u/hdangle_21

why do some people have interview and parental consent while on my submission timeline, i only have the teacher confimation and english examination b4 the shortlist

is it okay to include online chess elo as an activity (2k+ elo). is it better than generic club membership?

do they pick random contestants for interview?? because i didnt receive any info about it

BACKGROUND:

• From Vietnam (intl applicant)
• Needing substantial aid
• Intended major: Astrophysics, astronomy, theoretical physics

ACADEMICS:

• No curriculum
• GPA: 9.2/10
• Gifted High School (one of the best in Vietnam): No AP or IB offered
• Course rigor: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Math, Vietnamese Literature, English,... (literally all of the hardest courses in my school)
• IELTS: 8.0
• SAT: Not yet (projected 1500+, not sure if I can get 1550+)

AWARDS (I'm trying to stack more):

• Bronze Honor: International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition

ECs:

1. 3-week Internship at Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (No.1 spike): Selected as 1 of only 7 students worldwide, work on professional astrophysics research tasks (mostly computational)
2. Member of Professional Astrophysics Research Team: The team consisted of bachelor's and PhD students from various well-known universities (UMich, TU Munich, UF,...). I'm only a high school student, so I'm not allowed to be co-authored but I do work on research tasks about black holes and their hosted galaxies (also mostly computational)
3. Selected for the REACH Online program: An online astronomical research program for high school students hosted by CIERA - Northwestern University (also mostly computational astronomy)
4. Laboratory Assistant at a local university's engineering physics lab (top university in Vietnam for natural science)
5. Founded and coordinated an initiative promoting scientific social media content: reached 150,000+ views, managed operations across departments with 75+ members, coordinated collaborations with 5 nonprofit partnered organizations, organized hands-on community STEM outreach events for 100+ underprivileged students.
6. Physics Division Leader of my high school's science club: hosted physics-related seminars for 50+ club members, contributed to the organization of 6 STEM events attracting 300+ gifted students.
7. Selected for ASEAN Youth Organization's Next-gen program: 1 of 4 students from Vietnam selected, trained in project management, youth leadership, and digital literacy.
8. Member of a research department of a science translation platform: Contributed 10+ science communication posts for a page reaching 32,000+ followers.
9. Few more activities that are not as prominent

ESSAY & LOR:

• Pretty confident with my writing and storytelling ability
• Can ask for LOR from professors or highly regarded mentors that I have worked with

PLAN:

• Stack more awards (John Locke Essay Comp, GQMC, Regional Science and Engineering Fair)
• High SAT
• Tangible research output (papers, publications, conferences) -> Still the most uncertain

SCHOOL CONSIDERING:

• Need-aware: Vassar, Lehigh, Macalester, CWRU, Haverford, WashU, Wesleyan, Carleton, Grinnell
• Need-blind: Notre Dame, Bowdoin, Amherst, Dartmouth

Appreciate any insight, I'm still very uncertain about my chances

BACKGROUND:

• From Vietnam (intl applicant)
• Needing substantial aid
• Intended major: Astrophysics, astronomy, theoretical physics

ACADEMICS:

• No curriculum
• GPA: 9.2/10
• Gifted High School (one of the best in Vietnam): No AP or IB offered
• Course rigor: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Math, Vietnamese Literature, English,... (literally all of the hardest courses in my school)
• IELTS: 8.0
• SAT: Not yet (projected 1500+, not sure if I can get 1550+)

AWARDS (I'm trying to stack more):

• Bronze Honor: International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition

ECs:

1. 3-week Internship at Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (No.1 spike): Selected as 1 of only 7 students worldwide, work on professional astrophysics research tasks (mostly computational)
2. Member of Professional Astrophysics Research Team: The team consisted of bachelor's and PhD students from various well-known universities (UMich, TU Munich, UF,...). I'm only a high school student, so I'm not allowed to be co-authored but I do work on research tasks about black holes and their hosted galaxies (also mostly computational)
3. Selected for the REACH Online program: An online astronomical research program for high school students hosted by CIERA - Northwestern University (also mostly computational astronomy)
4. Laboratory Assistant at a local university's engineering physics lab (top university in Vietnam for natural science)
5. Founded and coordinated an initiative promoting scientific social media content: reached 150,000+ views, managed operations across departments with 75+ members, coordinated collaborations with 5 nonprofit partnered organizations, organized hands-on community STEM outreach events for 100+ underprivileged students.
6. Physics Division Leader of my high school's science club: hosted physics-related seminars for 50+ club members, contributed to the organization of 6 STEM events attracting 300+ gifted students.
7. Selected for ASEAN Youth Organization's Next-gen program: 1 of 4 students from Vietnam selected, trained in project management, youth leadership, and digital literacy.
8. Member of a research department of a science translation platform: Contributed 10+ science communication posts for a page reaching 32,000+ followers.
9. Few more activities that are not as prominent

ESSAY & LOR:

• Pretty confident with my writing and storytelling ability
• Can ask for LOR from professors or highly regarded mentors that I have worked with

PLAN:

• Stack more awards (John Locke Essay Comp, GQMC, Regional Science and Engineering Fair)
• High SAT
• Tangible research output (papers, publications, conferences) -> Still the most uncertain

SCHOOL CONSIDERING:

• Need-aware: Vassar, Lehigh, Macalester, CWRU, Haverford, WashU, Wesleyan, Carleton, Grinnell
• Need-blind: Notre Dame, Bowdoin, Amherst, Dartmouth

Appreciate any insight, I'm still very uncertain about my chances

I am wondering whether Notre Dame considers demonstrated interest in their admission process or not cuz I cannot find any info on the website or CDS