<p>coach - with all due respect, even though you were able to compare the applications of all three of your children, you still only had half the picture. In the three years separating your two sons, the Common Data Sets indicate that admission standards increased dramatically:</p>
<p>[CDS</a> – Office of Strategic Planning & Institutional Research](<a href=“http://www3.nd.edu/~instres/home3/CDS.shtml]CDS”>http://www3.nd.edu/~instres/home3/CDS.shtml)</p>
<p>In the Freshman application class of 2010, there were 14,300 applications. By 2013, there were 17,000 - an increase of 20%. Despite the increase in applications, the number of admits actually decreased from 4,100 to 3,900 reflecting a measurably higher yield rate.</p>
<p>During that time, the middle 50% range for ACT scores remained exactly the same at 31-34 (SAT score ranges increased slightly, but insignificnantly). Thus, the emphasis on test scores likely decreased as the quality of applicants increased. Your second son was simply the victim of the gaining national popularity of ND.</p>