College & Career
Preparation
A Notre Dame education encourages and prepares today's young women for college degrees in emerging fields and empowers them to identify and nurture their individual gifts. Embracing Saint Julie's tenet to 'teach young women what they need to know for life,' Notre Dame guides students as they discern their individual path to success in a changing and increasingly challenging world. Nationally, women represent 34% of practicing physicians, 19% of the U.S. Congress, 14% of executive officers and only 4% of S&P 500 company CEOs, even though they earn 60% of college degrees awarded each year. We are committed to growing women’s leadership and engagement in careers and fields where they have been underrepresented and graduating young women who will change those statistics. Studies have shown that the development of soft skills including communications, decisionmaking, self-motivation and teamwork are critical to 21st century success. Notre Dame's Career & Life Success Program prepares young women for life beyond college by empowering them to identify and nurture their individual gifts and talents as they explore opportunities for future success.
Additional research can be found at www.ndsj.org/About-Us/Womens-Leadership.
"I am grateful that my Notre Dame experience has not only prepared me to succeed in college, but it has also helped inspire me to go out into the world and bring about change in the communities around me."
Natalie'17
CLASS of 2017
16
MILLION
$
OVER
offered in scholarships Students were accepted to an average of 5.7 colleges last year.
SAT
in Writing
74
%
of the students in the Class of 2017 matriculated to one of the Princeton Review’s
Best 381 Colleges
SAT
in Math
690
660
600 ND Mean 485 CA Mean 482 Nat'l Mean
584 ND Mean 500 CA Mean 508 Nat'l Mean
ND Upper Quartile
ND Upper Quartile
SAT
in Critical Reading
680 ND Upper Quartile
598 ND Mean 491 CA Mean 494 Nat'l Mean
Most popular majors for the Class of 2017:
• Chemistry/Biology/BioChem • Engineering • Business/Econ • Computer Science • Psychology • Nursing • Environmental Science • Political Science/International Affairs
63
%
attending
college within California
ACT
composite
61% Private 28% UC/CSU 5.5% CC or Gap 5% Out of State Public 0.5% International 22% of Class of 2017 matriculated to highly selective colleges (accepting 33% of students or less) up from 18% for the Class of 2016
37
attending
%
out-of-state colleges
27.6 ND Mean 22.6 CA Mean 20.8 Nat'l Mean
"Last year I took the class AP Computer Science Principles. In this class, we learned how to write code and about the importance of technology. We used various platforms to further develop our understanding of coding and created our own applications using MIT App Inventor. We also created our own games using Greenfoot. The class took field trips to tech companies here in San Jose including Brocade and Adobe. I am extremely interested in a career in technology because of what this class offered, and I know that through the technology skills I learned, I will be much better prepared for college."
Mariana'19
78
93
%
%
AP pass rate
of students
for students last year
• English Literature 92% • English Language 95% • Psychology 96% • US History 91% • World History 96% • Calculus BC 96% • Biology 100% • Spanish Literature 100% AVERAGE PASS RATE
62% 60% state
nation
1:1
take one or more of 29
AP & Honors classes
306
students took 736 tests last year
college counseling support for all juniors and seniors and their families
Career & Life Skills conferences & events • • • • • •
Watermark Conference Adobe Santa Clara University Law School Tesla NBC Bay Area Girls @ the Tech Luncheon
61 student participants
Strategic Plan
Initiative
Notre Dame's five-year strategic plan serves as the guide for day-to-day operations as well as the development of program, facilities and resources. Comprised of two initiatives that serve in a thematic role — Environment of Innovation and Catholic in the 21st Century — and three programatic initiatives, Notre Dame's Strategic Plan charts the course for a gamechanging future. Programatic initiatives — Leaders of Tomorrow, Career & Life Success and Lifelong Network — are already well underway. The renovation of campus spaces has created a Center for Career & Life Success staffed by a full-time program coordinator. Students and alumnae are given opportunities to network and build cross-generational relationships that support the life-long growth of each Notre Dame woman. And our students are applying the 21st century learning skills, global perspective and cultural competency that develop dynamic women leaders who are agents of positive change in the local and global community.
to build networking, understanding, and career focus for curriculum
42 community partners
worked with administrators, faculty and students to build strategic plan
479
STUDENTS
FACULTY & STAFF VISITED
13
downtown community partners
were given opportunities to network with Notre Dame alumnae
17
BOARD MEMBERS
include local community and business leaders, past parents and alumnae