What though the odds be great or small - Chance a Notre Dame hopeful!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Notre Dame
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<p>@hahalolk: nothing spectacular - XC 5k times around low to mid 17:00s, hoping to get under 16:30 this year. Track 800m: 2:05, 1600m: 4:40, 3200m: 10:20. Not exactly D1 haha. </p>

<p>@momtofour: I’ll be sure to ask about that dual degree program between Butler/Purdue…I’m hoping to visit some Indiana schools (including ND!) this fall. For SLU, the smaller engineering school does concern me a little, mostly because I would want a wider range of students/professors to go to for help. For Rose-Hulman, I’m surprised that I had not heard of it, and will definitely check it out.
And you may be right about needing grad school for BME research, but hopefully my visit to Marquette will include talking to people in their BME department so I can clear up some of those questions. </p>

<p>Also, for ND admissions, do you know how much emphasis they place on ECs…because that is the one thing that has been stressing me out recently. I’m worried that I lack a “passion” for any of my activities. And I know they like to see volunteer work, but would it have been better if the volunteer work had been done for my church? The main reason for my concern is that a girl from our school was deferred and eventually turned down last year, but she was a member of MANY clubs and I’m sure she was very involved in each one. She had a lower ACT than me and no legacy, but still seemed like a strong applicant. So this could mean that ND still really values the numbers, or the legacies, or both I guess. But could a lack of ECs/passion for those ECs make or break their decision to admit me?</p>

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<p>Just ringing here for the first time! I think your chances are excellent. You have a great rank and test scores. You took the most difficult courses available. AND you are a legacy. I would not be concerned. I would agree to take off the “ran stretching drills”,or change it to “team preparation leader” or something like that! I would also remove “applied for a job at a store”. It’s just not pertinent. </p>

<p>As for the other schools that have been mentioned. I agree that you should probably not apply to Duke ED. Duke’s ED is extremely competitive for one, but other than that, you might get in and all your decisions are taken away. I would apply RD there, as I think you are more competitive that way.</p>

<p>As for SLU, I can tell you (son is a soph there) that in addition to the smaller engineering college, there are learning communities for engineering that would allow you to live with other engineering students, giving you that more intense experience. They seem to have a lot of spirit too! It looks fun and you would make friends and study partners for life. SLU is a really beautiful “urban” campus. I quote urban, because really, when you are on campus, you feel like you are out in the country. They have done a great job with the campus. </p>

<p>Good luck to you! My daughter is now a senior at ND! She has loved every minute and is actually applying to med schools now…time flies! Feel free to ask me anything about that process, since it seems that you are interested in that route.</p>

<p>All the best!</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice, and I will definitely not be applying early decision to Duke. I originally thought ED would give me better chances, but even so, it would not be worth the inevitable financial issues if I was admitted.
That’s awesome that your daughter went pre-med at ND! How well was she prepared for the MCAT? The reason I ask is: my ND sister (the same one who scored 98th percentile on the PCAT) scored a 28, the same as my other sister who attended Vanderbilt and took fewer chemistry and physics classes (but probably more bio).</p>

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<p>domer16, you are very humble…I predict you will do very well in the app process at all the schools you are applying. Your stats are very strong. Keep in mind that ND is very much a numbers school. The fact that you are a legacy seals the deal in my opinion. Your ecs will be fine. Focus on any leadership you have done. No doubt you will be fine. Focus on how you will pay for it… You should be proud of all that you have accomplished.</p>

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<p>domer, my daughter felt very prepared for the MCAT. She did go ahead and also take the Kaplan course, and is now awaiting her scores… I must say that ND has been great with advice and preparation. We’ll see now! Honestly, her experience at ND has been fantastic~great education, wonderful friends and experiences. We are just all incredibly sad that it is coming to an end this year! The time flies~enjoy it! Best of luck! I hope you end up at ND~you seem like a good fit! :)</p>

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<p>Thanks momtofour, I really hope you’re right (:</p>

<p>And Irishcali I’m glad to hear that ND is living up to their reputation - that would be one of my main concerns if I was admitted. </p>

<p>One other thing I’ve always wanted to know, how much does it help to have a sibling who graduated from ND, concerning admissions? There’s a section on the ND supplement app that specifically asks if any siblings attend or have graduated from ND, making it seem like this is considered.</p>

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<p>I’m saying this entirely for your own benefit because I think it would be amazing for you to go to ND :slight_smile: , but some of your extracurriculars are really weak and including them on your application would probably hurt you. It’s possible you already know that. Focus on the ones that you do consistently and forget about the one-time or not impressive things. For example probably 10,000 kids+ take the AMC math contest test every year. They want to know what is special about you.</p>

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<p>P.S. Don’t know why I didn’t mention this before, but I think you have a very good chance :)</p>

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<p>why haven’t you taken the SAT ??</p>

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<p>why haven’t you taken the SAT ?? also - why didn’t you seek out AP courses on-line ??</p>

<p>i see both of these as possible weaknesses.</p>

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<p>In addition, I would not be too over-confident with regards to being a legacy. We know several who have had not only parents, but grandparents and current siblings be rejected. Focus on the entire app and esp the essays. Try to make yourself stand out with those essays–as if you are telling a story about yourself. It will make a difference!</p>

<p>Best of luck to you–and if you are accepted, enjoy every single minute. As others have posted, the time just flies!</p>

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<p>^Thanks for the advice - I’ve been trying to keep the whole legacy thing from affecting my confidence. </p>

<p>@bitti1: I may take the SAT in November, but is it really necessary? My PSAT score suggests that the SAT would not be nearly as strong as my ACT score. But does it “look bad” not to have both ACT and SAT scores submitted? I do plan on taking bio and math SAT IIs if that helps.
And I will consider the online AP course idea, I’ll talk to my counselor about using this as a way to get my much-needed science. </p>

<p>@morgan27: good advice, not sure why I included the AMC as an EC on here. I don’t think I mentioned it (or my other weak ECs) on the commonapp though. Maybe as an academic honor/award?</p>

<p>Btw anyone can answer my questions posted above, not just the people they are directed towards (:
Oh yeah and I would like to know if I seem competitive enough for EA. I feel like my application might get lost in the huge RD pile, and currently ND is my number one choice!</p>

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<p>i see it like this domer. so happens i know of a very similar background student. this student, however kept at that ACT score till was better than yours. and took the SAT ( couple times ), and submitted them both. your 34 is quite good, but so is everybody else’s. same thing with you AP course-work. your school cancelled or did not offer some courses, but you did not then go out and take them on-line. this student did. </p>

<p>do you see a pattern ?? coming from a lessor background can actually be a very nice strength, if you can show that not only did you max out everything available to you, but you went BEYOND. at schools like duke and ND there are applicants who are not only good, but who also went beyond. did you ?? this kid was a natl merit scholar, and awarded as a top state scholar etc etc - his/her school did not hand out awards either, but those bodies did and the kid went after them.</p>

<p>you mentioned your EC’s. kinda average, and you said as much. looking to the sort of applications likely to be on the pile, do they stand out ?? the student i referenced earlier also had a pretty average community oriented EC list, because he/she spent a lot of time having fun at his/her hobby, which is an obscure olympic sport. but, the kid was the junior ( under 19 y/o ) national champion at it with the olympic sanctioning body. stand out ?? suddenly, weak EC’s and a fun hobby turned into a major theme of chasing one’s dream of excellence, blah blah on the essay. see what i mean ??</p>

<p>please do not get me wrong. i think you have a decent chance at ND. but i also kinda feel as if you are banking on that 34 ACT score. it might do the trick, indeed. but, compared to the kid from the very similar background as you who i described . . . . . . .
i dunno, you tell me - do ya really want your application sitting next to his/hers EA ?? FWIW, this kid did not go EA, but regular. tell me, what is the rush ?? top, the very top ND has to offer, positions in the merit/honours/scholar/scholarship considerations/etc programs are handed out to regular admits, believe me. FWIW, this student applied EA to MIT, got accepted, but went there and did not like it. he/she applied regular to ND as a kinda fun back-up idea, but ended up having it become a dream come true - all the moreso because of the fab offer ND made him/her after the regular admission. so again, what is the rush ??</p>

<p>i wish you the best. start working on a few things to show you made the most of what you had. never never make an excuse for your smaller-time background, ONLY think in terms of what you DID do. think about standing out. work on a really sweet essay. be sure your letters of recommendation are from the best people possible. </p>

<p>again, i say this only to motivate you to be sure you put your best foot forward. you have time. use it wisely. good luck.</p>

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<p>I know applying EA seems a bit hasty, but I (and my parents) would really like to know before Christmas. An informational packet/book I received from ND described EA as an option for “exceptional students with outstanding JUNIOR-year SAT or ACT scores.” I personally would NOT classify myself as “exceptional” or my ACT score (which was actually 33 not 34) as “outstanding” but I cannot imagine the torment of waiting until April for a decision:/
As for APs, my counselor suggested a possible online AP chem, but it cost WAYYY too much. So I made sure I was allowed to independent study our HS College Level Chem (lecture portion).
I focused my essay on running and how it influenced athletic/academic motivation. Also included how it has helped me become a better team captain. I’m hoping to do something notable in XC to back up this running passion. Not sure if this is what bitti1 was talking about in 3rd paragraph or not…</p>

<ol>
<li>Are classes taken at local colleges viewed similarly (in terms of rigor) as AP courses?</li>
<li>Will ND appreciate my decision to take Liberal Arts classes like PHIL and Latin? Or will giving up Spanish IV hurt me more?</li>
<li>Does independent studying something show that I am passionate about that particular subject? because I am(:</li>
<li>Any other opinions on EA vs. RD for me?</li>
<li>Should I contact my regional admission rep to ask a question or something (one that lets them know I’m genuinely interested)? If so, any suggestions?</li>
</ol>

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<p>Hi domer16 - you mentioned that you were tied between Duke and ND for your top school, and that Duke’s research facilities were one factor in its favor. In my opinion, Notre Dame’s research facilities are excellent. There are many fantastic biochemistry labs, and there are several other labs that are basically biomedical engineering without the name (in particular, check out the Roeder Lab and others in the [“BIO</a>” group](<a href=“http://www.nd.edu/~amebio/index.html]"BIO”>http://www.nd.edu/~amebio/index.html)). There’s also the new Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend practically next door. Of course, all the pre-meds want to do research so they have something to talk about on their med school app, so there is definitely competition…but professors weren’t born yesterday, and they can definitely tell true passion for research from the resume-builders. And I’ve honestly never heard of someone not getting some sort of research position if they really busted their butt to find one. Moreover, there are not a lot of ND students interested in applying engineering to biology, so you will stand out in that regard.</p>

<p>Your ACT’s look good except for the science composite, which might cause Admissions to scratch their heads (considering that you are a science intent). </p>

<p>You also asked about your decision to take more liberal arts classes - ND prides itself on being a well-rounded, liberal-arts institution, so I think that can definitely help, especially if you (or your advisor) call attention to it in your essay (or rec).</p>

<p>As a separate point, I think your plan of doing Biochem + pre-med + Air Force ROTC is likely to kill you, or at least your social life, if (when?) you get in. But that’s a whole different can of worms…if you’re interested in discussing those plans, or anything else, shoot me a PM. Best of luck!</p>

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<p>^haha it’d definitely be tough</p>

<p>What do my chances look like for early action? My application’s all ready to go, but after hearing some 2009 EA stats, I’m beginning to lose confidence.</p>

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<p>I don’t think it would hurt you; I’d be surprised if you got rejected from the early pool.</p>

<p>Did you end up retaking the ACT?</p>

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<p>what if i told you that a few hundie spent on AP and other coursework now could translate to many thousands of $$ later ?? it most certainly can.</p>

<p>apart from not wanting to wait ( ?!?!? ), what is the rush ??</p>