Expert Interview – Danny Cohen
Date: 3/3/2017
Type: Expert interview with Admissions Officer at Notre Dame
User: Alyssa is an admissions office assistant director at Notre Dame. Her region is Southern California and New Mexico, and I originally met her in Los Angeles. She had some great insight regarding the specifics of admission, and the way that AP and IB programs compare.
Age Range: About 30
(Interview conducted over email)
Summary of Interview:
I began by asking Alyssa how colleges compared the rigor of AP and IB programs. Her answers were:
- Students are encouraged to take either AP or IB courses of they are offered
- If a student can receive an IB diploma, their high school will be considered “most rigorous”
- AP and IB Higher Level courses are viewed on the same level.
- IB Standard level is less rigorous
I also asked Alyssa what the perception of South Bend schools were.
- She had positive things to say about all high schools in South Bend
- Many St. Joseph County students apply to Notre Dame
- Public vs. Private schools do not affect admissions decisions
Alyssa noted that the paths of students are not compared across high schools.
- If a student can follow their passion in a magnet program, then Notre Dame would take this into account in their admission decision.
Significant Quotes:
“If a student has the ability to receive an IB Diploma, we will consider their high school curriculum to be “most rigorous” in our admissions review process.”
“When comparing an AP course to an IB course, we view AP and IB Higher Level on the same level”
“We hope that students have chosen to challenges themselves to the best of their abilities, based on what is offered at their specific high school.”
“Notre Dame has a great perception of the high schools in the South Bend community, both public and private”
“We evaluate each applicant based on the path they have chosen to take within their specific high school, and do not compare them to the paths other students take at different high schools.”
“A student’s choice to be a part of a magnet program is great, and really is a benefit to the student in their ability to pursue their passion(s)”
Entire Transcript:
1) How do colleges compare AP and IB programs? If a high school has an IB program but a low rate of students that actually get a diploma, is that still regarded highly by universities? Is the number of AP courses offered by a high school used as a consideration for admissions?
We encourage students to take Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses if those courses are offered by their high school. If a student has the ability to receive an IB Diploma, we will consider their high school curriculum to be “most rigorous” in our admissions review process. When comparing an AP course to an IB course, we view AP and IB Higher Level on the same level, and IB Standard Level on a less rigorous level. We evaluate each applicant solely based on the high school they choose to attend. If one high school offers 20+ AP courses, we would never expect a student to take all of them. However, if a high school offers 3 AP courses, we would encourage the student to take all three, if possible. At the end of the day, we hope that students have chosen to challenges themselves to the best of their abilities, based on what is offered at their specific high school.
2) (This might be hard for you to answer as the SoCal recruiter, but I’ll ask anyways) What is the general perception that the admissions office has of South Bend Schools? Does the university have a high number of applicants from the city of South Bend? Are the public schools seen as less competitive in admissions considerations vs. the private schools like St. Joe’s or Trinity?
You are correct in that my expertise is more geared toward the knowledge of Southern California and New Mexico high schools, but I do know that Notre Dame has a great perception of the high schools in the South Bend community, both public and private. We do receive a large number of applications from St. Joseph County, in large part due to the proximity to Notre Dame’s campus (that is common of all colleges/universities). We never compare applicants across high schools, so a student’s choice to attend public vs. private would not impact their Notre Dame admissions decision.
3) Does the admissions office take into consideration when schools have “Magnet Programs” such as the ones in South Bend? I’m not sure if you’re familiar with them, but each of the 4 has a concentration of either Engineering/Medicine/Arts/IB. Would a school such as Notre Dame value an IB school more than an Arts school in terms of admissions considerations, or is it more based on the path of the student?
I’ve briefly touched upon this in my first two responses, but we evaluate each applicant based on the path they have chosen to take within their specific high school, and do not compare them to the paths other students take at different high schools. For example, we do not expect all students to be artistic, musically gifted, the Student Body President, and the Captain of three sports teams. A student’s choice to be a part of a magnet program is great, and really is a benefit to the student in their ability to pursue their passion(s).
4) What would be the process if a High School wanted to invite Notre Dame to a college fair, or to present to prospective students?
This is actually very easy! The high school guidance counselor should reach out to their Notre Dame admissions counselor (found on our website) to request a high school visit. When we travel during the months of September and October, we visit 3-5 high schools during each day. If Clay High School (or any other high school you might be working with) wants to invite us to their College Fair, they should pass along an electronic invitation to our office via email. The team of local admissions volunteers (usually alumni, but not limited to) reviews and RSVPs to the invitation. Rarely do Admissions Counselors attend College Fairs, as we have teams of phenomenal admissions volunteers who are eager to work these College Fairs on our behalf.