Boston College vs. Notre Dame

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Notre Dame
1

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>I am planning to apply EA to UMichigan and either BC or UND and ED to Duke, just in case I may get deferred. But regarding BC and UND, I understand they are both different environments but also great institutions where I would be happy to cultivate my academic growth. I know this is a Notre Damel thread but without bias, can you guys comment on:</p>

<p>1.) Premed success rate/ life
2.) General Social life and Environment
3.) Difficult of getting in early action- (I am Asian Indian, Hindu, Born in India/ I hear UND is 85% Catholic, so several UND students say I may be a underrep. minority, a useful hook)
4.) I guess sort of the Catholic/Religious predominance in judging lifestyle
5.) Grade Inflation?
6.) City Life, I guess nothing beats Boston
7.) Really Important- Financial Aid, I hear Boston is really expensive, but I am curious to the past fin aid packages.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>I will answer as many of your questions as I feel qualified to answer.</p>

<p>1.) Premed is one of the most popular majors on campus from what I know and their placement rate is outstanding from everything I've read.
2.) Notre Dame students come to regard their fellow students as family. It is an amazing place to learn, but also to have a great time with a tight group.
3.) The EA at ND is very selective, but in regards to your race, it would almost definitely be a hook.
4.) Though most of the student body is Catholic/conservative.. my understanding is that the campus is very accepting towards people from other backgrounds.
5.) This I know nothing about.
6.) That depends, I personally would not want to attend a school right on top of the city. ND is a small distance from Chicago.. which, in my opinion, beats Boston (I'm from near Chicago). If the city life is for you, Boston has ND beat, but ND's community remains exciting.
7.) ND is AMAZING with their financial aid. They basically cover what your family's EFC does not cover. My parents' EFC was around $23k and ND gave me a $20k University scholarship. It is likely that no other non-ivy school has more loyal alumn than ND. The money poors in from those that just love the school or want to get a relative's foot in the door. Regardless, the majority of the students can afford a large part of the education, many all of it, so their donations seem to exceed their handouts. As such, they can afford to be very generous with financial aid.</p>

3

<p>What is important for me is also Grade inflation..? I am just curious about both schools' academics..</p>

<p>Also,</p>

<p>1.) How is the weather?
2.) Does life get dull after Football season? People say BC is three sport well-rounded, so there is excitement every weekend.
3.) I hear the campus beauty fades away during most of the school year..??</p>

4

<p>My son attends ND so I can give you my take. </p>

<p>Your first post:
1) Med school acceptance rate is very high at ND.<br>
2) There are no frats or sororities. Your dorm becomes your frat, your family within the larger ND family. They have different headgear for every dorm, worn usually just to pep rallys I think. My son's is Nordic horns. Watching hundreds of young adults head to a pep rally in various hats is hilarious. They seem to think it's pretty funny, too.</p>

<p>There are a <em>lot</em> of dorm parties and dances. It seems my son is doing something constantly. Also, parties are held on and off campus, but often right off campus at Turtle Creek apartments. </p>

<p>Environment is very supportive academically. Within your dorm there is always someone to go to for help in a subject. </p>

<p>3) Notre Dame's 85% Catholic percentage is merely a reflection of their applicant pool. But I am fairly confident you would be considered a minority applicant. No matter what, apply EA. In EA, they only deny applicants that they are sure would be also denied in RA. If you are competitive, at the very least your application would be deferred to RA.</p>

<p>4) The student body is about 50/50 conservative to liberal (per a survey done this past year). They like to engage in friendly debate. I'd say the vast majority of the student body is non-judging but expects each other to act with conscience. Not quite sure if this is what you're asking for here. What do you mean by "judging?"</p>

<p>5) I can't say for sure but I do not think there is much grade inflation. Most profs grade on the curve. </p>

<p>6) You will not get much out of South Bend. But BC is quite removed from the city, as well. I've overhead my son and his friends discussing this very thing (referring to Georgetown, specifically) and saying their friends there don't really take advantage of living in DC that much. They're in college, doing college things (parties, etc.). After age 21 they go to bars, which is the same for ND students. I think the difference in cities would only be a problem <em>after</em> graduation when you leave college life.</p>

<p>7) We have been very happy, surprised, and pleased with our financial aid package. While I have heard others say differently, we find ND to be very generous.</p>

<p>Your second post:</p>

<p>1) Weather is great in fall and spring. Cold in the winter. Longest walk on campus is around 15 minutes.</p>

<p>2) Notre Dame basketball season is just as exciting as BC basketball. As far as being year-round successful in athletics, Notre Dame is in the top five in the Director's Cup standings this year. They win <em>national championships</em> in many of their sports. You will not be bored athletically at ND. While absolutely no college experience can compare to being an ND student on game days, the fun doesn't come to a sudden stop after football season, I can completely assure you. </p>

<p>3) Huh? ND is beautiful spring, summer, winter, and fall. In fact, ND is so beautiful in winter that many of their publications actually use the winter scenes to promote the university. Anyway, comparing ND to BC, ND wins on beauty no matter the season (although I think BC is very lovely, too).</p>

5

<p>Thanks.. I posted my stats on a previous post so out of suggestion, do you think I will have a great shot EA..?</p>

<p>Also, when I discuss the Catholic predominance. Well when I was younger in a Catholic school, there were daily activities for the Christian students that I had to take part of but merely stayed in the background. I was wondering if that plays a big role...</p>

<p>Also I hear there is a curfew and they have really strict security rules which seems a bit commanding in terms of authority in college...??</p>

6

<p>I am sure the adcom is familiar with your high school and it's degree of difficulty. I think you have a very good chance and should definitely apply EA. I will tell you, they want kids who want to be there, and that should be reflected in your application (in the last section where you can add miscellaneous information). Have you visited the campus yet?</p>

<p>Catholic college is <em>completely</em> different than Catholic elementary school. While you are required to take theo and philo classes at ND, they are minimal, and there is a wide range of classes in those disciplines to choose from. There are many non-Catholic profs.</p>

<p>As far as curfews, they're called parietals, and basically it just means that on the dorm floors girls have to be out of boys, and vice versa, at midnight Sunday through Thursday night and 2:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights. There are 24 hour visitation lounges in every dorm, so if you're in some big conversation you can continue it in the lounge. Sunday through Thursday nights the kids pretty much like parietals, because it means that no matter what else is going on, at midnight everything quiets down, everyone hits the books and the socializing is over for the night. I wouldn't say they hate them on the weekends but it can be a slight bother. My son never has complained about it, and I only have any information because I ask him what he thinks. I just don't think it's that big of a deal though. I don't think it's ever stopped anyone from savoring their four years at ND ;).</p>

7

<p>Yes. I will be sure of applying EA. However, I am not sure if I can qualify for the top 10% of the class- a range where most EA kids get in. My class does quintiles and since the caliber of my school is high, I may be at the end of the quintile. </p>

<p>Other than that, I didn't get a chance to visit UND, however, I have looked in to it a lot from several friends and through these forums.</p>

<p>Would you say I have a better shot EA at UND or Boston College..?</p>

8

<p>Well for starters you can apply EA to both as they both have non-binding EA.</p>

<p>As far as which you'd have a better shot at, EA-wise, I wouldn't even think about that - it's an unknown, and completely unpredictable. Just apply to both and see how it turns out.</p>