<p>Son a freshman at BU and not loving it at all -- has always liked ND but figured he couldn't get in as a freshman so never bothered applying last year. Wondering what the degree of difficulty is for transfers as opposed to freshmen? He's taking standard liberal arts courses (Bio, Econ, Philosophy, English, etc.) at BU and is hoping for a GPA in the 3.3-3.5 range. </p>
<p>Any and all thoughts and info would be quite appreciated -- thanks.</p>
<p>For ND it is much more than just having good grades, it is taking the proper courses (this differs from most other colleges out there). If your son wants to transfer to ND he will have to make sure that his courses align with the college he is trying to transfer into. Additionally, he will need a GPA of 3.6 or above. </p>
<p>I know it sounds like a pain to match up your courses, and it is, but the good news is most of your sons credits will transfer to ND and he should still graduate on time.</p>
<p>I have created a website on transferring to ND that should answer most of your questions. [Transferring</a> to Notre Dame](<a href=“http://community.wvu.edu/~mrn006/ndtransfer/]Transferring”>http://community.wvu.edu/~mrn006/ndtransfer/) Please feel free to get in touch if you have additional questions.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your help!</p>
<p>So if I have a GPA of 3.38 and I want to apply as a philosophy major, will I be automatically rejected?</p>
<p>It will be tough. Are you a freshman or sophomore? I would still encourage you to apply, because you never know and it is always worth the risk, but your chances aren’t that good with a 3.38. However, you may be early enough in your college career that a really good semester will get the grades to where they need to be. I would still apply, but also make sure your classes match up with what ND wants and work your tail off. It is worth it in the end! Good luck!</p>
<p>Well I’m in my first semester of my sophomore year and I’ll have about 45 credits at the time of application. I’ll be a junior by next fall. Do I have to get letters of recommendation and what not?</p>
<p>When I applied you did not (it is awkward asking for those, I had to do it for another transfer app). I believe they are now optional, but you are allowed to get them if you think they will help your application. I am virtually positive they aren’t mandatory.</p>
<p>It is weird asking teachers that I barely even talk to for a letter of recommendation. And on top of that, I think teachers just get lazy to write them. I am going to apply as soon as my grades are finalized hopefully by this coming Monday. I have nothing to lose other than the application fee and if I do get lucky and win the Notre Dame lotto I’d probably cry.</p>