I just got back my December act score and it was a 34. I was really excited because I thought I was in the clear. Turns out this is only the 50% at ND. Seriously?
Would you guys recommend I take it again for better chances? I’m a legacy (father attended) if that means anything. GPA is 4.0 but I will probably get a B or two by Senior year (so like a 3.95).
I would assume that the 34 would be good enough given your legacy status. Would I take it for granted, No. I would take it again.
Based upon your last sentence, I’m assuming you are a junior. If true, I would definitely take it again, given that there is no real time crunch.
First of all: congratulations! A 34 is remarkable and probably the 98th or 99th percentile. (On CC we often lose sight of how amazing these scores are given the national average is around 21 or so!) If you are a junior, I would recommend being extremely happy with that and using your time and energy in the following ways:
Taking the most difficult classes available (Rigor), as this is the ONLY thing that ND lists as “Very important” in their Common Data Set answers (https://www3.nd.edu/~instres/CDS/2015-2016/CDS_2015-2016.pdf)
Doing as well as possible in all your classes (GPA/Class Rank) as this is “Important” to ND (One or 2 Bs will not kill you if the Rigor is there - Honors/AP classes
Make sure you are showing leadership in/out of school
Think about which teachers might write the best recommendations for you and make sure they know what makes you unique, special and someone ND cannot live without. Ditto for your college counselor if you don’t know them well, yet.
Pursuing/continuing to pursue some activity, cause, service that you are passionate about and putting your personal mark on it. I don’t know your background, so you may already be doing this. If not, there is still time. But, don’t fake it. Make sure it’s something you truly love.
Look over the common app and this year’s ND application to get a sense for the essay/short answer questions. Reflect on your background and experiences think about how you might have answered them this year - and how that might be different by this time next year.
Assuming you take a rigorous course load and score well, you will have an excellent chance to get in - given your strong (34) ACT. it will come down to ND seeing what makes you special and a student that will thrive and shine “under the Dome”.
Feel free to message me and I’ll be happy to share specifics on my daughter and her recent acceptance REA.
Go ahead and retake the test if you can afford the time necessary to prepare. No downside and potential tremendous upside to get into the 35-36 range. Unfortunately, admissions is a numbers game and even a single point on the ACT may substantially increase your chances.
Otherwise, IvegotFour is spot on. Take the most rigorous courses in all of the core subject areas, think about teacher recommendations NOW, and reflect upon what makes you stand out from all of the other high-achieving students who will be competing for spots in the freshman class. Hint – it should be something that consumes a majority of your time outside classwork. There will be thousands of soccer team captains, newspaper editors, school play stars, and soup kitchen volunteers, so if that is your thing, find something unique about your experience that “sings” to the admissions staff. There are also thousands of applicants who have dreamed of being a Domer since kindergarten, so that will definitely not set you apart. Even though legacy applicants are admitted at a higher rate than others, most are still turned away. You need to make yourself stand out.