<p>I'm guessing there is a hierarchy among the catholic schools. </p>
<p>Top Tier = Notre Dame and Georgetown
Second Tier = Villanova, Boston College
Thrid Tier = Holy Cross, Loyola</p>
<p>Is this right??? Any others???</p>
<p>switch villanova and holy cross.</p>
<p>Bump this one UP!!!</p>
<p>Holy Cross has a better academic reputation than both Villanova and Boston College. HC has more Rhodes Scholars than both Nova and BC and the alumni giving rate at HC is around 50% vs BC's 25%.</p>
<p>I think Boston College has a better reputation than Holy Cross.</p>
<p>I agree Koala</p>
<p>If you're going to group:</p>
<p>Tier 1: Notre Dame, Georgetown, Boston College</p>
<p>Distinctions between the three tend tend to be based on what location/campus type the student prefers along with the field of study.</p>
<p>^ Yeah, that makes more sense, because HC just doesn't have the stat's to be better or even as good as BC, and it is in a terrible place, no cultural mecca in Worcester really. Granted, I think both schools are excellent, but I chose BC over HC to apply to for location and culture in addition to a great education.</p>
<p>Where does Villanova place?</p>
<p>There are a TON of other Catholic colleges and universities in this country. U of San Diego, and Santa Clara U are Jesuit schools, both quite good LAC's. Duquesne is also a Catholic school. So is Siena, St. Josephs (in both West Hartford and Phili)...and countless others. And of course there is Catholic University of America (in DC). Are the ones you listed the only ones you want to hear about?</p>
<p>BC was an average commuter school until 20-30 years ago and it does not have the academic reputation(Rhodes Scolars- US News academic ranking) that Holy Cross does. Like BU and Northeastern it benefits from a Boston location. HC is the only Catholic school that has enjoyed a 100 year athletic relationship with the Ivies and while BC is now in the ACC it seldom played the Ivies in most sports.</p>
<p>For the record, par72 is patently wrong on a number of points </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Commuter school: BC was not a commuter school 20 or even 30 years ago. The oldest residence hall dates to 1880 and it has been a predominantly residential campus since the 1940s.</p></li>
<li><p>Reputation: this is inherently subjective, but to suggest that Holy Cross has a better academic reputation than Boston College is questionable at best and more likely just wishful thinking. I don't mean this to be disparaging, but frankly I think most people have never heard of Holy Cross.</p></li>
<li><p>Rhodes: BC produced two Rhodes Scholars last year alone. The Rhodes website does not list any scholars from Holy Cross at all.</p></li>
<li><p>US News: In fact, both schools received the exact same peer assessment score (which is what I assume par72 means by academic ranking)</p></li>
<li><p>As for playing the Ivies in sports, I dont see how this is relevant to anything, but par72 is wrong here again. The first BC-Harvard football game was held in 1897 (thats 108 years ago, par72). </p></li>
</ul>
<p>par72 seems intent on boosting Holy Cross in every thread. Thats fine, but <em>please stop</em> presenting consistently false information in your efforts to do so!</p>
<p>As a Holy Cross alum, I have to admit that par72's "Crusade" against BC is somewhat typical of fellow alumni who seem to suffer from an inferiority complex at the mere mention of BC. </p>
<p>Much as this may disappoint my fellow Crusaders, BC, Georgetown and Nortre Dame are in a league of their own among Catholic schools.</p>
<p>Have to agree with par 72 although BC is a great school, I would not put it in the ranks of ND or Georgetown.</p>
<p>it goes ND, georgetown, BC, holy cross, villanova, loyala. villanova is nowhere near holy cross or BC as far as i know.</p>
<p>Christendom is also a very good CAtholic college, though many have never heard of it.</p>
<p>I think Villanova is above Holy Cross. I'm Catholic, and I'd never heard of Holy Cross until I joined this site. I did, however, hear QUITE a bit of 'Nova, BC, Georgetown, and of course Notre Dame.</p>
<p>Laypeople don't necessarily care academic "rankings" (which most people can agree are arbitrary, to a degree, anyway) or the number of Rhodes scholars a college produces. They know the schools they trust and like, and Holy Cross very rarely comes up.</p>
<p>This is just from personal experience, and I live about as far from Holy Cross as is possible. (I do, however, hear a LOT about BC and 'Nova, and ND and Georgetown are givens.)</p>
<p>Villanova is a regional Univ. category like Providence. Holy Cross is a small, NATIONAL college with very successful alumni body.</p>
<p>I would argue exactly the opposite.</p>
<p>Villanova isn't exactly close to Newport, CA, yet I have heard of it, and not of "national" Holy Cross.</p>
<p>In all honesty, a likely reason for this not because of academics, but because Villanova plays a good game of hoops. :)</p>
<p>Just because someone in CA has not heard of Holy Cross is not an indicator of his academic excellence. When I grew up on the east coast I never heard of Pomona or Claremont Mckenna but now I know better. I would agree Notre Dame and Georgetown tend to have higher national profiles but few people would argue that Holy Cross is a highly ranked college.</p>