BC Carroll School or ND Economics? I didn’t get into Mendoza…
Thanks
What do you want to do? Can either school help you with your career choice better than the other? Are there other factors which might help figure this out?
Finance. I think being in Boston could help a lot with internships and jobs. However, Notre Dame alumni are of course great. So are BC’s though. Since I didn’t get into Mendoza, I feel like I might feel inferior to other people who are in that college… Can I have your opinions on being in CAS at ND vs Carroll? Thanks
I can’t help you with Carroll, since I don’t know much. But I do want to say that all the schools at ND are excellent. Mendoza isn’t superior to the other programs in prestige around campus. It is recent that ND required preadmission to Mendoza due to the popularity of the program. Most of the students on campus didn’t worry about getting into Mendoza when they applied, so no one really thinks about who got in and who didn’t.
I think any ND student would tell you that ND is incredibly helpful with internships and jobs.
So look at what is on the table between the two schools and see which opportunity most closely matches what you want out of the next four years and your long term goals. You have two fantastic choices here.
Pick the school you like best… if you like ND best, go there. Don’t go to BC just for a major. I could be mis-reading it, but seems like you are setting up this decision as #1 college at #2 choice university vs. #2 college at #1 choice university. That’s the wrong way to look at it. Ruby789 is right - ND’s College of Arts & Letters (or College of Science) is in no way viewed as somehow second to Mendoza. Pick your #1 choice university.
I disagree that you should pick the school you like best over the school with your preferred major. I wouldn’t recommend going to a school you hated, but if you like both (and I imagine you would, as both schools are incredibly similar) it makes more sense to me to choose the school where you can study your preferred subject. It is relatively easy to work in finance with a degree in economics and some prefer students with that background, but I imagine employers hiring for finance out of ND are looking at Mendoza students first. Boston has a wealth of internships available and the Carroll school is excellent (and this is coming from a Northeastern student). It’s not a make-or-break decision, so if you do significantly prefer one over the other for whatever reason- location, sports teams, distance from home, etc.- choose that one if you know you won’t be happy at the other. If it’s a toss-up, I’d pick BC but you can’t go wrong.
novafan1225 says " but I imagine employers hiring for finance out of ND are looking at Mendoza students first"
I’m not sure I would make that assumption. ND students sometimes call families to invite them to things, and I received a phone call this year inviting me to Junior Parents weekend. The young woman who called me was a senior majoring in something definitely NOT businessy, but in English, or History, or something like that. She already had a terrific job lined up at a big name company. She told me that she got this job because of her skills that these majors brought to the table I was really impressed with her. I told my D1 about it. D1 said, "Yeah, ND students learn to identify their strengths and how to apply them. It is drilled into you how to be marketable. "
Employers employ individuals who bring the skills and drive they need to help their company. I think that is more of a priority than the exact degree.
I also think that in this case, the major matters a even less. Many schools don’t have a business school, and students take Econ and have plenty of opportunities. In fact, Econ is one of the most versatile majors, and offers a lot of employable skills. That there isn’t space available in Mendoza doesn’t take away from the fact that Econ is a valuable course of study.
And while I’m at it, OP, have you looked into the applied computational math and statistics major at ND? I believe it is a second major offering. It might be something you would consider doing alongside Econ.
The OP is lucky to have such great choices. But it probably comes down to personal preferences on which school to choose.
I’ve posted this before… Doing it again because it is relevant again: http://admissions.nd.edu/connect/news/62358-how-i-chose-a-college/
“I wanted to be much more than my career and felt as though choosing a school based on the rankings of a major led me down a very narrow tunnel… I ultimately chose Notre Dame because I wanted to focus on who I wanted to be instead of what I wanted to do… I’m happy I chose to attend a school for a much broader reason than the major I thought I wanted as a senior in high school.”
Thanks everyone for your great insight! It helps a lot. I really appreciate all your time in helping me. I am lucky to have great options.
I haven’t looked into applied computational math and statistics, but I’m not crazy about math/stats. I don’t think I would enjoy this a lot. I really love Notre Dame and everything about the university is just awesome. BC is great too, it’s close to home and I just wanted to explore more. However, I think I really need the finance major. Do you think Carroll and Mendoza are similar in employers eyes and the overall experience? I know that’s a broad question.
Thanks!!
Congrats on two great choices. You cannot make a bad pick. My son is choosing Mendoza, but isn’t CSOM a top five or ten ranked business school as well? You’re very likely to be happy and to do well at either school. Good luck.
Businessg101, it sounds as though you prefer BC. You will have great opportunities at both colleges with career options and employers. Seriously. Nobody should choose a school based on rankings. That’s a starting point for gathering information, not an ending point for deciding.
I’m sure you realize that by posting on the ND page, you would hear opinions that would lean towards ND. But it is your choice, and you don’t have a wrong one here. There’s one that you are leaning towards, and you can take that one.
If you had more time, I would have suggested speaking to the admissions officers at both schools.
For what it’s worth, students who graduate from ND with a degree in economics have higher average starting salaries than Mendoza students. Most top universities do not have undergraduate business programs, after all, and their graduates still get top internships and jobs, so if you prefer Notre Dame overall, it might be a mistake to go to Boston College instead. And keep in mind that many students change their minds about their majors after freshman year.
I would look carefully at the programs to be a finance and an economics major. You should be able to find the courses you need for each major at each school online. Finance in a b-school would include a business core curriculum including intro classes in subjects like accounting, b-law, management, IT, finance, etc. Economics is a liberal arts course of study and gets pretty theoretical at the higher levels. One is not better or worse than the other, but they are different paths. If you prefer one over the other, go with that school. Other than that, I’d say it is personal preference. Two great options – no bad choice can be made. Whichever school you decide on, go buy a hoodie and never look back. Congratulations.
Thanks everyone!! I appreciate all your insight! 
@businessg101: Did you decide? And if so, what was the decision?
@businessg101 Were you actually admitted to ND? Replies on some earlier threads imply you were waitlisted.
I have a son who graduated from ND Mendoza and a daughter who is in BC CSOM. I’d love to know what you decided. D was deferred and then denied at ND. I don’t know what she would have decided if she had gotten into ND but not Mendoza.
How did you son like Mendoza? What is he doing now?