We are sorry you didn’t get into Notre Dame. Rejection is always a bummer, especially when your heart is set on a specific school like Notre Dame. But application season isn’t over, and a rejection just means you have to put in a little more work. Before you stress out, we are here to help and walk you through the next steps.

While Notre Dame didn’t release their restrictive early action acceptance rate last year, their overall acceptance rate was only around 12%. This is a very competitive acceptance rate, and trust us when we say that not every great applicant got in, so don’t be too hard on yourself.

The most important thing is not to let this rejection derail you during the RD round. You need to set yourself up for success, and the best way to do so is to follow these simple steps.

Freaking out about applications? Let us help you! Contact us here.

Step 1: Breathe

In our experience, a rejection can cause students to spiral a bit. It’s ok to be emotional, but you need to get into the right headspace. Give yourself 2-3 days to feel all of your feels, and then it's time to dive in.

Step 2: Strategize

If you want a good outcome, you must have a good strategy. We always work with our clients from day one on crafting an excellent plan for their applications, but it isn’t too late to make one.  Part of that is crafting a balanced college list. After a rejection, it is important to relook at your college list. A healthy list should have around 8-12 schools and a good mix of reaches, targets, and safeties. If you don't know where to start, we have a blog about how to make an excellent college list.

You heard us right; it is still okay to have some reach schools. Just because you were rejected from Notre Dame doesn’t mean you need to delete all your reaches; however, they should be the smallest part of your list. It also isn’t a bad idea to make sure they feel within reach and not like a huge stretch.

The majority of your list needs to be targets and safeties. Sometimes, students focus on their reaches and don’t give these types of schools enough love, but these schools should be over 2/3rds of your list. You need to make sure they are schools that you would actually like to attend. Thinking about what you liked about Notre Dame is a great way to start. If you loved that it was a catholic school, maybe Villanova or Boston College should be on your list. If you love the school spirit and sports culture, maybe Clemson is an option. If you want Midwestern icons, maybe Purdue or WashU works for you. We have found that students who love Notre Dame often like Wake Forest and William & Mary as well.

You should also think about an ED2 strategy. When we work with clients, we highly suggest choosing an ED2 school even before applying EA; however, again, it is not too late to choose one. Many great schools offer an ED2 round. For example, of the schools mentioned above, Villanova, Boston College, Wash U, Wake Forest and W&M all offer an ED2 round.

Finally, our biggest tip when it comes to crafting a great college list is not to rely on hunches. It is important that your target and safety schools are actually targets and safeties. You need to back up your choices with facts, meaning you need to look at the data. You should use class profiles, Common Data sets, and even probability tools like Naviance to make sure your list is actually balanced. It isn’t a bad idea to talk to your school counselor and/or a private counselor like us to double-check your list. We can help get the most up-to-date data and trends.

Step Three: Essays

Sorry to give you some bad news, but you likely need to rewrite your Common App essay. Let us explain. Whenever we work with a student coming off a rejection, we relook at their essays, and they almost always need to be considerably reworked. This might be just a good edit, but more often, it's a full rewrite.

While essays are just one factor that admissions officers look at, they are your best chance to stand out. Notre Dame gets enough good applicants; not everyone with good grades and scores gets in. A stand-out essay can make all the difference for otherwise qualified candidates. Your essays should showcase your glowing personality, and anything less won’t cut it at elite schools. If you don’t know where to start, check out our Official Common App Essay Guide for 2024-2025. Trust us; we specialize in helping students craft standout essays that help students get into schools that they are statistically unlikely to. So, do a good edit, at the very least! We also publish blogs with tips for college-specific supplemental essays because your supplemental essays should also slay.

Step Four: Ask for Help

It isn’t a sign of weakness to ask for help. These next two weeks are going to be hard and you could use support. We even offer the “It’s Going to Be Okay” package for students in your exact position. It is an intensive where a dedicated counselor will hold your hand and ensure that your plan and essays are in fighting shape for the RD round. Deadlines come fast, and it's time to get serious about regular decision.

Getting rejected wasn’t the dream, but it isn’t too late to turn it around. The next two weeks are difficult, but if you put the work in, you can set yourself up nicely for the end of application season. And remember, if you need help, we are here for you.

Want an RD expert on your team? Contact us here.