<p>Most people of the forum right now have already been through the application process. You guys have gone through the ups and downs of the entire process, and Im sure you all have learned so much. </p>
<p>If you could do it all over again… What would you do differently?</p>
<p>What can you share with the next class that will help them gain admittance?</p>
<p>Share all your knowledge with us… what to stay away from? what to make sure to do?</p>
<p>Anything and Everything that you can share with us is a huge help.</p>
<p>Two big hints, other than the usual “Don’t screw up, do well in school” etc. are these; write your essay the summer before your senior year (or by September at the very latest), and try to make sure all your apps are done by Early Action time, even if you don’t apply Early Action.</p>
<p>Writing your essay early will give you time to edit it and make sure you’re happy with it.</p>
<p>And it’s a very nice feeling to know that all you have left to do is drop an envelope in a mailbox to be done with applications. It took me about 2 miserable weeks of getting everything organized, but I took care of all of it, and for the rest of my senior year, I didn’t have to worry about much (except for, of course, admission - at least there was no more paperwork).</p>
<p>Do anything you can to show them your interest. every time you have an opportunity to visit, meet with folks if they are at your school, at local college fairs, etc. If you are a great candidate and show interest it helps alot.</p>
<p>Understand the mission of the university. It is a unique one, not just to the country, but in the world today, and it is the driving force behind every decision the university makes. If you aren’t clear on what the mission is, I’d suggest you read up on it, read some of the many statements made by Fr. Jenkins, as well as Fr. Malloy and Fr. Hesburgh before him. While football and sports are part of the identity of the campus, and certainly a huge aspect of its social life and national appeal, the mission is something completely aside from it.</p>
<p>Once you’ve got that down–take a serious introspective look at yourself and reflect on whether or not the core mission of the university is a good fit with who you are. If it is, by all means apply! Use your essay to convey not how smart you are (they have GPA and scores sitting right in front of them, they already know that) or to regurgitate your extracurricular accomplishments (they see that too.) Rather, use it to give an earnest, honest glimpse of what makes you tick–and how you see yourself fitting in to Notre Dame’s mission. It isn’t a writing contest, it is an opporunity to let the admissions counselors read between the lines and get a glimpse of the person you really are, and what means something to you in the context of your life.</p>
<p>take the act/sat one more time, edit your essay one more time, visit one more time, call one more time… when you think you’ve done enough do it one more time! you’ll be so stressed out and feel like there is too much going on in your life, but it will pay off.</p>
<p>also, i can’t stress calling, e-mailing and showing interest (even if you have to make up questions). They take down you name every time! I’ve said it before, but i’ll re-emphasize it-- I really think my relationship with my regional rep is what got me off the waitlist</p>
<p>OK, this is some good stuff–I got this from one of the sisters who works in Campus Ministry. Of COURSE your grades need to be excellent and you need to show leadership, but the intangible that I think they are looking for, and what she talked about instilling in the kids who arrive as freshmen is similar to the famous JFK quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” </p>
<p>The whole idea is to find people who can, or who are open to, the idea of placing their own ego BEHIND what is best for the greater good. They don’t want the star–they want the kid who achieved but did not make a big deal out of it. They want the team captain who was captain not because he was the best player, but because he made the most consistent effort and made sure the freshmen got rides home from practice. They don’t want the 4.0 student if it meant the 4.0 was achieved because the parent called every teacher and complained about every A-; they want the kid who put forth his or her best effort for the sake of doing his or her best–not because of the grade.</p>
<p>IMO, it is a great fit for the “stealth” student–the ones with grit and integrity who may not always get A’s or set the records, but who make the team go because they organize the spaghetti dinners or the transportation and also put forth their best effort even if they aren’t the best on the team.</p>
<p>I was admitted EA this yr, and I ran Girls XC for four yrs, never once ran varsity, but was captain senior yr- just to back up that post (I think it is very true)</p>