<p>So... decision day is tomorrow. I've narrowed it down to my top two, Notre Dame or Texas A&M. Now, I'm sure you're wondering- how on earth could the two compare? Well, ND is a great school, actually the cheaper option even though I live in Texas and has a fantastic, near-Ivy reputation. The thing I'm worried about is the vibe. And the rules. I'm actually Catholic but I'm not sure if I want to go to a Catholic school, especially coming from a large public HS. I'm told constantly about the level of... intellect.. etc. for ND is higher (meaning better).
A&M, on the other hand, I know I would love going there- the traditions, the friends, the weather and atmosphere... this coming from a lifetime LONGHORN. A&M also has the higher ranked engineering program, while ND is just generally regarded overall. </p>
<p>I've made a pro/con list. ND has more cons, while A&M has more pros. I'm told that name shouldn't matter, and I should go wherever I feel like home. But I feel like giving up a near full-ride at ND is almost a crime, not to mention the backlash of giving up ND for A&M.
Any advice is greatly appreciated :)</p>
<p>Rankings in engineering don’t matter on the UGrad level that much. TAMU has a larger research output but at ND you’ll get more face time/smaller classes. Traditions, friends, atmosphere are what make ND too.</p>
<p>From talking to a friend at grad school there he said TAMU is the closest thing a public school could come to replicating the ND atmosphere/tradition. He said it’s actually a very religious/conservative place. Difference is it’s ginourmous and has more of an evangelical vibe.</p>
<p>In short go where you feel more comfortable, but I don’t know what you’re smoking if you think community/tradition at TAMU beats ND…</p>
<p>Ok, thanks for the advice… Honestly, I don’t know… I mean, of course I don’t know for sure yet, but I feel like I can identify with the “tradition” there more? Is this what they mean when you’re “drawn” to a school? …</p>
<p>Notre Dame’s traditions are hard to match. It’s something that goes way beyond football. But I have some cousins who went to A&M and I know that, at least as far as football is concerned, they have some hardcore traditions of their own. I think BioDomer summed up the difference in “vibe” for the 2 schools pretty well.</p>
<p>If the religious affiliation or the weather at ND is all you’re worried about, then I think it would be a mistake to turn down ND for A&M, especially with a near full ride.</p>
<p>But if you really feel like you would LOVE to go to A&M and the thought of NOT going there gives you a twinge of regret, then going to ND simply because it has the edge in academic prestige would be a silly thing to do.</p>
<p>Sometimes people are just drawn to a school as you said. For me, I fell in love with ND after applying there mostly on a whim. I chose it over an Ivy League school that tends to be regarded as more prestigious (at least on CC, not so much in the real world…). And I am thankful every day that I went with my gut and went to Notre Dame.</p>
<p>Try flipping a coin. Then ask yourself if the answer it gives you makes you feel relieved or disappointed.</p>