<p>Hey you guys! So. I was 99% certain I would be attending ND this coming year, as you can see from my name. But I just attended the GAAP weekend at GU and fell in love with it too. I know. I get around. But I will be attending either business school, but also just want your take on the atmosphere and local area, the women, the parties, the athletics (I thought I couldn't live without ND football, but this weekend made me feel I could) and also the career opportunities. I understand there is bias, which is what I kind of want because I want to know what people truly think, but if you could also be objective that would rock too. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Also, I am Protestant. I thought the more catholic ND wouldn’t be an issue, but I also feel I’d be on the outside looking in a lot. Thoughts? I want my faith to be able to grow, but in my way.</p>
<p>My thing with the Notre Dame football experience has always been… I’m sure it is indescribably amazing and all, but at the end of the day, it is a half-dozen weekends or so per year. I don’t think that’s enough on which to base one’s college decision. I have a friend who was facing this exact choice, and that was her ultimate realization.</p>
<p>To respond to your specific questions:</p>
<p>The atmosphere and the local area: South Bend is a college town in the middle of Indiana (albeit within commuter rail distance of Chicago). Georgetown is an upscale neighborhood in the middle of a major metropolitan area and fairly centrally located in the nation’s capital. Some people will have strong preferences for one kind of environment over the other, but I think it really is a matter of personal preference.</p>
<p>The women: Well, CC appears to auto-censor any links to a certain site that rhymes with Pollege Crowler, but their ranking, for whatever it’s worth, is:
A+Girls
A+Guys
Ranked #4 on list of “colleges where students are hot and smart.” [Colleges</a> Where Students Are Hot & Smart - Business Insider](<a href=“Colleges Where Students Are Hot & Smart”>Colleges Where Students Are Hot & Smart)
Now, I would always take any such rankings and information with a huge grain of salt because such things are always so subjective and different for each person, but since you asked…</p>
<p>The parties: What I enjoyed most about the social life at Georgetown was that it was not dominated by fraternities/sororities or other cliquey/exclusive organizations. Generally it falls more on the relaxed side of the spectrum than the rager side, which I also preferred.</p>
<p>The athletics: Notre Dame puts way more money and emphasis into sports, so there’s no comparison when it comes to facilities. Football is also a very big difference, obviously. On the other hand, I wouldn’t trade Georgetown basketball for anything, and there’s lots of other good programs (men’s soccer made the national title game this year, traditionally strong lacrosse programs, etc.).</p>
<p>Career opportunities: Notre Dame is mostly a feeder into the Chicago market. DC is centrally located and is plugged into the business world throughout the I-95 corridor, so lots of people end up in New York, Boston, Philly, Connecticut, as well as DC and Baltimore. Generally speaking, it is a lot easier to get hands-on experience during the school year when you’re already in a big city. </p>
<p>Notre Dame is definitely more conservative and outwardly/thoroughly Catholic, so if that is an issue of concern, you would want to try to talk to some people who have had that experience there. It wouldn’t be an issue at all at Georgetown - there is a Protestant campus ministry and everything is very ecumenical.</p>
<p>Irish:</p>
<p>My son and other students faced a similar choice last year so search the forum for last year’s discussion, too.</p>
<p>Ultimately, my son decided to attend the MSB at Georgetown.</p>
<p>He’s very happy at Georgetown and everything it has to offer. One of the main reasons he decided against ND was that he didn’t want to be isolated in South Bend. He has an internship this semester and is out in Georgetown and/or D.C. every weekend.</p>
<p>To address your concerns about being “Catholic” - my sense is the faith is more “present” at ND but that both places would be supportive of you.</p>
<p>Good luck, great choices.</p>
<p>Bump 10char</p>