You may be wondering, what exactly is the Notre Dame Leadership Seminars? Luckily, you're in the right place. The Notre Dame Leadership Seminars is a highly competitive, 10-day residential program that is fully funded by Notre Dame University. It is designed for academically talented students who have demonstrated impressive leadership in their communities. Accepted students will have all their tuition, room, and board covered by the university. If you are interested in fields such as Leadership, Social Sciences, Economics & Finance, Law, Government & Politics, or Natural Sciences & Ecology, this summer program is something you don’t want to miss!

If you are passionate about social issues and have taken active steps to make a difference in your community, this program gives you a chance to be recognized and meet like-minded peers. Curious to know more? Read on to discover why this might be a great opportunity for you!

Dates & Deadlines

Program Dates: July 19 – July 30, 2025

Application Deadline: October 14, 2024 – January 22, 2025

Standardized Test Submission Deadline: February 28, 2025

Acceptance/Registration Payment Deadline: April 4, 2025

Eligibility for Leadership Seminars

The University of Notre Dame welcomes applications to the Leadership Seminar Program from students who meet the following criteria:

1. Students must be in their 12th or 13th year of high school, will be in grade 12 in 2025, and plan to go to college immediately after graduating from high school

2. Students must be 16 years old by August 1, 2025, to participate in the Leadership Seminars program

3. Admitted students are usually in the top 10% of their class, have taken the most rigorous courses in high school, and have standardized test scores (SAT between 1300-1500; ACT above 31 points);

4. Students should actively demonstrate leadership in activities or organizations around them (school, community, or church).

Application Materials

Interested students must submit an online application, including a high school transcript, a counselor report, and a letter of recommendation from a high school teacher. Before you begin your application, please prepare the following information and documents in advance:

1. Activity list

2. Two essays (see below for details)

3. Name and work email of your high school counselor

4. Name and work email of your high school teacher

5. International students must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores

6. If students plan to submit standardized test scores, upload the corresponding scanned copies. Standardized scores must be submitted no later than February 28, 2025 (standardized test scores are not required, but it is best to provide them in order to enhance students' application capabilities)

7. The project application fee is $60. Prepare a Visa or Master credit card in advance

8. The online application and all supplementary materials must be submitted before January 22, 2025. Once the complete application materials are received, the university will begin reviewing.

Essay Prompts

You will need to write two essays:

First Essay: Based on your first-choice seminar selection.

1. The Power of Investing:
   Most people first learn about money and investing from a family member or trusted friend. Who has helped you better understand the value of money, and what are the most important lessons you’ve learned?
2. Business:
   Many people are suspicious of business. Do you think people are right to be suspicious of business? Is it possible for business to be a force for good in society?
3. Environment:
   What can you do to make a positive impact on climate change? Do you believe one individual can make a meaningful difference?
4. Inequality in America:
   What are viable solutions to reduce economic inequalities in the U.S.? Why or why not?
5. Global Issues: (choose one)
6. What is peace? How do we bring it about?
7. How would you strengthen international institutions such as the U.N. to mitigate violence and human rights violations?

Second Essay:
Explain how your personal journey would empower you to contribute meaningfully to the Notre Dame community, committed to love, inclusivity, and activism.

Available Seminar Topics

Regardless of your interest—whether it’s business or the environment—Notre Dame’s Leadership Seminars offer an exciting range of courses. Around 150 students are divided into smaller groups, allowing for intimate discussions and personalized learning experiences. Below is a glimpse of this year’s offerings:

Business: What Is It Good For?

Focuses on the ethical dilemmas businesses face. Key questions include:

1. What is the connection between business and the public interest?

2. Is there such a thing as an honorable business? If so, what is it? What is a dishonorable business?

3. What is the responsibility of an ethical business leader to himself, to others, to society, and to the world?

4. What is the connection between business and the public interest? What is the Catholic view?

Global Issues: Violence and Peace in the Modern Age

 A survey of a range of global issues, including armed violence. In addition, the program helps students become better diplomats and learn strategies for peacebuilding.

This seminar begins by surveying those pressing contemporary challenges, focusing on war and violence, and examining how extreme nationalism combines with dehumanizing ideologies to lead to war and mass atrocities, systemic discrimination, and entrenched poverty and inequality. Focusing on three regions, the Middle East, Central Africa, and the United States, these issues are explored from global and local perspectives.

In the second part of the seminar, the following questions will be discussed:

l • How do we work to build peace in the face of major social challenges?

l  • What can we do to promote just and equitable social relations?

•What conceptions of justice underlie existing peacebuilding practices, institutions, and frameworks?

• At the end of the seminar, students will visit several community peacebuilding organizations in Chicago to learn about practical strategies for mitigating violence and poverty and building trust and resilience among neighbors.

Inequality in America: America's Social and Economic Inequities

This course is designed to challenge students' critical thinking skills while helping them understand the root causes and consequences of society.

The poverty rate in the United States has been stagnant for the past 50 years. How do we explain the inequality and stagnation of American society and economy? How do these facts change when examining intersectional identities based on race, class, and gender, especially in the context of anti-immigrant xenophobia and anti-Black racism?

The first half of the course will focus on a critical analysis of the various sources and consequences of inequality, focusing on education, political representation, residential fragmentation, and racial disparities. The second half of the course will explore opportunities to eliminate inequality and propose what we should do about it.

The Environment: Science, Policy, Ethics

With the environment in a critical state, this course hopes to extract solutions to help sustain it in the long term.

Protecting the natural environment is the most pressing challenge facing scientists, humanists, policymakers, and ordinary citizens today. Sustaining our environment is essential to human flourishing, as well as the flourishing of our nonhuman relatives, both in the short and long term.

This leadership seminar will explore a range of interesting and thorny issues related to the environment, including climate change and species protection, air and water quality, sustainable agriculture, and prudent resource extraction. We will think about these issues in the context of a broader society, exploring issues of global justice and the different responsibilities and needs of developed and developing countries. We will also delve into issues that some may consider "science fiction," including protecting the natural environments of other worlds, establishing permanent human settlements on the moon and Mars, mining minerals on asteroids, and landing probes on distant worlds, such as Jupiter's moon Europa.

The Power of Investing: Financial Literacy and the Miracle of Compound Interest

Build a solid foundation about investing and "understand how to optimize our portfolio decisions for both financial returns and global impact," according to the University of Notre Dame.

Einstein famously said, "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. Those who understand it, gain it; those who do not, pay the price." To continue with this idea, the miracle of compound interest can be more clearly described as seemingly small, incremental positive changes that have a large impact over a long period. This can be seen in investment returns, but the law of compound interest applies to a wider range of areas. Individuals and companies have an ethical obligation to consider the long-term impact of their decisions. As investors, we need to exercise our critical thinking skills to understand how to optimize our portfolio decisions for financial returns and global impact.

To make a difference in investing, we must first understand the foundations of financial literacy and its role in accumulating assets. By developing a lifelong financial plan, students will learn the fundamentals of finance and the tools to create wealth. Topics include investing inside and outside retirement accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and tax considerations.

Day in the Life at Notre Dame

While 10 days may seem short compared to other summer programs, participants’ schedules are packed with activities, and the program provides students with a highly interactive experience during a busy day. The general structure of the day is as follows.

• l7:30-8:00 AM Dormitory group meeting
• l8:00-8:45 AM Enjoy a hearty breakfast in the North Dining Hall
• l9:00-12:00 AM Academic activities, including classroom time, group discussions, and guest lectures by industry experts
• l12:00-1:00 PM Enjoy a delicious lunch in the North Dining Hall
• l1:00-4:00 PM Continue academic activities and provide volunteer service opportunities
• l4:00-5:00 PM Free break time
• l5:00-6:00 PM Meal in the North Dining Hall

• l6:00-11:00 PM Evening activities (more on this later), free time, and study time
• l11:00 PM Dormitory registration lights out

7 Reasons to Apply for Notre Dame Leadership Seminars

Notre Dame's Leadership Seminars are very prestigious, and only a few applicants are selected each year. Here are 7 reasons why the Notre Dame Leadership Seminar is popular and valuable.

1. You can visit Notre Dame

Notre Dame is one of the top universities in the country, so being accepted into their leadership program is a huge honor and opportunity. If you are interested in applying to this university as a sophomore in high school, you can visit the campus in advance to see if the campus life, professors, and community here are a good fit for you.

2. You can experience college life

College and high school are two competely different experiences. Most people have a hard time adjusting to the fast-paced college culture. It is difficult for them to schedule classes, meals, and activities on such a large campus. The Notre Dame Leadership Seminar helps students understand how college works and experience college life. Living away from home and in a dorm is another challenge college students face when going to college. The ten-day program is the best way to adjust and experience college life. You can experience independent living and make new friends.

3. You can enhance your resume in your college application

Notre Dame's Leadership Seminar gives you an advantage over all other college applicants. Because of this, colleges look at candidates who are selected for Notre Dame's Leadership Seminar "differently." Additionally, performing well in the Notre Dame Leadership Seminar is a clear signal to the university that you can demonstrate leadership qualities, teamwork skills, and competence.

4. Housing and Tuition Included in the Program

If you are accepted into this highly competitive program, tuition, housing, and meals will be paid for by the university. However, the $60 application fee and $150 reservation fee, as well as round-trip transportation costs, must be paid by the student.

5. You will engage in profound social and global topics

The subjects that students can study will be closely connected to current global affairs, which broadens their scope of study and their perspective on society. For example, one global issue that can be explored is violence and peace in the modern era, such as wars, refugee crises, conflicts, and more; another major area of ​​interest is the environment, and the corresponding debates on the science, policy, and ethics of climate change; another topic that may arouse curiosity is investment, which will help students learn about financial literacy and compound interest. All of these topics are very relevant to current political and social discourse, which will help participants find the right professional direction of their interest in this complex world.

6. You'll enjoy lots of fun activities

After a long day of studying and debating, students can enjoy a variety of activities, from ice skating, open mic night (bring your comedy skits, instruments and vocal chords), trivia and more, you can have fun every night. It's also a great time to make friends and a great way to make your summer memorable. You can talk to students from all different backgrounds, and these activities are designed to help build a community that you're welcome to join!

7. You can give back by volunteering

Good deeds can go a long way, and at Notre Dame's Leadership Seminar, you can show others how good you are. As part of developing true leadership skills, you can choose an organization to learn about and serve, which can be a variety of activities, such as walking dogs at a local shelter, collecting food donations, mentoring children, or planting vegetables in a community garden. If you're interested in volunteering, you have many opportunities in this program.

Another Option - Embark Exploration Program

Embark, founded in 2016, is an educational institution focused on providing customized scientific research training for teenagers. The core team consists of graduates from prestigious U.S. universities. Embark has over 3,000 mentors from renowned schools like the Ivy League, MIT, Caltech, Johns Hopkins, and Carnegie Mellon.

Embark offers personalized one-on-one research guidance, creating custom research topics based on students' interests. Embark helps students systematically develop research skills, establish a solid research framework, connect research with real-world applications, appreciate the value of research, and enhance their problem-solving abilities, all of which strengthen their college applications.

For more information, please visit the Embark Exploration Program. If you have any questions or need further information, feel free to contact us. We are happy to assist and discuss possible collaboration opportunities.