I’m a junior and have a 4.17 GPA weighted, and a 3.73 unweighted. My SAT score (new) is 1220 and I hope to take it again and raise it. The colleges I’m looking at include Notre Dame but I don’t think I have a chance at getting in. Do I?
Notre Dame’s mid 50% range for the SAT is 1390-1530. Right now. Your SAT score is hindering your chances. You will need to raise it by at least 100 to have a decent shot. But admissions is holistic and you never know. How are your extracurriculars?
My advice would be to not give up on Notre Dame. Study hard over the summer to get a better SAT score, write good essays, etc.
A 1220 SAT won’t get you close to Notre Dame. Besides that, another issue is your GPA. Elite schools (in this case top 20), desire a very high UW GPA (which 3.73 is not). To be honest, you might want to start looking at some more realistic options.
Your grades are workable… I got into an even more selective school with only a marginally higher GPA (but vastly superior test scores). What is your class rank?
The main problem is your SAT. I would wager that with a score like 1220, you’ll be crapcanned before an adcom sees your ECs. Get it up to above a 1500 if possible, the higher the better
Right now, you’re really more in the average “college-ready student”, not the average “excellent student” that Notre Dame is looking for. The GPA isn’t really killing you per se, but you will want to get it up. Above a 3.8 will only give you a minor disadvantage, so I recommend you strive for it. The SAT is what concerns us; although people do get into Notre Dame with such a score and even lower on occasion, that is truly a sight to behold and means that those students are incredibly special (maybe they are connected, maybe they are entrepreneurial leaders, maybe they offer something extremely rare to the table).
If you’re going to have a realistic chance (save the lottery you currently have), you’re going to want at least a 1400. As above, 1500 would be even better. If you can’t get it up that high, still apply - you’ll be kicking yourself with regret if you don’t - but expect your chances of getting in to be pretty slim.
You say that your college list includes Notre Dame. What are the other ones? Why do you like Notre Dame? Is money an object, and what do you want to major in? In what state do you live in? Address these questions and maybe the other posters may have something to recommend.