<p>bostown, thanks for post 18. Please come back and let us know your son’s decision on his college choice once it’s made.</p>
<p>Bostown: If there was a “like” button on CC, I would have pressed it!</p>
<p>If your son chooses ND, remember to ask the Financial Aid Office for a side-letter guaranteeing that, if your income remains about the same, your son will receive the same percentage of aid for his sophomore, junior and senior years. Without that letter, there’s no guarantee ND will match Harvard’s aid beyond his freshman year.</p>
<p>They are all great schools with incredible programs. I think the real question is where would he be most happy. Notre Dame seems like it. If you are in one of the top programs in the world but could have more thoroughly enjoyed four years at another great campus, then what are you doing? ND diplomas and opportunities from that will be just as great as Harvard. Maybe not the exact same, but the name helps for the first job and this isn’t the difference between a state school and Harvard.</p>
<p>WAIT A SECOND. how can you even COMPARE ND and Harvard?? harvard is, in any way possible (perhaps except socially) the best option of all. I can tell you of just SOME of the reasons i would choose Harvard (I went to a summer school at harvard so take it as you like).</p>
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<li><p>students at Harvard dont compare with those at Notre Dame. Like, seriously. I remember a student at Harvard (who won rhodes scholar) who said that the reason you go to Harvard is to be surrounded by the BEST and BRIGHTEST minds in the whole planet. Do you understand what it means to pass through a filter that only admits 3% of regular decision candidates? The people your son will be surrounded will achieve great things, and that will open many doors for your son. Also, he will grow as a person more at harvard</p></li>
<li><p>I dont want to make ND seem bad, its a great school, but here is what ive gathered. A girl from my school, accepted at ND, went to the open house. She said she liked the school, but not the student body. She explicitly said that they were snobby. The fact that only wealthy students have gotten into ND from my school (international) makes me think that they care a lot about the amount of money you can pay. Harvard gives SH** about your money, they only want real talent. I have a wealthy friend at ND, and he seems to only hang out with international, wealthy latinos like him, and they seem to do a lot of partying. Theres nothing wrong with it, but i personally wouldnt like to be with these people for 4 years (reminds me of people at my school). </p></li>
<li><p>The academics at harvard are way better. (Still, academics at harvard are over rated as well, but as I said, you go to haravrd for the people you will meet, not the academics- if you want top notch academics look at liberal arts colleges or Princeton). Notre Dame is seriously overly rated. A girl last year turned town Princeton for Notre dame only because Mendoza was ranked “#1” business school. Like, seriously? First, we all know that wharton is the best undegrad business school in the world- and will always be. Second, academics at Princeton are much better than at ND. third, Princeton (also Harvard) would open MUCH more doors than ND. </p></li>
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<p>I dont know Northwestern much, but still I would say choose Harvard. even looking beyond the prestige, Harvard provides one of the best undergraduate experiences (in my opinion). Choose wisely</p>
<p>^^Woah, woah a little harsh on ND there.</p>
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<li>Um, no. Notre Dame is need-blind. But the applicant pool is self-selective. There are quite a few students that fit the conservative, white, upper-class, Catholic legacy stereotype and they don’t need a lot of aid (if any). But there are also quite a few kids that need aid and don’t fit those categories. I did an overnight on campus and the student body has been nothing but friendly. There are probably some snobs, but I don’t believe that is the norm.</li>
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<p>That being said, if I were in the OP’s position, I would pick Harvard. I love Notre Dame and that is where I will be going in the fall, but the difference between the two schools academically is too big to pass up. Plus, it’s cheaper! If I got into Princeton, I’d pick it over ND as well.</p>
<p>Just my honest opinion. But if you decide that Notre Dame is the way to go, I can’t fully blame you. :)</p>
<p>WAIT A SECOND. how can you even COMPARE ND and Harvard?? harvard is, in any way possible (perhaps except socially) the best option of all. I can tell you of just SOME of the reasons i would choose Harvard (I went to a summer school at harvard so take it as you like).</p>
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<p>If someone asked me to summarize your response in 2 words, I think I would be banned from the website for inappropriate words I would pick… I strongly recommend you pull your nose out of Harvard’s behind. </p>
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<p>Have you ever heard the phrase that the reason for starting a business is to make money? What do you think ND is? Or any college out there is? What sets Harvard apart is that they are the Bill Gates of colleges that gets endless amounts of cash so they can use it to wipe their butts. Not to mention that partying is probably going to play a role in most college student’s college life during their four years- it doesn’t matter how talented or genious a kid is, they still need a stress release during the weekend. I think the only people that don’t think that ND people can probably party better than Harvard students is people who go to Harvard.
Also funny how you stereotype the ND population by your friend- have you stopped to consider it was your friend who was the…butt… not ND?</p>
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<p>Honestly how much better do you think the academics at Harvard are than at ND? And what is your sources to prove that- their prestige? Lets be alittle honest with ourselves- I doubt you would be at a disadvantage in academics at ND- you especially won’t if you push yourself and actually take the initiative to learn.</p>
<p>So if the only factor you were basing your opinion on in this decision was prestige, I agree with this poster and the easy choice is Harvard.</p>
<p>I expected strong responses, and I got them haha :p. I didn’t mean to bash Notre Dame, it is one of the best schools out there undoubtedly. However, I find it really annoying that people seem to praise ND more than it deserves. I get the impression that students at ND seem to be haughty due to some rankings that put Mendoza #1, or that “ND is prestigious”, whatsoever- though not all students, of course. Any employer would choose Wharton over Mendoza graduates any day. Some students that I know who go to Harvard seem to be less self conscious of the school they go to, and they don’t have the need to praise their school more than necessary. </p>
<p>@SailorSaturn7
Notre dame is not need blind for internationals (i go to an international school), as are most other colleges out there. I wouldn’t criticize ND too much for this if people would just stop praising ND so much. The person who got into ND from my school this year had barely 1800 SAT, but he could pay it all. His money seemed to make up for his sub-par stats. And I understand that schools are like business, but if they claim to be so “prestigious” and “excellent”, then they should stop looking for money as a factor in admissions (at least for internationals). </p>
<p>@mccruz
there seems to be just better human quality in Harvard than ND. The fact that many people, besides me, get the impression that ND students are arrogant and too self aware of their school takes away from their strength of character and persona. Arrogance is typically associated with insecure people, and weak character. As I said, money shouldn’t be a factor in admissions if Notre Dame would be the excellent school they claim to be. Again, there’s nothing wrong with partying, I love partying, everybody does. My point was that ND students seem to just hang out with people of their same socio economic strata (at least thats what my friend studying at ND told me). And the big party/jock scene at ND exposes the superficial, cliquish atmosphere there. When it comes to academics, both Harvard and Notre Dame are overrated. I know a friend at Harvard who said that academics there are actually easy, and very manageable (she was class valedictorian with 15 APs though, so I don’t know how reliable her description is). Also, many students seem to complain of Harvard undergrad academics. Nonetheless, you will get an excellent education there. You will be taught by the best minds in their fields. But most importantly, much of your learning will come from outside the class, from the experiences of your classmates. this, I think, is what the whole college experience is about. At ND, I don’t know much about academics, but I highly doubt it gets better than at an Ivy League.</p>
<p>Im actually pretty biased, because I loved my experience at Harvard. I learned a lot from my peers, and made many valuable friendships. Tell you son to choose whichever he will be truly happy in, but let him know how great the Harvard experience is.</p>
<p>After many weeks my S has chosen Harvard. He loved ND but knew what an incredible opportunity Harvard is. I want to thank all of you for your advice and comments. This site is a great source of info. Hopefully I can play it forward and help others in the future. Thanks again and God Bless!!</p>
<p>Great choice bostown!! Im sure your son will love his years at Harvard!!!</p>
<p>eduard97 said: “Any employer would choose Wharton over Mendoza graduates any day.”</p>
<p>This is absolutely inaccurate. Employers choose people (they don’t choose schools, because employers hire people, and don’t buy non-profit business schools) based on numerous criteria, which does include school prestige, but that is rarely the number one criterion, especially when you are dealing with graduates from highly prestigious schools like Penn (Wharton), Notre Dame and Harvard. These criteria include personality, academic performance, extracurricular activities and performance in internships/summer jobs, and, after graduation, the person’s track record on the job.</p>
<p>I have interviewed superior graduates from all three of these schools. I’ve also passed over graduates of Wharton and Harvard for Notre Dame grads, because it turned out that those people had far better career track records after college. I’ve passed over graduates of all three of these schools for senior executive positions for graduates of “lesser” colleges.</p>
<p>(Having attended none of these three schools, I have no allegiance to any of them, yet I respect all of them).</p>
<p>A lot of things happen to people between ages 18 (when kids are accepted to college) and ages 30, 45 or 60. The frontal lobes of the brain don’t even finish developing until age 25, so kids are accepted to college long before their brains have matured. </p>
<p>By the way, some of you will say, “Well, all things being equal, an employer will choose Wharton over Mendoza.” Sorry, but all things are never equal when you’re dealing with people.</p>
<p>PS: Bostown: Good luck to your son at Harvard.</p>
<p>@danstearns…the op’s son will not be known all around campus as the “kid who turned down harvard.” I am sure there are students at nd who turned down harvard. </p>
<p>Most ppl would obviously choose harvard over nd and northwestern. I know many ppl who live football and the tradition of Notre dame and would choose it over harvard. Just because it is harvard, does not mean he will be any more happy or successful for having gone there.</p>
Harvard can do so much more for you than ND. The two are not even in the same universe. As for “liking” it, Harvard students are notoriously nonchalant about their school; it’s simply not done to be all rah-rah about it. Don’t let that put you off.
@CAorBust: The post right before yours (#30) was from 3 years ago. Please don’t revive old threads, use them for research only.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Closing thread for the reasons mentioned above.