<p>Colgate was kind of like a safety/match school for me in terms of my college app process especially after I got into Notre Dame EA. Now I am making a really tough decision... For the money or for what I really love? In fact, I love both Colgate and ND. Colgate gave me a ridiculous $28,000 Grant considering like 65% of the student body pays full tuition. Notre Dame gave me about $13,200 which, I know blows. Well the thing is, in terms of what I am looking for in terms onf environment, food, campus, activities,---though different (i.e.- party vs. nonparty, preppy vs. not preppy), I am not so much worried about the lifestyle because I thought both were fairl equal.
As a financial matter, my parents do not mind to send me to either school, but obviously, one would be inclined to go for the money considering that these schools are similar in academic caliber. But in my case, I really really want to go to ND but I simply hope to not be in such a loan burden after my 4 years of college.</p>
<p>1.) As a student interested in premed and research and a thriving school spirit environment, which would you prefer?
2.) Since these are the only schools I got accepted to, can I write ND a letter and include my Colgate finaid award (which was based on need), so that ND can hopefully give me more money?</p>
<p>$60,000 difference? In loans stretched out over 10 years, at a 6.8% interest rate if you can get it, is $690.48 a month, every month, BEFORE the $200k plus for med school.</p>
<p>Do you still like it better? (that isn't meant rhetorically, just to test how much you like it better quantifies in real dollar terms.)</p>
<p>I have heard many times that kids have sent copies of the financial aid offers from other schools to the school of their choice and they were able to negotiate a better deal. You should try this if ND is where you really want to be. </p>
<p>Mac, as someone with no dog in the fight, I think ND is only marginally "better"--or at least "tougher"--than Colgate and I prefer the LAC environment.</p>
<p>That said, I think the OP should be calling ND, finding the relevant FinAid officer, and FAXing a copy of the Colgate FinAid award and sending a follow-up e-mail ASAP.</p>
<p>I'd pick Colgate over ND straight-up, but then folks are entitled to their differences. But an extra $60k for a premed (when I know the OP's family isn't wealthy, because he wouldn't likely be receiving that kind of financial aid if they were)? No way.</p>
<p>ND offers much more name recognition than Colgate. Colgate is a decent LAC in a very remote location with little school spirit except hockey. 'Gate's football stadium is like a high school field. Colgate is very similar to Bucknell and Holy Cross in both academics and alumni networks.</p>
<p>A guy named fightin' irish should ring up the Irish and give them a fight for more fin aid.</p>
<p>Any little bit helps.</p>
<p>Academically, the two schools are about equal. Socially, they are worlds apart though the level of partying is about the same. Someone with the name fightin'irish is NOT going to be happy at Colgate, IMO.</p>
<p>the vast majority of kids who start out premed never get to the application process, and end up majoring in something else....resulting in a job after college. ND has a national alumni network for contacts, and that has to be worth something, IMO.</p>
<p>i beg to differ with par 72 - I do not think Colgate is in the same league at all with Bucknell and Holy Cross - if you look at the schools Colgate competes with in applications, it is more like Middlebury, Hamilton etc. Yes, Colgate is remote but I also totally disagree about school spirit - this school has incredible school spirit and one of the best networking around.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help guys. I mean 60K is a lot in loss, but my parents do not mind paying although there will be the loans problem. But I mean, my parents want me to find ways to make that money, not through manual labor, but since I am a premed--- to do research and work with professors so that hopefully that some debt like an additional 5K can be relieved anually by me... What do you think of this approach. I know it is not finite but I hope that going to ND will make more of an impact.</p>
<p>You should certainly follow the advice about contacting ND financial aid. But you really can't reduce this to a strictly economic decision. We faced a similar question a couple of years ago, when our son had a full tuition scholarship to an East Coast LAC and a 1/4 scholarship to ND. It was tempting to take the full scholarship, and a lot of people on this board would have done that. But ND had been his dream for years (his high school AOL handle was the same as your user name here), and he had worked hard to make himself worthy to go there. I could see him sitting in a dorm at the LAC, watching Notre Dame on TV, and thinking that he could be there in that stadium but for the money. We couldn't do that to him, so he's at ND -- and for him it has been everything that he dreamed of. If you ever think that you'll tell someone "I go to Colgate, but I could have gone to Notre Dame" then that will tell you all you need to know. If ND is your dream, then the loans are the price of the dream, and for this dream you only get one chance.</p>