ND Chance please?

dtvaughn · 06-30-2009, 08:39 PM

I know I'm not the ideal candidate for Notre Dame, but I'm unsure as to whether I should even waste the time and money applying, as I would be happy at any of the other schools I am applying to.

Gender: Male
Race: Caucasian
Rising Senior at one of the most difficult Private, Catholic high schools in the Chicagoland area.
Indiana resident, Student at an Illinois School.

GPA: 3.776 Cumulative. 4.450 for Junior year, so its obvious I stepped up dramatically.
ACT: 29 Cumulative: 31 English, 24 Math, 33 Reading, 27 Science, 10 Writing.
PSAT: I got a 179 cumulative on my PSAT so I chose not to take the SAT.
APs: 3-World History, 4-US Hist/English Lang and Comp, 5-Psychology
Junior Year Schedule: English Lang AP, Us History AP, Theology 3, Algebra 2, Chemistry, Psychology AP
Senior year schedule: English Lit AP, Micro/Macro Economics AP, European History AP, Honors Anatomy and Physiology, Theology 4, French I (after taking 2.5 years of Latin).

Sports: None. This is what will kill me.

Extra-Curriculars: Forensics Speech Vice President, Double State Finalist (08' Performance in the Round State Champion), School Newspaper Distribution/Layout manager, Psychology Club, History Club, National Honor Society, Recruitment Corps, National Latin Exam - Summa Cum Laude Freshman Year, First Class Boy Scout. Worked at a Subway, volunteer each summer in a church mission trip, volunteered at a hospital (2-300 hours +), AP Scholar with Honor. National Youth Leadership Training, created a website for my boy scout troop....And I think thats about it...

I am planning on applying to the following schools:
Loyola University Chicago
Dominican University
University of Notre Dame
Knox College
Purdue University - West Lafayette

bamboosoul · 06-30-2009, 09:48 PM

You should definitely apply; I think you'd have a fair chance at getting in if you do well on your essay, and the trend in GPA is a help. I got in this year with only a 3.7 gpa, (though on the most rigorous schedule my high school offered), so don't let that cumulative discourage you. Also, you should try out the SAT, it differs by person, but usually people do a lot better on one of the SAT/ACT. aaand.. the psat doesn't mean anything haha.. my actual SAT score differed from my psat score by +200 on the converted scale.

bamboosoul · 06-30-2009, 09:49 PM

and your ecs looks a lot better than what I had. as for high school sports, i only did jv track

dtvaughn · 06-30-2009, 10:25 PM

Did you apply EA or regular?

prius · 06-30-2009, 11:26 PM

I don't want to burst your bubble, and urge you to apply if this is where you see yourself, but I see several red flags in the wrong direction. Keep in mind that the general consensus is that 75% of the applicants to ND are "qualified" to attend. That said, it is time to look at specifics. A 29 ACT is mediocre at best for a top university, but you still have time to bring that up significantly. A 3 and a 4 in your AP exams by no means set you apart. Your strength of schedule is commendable, but you need to excel in those classes as well, with top grades. Being a 1st class Scout probably shouldn't even be mentioned when you are competing with literally hundreds of Eagle Scouts. No sports is not necessarily a deal-breaker, but I don't see any real passion reflected in any of the ECs you list. That brings it all down to the essays. To paraphrase Tim Russert: "Passion. Passion. Passion." The success of your application will come down to how well you present yourself as an individual who belongs at Notre Dame -- both as a contributor to the campus community and as a student. Good luck!

bamboosoul · 07-03-2009, 02:32 AM

I applied regular decision.

Pete0six · 07-03-2009, 11:38 AM

ND is a long shot. The rest you are in at.

sembrian · 07-17-2009, 11:22 PM

Hang in there. My son's ACT improved 4 points between Sophomore and Senior years (from 31 to 35). You still have several more mat and science classes to take. These are your two weakest subjects on the ACT.

Irish45221 · 07-18-2009, 03:24 AM

GPA is good, EC's look fine (300 hours at a hospital is pretty darn good). The only weak spot is the ACT. Senior schedule looks good.

momtofour · 07-18-2009, 10:44 AM

dtvaughn,
My daughter is at nd now and never played any sports in high school. Don't let that deter you... I do not believe it will be a deal breaker in your case. Can you work with a tutor to boost those math and science scores? Also, I haven't checked the admissions site at ND lately but don't they want four years of math?

TalkingInCode · 07-18-2009, 10:59 PM

Take the SAT and get a good score on it. Then write a killer essay and you should probably do pretty well when it comes to admissions time. Not sure where people are getting the idea that ND is a long shot for you. Even so, do your absolute best to improve any weak spots.

Also don't fret about getting a 3 on an AP exam. I did and it didn't mess up my chances.

Based on the description of your HS, I'm also guessing you go to one of the few Catholic high schools that ND admissions treats almost like feeder schools. If that's the case, then they will definitely know if you pushed yourself academically. They will also know that you are competing against some really smart kids for your grades, so that puts some perspective on the GPA. At the same time, I'm guessing that you'll be up against a lot of other ND applicants from your class.

Don't worry about varsity sports. I didn't do them. I did do intramural sports, though, which are so much more fun. But if sports aren't your thing, then don't do intramurals just to pad the resume.

Good luck!