<p>Class Rank: 1 out of about 200 in a competitive small Michigan public school</p>
<p>AP Classes: My school only offers 4
AP English Literature
AP European History
AP Calculus AB
AP US History
AP Calculus BC (Independent Study)</p>
<p>Course Load: Hardest courses available at my school (I did a lot of doubling up)
5 years of Science
6 years of Math
5 years of English
4 years of Social Studies
8 years of Foreign Language (Spanish and French)</p>
<p>Recommendations: should be very good, living in a small town and going to a small school I know all my teachers and counselors very well.</p>
<p>Essays: I am not a stellar writer, but they should not be too shabby, they will not be bad enough to hurt me, they just wont be spectacular</p>
<p>Sports: 4 years of Varsity Tennis
Played 1 Singles
Went to State 3 Times
Captain for 2 years</p>
<p>Extracurricular:
Ran my own tennis racquet stringing, gripping, and racquet selling type business
Volunteered at the Elementary School after school once a week
Volunteered at a soup kitchen through my church
Taught young children at local tennis camp
Went to Boys State through the American Legion
Multiple Mission Trips
Intern at local hospital
Shadowing Doctors at local Hospital
Class Officer (Vice President)</p>
<p>Honors:
National Honors Society
National Society for High School Scholars
Whos Who Among American High School Students (for 4 years)
Whos Who Among American High School Students Sports Edition (for 4 years)
All Conference and All Region for Tennis multiple years</p>
<p>PS- I want to study something in the Math and Science field, with a goal of Med School in the future but I am keeping my options open.</p>
<p>"Essays: I am not a stellar writer, but they should not be too shabby, they will not be bad enough to hurt me, they just won’t be spectacular"</p>
<p>Umm..If you really want ND, this will be the most important essay you write. It must be spectacular. At this point you've got SIX MONTHS to write the essay of your life. Get going. Also, ask a few people, WHO DON"T REALLY KNOW YOU, to read the essays and critique. When my S applied, I thought his essay was great (and I've read 100s), but asked the AP Comp teacher and another counselor where I work to read it. They were brutal, but it helped so much. I guess it's hard to be objective when you know someone well. He reworked it, and it was excellent. He got in EA with almost your exact stats (4.2 and 34 on ACT).</p>
<p>you look like an easy acceptance, but crazier things have happened--last thing you can do is assume you'll get in... you got to show the interest that anyone on the bubble would--call frequrently, take the tour (if you can visit), etc... DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING--remember they've denied perfect ACTs</p>
<p>I second pretty much everything that has been said...overall you look good but still write a solid essay because I have seen a lot of very qualified students who have been rejected for mediocre essays! Take nothing for granted!</p>
<p>ND rejects some over qualified kids. I had a 3.3 GPA and got in EA. You gotta have a great essay, they can figure out if you are a genuine person through it. Of the kids from my HS that applied, I had one of the lowest GPAs (granted I had probably the highest SAT score and impressive summer jobs).</p>
<p>When considering the essay, remember that it is not a writing contest. It is instead a window to your soul; a heartfelt rendition of what makes you tick. Obviously, the grammar should be flawless and the essay well structured and organized. Beyond that, though, you want to think of the essay as the 500 words you get to describe you in ways the rest of your scores and qualifications cannot. People freak out on these boards at the prospect of students being rejected with perfect test scores, as if there were a simple scoreboard of admissions. Notre Dame wants thinkers, people of character, people to whom values matter, and people who understand the university for what it is and want to be there. There are plenty of one-dimensional people out there with tremendous scholastic ability but little depth, nor any idea of what it is that drives them. </p>
<p>There is a book about Notre Dame--the name escapes me now--which is a collection of essays and reflections about the place from various perspectives. One of the most memorable ones was from a professor who taught there for decades and had the opportunity to teach a number of students who went on to really make a mark in the world. Observing students over time, he concluded that the students who had the highest marks in the class and tested the best were rarely the ones who ascended to later greatness. Instead, it was those students who had a certain dynamism, a certain presence in the classroom and among fellow students, who were the ones who went on to be the most successful in life--completely autonomous of grades or GPA's.</p>
<p>The admissions office is looking beyond test scores and grades, which indicate the likelihood of ability to handle the academic workload at ND. It is looking for people who will be a valuable addition to the campus; the kind of people who contribute wisdom, insight and presence not merely in the classroom, but in the dorms, on the playing fields, walking around the lakes, involved in all the activities the place has to offer. Beyond that, they are looking for people who will, a few decades from now, be the kind of citizens Notre Dame aspires to put out into the world. </p>
<p>It's natural to want to get a handicap on one's chances. Certainly, there are various statistical thresholds that can alternately knock a candidate out of the running or dramatically increase his or her chances. The process, though, is about so much more than that. Truly explore the university and what it means, in all its depth. If you fit into that vision, make sure your essay reflects that in a way scores and laundry lists cannot.</p>