<p>Hi. I've changed my mind daily for the past several days, and I really would like to have some outside perspective. Here's what I've thought about the campuses. Please share your opinion.</p>
<p>Notre Dame:
The campus is beautiful and the sports are fantastic. The dorms are like fraternities and everyone seems really nice. I want to study undergraduate business and Notre Dame is ranked 3rd. However, I am not Catholic. I worry that it might be an uncomfortable experience for me since 80% of ND is Catholic.</p>
<p>Northwestern:
The greek life is very big at NU so I think I'll probably end up in a fraternity. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing to have the greek life be such a huge part of NU social life. I know the academic rigor is very difficult, but I am worried about the lack of school spirit and camaraderie found at ND. I'm majoring in Econ and will probably minor in Business Institutions.</p>
<p>UCLA:
The location, girls, and weather is beautiful. The student body is something like 37,000 if I'm right and I'm worried about being just a number in my classes. I'm studying pre-business economics and I am worried about the "sink or swim" philosophy.</p>
<p>@ AndrewKalifornia</p>
<p>If you have the opportunity to visit Notre Dame and Northwestern, do so immediately. I am assuming you are from California and familiar with UCLA. It is best to visit the schools to get a feel for the campus. After your visit you should know in your heart which school is the best for you. I am also a Northwestern grad so I know that the economics department is among the best. Weather also plays a factor: do you prefer warm weather year-round or you don't mind 5 months of cold/snowy weather? Only 40% of the NU campus goes Greek so there are plenty of opportunities for non-Greek students to do. Again, visit the schools, visit the websites (take their online tours if available) and decide from your gut feeling which places offers the best overall fit for YOU.</p>
<p>You must visit South Bend before you make your decision. Once in a while you'll want to leave the confines of campus.</p>
<p>Yeah I visited all 3 campuses but I still am not sure what's best. I think I might be leaning towards UCLA just because it's cheaper and I can leave without incurring any debt. Do Northwestern Econ students have better long-term success on average than UCLA Econ students?</p>
<p>honestly, I would think it's between UCLA and ND, b/c ND has an amazing sense of community and spirit, and UCLA has LA and the weather.......</p>
<p>I think I'd go with ND (but I think I might be going there in the fall, so I'm already biased :))</p>
<p>good luck w.your decision</p>
<p>@ AndrewKalifornia</p>
<p>I believe you have already made your decision. All three are peer schools (NU and UCLA being equal) and you won't have any debt if you attend UCLA. Choose whichever school now will provide the academic and social fit for you.</p>
<p>Andrew: You really have not shared enough info. to enable readers to offer definitive advice. After your visits to all three campuses, it seems as if you are down to considering Northwestern University and UCLA. Based on your intended major course of study--economics--Northwestern would be the usual choice. Based on cost, UCLA is the choice. If double majoring is of interest to you, then Northwestern may be better. If you want to stay close to home & retain high school friendships while making some new friends, then it is UCLA. If you want to leave your comfort zone and grow socially & intellectually in a more demanding environment, then it's Northwestern. The point is that it is up to you & how you envision the next four years in terms of needs, wants & expectations. Going away for college & leaving your comfort zone of familiar friends and familiar surroundings is likely to lead to growing pains. How much do you want to grow might be a consideration for you. With respect to academic quality the choice is clear, but with respect to comfort, cost & eye candy, the choice is also clear. Good luck! P.S. Much larger class sizes at UCLA. Student/faculty ratio at UCLA is 16:1 versus Northwestern's 7:1.</p>