@secretslytherin – you are killing it! good job!
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Let us know what you decide.
Congratulations on your outstanding options!
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Little update:
I was at Creighton yesterday and today…I really enjoyed it! I feel like the campus was a little too urban for me, and I do wish it was a tad bigger, but I liked the size a lot better than IU’s. They had an amazing set up for their admitted students days, (LOTS of food…minor details but they had coffee for parents along with muffins in the morning, provided lunch in the dining hall which was actually good for school food imo…I’m a tough critic, and then afterwards in the afternoon they had bottled pop, water, chips, even these cute decorated cookies), and I thought my days overall were super fun!
After everything, my dad and I talked about it and had some similar opinions of it:
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The education is good, but it’s really their pre-med program/anything medical where they shine. Business isn’t awful by any means, just not tippy top like IU and Notre Dame.
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They’re regional. If I wanted to work in Omaha or the midwest for the rest of my life, great pick. I want to live in Texas or out Southeast though…could definitely work in Omaha and then go somewhere else but I’d prefer not to.
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If I didn’t have a full-ride at IU or even ND on the table, then it would have been an amazing option. I would go if I didn’t have those.
I’m planning on visiting ND in the next 2 weeks. I just keep flipping back and forth between them and IU. It seems to be evenly split from people I have asked on which is better in my circumstance.
I actually reached out to my Harvard interviewer (his daughter went to IU on a full-ride and turned down some good schools for it, she’s a very successful lawyer now with her own practice, didn’t have debt going to T14), as he mentioned when I interviewed that he always offers to be a sounding board and help provide insight to anyone he interviews once they narrow their list down! He had said to me previously before I interviewed (we literally emailed back and forth 48 times…definitely not allowed LOL but he knows a lot about my ambitions and goals from that and the interview) that he thinks ND is amazing and underrated, that it’s a great opportunity and he would recommend I go there. And in the long email he sent me today, (after he did some research), he went over what I gain from Creighton, IU, and ND, and essentially compared them.
He said point blank that it may seem like he is trying to steer me towards IU, and that if I thought that––it’s valid.
He genuinely did have some good points though. I feel like I should just go to IU and that throughout this whole process deep down I’ve merely been trying to find ways to hate it…it just stings having to turn down ND. But that’s life! There’s a venture I want to start in college, and going to ND if I were to make money with it my financial aid would be complicated plus I wouldn’t have much time in the first place for it…all my credit transfers too at IU…I could invest the money my parents will give me into something like the S&P 500 (maybe that wouldn’t be a smart idea, who knows)…there’s a lot more as well.
It’s a lot to think about so I’m going to think about it over the next week or so, especially when I’m stuck at the airport all day tomorrow, and then I also still have some schools left so I’ll have to see what happens with those decisions!
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I’ve been following your journey since you and my D applied to a some of the same schools (ND, Nova) and your HP username is so fun!
Did you decide?
Tough decision! In some ways we are glad our D was deferred then rejected from ND because it would have made the decision harder had she been admitted (with a cost difference for the final picks). I definitely feel your dilemma with ND.
Best of luck to you!
Thanks for checking in, yep––I’m a huge Potterhead!
I haven’t decided yet! I’m visiting ND for Admitted Students Days the 10th and 11th, and I’m hoping those will provide some more clarity. I’ve been talking to some people I know at IU and then others at Notre Dame, and I definitely think I would fit in better at ND and enjoy it a bit more…with IU, I think I could find my people (and I do have friends who are going, but I can’t guarantee those friendships will last as we study different things and go somewhat separate ways) because it’s a huge party school. I would be more challenged at ND, and surrounded by a group that is more driven. I don’t want to make blanket statements though with that.
I made a spreadsheet comparing everything and also evaluated where I wanted to be 5 years from now. Not everything can be quantified or have a number associated with it (and certainly $$$ don’t determine happiness because college is a once in a life time experience), but the actual salary outcomes are VERY comparable. At IU and ND, the averages for the majors I liked at each were ~70k (ND was 2-3k more on average). A diploma from ND is worth more than a diploma from IU, but in the grand scheme of things with me being 90% sure (I’m pretty firm in this) that I’ll do some sort of further schooling like a J.D or MBA, wherever I go later on will matter far more. My job out of college will not be influenced too heavily by me going to ND instead of IU or IU instead of ND.
Additionally, I also was thinking about the 50k my parents will give me if I choose IU. I don’t have money like that in my bank account so I’ve never dealt with the responsibility or privilege of having that at my disposal, but there’s so much I could do it, and I’d basically be getting a head start on life when a good amount of my peers are dealing with student debt. I was talking to my parents and they would give me some of it before I graduate if I wanted (like on a year to year basis), so I could take that in put it in a Roth IRA. Financially, the other con with ND is that when I work during my summers as an intern (I should be able to get some internships haha), I’ll be making money that they can force me to contribute part of later on when they reevaluate financial aid. I understand why they want students to contribute towards their education, but I don’t want them stealing a portion of that from me when I earned it.
The other positive with IU is that it’s a lot easier than ND. It’s kind of a pro and con in a way, because I do like competition, but it’ll give me a lot more free time. Assuming I were to take finite math over the summer (notorious weed out class at Kelley), and then pass some of the CLEP exams that are fairly accessible for me to take, along with all my dual credit and ap credit, I can and would most likely enter IU with ~50 credits (might be 40 something? I don’t remember off the top of my head) which is enough to guarantee 5 of my 8 semesters to be 12 credit hours, and there’s a double major included too in that calculation. With extra free time I won’t be as stressed, my GPA can be a lot higher for when I apply to law school, a deferred MBA program, or even just for jobs (although that doesn’t really matter), which would be harder at ND. I’d also probably have time to get a job and work a bit for some more cash on the side, obviously hang out with friends…etc. But ND I would certainly have a lot of fun too, so that’s not exclusive to IU.
I’m planning on deciding by the 15th, but I feel like IU is probably the more sensible choice in terms of my future (I think my future self will thank me if I go that route), although I do love ND and turning that offer of admission down will not be fun if that’s what I end up doing.
I have a friend who will be going to IU, it’ll cost her ~18k a year, and her parents literally refused to help her and won’t contribute anything (but will co-sign loans for her), and so after her savings from work and whatnot, it looks like she’s going to have 50-60k in debt over a 4 year period. She could have gone to a local university and lived at home for much cheaper (although if I was in her shoes I would have hated that too), but it kind of made me realize how fortunate I am because she would kill for the chance to go to IU for free and now her whole life starting right out of college is going to be ruined/will suck because she’s taking out an absurd amount of loans (at least in my opinion) when she’s going into a field that is not lucrative (exercise science…) I tried to tell her that was bad, but it also helped me put everything into perspective because I realized I have something that can open a lot of doors for me even though I initially overlooked it.
I’ll come back here and update once I know, just eager to make a decision and finally know! Best of luck to your daughter at Saint Mary’s, maybe I’ll run into her if I pick ND!!
edit: I just realized I type very long responses!! It helps me organize my thoughts but I think I tend to ramble 
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It sounds like you are working things out. I am impressed with your maturity and organized way of coming to a decision!
I hope your ND trip goes well …. Or maybe not so well?! There is always ND law school 
Glad we can be your sounding board!!
I’ll be looking forward to an update soon!
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Thank you! True with law school, and regardless, it’ll be nice to see the campus I think! They have an agenda that’s been released for awhile and the two classes I get to go to as part of the Mendoza programming look super interesting, and I know some people who went to the February Admitted Students Days and enjoyed them! So hopefully it’ll be worth my time. I’ll definitely keep you posted
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How was admitted students weekend? 
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I was meaning to come back and post here, but it slipped my mind with Easter and everything going on! ND Admitted Students weekend went great, I really liked the campus (granted, I’ve been on campus numerous times already) and I also enjoyed the two classes I went to as part of the Mendoza programming (I believe they were “God and the Good Life”––philosophy class, and “Why Business”––examined honorable business/the purpose for business). I think of all the admitted student days that I have gone to that ND has had to best taught classes, but the others weren’t incredibly far off.
It also seemed to me that ND (and a lot of peer institutions tend to be like this, also small LACs) focuses a lot more on developing the person as an individual. The general required courses are a lot more meaningful, designed to develop you as a person. State schools, like IU, don’t seem to have classes like this, at least not into their general curriculum concerning required courses. I’m sure the Hutton Honors seminar courses would be comparable, but those aren’t gen eds. But, anyways, I thought those classes were neat.
I actually did end up making a decision though, and I’m going to IU in the fall! I NEVER thought I would say that…IU was not one of my top schools going into this process. I don’t even have one thing of IU apparel (except my Kelley Direct Admit Day shirt, but a) that’s dorky, and b) nobody wears that because then they look stuck up. So it doesn’t count, haha), yet I have so many other sweatshirts/crews/tshirts from other random colleges. Nobody in my family has gone to IU, but I’m not in a Purdue family either…so it’s weird.
Concerning my overall thinking though, I genuinely do like ND better than IU, it’s just given the circumstances I don’t think at this point in my life that they are the best option for me. If I didn’t have the full ride to IU, then I most likely have picked ND over the full ride I had at Creighton. I emailed a couple weeks ago turning that down, and with that scholarship only around 1 person a year turns it down, so I felt bad about that…the full ride at IU is a wonderful opportunity as well and I don’t think I’m able to walk away from that––walking away from 2 full-rides––and that wasn’t the only reason by any means, simply something I considered because even though ND wanted me, I had TWO universities willing to pay literally everything for me to go there, thinking that the value of me attending there and becoming an alum will have a great ROI.
I also figured despite IU’s large size and campus, that it would be a new environment for me because I’ve done Catholic schooling my entire life starting in kindergarten. Which there isn’t anything wrong with Catholic schools by any means, but I’ve been in that “bubble” (for lack of a better term) my entire life. I’ve never gone to public school. I think I’ll adjust to it, it’ll just take some time. I’m also doing IFS (intensive freshman seminar) at IU, which means I get to move in 2 weeks early to my dorm and explore Bloomington and IU’s campus, take a 3 credit hour class…and then I already found a roommate as well from the 2026 instagram page because we’ve been talking for the past week and a half (I was reaching out to people and had people reaching out to me even before I committed anywhere…goes for all my schools) so hopefully everything will work out! The other thing is right after I committed, I found out my childhood best friend (up until freshman year when she moved to a different state, we’ve drifted apart since then though) also committed to IU! Same day as me, I had no idea she was going to go because the last time I had talked to her was a few weeks prior and she had a bunch of other schools she was considering…but then she texted me saying she was going to IU! So we’re going to catch up there, but I thought it was super coincidental.
Those are some of my other main reasons but throughout this thread I’ve discussed some others…but yeah, officially a Hoosier! I also know some upperclassmen at IU who have given me a lot of advice already for the fall, so I think I’ll be in some great company!!
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Congratulations on your decision! My D22 is also doing IFS, and the early move-in is a great perk.
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Congratulations! Sounds like you made a great choice! Have fun being a Hoosier!
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Thank you! And yay, that’s so exciting! I think the early move-in is super convenient because it’s the perfect time to become acclimated back into school, and then there’s barely anyone on campus so lots of time and opportunity to get used to it/more comfortable.
Maybe I’ll be in the same course as your daughter! I ranked my 4 options as:
- Free Speech Law & Policy: A First Amendment Analysis
- Leaving Teenage Wasteland: Expectations of Adulthood in Literature and Culture
- Technology Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Happy Hoosiers - Exploring Nature, Heritage, and Health
All of the offerings look super interesting though––I struggled ranking mine. I emailed IFS as well and there should be more information in early June!!
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I don’t know all of the ones she picked, but I do know her 1st choice was Leaving Teenage Wasteland, so it’s possible! The more we learn about IU and interact with people there, the more she is convinced it’s 100% the right place for her. Best wishes to you!
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Congratulations on making your decision! I think attending IFS will be a great start to your university experience. Go Hoosiers!
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Congratulations and I highly advise you get to basketball games. You have no idea what the school spirit is like when basketball season rolls around. Only a handful of venues like Assembly Hall. IU has a Top 5 recruiting class and you will be there for the return to glory. Bloomington is a 10x better town than South Bend too. Enjoy!
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Yes, I’m definitely planning on going to those! I saw yesterday on IU Barstool that 5 star Malik Reneau committed…Woodson era! And for sure––I thought of that when I visited ND, not as much to do compared to Bloomington
Congratulations!! This sounds like a great decision and one that you won’t regret.
IT sounds like getting out of the catholic school bubble is something you are ready for! Funny - my D went to public schools her whole life and wants to try going to a catholic school for college. 
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IU opportunities seem pretty awesome! Glad you are getting such a good deal and saving lots of money!
Best of luck and congrats!!
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@secretslytherin - of all things, i know a kid who was offered that full ride at creighton when someone turned it down (a few years ago). Kid and family were so so happy and excited. So - this is a win-win for you; you’ll love where you are; and make someone’s day when, as an alternate, they will get that scholarship! 
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