Beenthere...maybe I misspoke, freshmen admission standards are not impossible, they are very tough. Maybe that is a better word, apply to USC and apply to Notre Dame with decent grades and see which one takes you. They never take JC transfers, like other programs do, and probably play the toughest schedule in the nation. Do they still have the luster...I think so! If there admission standards were the same as everyone else, they would get the quality athletes, and be right back on top. Does Notre Dame take the same type student/athlete as say Miami or Florida State? NOPE. This also makes the Stanford baseball program all the more impressive, because they too don't have the same admission standards as say a California State college, yet they remain at the top of the heap year in and year out.