- Nora Sun
Tags: Notre Dame
Institution: Notre Dame
Study: Major in biological sciences, and minor in African studies
High School Experience
High school was overall a really wonderful experience. As I got older, I pushed myself more outside of my comfort zone. I wish I wouldn’t have taken a lot of the smaller moments for granted, or been so hard on myself at certain points in time.
AP/IBs
I took 13 AP courses over the past four years, and have so far passed all of the corresponding exams except two. I did pretty well in all my classes, but the history ones were easily my favorites, especially AP United States History.
GPA
4.76 weighted
Standardized Testing
ACT superscore: 31
SAT US History: 600
Extracurriculars
Outside of school, I really enjoyed baking and volunteering with kids at my church. Within school, I founded my school’s Model United Nations Club, was Vice President of my Thespian Troupe, created & organized biannual food drives and Captain of our Varsity Cheerleading team. I did MUN for 3 years, theatre and my food drives for 4 years, and cheerleading for 2 years.
Recommendations
I was really close with both teachers who wrote recommendations for me. The one who spoke more of my character was my AP Chem teacher (my only class in high school that I never got an A in). My AP World teacher who sponsored our MUN club talked about my leadership skills and dedication in the classroom.
Essays
There wasn’t a specific theme I had in mind when writing my various essays. More often than not, I wrote about my family, community service, or my experiences as a black woman.
Strengths
I think I was a strong applicant because I was extremely well rounded. While I may not have been the most perfect student, I was extremely successful in every aspect: test scores, extracurriculars, grades, and essay writing.
Advice
Always be yourself and never be afraid to ask for help. There are so many people who want to see you succeed, so never forget that someone always has your back.
Circumstances
The main special circumstance that would have affected my college application process was that my father was unemployed from July to February of my senior year. It made paying for the application fees of 13 schools quite stressful.
Why?
I chose Notre Dame because of its commitment to diversity, academic rigor, extensive & well-funded research opportunities, competitive Division 1 Sports, and Christian atmosphere.