Notre Dame as non-typical student

[Anonymous]

My friend's kid had a great experience at ND. The family is very Catholic. The parents are conservative; the kid started conservative and finished liberal, primarily due to concerns about the environment and climate change (which are very Catholic issues). She is now an engineer working in the field of renewable energy. She loved the Catholic aspect and referred to ND as "Catholic Disneyland." Sadly, I could not persuade my little heathens to consider ND (they ran away screaming when they heard about single-sex dorms and parietals), but it's an excellent school for the right person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My rising senior, a non-Catholic Asian, loves the school. He has the profile to have a ok chance of admission (yes we know how difficult it is to get accepted). Any experience of non-religious and/or Asians at the school that can be shared?

No direct experience, but ND has a reputation for recruiting "nice" kids, so I think your child would be treated with respect. Based on what I've heard, you can fit in very well with the school's ethos without being Catholic.

[Anonymous]

I was looking at Notre Dame’s admissions page —“we empower brilliant energetic thinkers who are motivated to change the world.”

Heady stuff! That’s a pretty high threshold. I suppose there are enough students like that, but most 17/18 year olds have no idea what they want to do in life, let alone change the world!

Are regular high-achieving students ever admitted to Notre Dame— kids who have lots of APs, good work ethic, well-liked, good EC—or just the students who have extraordinary experiences and insights?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was looking at Notre Dame’s admissions page —“we empower brilliant energetic thinkers who are motivated to change the world.”

Heady stuff! That’s a pretty high threshold. I suppose there are enough students like that, but most 17/18 year olds have no idea what they want to do in life, let alone change the world!

Are regular high-achieving students ever admitted to Notre Dame— kids who have lots of APs, good work ethic, well-liked, good EC—or just the students who have extraordinary experiences and insights?

You actually believe what an admissions page says? That's all fluff marketing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was looking at Notre Dame’s admissions page —“we empower brilliant energetic thinkers who are motivated to change the world.”

Heady stuff! That’s a pretty high threshold. I suppose there are enough students like that, but most 17/18 year olds have no idea what they want to do in life, let alone change the world!

Are regular high-achieving students ever admitted to Notre Dame— kids who have lots of APs, good work ethic, well-liked, good EC—or just the students who have extraordinary experiences and insights?

You actually believe what an admissions page says? That's all fluff marketing.

So you’re saying regular kids ARE admitted?? You don’t have to be a super star?

[Anonymous]

What about for LGBTQIA+ kids? What’s ND like for them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a Catholic with degrees from 2 Catholic universities (neither of which I attended BECAUSE they were Catholic), it seems like non-Catholics often overestimate the cohesion & exclusivity among Catholics. Yes, there are few extremist factions within Catholicism, but at ND, BC, Villanova, etc there are no secret handshakes or special privileges. In fact, anybody who would try to establish something like that would be scorned.

Also I Catholic with a degree from a Catholic college, and kids in Catholic schools, and while I don't disagree with what pp says, I don't think it can go with out saying that ND and Villanova are much more traditional Catholic than Georgetown and BC. My own kid has toured and will apply to several Jesuit colleges and zero non-Jesuit colleges.
But if OP's kid feels a connection with ND, then good for both of them.

Wow, you seem very close minded. You need to get over the Jesuit thing. There isn't much difference between the vibe at ND and BC. You eliminate a top 20 Catholic university because it isn't Jesuit? Your poor kid.

Save your faux pity. DS eliminated ND & Villanova because he felt they were too traditionally Catholic, too close-minded, and not aligned with his personal values. He felt very comfortable at BC and felt he could fit right in. It's his decision making process. Kids have eliminated schools for all sorts of reasons. Notre Dame will do just fine. As I said, if op's kid feels that connection with ND, then that's a win for both the kid and ND.

Based on what though? I do not get that vibe from the schools or people I know who attend them, so I'm curious. What personal values does your Catholic kid hold that does not align with other students at ND or Villanova?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about for LGBTQIA+ kids? What’s ND like for them?

https://ucc.nd.edu/diversity-and-inclusion/lgbtq-students/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was looking at Notre Dame’s admissions page —“we empower brilliant energetic thinkers who are motivated to change the world.”

Heady stuff! That’s a pretty high threshold. I suppose there are enough students like that, but most 17/18 year olds have no idea what they want to do in life, let alone change the world!

Are regular high-achieving students ever admitted to Notre Dame— kids who have lots of APs, good work ethic, well-liked, good EC—or just the students who have extraordinary experiences and insights?

You actually believe what an admissions page says? That's all fluff marketing.

So you’re saying regular kids ARE admitted?? You don’t have to be a super star?

Nothing special.
Same as other T20 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the Jesuit undergrad / Notre Dame grad school poster. When I was an undergrad I’d say 4 out of 5 of my better friends went to Sunday Mass (or Saturday evening Mass in the fine Catholic tradition of “getting it over with” ha ha). Sure they were usually hung over, but they went. I never did.

No different at Notre Dame, really. Part of the reason for high attendance is that the school holds Masses everywhere so it’s very easy to go.

This idea that the ND student body wears hair shirts and flagellates itself all day is so silly. Yes, it’s a Catholic school. Yes, the majority of its students are Catholic. Yes, it has a more moderate student body overall than UC-Berkeley. But it is as mainstream a school as they come. So long as you are minimally tolerant of religion - as opposed to anti-religion - you’re fine.

My own kids went to UVA. So far as I can tell, basically UVA is Notre Dame without required religion classes.

You’re the only one with this idea.

Actually, my siblings and I and our kids would agree. Some of us went to UVa and some to ND (and some to other schools). Lots of similarities.

"This idea that the ND student body wears hair shirts and flagellates itself all day"

You are really dense. My point was only that the school is not nearly as religious as so many people make it out to be.

No one made the argument you’re pretending. So you’re refuting nothing. Good on you.

What are you talking about? The knock on Notre Dame is always that it’s super Catholic,
that you have to be a practicing Catholic to fit in, and that Jesuit colleges are sooo different.

That argument has very much been made on this very thread, and so yes, I am refuting it.

You can’t refute the opinion that ND is more traditional Catholic than Georgetown/BC or that lots of kids will apply to BC but not ND.

ND is definitely a little more Catholic than Georgetown or BC. We visited with DC. Ultimately didn't apply because he got into his into ED school.

But anyone considering an application needs to visit. It's a Catholic school. And they're not hiding it. You vibe with it or you don't. Each applicant needs to figure out whether they feel at home there.

Yet it's not Catholic in a doctrinaire or political sense. It's Catholic in the Be A Good Person sense. Among the US colleges we visited, the Notre Dame kids were the kindest. Genuinely good kids. Super nicest.

It's not very diverse though. I'd think being an asian applicant would be a plus. But, provided you have the grades and test scores, I would definitely stress the Be A Good Person part of the app.

And I would visit. it's a very unique school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was looking at Notre Dame’s admissions page —“we empower brilliant energetic thinkers who are motivated to change the world.”

Heady stuff! That’s a pretty high threshold. I suppose there are enough students like that, but most 17/18 year olds have no idea what they want to do in life, let alone change the world!

Are regular high-achieving students ever admitted to Notre Dame— kids who have lots of APs, good work ethic, well-liked, good EC—or just the students who have extraordinary experiences and insights?

You actually believe what an admissions page says? That's all fluff marketing.

So you’re saying regular kids ARE admitted?? You don’t have to be a super star?

Nothing special.
Same as other T20 schools.

It's less selective than Ivies - especially because it's applicant pool is mostly Catholic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was looking at Notre Dame’s admissions page —“we empower brilliant energetic thinkers who are motivated to change the world.”

Heady stuff! That’s a pretty high threshold. I suppose there are enough students like that, but most 17/18 year olds have no idea what they want to do in life, let alone change the world!

Are regular high-achieving students ever admitted to Notre Dame— kids who have lots of APs, good work ethic, well-liked, good EC—or just the students who have extraordinary experiences and insights?

You actually believe what an admissions page says? That's all fluff marketing.

So you’re saying regular kids ARE admitted?? You don’t have to be a super star?

Yes, regular catholic legacies are admitted. Here's another piece of ND marketing:

What type of student does Notre Dame look for?
Well-rounded senior class leaders. Dedicated artists. Our most competitive applicants are more than just students—they are creative intellectuals, passionate people with multiple interests. Above all else, they are involved—in the classroom, in the community, and in the relentless pursuit of truth.

same garbage that every school prints

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was looking at Notre Dame’s admissions page —“we empower brilliant energetic thinkers who are motivated to change the world.”

Heady stuff! That’s a pretty high threshold. I suppose there are enough students like that, but most 17/18 year olds have no idea what they want to do in life, let alone change the world!

Are regular high-achieving students ever admitted to Notre Dame— kids who have lots of APs, good work ethic, well-liked, good EC—or just the students who have extraordinary experiences and insights?

You actually believe what an admissions page says? That's all fluff marketing.

So you’re saying regular kids ARE admitted?? You don’t have to be a super star?

Nothing special.
Same as other T20 schools.

It's less selective than Ivies - especially because it's applicant pool is mostly Catholic.

I was responding that not all students are super stars, and mostly regular kids.

ND kids are as smart as many other elite school kids.

It says they are smarter than some Ivies such as Dartmouth and Cornell, but I think it's neglidgeable and doesn't mean much.
All smart kids.

https://www.businessinsider.com/the-50-smartest-colleges-in-america-2016-10
This is from before pandemic when scores were mandatory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising senior, a non-Catholic Asian, loves the school. He has the profile to have a ok chance of admission (yes we know how difficult it is to get accepted). Any experience of non-religious and/or Asians at the school that can be shared?

It's not easy for anyone to get in, but honestly, being outside the box might give him an edge.

DCUM loves to bash Notre Dame. But honestly, they cultivate diversity of thought. Mass is available multiple times per weekend and always encouraged, but plenty of kids don't go to church at all.

Agree with this. They might welcome a candidate like your son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was looking at Notre Dame’s admissions page —“we empower brilliant energetic thinkers who are motivated to change the world.”

Heady stuff! That’s a pretty high threshold. I suppose there are enough students like that, but most 17/18 year olds have no idea what they want to do in life, let alone change the world!

Are regular high-achieving students ever admitted to Notre Dame— kids who have lots of APs, good work ethic, well-liked, good EC—or just the students who have extraordinary experiences and insights?

You actually believe what an admissions page says? That's all fluff marketing.

So you’re saying regular kids ARE admitted?? You don’t have to be a super star?

Yes, regular catholic legacies are admitted. Here's another piece of ND marketing:

What type of student does Notre Dame look for?
Well-rounded senior class leaders. Dedicated artists. Our most competitive applicants are more than just students—they are creative intellectuals, passionate people with multiple interests. Above all else, they are involved—in the classroom, in the community, and in the relentless pursuit of truth.

same garbage that every school prints

Oh yep, I saw that. “Relentless pursuit of truth” 😂😂