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Volume 53, Issue 110 | wednesday, april 3, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND admits students to class of 2023 With record-breaking number of applications, University accepts 3,410 in most selective year yet By Max Lander News Writer
Notre Dame has released its regular admission decisions, and with it the profile of the class of 2023 has started to take shape. An increase of 1,825 students — about 9 percent — applied for this year’s application pool — compared to last year’s recordbreaking 22,200 applicants, Donald Bishop, the associate vice president for undergraduate enrollment, said. The total number of applicants was not the only increase the admissions office noted. Applications for students with the highest academic credentials also increased by 22 percent. “This was by far our most
competitive and selective year,” Bishop said. “There were students that we would admit just two or three years ago, that we just couldn’t admit now.” The class is currently composed of 3,410 admitted students from 2,050 different high schools. The types of high schools admitted students came from also displayed some diversity, with 47 percent of admits coming from public schools, 34 percent coming from Catholic schools and 19 percent coming from private or charter schools, Bishop said. Test scores and good grades are far from the only factors that go into the admission decision process, Bishop said. The process involves various factors,
like the needs of the University’s various colleges and athletic programs, the diversity of the applicant pool, the academic and personal interests of applicants and other more qualitative factors. “Top colleges are looking for students who won’t treat this as the biggest achievement of their life,” Bishop said. “It’s just the next step and they want to use the college as a vehicle to get smarter, to get more creative and to enjoy learning more.” Bishop said some applicants have a great transcript on paper but do not truly want to become better students and people. “So there is a group of see ADMISSIONS PAGE 5
The Bald and The Beautiful to support cancer research By ERIN SWOPE News Writer
Hair can often be a means of self-expression. However, sometimes no hairstyle at all can say more than even the most elaborate updo. The Bald and The Beautiful, one of the largest student-run philanthropy events on campus, gives students the opportunity to either shave their heads, donate eight inches of hair or buy hair extensions to raise
funds and awareness for cancer research. “It’s cool when you shave your head and you’re walking around campus and you see somebody else that you didn’t know was shaving their head or a girl who got her hair cut super short, it’s just like a cool little bond you share,” Bart Bramanti, a junior and co-chair for the event, said. This year, The Bald and the Beautiful will be held on April 3 and 4 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
and April 5 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Duncan Student Center on the Hagerty Family Cafe Stage. Participants can either donate eight inches of their hair for free, shave their head for $15 or purchase colored hair extensions, each color representing a different type of cancer, for $10. Organizer and senior Rachel Belans said she hopes the central location will help make the see HAIR PAGE 5
Philosophy, FTT class to study ‘The Good Place’ By COURTNEY BECKER Senior News Writer
Students interested in receiving academic credit for studying “The Good Place” and philosophy should start trying to earn points for their positive actions. This fall, the departments of Film, Television and Theatre (FTT) and
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Philosophy are joining forces to create “The Good Class,” a six-week, one-credit class that will serve as an interdisciplinary study of “The Good Place,” a hit sitcom on NBC. The class will be restricted to FTT majors and students in the philosophy major or minor, and will feature a visit from television writer and producer Michael Schur,
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who created “Parks and Recreation” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” in addition to “The Good Place.” Meghan Sullivan — the Rev. John A O’Brien Collegiate Chair and professor of philosophy, and one of the architects of The Good Class — said the department see CLASS PAGE 4
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CLAIRE KOPISCHKE | The Observer
Class of 2019 valedictorians chosen by College By COLLEEN FISCHER Saint Mary’s Editor
Saint Mary’s students strive for academic success, but every class has students whose academic devotion puts them at the top of their class. On March 25, the College released the names of the three young women who will be the class of 2019’s valedictorians. Though all three students wanted to excel academically, none of them set out to receive this honor. Communicative science and disorders (CSD) major Elizabeth Priester was simply looking for individual success in each of her classes. “I just wanted to be really successful in all of the classes I was in. It just kind of led to being valedictorian,” Priester said. A similar sentiment was reiterated by fellow CSD major and valedictorian Natalie Dock. “I definitely didn’t think that I would be valedictorian coming into Saint Mary’s — I was
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just looking to get the most out of my experience,” she said. Monica McGrath, the third valedictorian, also said she did not seek the title of valedictorian but instead had more personal motivators. “[I am] always looking for self-improvement,” she said. In the summer between their junior and senior year, the students were told there was a possibility of they would be valedictorians of their class. Dock said she tried to make sure that the possibility of her being the top of her class did not change the way she went about her day-to-day life. “I tried not to let it affect me, because I didn’t want to be motivated by that,” Dock said. “I wanted to do the best that I could. … I didn’t want that to be on my mind.” Although honored to receive the title, Dock tried not to place much value on the award. Though she considers see GRADUATION PAGE 3
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