<p>Notre Dame is worth anything.</p>
<p>good post vienna man</p>
<p>.....Amen!</p>
<p>For the careers which about 80% of the Notre Dame graduates will engage in over the course of their professional lives, in pure economic terms, they would be better served by going to the flagship state university and coming out debt free. The example Vienna Man uses of the two 1990 graduates (Carnegie Mellon and Purdue) would be even more pronounced today since $40K tuition will result in a $45-50K debt burdens rather than the $20k used in the example. If you are middle class-plus enough to be in the "full boat" no financial aid category (probably like 50% + of the enrollees), Notre Dame is a huge burden in 2006</p>
<p>That is easy to say but hard to prove. The thing you have to remember is that there are a lot of benefits to Notre Dame which are not easily seen or monitized. Notre Dame has arguably hte strongest alumni network in the country. Going to Notre Dame could help open doors to you to jobs that would have been unaccessable otherwise. Likewise, the legacy advantage to Notre Dame for your children certainly has value, ask anyone who is applying right now, but that is not something you can easily put a price on. </p>
<p>Also, Notre Dame is much more than just an academic education; any student here will tell you that. Notre Dame is an experience which, if you take advantage of it, will change you and help you be a better person. I truly believe this, and for me, I would say that the ND experience and being part of the ND family is invaluable.</p>
<p>Yes, if you look at just dollars and cents it may not add up, but it depends on how much the other things are worth to you. I also do think that the dollars and cents may be closer than you think because of the advantage provided by the alumni network. You have no idea how strong it is until you see it in action but I can't tell you how many job offers I have had from it...and I am a senior!</p>
<p>As an alumni making an appalingly low amount of money--although quite happy in my work--I can say that, for me, Notre Dame is eminently worth it. Our son is there, and we'll be happy to go into hock for our daughter to attend, should she be fortunate enough to gain admission. </p>
<p>The people of Notre Dame and the mission of Notre Dame are what make the school worth it, at least to us. </p>
<p>Those who try to analyze the value of a Notre Dame education in terms of starting salaries completely miss the point.</p>
<p>A fellow alumna made a good point the other day, when she said that "lots of colleges are preparing the future leaders of the world; Notre Dame prepares the future consciences of the world.</p>
<p>Minus the spiritual element and mission, Notre Dame is just another strong academic school which happens to have a great football team.</p>
<p>In other worse, it wouldn't be Notre Dame at all....</p>
<p>DDjones and Irish, I couln't agree with you more!! And, as a family who is going into hock for son to attend--I truly believe it is worth it! Irish, I believe that on the outset that the alumni network will make up for the amount of money we are pouring into the school right now, and son is just a freshman. Overwhelmingly, I don't think there was another school that son applied to and was accepted that has the network to offer employment to its graduates. Not to mention, just the fact that it is Notre Dame; it is nationally, if not internationally, known. Our son will graduate with hopefully little or no debt--and we are banking on the very things you have mentioned for him to be gainfully employed and happy. He elected not to attend the flagship U. with a full ride, new laptop, room and board and stipend each summer. But then, we do not expect him to return home to live and work. What we have found with students at flagship U. is that they do return home and the flagship degree is all they need, especially if they can graduate debt free. Our son wanted more and we felt Notre Dame offered it, even at full price~!</p>
<p>And it's even more. It's more than just the network of employment, it is the network of people with a strong sense of character and faith. Notre Dame prepares students for life in ways that can never be measured through salary offers or assets. There is a mission of the university, that it make a moral and ethical mark on the world. Not everyone is as immersed in that mission, but those who are are the best people you could ever hope to meet; the kind of people who enrich your life.</p>
<p>Notre Dame is exteremly generous with financial aid, but you really need to decide if it makes sense financially. I did ND cheap: transferred in my junior year (this wasn't the plan when I graduated from high school; ND sort of fell into my lap, long story), fought for outside scholarships, and managed to graduate with fairly low debt. The networking is nice, and you'll find people from ND almost anywhere. </p>
<p>The spirit of the place is also pretty incredible. As an alum I feel very loyal to ND, and the environment in general is very pleasent. </p>
<p>However, I'd have a hard time justifying it over a free ride at a good state school for any major that didn't lead directly to a job related to what I studied. It sucks being in debt and not having a job you can support yourself with.</p>
<p>As I ponder the impact on my checkbook of my daughter getting a very low cost education in an honors program at an excellent Big 10/11 school, my rational side says save the money and let her be a Buckeye, Hoosier or Illini. But my emotional side says I'd sell the house if my DD decided to go to ND. I'm an ND alum so that may explain my irrational exuberance. </p>
<p>So my advice is get the best of both worlds and transfer after one or two years as a Razorback.</p>
<p>now considering right foot....</p>
<p>Honestly though.......
To me there is no place I would rather be than in South Bend, Indiana spending the best four years of my life at the best school in America.</p>
<p>There is no place like ND.... shure there will be alternatives if I am not accepted..... but there is no place like ND.....</p>
<p>Everytime i visit a college.... i have a hard time not comparing it to ND....</p>
<p>And to tell you the truth.. it always falls short</p>
<p>I love Notre Dame with a strong amount of passion</p>
<p>That passion has been inside of me for so long... and that is one reason why I am so excited that the day that I become a Notre Dame student is closely comming....</p>
<p>Im can almost feel the cold Indiana breeze as a wake up on a sundayy morning after a Big win against USC!</p>
<p>I can almost feel the headache after hours of studying for an awful first year studies class!</p>
<p>I can almost feel the pavement of the campus as I walk on it for the first time as a student.. a student, not a fan or dreamer!</p>
<p>Its so close i feel like I can just reach out and grab It....</p>
<p>So I'll do anything to become a domer..... anything</p>
<p>Go IRISH !</p>
<p>Is this place worth it? Are you kidding me? I'd pay 175,000/year. By the way, they have a lot of aid available to those who need it.</p>
<p>Hell yeah...these two have it down^^^.</p>