Worried

Daughter was accepted but now she is very stressed about her ability to succeed at ND.
How does a bright student, typically at the top of their class adjust to being just average at a school
like ND? She has a 4.0, 34C ACT but is worried about her ability to succeeded at ND. We are heading
down this weekend to accepted students day. If not ND, she’ll head to Villanova in the Fall. She’s an
Engineering major and most importantly wants a Catholic School.

Four year graduation rate at Notre Dame is 90%, among the best in the nation. It is 86% for Villanova, so both respectable numbers. Both colleges will care about the progress of the students.

“Impostor Syndrome” is common for kids these age, and the ones who use it as motivation to work hard tend to excel. She will be fine.

ETA: Many results if you google it.

She should familiarize herself with the student supports on campus. Tutoring offered by departments, the writing center, etc. And she should plan to use them.

Encourage her to chat with and get to know people in her classes. It can be pretty isolating if no one in your dorm has the same classes and you are struggling, especially in STEM classes. Try to find friends to study with in the same classes.

As a nova engineering student, I have found that college is not nearly as competitive as high school was. in high school everyone was competing to make themselves look better on college applications, but now we’re all in college and looking to help eachother succeed rather than really caring about our class position. Sure the competition is there for cum laude and magna cum laude which looks good on the resume but it is still not what you know but who you know

My daughter did experience a shock his freshman year at Notre Dame as suddenly found himself surrounded with equally smart students, but you also need to understand the culture at Notre Dame. The entire system is geared to teach and support the students, anyone failing there would really need to work hard at not succeeding. Additionally the students do not view each other as competition, they help each other instead of sabotage as my other daughter has seen at her college.

My S had the same nervousness about the school and actually got great advice from his HS guidance counselor who told him that admission officers do a great job of accepting students who will succeed at the college so if he got in he should be able to do the work. I imagine the same will be true of your D at ND or wherever she ends up.

Congratulations for your daughters successes and excellent choices! My daughter is just finishing up her freshman year at ND. She also had Nova and ND among her choices for engineering. Engineering will be challenging wherever she chooses to go, and she will also be among equally talented and proficient peers. My daughter describes the environment as collaborative not competitive, but that’s the nature of engineering pooling together to find solutions–and her first year engineering classes seem to emphasize collaboration.

Your daughter worked very hard for her awesome academic achievements in high school. Her work ethic and intellect will continue on thru college and she will likely have similar results.

One thing my daughter also mentioned about being at a school with students of similar achievements, that its nice to not “stand out” nor have kids in class be derisive about having the correct answers “all the time”. What @Pugli5i said is absolutely correct.

Also, @intparent mentions the dorms-- ND seems to do a great job housing groups of engineering students in the same dorms. This has resulted in a great support network. Some of the girl’s in that dorm are in a business/science major but they overlap quite a number of classes.

Best wishes!

P.S. I would agree with taking @Magnetron considerations in your decision.

She would not have been accepted if Notre Dame did not think she could succeed! That being said, engineering is hard everywhere. She should expect to be challenged and sometimes wonder if she can do it, and explore whether she has the passion to do it. There is nothing wrong with starting on one path, and changing her mind to another major. She absolutely has the skills to succeed, and Notre Dame works hard to make sure she utilizes all their resources if she struggles. Consider reminding her that if she doesn’t try at ND, she might spend a lot of time regretting that she gave up on herself too easily!

My D is a sophomore at ND. It is true that the average ACT score of incoming freshman is incredibly high but she has found the full range of students as classmates. Some of her classmates, many of them, are very focused on academics and learning while others are more interested in sports or partying. As noted by Magnetron, the 4 year graduation rate is 91% and the 6 year rate is 97%, these are both extremely high numbers and a clear indication that students who are admitted to Notre Dame can succeed there if they apply themselves. D has been a little surprised just how hard it is to make the Deans List or graduate with Latin Honors.

My D committed to ND last night. Still nervous, but excited at the same time. She doesn’t turn 18 until the Fall and is still unsure of her path in life. Is worried about not getting it right the first time and taking longer than 4 years to graduate. Her Dad took many years to figure out his path, from oil painter, farmer, art teach, doctor (retired) to oil painter again. We are confident that ND is the right place for her. I am sure her deep faith and strong work ethic will help her on her journey.

Big Congrats to you @FarmerMom , and Yay for your D!!! After getting our Fin Aid letter (nice!) and visiting campus last week, S2 has decided to attend also. Now we just have to keep him interested enough in HS classes to not get rescinded.

There is actually a 5 year engineering/Arts and Letters tract at ND she may be interested in. Also, she will get so much support along the way! It is an exciting time for her and you! And for Magnetron, don’t worry, I suspect your son will get it done! Enjoy these last few weeks! The time flies by!

I’m only in high school, so take this with a grain of salt, but I feel like, as others have said, if she has been accepted then that means she has the academic ability needed for her to succeed at ND. They wouldn’t have selected her out of the thousands of applicants they have if they did not believe that she has what it takes to do well. Her GPA and ACT score are both on par with everyone else at ND. Definitely don’t second guess yourselves. Good luck!