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<p>Notre Dame does offer merit aid.</p>
<p>From ND website: “Notre Dame offers a limited number of merit scholarships to a limited number of students, accepted for admission as a first-time incoming freshman, who demonstrate exceptional accomplishment, leadership, commitment to service, and intellectual promise.”</p>
<p>From the CDS: “Merit-Based Gift, 61 (3.0%) of freshmen had no financial need and received merit aid, average amount $13,390”</p>
<p>SAT: M+CR= 1470 (First time, very low: I was sick when I took it and the time kept getting cut short)</p>
<p>??? That isn’t “very low”. It’s about equal to an ACT 32-33.</p>
<p>You reported that you got a 1970 on your SAT. Does that mean that you only got a 500 on the Writing?</p>
<p>Yeah. Math was great.
I think I did average on the first couple writing sections but the 10 minute section at the end was a disaster. I was cut a couple minutes short (I had it down to the second) and I was stressed out and I had hit the I’m-tired-wall (It’s the last section).</p>
<p>I’m sure I did better on ACT writing. It “felt” good.</p>
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<p>If that’s your reason for finding Notre Dame more attractive than UW-Madison, I hope you are not under the delusion that a college with a religious affiliation will not have kids who like to party. Especially a football school. If you get a bad roommate - anywhere - you get the resident advisor involved and/or you request a change.</p>
<p>Its only money!
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-notre-dame/560000-financial-aid-notre-dame-middle-class-squeeze.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-notre-dame/560000-financial-aid-notre-dame-middle-class-squeeze.html</a></p>
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<p>As Snowdog said… this certainly happens at Notre Dame, too. If your parents are not willing to pay full price, then you probably need to expand your search to look at schools that offer merit aid and where you are closer to the top of their statistics pool. That is the reality of your situation – the sooner you change your mindset and start working on that assumption the better your college search will go.</p>
<p>Notre Dame is a party school, too. They’ll be drinking and sexiles there, too.</p>
<p>You should think about expanding your list beyond “Notre Dame” to schools like it with perhaps more generous aid for your very respectable stats. There are lots of excellent private schools that would give you a similar “college” experience without the Notre Dame pricetag, albeit a little less prestige. Prestige is over rated in most cases for undergraduate. Sounds like your parents have considerable assets and reasonably high income, try to get them to deal with the financial plan for college, do you have sibs, what are they willing to pay, are they willing to flex for Notre Dame over a less prestigious university? Knowing what they are willing to invest in your education will help in your search.</p>
<p>At UW-Madison, consider one of the dorms that is or has a ‘Residential Learning Community’, like Chadbourne or Bradley for that smaller school or community feel.</p>
<p>Chadbourne Residential College:
[CRC</a> | University Housing at UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/crc]CRC”>http://www.housing.wisc.edu/crc)
[CRC-Global</a> | University Housing at UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/crc/global]CRC-Global”>Global Café is Back for Spring – University Housing – UW–Madison)</p>
<p>Bradley (all residents are first year students)
[BLC</a> | University Housing at UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/blc]BLC”>http://www.housing.wisc.edu/blc)</p>
<p>Link to All Learning Communities:
[Learning</a> Communities | University Housing at UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/lc]Learning”>http://www.housing.wisc.edu/lc)</p>