<p>As the May 1st deadline approaches, I am scrambling to decide between two schools: University or Notre Dame and University of Chicago.</p>
<p>I am interesting in majoring in Political Science/International Studies to become a diplomat. I am interested in Pre-Med as well.</p>
<p>Tough choice, to say the least.</p>
<p>Here are the circumstances surrounding each university. Please offer your insight :)</p>
<p>Notre Dame:
Attended Spring Viz weekend and had an amazing time. Tons of resources for students, amazing campus, strong school spirit and welcoming student body. I also like the faith aspect of the university. The students are incredibly nice, it felt like "family"!
Not exactly a fan of South Bend, Indiana, however. Or, the closed campus.</p>
<p>UChicago:
My dream school-at first, until I went to Spring Viz at Notre Dame :/
Amazing academics, and Chicago is fantastic for interships and social activities.
There is not exactly a strong social life or a neccesarily safe campus.
I sometimes am turned off by the overly academic atmosphere.
Great International Studies Program, however not exactly strong as far as pre-professional programs.
But I have to give them credit for the scarf they sent me :)</p>
<p>Finally, Notre Dame came out on top as far as fin aid.</p>
<p>What do you think? Your insight is much appreciated! :)</p>
<p>I’m no expert, but I will give my personal opinion. :)</p>
<p>My friend’s family is CRAZY for Notre Dame. I’ve been there a couple times and I definitely think the vibe on campus is amazing. Are you interested in attending all the sports games? Because that’s definitely a factor to consider. I love the feeling I got being there for football games, the crowd is infectious! I don’t think you’d get that feeling at Chicago. </p>
<p>Idk, some may say that shouldn’t be a huge factor, but I think sports and the social scene is definitely something to consider. I vote ND. :)</p>
<p>It sounds to me like you are more excited about Notre Dame, and will probably enjoy your time there more than you would Chicago. Since money also works in favor of ND here, I think that sounds like the better choice for you. I also wouldn’t worry too much about South Bend as a college town. I think it gets a pretty bad rap, even though it’s a nice enough city, and the university has been working very hard at improving the surrounding area for the past few years. Plus, you’ll probably spend most of your time as a student on or near the campus.</p>
<p>Yeah, I agree that ND is the beat choice for you. You fell into the ND “trap”- you visited and fell in love. (join the club. It’s truly a special place that offers everything from great academics to a beautiful campus to an amazing student body to go along with the famous “Fighting Irish” football team. </p>
<p>Chicago may be a little better school yes, but unless your strictly picking a school based on US News Ranking, you should go with your heart (AND wallet) and go with ND.</p>
<p>^ Average faculty salaries, faculty in national academy, faculty and student distinctions (Nobel prizes, Rhodes scholars,billionaires), annual research expenditures, average SAT scores, bachelors-to-PhD production, graduate/professional school placements, average class sizes, library holdings, research productivity, significant contributions to knowledge (inventions, discoveries) …</p>
<p>(Nevertheless, I’d still recommend ND if you happen to like it that much better.)</p>
<p>“Notre Dame came out on top as far as fin aid.”</p>
<p>Run the numbers through this calculator, then sit down and talk them over with your parents. If you are truly serious about med school, you need to be thinking about how you can save money on the undergraduate degree: [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Advanced Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid)</p>
<p>Thanks for all the fabulous advice!
Although I enjoy the quirkiness ( and #9 world rank haha) of UChicago, It comes down to the financial aid, and Notre Dame is admittedly awesome and no “downgrade” from UChicago. So Notre Dame it is!</p>
<p>This is the reason that Notre Dame has a 56% yield. It sounds like you’ve made your choice, and it’s good that it’s also the most financially viable.</p>
<p>
Chicago might be better for graduate school, but Notre Dame is undergraduate-focused and one of the best schools for the quality of undergrad teaching. Also, I would certainly hope that a Catholic school would produce fewer billionaires.</p>
<p>My sister went to University of Chicago but later transferred to Brown. I was thinking about going there but she told me to imagine the smartest person in my grade, make them richer and meaner, and multiply them by 300. There’s your social life in Chicago. I say Notre Dame. Better social life plus they gave you more money.</p>
<p>“My sister went to University of Chicago but later transferred to Brown. I was thinking about going there but she told me to imagine the smartest person in my grade, make them richer and meaner, and multiply them by 300. There’s your social life in Chicago.”</p>
<p>This is almost total b.s. Nothing wrong with choosing Notre Dame, but this paints a very misleading picture of UChicago. Academics are difficult, and this certainly has some effect on social life, but the general atmosphere at Chicago is highly collaborative. I cannot recall meeting many “rich” people at UChicago, and none that I would describe as “mean.” This really sounds like sour grapes.</p>
<p>It’s hard for me to imagine a person who would have both of these schools on his or her list! Let’s leave aside questions about “which is better.” They’re both good schools. Great schools. With lots of smart people. Blah blah blah. I know exceptionally intelligent, interesting, funny and fun-loving people who’ve graduated from both of these schools. But if Notre Dame excites you, U. of C. is probably not your kind of place. There’s no need to hate on U. of C. to make the point.</p>
<p>ND will be a funner college experience. You will meet people that you will enjoy the rest of your life. sports, faith, and social activities are a plus </p>
<p>on the oher hand chicago has a slightly better rep academically and the courses will be a little bit more rigorous </p>
<p>but since chicago isnt worlds above ND and actually on the same level, I recommend ND for better overall college experience and a fantastic education</p>
<p>I think Notre Dame sounds like it’s for you. But don’t listen to what anybody else says; I think you could have a great experience at both places.</p>
<p>I’m also part of the ND camp, but I agree with HST that people are being a little overzealous in putting down Chicago. They’re both awesome schools in their own ways, and you seem to have found your niche more at Notre Dame. Good choice!</p>