<p>As I am working on my Notre Dame app, I cringe when I think about putting down my SAT scores... I had a couple questions: Does Notre Dame look at your high school's scores to compare my SAT with others at the same school? I do have a majority of kids with comparable GPA and class rigor that are boasting about 2200+ on their SAT. My SAT is an abysmal 1220/1850... I do have a 3.96 (UW) or 4.63 (W) with full IB classes and a triple science (Physics, Chem and Bio). Will this course load help me out with SAT? </p>
<p>I also have strong family ties to ND, but sadly no legacy status. (The highest alumnus status is my uncle who is on an advisory council for the Law school, but once again, I don't think this will help or even be looked at by admissions.)</p>
<p>I do have some pretty good letters of rec with nothing but strong comments and am planning on taking SAT II (chem and bio) in January. I hope to score around 700+ for these.</p>
<p>Please let me know if you have heard stories about very low SAT and high GPA getting in</p>
<p>Unfortunately, as you know, those scores are really, really low for ND. My daughter applied EA with a 4.0+ unweighted (A+ is a 4.33), only one grade lower than an A (freshman year in a non-core class), 1460/2250 SAT, great EC’s, lots of leadership, what she was told were great essays and recs, and she’s not too terribly confident. That being said, anything is possible. Really, really make your essays shine, especially the “Why ND?” one on the supplement. It also would really help if you had strong EC’s, and I’ve heard ND like to see a great deal of service. One thing, have you considered retaking the SAT I rather than subject tests, or do you need those for other schools? Best of luck!</p>
<p>I am waiting on December SAT I results, but once again, I don’t know how they will come back. </p>
<p>I would like to take chem and bio SAT II because I feel that’s where my strengths lie. I do have an EC that I hope is kind of a “hook”: Published my own independent original research. It’s in the publishing phase so I plan on sending a summary of the research, which the admissions counselor said was the thing to do. </p>
<p>I do have a pretty well-founded profile. At this point, I think it’s really the SAT holding me back. (I have done ACT practice online, but I feel that the test is set up weirdly.)</p>