<p>People can brag about 4.0s and 2400s all they want, but it can't compare with some of the accomplishments that kids are making outside of school.</p>
<p>This thread is aimed at only things done outside of school, meaning no school sponsored ECs. Let's see what people have been doing with their lives outside of school.</p>
<p>No one is special!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) C'mon, we know everybody's lurking on these boards while in waiting, time to pitch in... No braggards here? Gotta head over to the Harvard site :)....</p>
<p>It isn't anything big but to get the ball rolling I have been on this board now for about two years (I think that is about right) because helping students get into Notre Dame is my passion. I hope that is apparent and I hope that I have a little time until I am rendered obsolete, but we will see how it goes. I love this board, though my roommate does make fun of me a bit for it.</p>
<p>I want to thank all of the current ND students and current ND parents who visit this board; you all help make it a special place. I know it made a huge difference when I applied and I still regularly email one of the parents I met back then!</p>
<p>Let's see... I am not a student applying, but was one many, many moons ago. For many years, I thought I was a less successful alumna than my fellow ND grads, living in pricey suburbs with high-powered positions. What I came to realize is that, although the choices I've made thus far in my life (I graduated in 1984 and am now 44 years old) have not been those that bring in a lot of money, they have given me a lot of satisfaction. </p>
<p>Foremost among these roles has been motherhood. While I've always had some kind of work outside the home, I've tended towards part-time and independent contracting arrangements, particularly when my kids were small. My oldest is now a sophomore at ND, my middle one is a h.s. senior hoping fervently to get in to ND early action. (My youngest is in fourth grade and blissfully uncomplicated at this point :)) My kids are fairly accomplished, as most ND students and applicants are. What's most special about them, though, are the intangibles resumes can't fully depict. They are, simply put, good people. I have no regrets that I "mommy tracked", particularly as my kids are old enough now that I can see the kind of people they have become.</p>
<p>I've also spent a lot of time in leadership roles in my Catholic parish, school and community. I've served as an officer of the school board, president of the athletic association, chairman of the finance committee, and chaired lots and lots of events. I've also been a volunteer coach in the community for 12 years now (hard to believe it!)--I love getting groups of kids, finding what's best in them, bringing it out, and watching them have the thrill of what it can be like to gel together as a team. I've coached lots and lots of soccer, but have also coached basketball, volleyball and swim team. I've served on the board of a number of youth sports organizations, with an emphasis on what's really best and age-appropriate for the kids.</p>
<p>None of this looks all that great in the alumni news sections. I am amazed at how successful many of my classmates are--the kind of positions they hold and the financial rewards it has brought them. The coolest thing is that they don't really care about the money. Among the people to whom I was closest at ND, making a lot of money was never really a goal, just a byproduct of them being the incredible people they are. We have great respect and admiration for each other, and the kind of friendships you can pick up 20 years later, without skipping a beat. Awesome place, Notre Dame is.</p>
<p>I frequent the board because my daughter wants into ND even more than my son did (or, at least, than my son ever admitted, as he has since told me) and I want her to reach her dreams. I was on the board quite a bit in the fall of 2004 as well. It's a nail-biter! If anything, my daughter has an even stronger profile than my son did (he was accepted EA), EXCEPT for that pesky 31 on the ACT (pulled down by a 28 in math, offset by a 35 in English).
So, quite frankly, a big element to why I'm here is as a support mechanism while we wait. </p>
<p>I'm a writer. By nature, we are inclined to write. We need to write. The venue doesn't make a difference. I like to write on the board because I think I bring a unique perspective as a Notre Dame alumna, a parent of a current student who has been there before, and parent of an applicant who is just as anxious about the whole thing as the rest of you. I also have spent a lifetime volunteering with youth, and know how stressed out your lives have become--moreso, it seems, than ours ever were. I like to be able to help kids--and moms--on the board by mutual support...</p>
<p>And I make fun of the Harvard boards :) !</p>
<p>I too thank all of the current ND students and parents and such.......
High school life is crazy, hectic, and incredibly stressful..... but its always nice.. once a day to come and talk about my favorite subject…….. Notre Dame</p>