How can I compare my admissions chances at UVA and Notre Dame?

Apply to both if each school is a genuine academic and financial fit, but assess UVA and Notre Dame as two different applicant pools rather than comparing their published overall rates.

For UVA, start with your transcript in context: the hardest appropriate courses offered at your school, sustained performance across core subjects, and how your record compares with successful applicants from your high school or region. UVA’s essays should make your interest in its academic offerings and community specific rather than treating the university as interchangeable with other large public institutions.

For Notre Dame, evaluate whether your activities show depth, responsibility, and contribution to others, not simply an impressive list. Its application is a place to connect your values and intellectual interests to concrete parts of campus life, such as a department, service opportunity, residence-hall culture, or faith-based community, without overstating religious involvement you do not actually have.

For both schools, ask your counselor how applicants with a profile similar to yours have fared recently, especially those taking comparable courses and applying from your state. Treat each as a reach unless your record is clearly at the top of the admitted range for your relevant pool, then build a balanced list around that assessment.