosn't really say why I belong at Notre Dame, just why I want to be an engineer...</p>
<p>I know that ND is big on school passion, so is it bad if my essay doesn't talk about me at ND (it is on hunting and farming). I have been to the ND pre college summer camp, which I think that they use as a recriter to show interest. What I was going to do was in the extra 150 essay section, just right about how I lived at ND, took classes, and felt I belonged etc....so that section whould cover the school passion that my common app essay might lack.</p>
<p>Do you think this is ok...or is a desire to go to ND really needed to be shown in the main essay only?</p>
<p>Farming could be good...I doubt it's a topic on which they receive many essays. Something like that could make you memorable from the stack of thousands of essays they receive on belonging at ND.</p>
<p>My S's essay last year was about his passion for his goat herd. He's a freshman at ND now. He used the same essay on every other ap too and had very good results.</p>
<p>"Farming could be good...I doubt it's a topic on which they receive many essays." < I beg to differ. Considering that the greatest percentage of their applicants come from the midwest, a HUGE farm area, I would assume that that is a fairly common topic. But whatever, if you can present it well, I'd say go for it.</p>
<p>Notre Dame is unique in its identity and vision, among any other universities. I don't think failure to adequately convey that will rule anyone out. I do think, however, that an expression of how much the vision means to you and why you feel you want to be a part of it is definitely going to work to your advantage.</p>
<p>vc08, do you ever stop insulting entire swaths of our country? I recall you doing this awhile back. Rule one, it is best not to speak about that you do not know. The world is bigger than California...</p>
<p>vc08-If you beg to differ, that's ok. However, I LIVE in northern Indiana. Jvon is correct. Most students from the midwest are from suburbia. There is a great deal of farmland in the midwest. There are NOT a great deal of farmers. Very few ND students are from a rural, working farm background.</p>
<p>If it hasn't changed since last year, admissions does not seem to care what your essay is about. You don't have to pander to ND to get in. I didn't.</p>
<p>Your essay is still very important--I would not blow it off! It could mean the difference between you and someone like you with very similar stats in terms of being accepted!</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses...but to clear things up... I am not from the Midwest... and the majority of my essay is about hunting, and only references living on a farm and working with animals. </p>
<p>And I am going to write an essay about the vision and philosphy of ND, but in my extra essay. I just feel that I would "taint" my essay to add all this "Ode to ND" stuff, not that I don't love ND.</p>
<p>So my question is not really whether the ND passion start is necessary, but whether it would be ok to put in the extra essay section or if that is weird.</p>
<p>If you attended one of the summer programs, consider mentioning it! You might also consider any professors that interested you during your summer program stay.</p>
<p>We attended an admissions information session on campus a few weeks ago, and the young woman making the presentation asked, "How many of you have seen 'Rudy?'" (Nearly every hand went up). Then she said: "Don't give us the 'Rudy' essay. We know that Notre Dame is an amazing place, so you don't need to tell us how great it is. We want to hear about YOU."</p>
<p>"The world is bigger than California..."< wow, the more i try to help people, the more i dislike some of the notre dame parents and students. is it (seriously now), that narrow-minded of a university that i'm going to be beaten for expressing my opinion? i don't think i did it in an offensive manner. THAT'S WHAT A ND ADMISSIONS OFFICER TOLD ME ABOUT THAT TOPIC. SO I'M JUST TRYING TO GIVE HIM HELPFUL INFORMATION THAT MIGHT AID HIM IN ADMISSIONS.</p>
<p>"Rule one, it is best not to speak about that you do not know."< true. and you don't know me. so don't you dare judge my intentions or knowledge about places. this summer alone, i drove through the entire states of wisconsin, indiana, illinois, and michigan. not to mention that i have a TON of family in ohio, whom i visit frequently. perhaps you should take a step back and consider that those around you are not of a lower level, regardless of where they're from. fyi: CA isn't some little hippy state with ignorant, arrogant people everywhere. as you said, "it is best not to speak about that you do not know." i have been very helpful, i think, in trying to help people on this site out, whether they are ND threads or some off-the-wall school. i am offended and stunned by your comment, and especially by your assumption that i am an ignorant, arrogant child.</p>
<p>cali: i support your decision, even if i don't necessarily agree with the orientation. if they don't accept you based on that, then you wouldn't be happy there anyway. best of luck. ;)</p>
<p>collegebound--if you really like your essay and you've gotten good feedback on it, then go for it. DD recycled an essay for ND last year and she's a freshman. I think they DO get overwhelmed with "what I learned when I built houses in a third world country" and the "why I love ND" stuff, so to the extent you can give the admissions officers something that really lets them get a picture of YOU it is to your advantage to do something different.</p>
<p>One thing that really helped D. and what, as a farm kid and one who has taken care of animals you probably realize is that you have a lot of opportunity to show what you can contribute to the community there at ND, rather than what you hope to gain from it. </p>
<p>D's essay was pretty mundane but it was all about a group of girls who befriended her when she was a lonely transfer student and what that taught her about reaching out to people rather than waiting for them to reach out to her.</p>