I’m currently in the process of choosing between Notre Dame and Princeton, and I’d be grateful to hear any perspectives you may have.
I love Notre Dame, and I know Notre Dame better than I do Princeton. My older brother is a current junior there, and I’ve visited him at least 4-5 times for different events, tours, retreats, etc. I love how kind, well-rounded, and driven the students are. I love the atmosphere, the sense of community, the campus, and of course, the stellar academics.
But then again, Princeton is Princeton. I’m so honored to have been accepted.
How crazy would I be to choose Notre Dame over Princeton? Have you heard of anyone who has done so?
In a few weeks, I will be visiting Princeton and then Notre Dame immediately after, just so I can get a feel for both campuses.
If the cost is the same and not an issue for you, and you are not looking to Notre Dame because it is Catholic and that is very meaningful to you, then I would say Princeton is a wiser choice. You will be sure to find many of the things at Princeton that you like at Notre Dame. Just because one university is more familiar to you is not a reason to choose it. You just haven’t had the same opportunities yet to get to know Princeton. Make the most of your upcoming visit there and see what you think. Try to visualize going to the number 1 ranked university in the country, networking for the rest of your life with Ivy alumni groups, and having doors opened for you comparatively easily just because you chose Princeton over Notre Dame.
@mommyrocks Thanks so much for your input. Yes the cost is pretty much the same, and the Catholic part is important but I’m sure I can find a Catholic presence at Princeton.
“Just because one university is more familiar to you is not a reason to choose it.” This is valid, haven’t thought about this too much. Thanks again.
Visit both schools and determine where you feel you fit in best. There isn’t a wrong or bad choice there. I have known students who chose ND over Yale and Harvard, because it was the right environment for them. Since you mentioned that the Catholic aspect was important, make sure you ask about that and visit the resources available. Sometimes on IVY campuses there is a stigma involved with being religious, so you want to make sure you are comfortable with that pressure. Regardless of where you go to school, you will be challenged to grow and mature. The Jesuits have an exercise where, once you have made your decision, you don’t tell anyone for 3 days, and see if you are comfortable with it, and it feels right. You will do well!
Princeton has fantastic resources. Really pretty awesome. And their FA program is the most generous in the country. I’d say it is hard to turn Princeton down unless you like the ND “vibe”. No question, however, that Princeton’s academic are impossible to match.
OP, my D is a student at ND and has a good friend there who turned down H and P for ND. I think it was just the right fit for him. I hope you get a better feel for things after visits. You can’t go wrong either way.
@exlibris97 truly. yes, I love the ND vibe and I’m hoping that I get the same vibes from Princeton
@suzy100 mhm, I’ve met some people at ND who turned down Ivies but I’m still unsure if I can do the same… I hope I can make the right decision for me after I visit… but i’m also afraid the visits will just make me more conflicted haha
Notre Dame is a world class college. There’s so much about ND to love, it’s football team, community and legacy. I can see how you’re torn. It would be my top choice.
I met a father who had daughters attend ND and Princeton (and a third at another college). Both loved their college experience, but Princeton D told her dad that she wished that it had, at some point, changed from cutthroat competitive to cooperative. It never did. I did not ask her major. It is one of the reasons my son chose ND.
I think you will know from the visits. They are quite different.
Agree that ND is an excellent university but Princeton truly is in a very rarified category. Members of my family have gone to ND as well as the Ivies. There is no point disputing that the Ivies have a special pull, even with employers in the mid-west and on the west coast. And Princeton’s financial aid program is the best and most generous in the country.
What Princeton doesn’t have is ND’s football and sense of spirit. If you really value that, then ND is definitely your choice (just be prepared for the winters!).
What majors and careers are you considering ? That might be a factor.
Also, are you a very hard worker ? You might have to work much harder surrounded by the best of the best.
Not a knock on ND, but Princeton is filled with genius and they can’t all get As.
I’m not going to say either one, because you have an extremely tough choice. Ratings go out the door when you’re considering ND.
I’m not all that far away from the Stanford campus, but the ND alumni presence here is a strong one. Stanford and ND play football every year and the game here at Stanford every other year is just plain crazy. The ND presence can almost make it 50/50 at Stanford’s stadium.
But having just visited/toured Princeton, all I have to say is wow!
@blevine I’m mainly considering engineering. Yes I’m a very hard worker and I attend an elite high school; I’m somewhat familiar with feelings of inadequacy in comparison to peers who are smarter and brighter than I am. I don’t think that would be much of an issue for me at Princeton.
Engineering is tough even at a less compeitive school. I can imagine it’s brutal at Princeton.
We did the engineering school tour at Princeton, and have been to the town a couple of times.
Really nice, seems tough to turn that down, but my experience is go where you will be happier.
As an engineer, wont matter that much which one. Congrats.
I’m currently a freshman engineering student at ND, might be a helpful perspective for you. Through my first year, I’ve absolutely loved ND - the campus, the dorm communities, and especially the opportunities available for engineering students. I’d take into account a few things if you’re deciding between Princeton and ND:
One of my high school friends went to Princeton while I went to ND. He was brilliant - and I'm sure did well his first semester - but he really didn't like the culture at Princeton, especially the highly competitive nature of the classes (from his experience, students tended to not study together for exams because they needed to 'beat the curve'). I'm sure this isn't the case for every Princeton student, but it contributed to an overall culture he didn't like. He transferred to a public school second semester.
Financial aid: I've heard Princeton's FA is excellent, and I know from experience that ND's is as well. The value from either school is incredible, but make sure you have definite financial aid commitments from both schools before comparing.
What exactly do you want to do? A lot of engineers at ND (especially ChemEs) go pre-med, and ND one of the best pre-med programs in the country. I'm sure Princeton does as well, but I'd look more closely into exactly what you want to do / what programs are available in each school. If you're at all interested in business, ND has an engineering-business minor as well as a 5 year engineering/MBA program that a lot of students take advantage of.
Lastly, really ask a lot of questions when you visit both campuses. Talk to students, notice how they interact with each other. That was the biggest thing that attracted me to ND - students were friendly when I asked for directions, they went out of their way to hold doors open, etc.
If you’re getting into both ND and Princeton, you’ll obviously do well wherever you go, and I think you need to find out where you’ll be happiest for the next four years. For myself, that was ND - without a doubt. On the other hand, Princeton will give you a slight advantage with potential employers - but keep in mind your GPA will likely be lower just due to the extremely competitive nature of classes.
Feel free to ask me any other questions you might have - happy to help. Doesn’t sound like you can go wrong with either school, but personally, I couldn’t be happier that I chose ND.