<p>Ah… it is a double edged sword. A quarter of the class is held out, but ND expects great things from the progeny of their graduates. Perhaps for the 6 and 7 figure contributors some slack is given, but mere mortals must be competitive…it all counts.
DS1 is a legacy deferred from EA with stronger SATs, he was accepted RD, but it was by no means a slam dunk. It was all worth it, he is a sophomore and delighted to be at ND.</p>