Notre Dame is a private university in Notre Dame, Indiana. One of the most famous Catholic schools in the nation, Notre Dame is also known for its football team, The Fighting Irish, which was the subject of the Sean Astin film classic, “Rudy.” Though Notre Dame is a parochial school with religious traditions and offerings, students need not practice Catholicism (or any religion) to attend. Notre Dame has an undergraduate population of about 8,500 and is also known for producing many of the nation’s Fulbright scholars. The acceptance rate is about 19%. Here’s our advice on how to tackle the most recent supplement:

Before you Begin

Before beginning, we recommend reading about the essay prompts as they tell you to in the hyperlink below. No really. The school expands upon what it’s looking for in each response.

The University of Notre Dame Writing Section consists of one (1) essay response to a required question and one (1) essay response to a question you select from the options provided. In total, you will write two (2) essay responses. The word count is a maximum of 200 words per essay. 

Before responding, we encourage you to  to read more about our essay prompts.
Please provide a response to the following question:

The founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Blessed Basil Moreau, wrote, “We shall always place education side by side with instruction; the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart.” How do you hope a Notre Dame education and experience will transform your mind and heart?

As Notre Dame essentially tells you on the website above, this prompt can basically be read as “why Notre Dame?” Before you answer this question, consider the following: We advise all of our students to spend their four years of high school developing an academic expertise in a highly specific area. (Science is too broad, physics is better, astrophysics is even better than that.) Hopefully, you’ve been developing some sort of niche over the last few years reflected by the classes you’ve chosen to take, the extracurriculars you’ve signed up for, and even the hobbies you enjoy in your spare time. Before going forward, identify that niche. The strategy here should be drawing a connection between that area of expertise and what Notre Dame has to offer academically. In this response, you should write about that niche and how enrolling at Notre Dame is the best path forward for developing it further. Identify the major at Notre Dame that most closely aligns with your area of expertise. (Don’t worry, you’re not actually declaring a major here. You can go in undecided once you’re accepted or ditch physics for theater if you’re so inclined!) Talk about specific, higher level classes you would take and the professors who teach them. Next, identify the extracurriculars or clubs that align with that area of expertise and write about them. Finally, end with a sentence about the location and the campus.

Please provide a response to ONE (1) of the following questions:

1. During the spring semester, Notre Dame faculty gave on exciting topics within their fields of expertise. While you don't have a Ph.D. yet, we bet you're developing an expertise in something. If you were giving a Lightning Talk, what topic (academic or not) would you choose?

If you choose to respond to this one, consider that you just spoke about your academic area of expertise above. We believe the supplement is an opportunity to show the admissions committee a part of your personality that’s not present elsewhere on the application. So, identify a personality trait here (ideally, humor or some other facet of quirkiness). Talk about another niche or hobby you have, the weirder the better. Are you a horror movie junky? List out your top 100 horror movies.  Do you love insects? Compare and contrast the defenses of snails and worms. Have fun here and really let your passion shine.

2. There is a story or meaning behind every name or nickname—both those we’re given and those that we choose. What is meaningful to you about your name?

If you have a culturally rich history or background, this might be an opportunity to talk about it. If you want to answer it, however, tell a story with a beginning, middle and end. This can be really simple. It shouldn’t be existential or emotional. If you’re named for your grandmother whom you never met, write out a scene about what the two of you would’ve talked about if you’d ever met. If you’re named for your great-grandfather who made a killer cucumber salad, write out the recipe. The key to this one a detail-rich story. Feel free to get creative with form here, too.

3. What would you fight for?

If you’re not actually involved with making a difference in some way or aren’t interested in doing so, don’t force this one. Otherwise, we recommend picking a specific area. Racism is too broad. Housing is specific. Talk about a particular initiative or bill that you believe would make a difference systemically. Next, talk about how you already are actively working on that issue yourself.

Notre Dame is a great private university with a reputation of having strong academics and a close-knit community. They’re looking for students whose personality match the school’s. You can usually tell a school’s personality through the supplements they decide to put forth. If you enjoy writing these essays, the odds are, it’s probably a good fit for you. Your goals should be to focus on showcasing your own personality traits and drawing a connection between you and Notre Dame academically.

Need help with a school supplement? Call us. We’re experts at helping students craft standout essays.