ND v NU

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Notre Dame
1

<p>I saw a similar thread about this but didn't like the direction it was heading in so to save myself and all parties involved, the trouble of hijacking the thread, I decided to make a new one.
ND v. NU Round 1, fight!</p>

<p>I got into both and I'm having a really hard time making up my mind. I'm not sure what I want to major in, probably something that is universal and relating to business such as math but I would like to keep medschool and businss/mba viable options. I don't want to fully commit to business (else I would go to NYU) which is why I want to have access to good premed opportunities. I also want a full enjoyable college experience- friends, networking, parties, drinking, girls (frats...won't join one, but don't mind them) etc.</p>

<p>I visited both schools and here are the impressions I got from both schools. </p>

<p>Northwestern</p>

<p>Pros:
Slightly better in academics (all around) than ND
Close to Chicago - more internships, opportunities, things to do (i live an hour away from NYC so it's comforting knowing there's a major cultural center near me)
Good for business despite not having an undergrad business program.<br>
Great premed, especially in chemistry and bio
Better ranked</p>

<p>Cons:
Huge and difficult course load
Hard to have a good time/social life there.
Not so good networking among students.
Lots of nerds+socially inept
Trimester system...but i think i'll get over it.</p>

<p>To sum it all up, I visited and the thing that turned me off the most about NU (aside from the school colors d= haha) was the social atmosphere. None of the students in the dorms seemed to be friendly with other students. Everyone was in groups of 2-3 doing their own thing. No one aside from the people who volunteered for wild cat days avoid talking to the 'prospies'. A lot of the students seemed to have underwhelming social lives = were nerdy, hard to hold a conversation about none academic topics with, etc.</p>

<p>Notre Dame</p>

<p>Pros:
Good enough academics
Nationwide recognition
Beautiful campus, good food
Vibrant social atmosphere, nice people, lots of good looking girls
Legendary networking
Good premed and business from what they tell me</p>

<p>Cons:
Isolated - limited internships, opportunities, no major city near it
No co-ed dorms/residence halls
Catholic identity - hard to relate to as a noncatholic
Strict rules and tradition
Required to take theology classes
Social events seem to revolve around sports and or off campus things</p>

<p>I'm a big fan of the campus. But not of its isolation. Biggest turn off about ND is that it's a catholic school. 80+% of the students are catholic, Caucasian. Abides by a lot of strict catholic traditions. I don't know too much about Catholicism myself but parietals seem very strict and do not sound like fun. </p>

<p>Hope I didn't offend anyone, I realize my exposure to both schools have been rather limited. That is why your input on these 2 schools is greatly appreciated. And please, feel free to try and clear up any misconceptions I might have about these 2, overall great schools.</p>

2

<p>i think that your pro/cons are completely accurate for ND (i am not sure about NU as i did not apply). If you are worried about social life and atmosphere, I think that ND has one of the best campus/social life. i was there last weekend during great weather and all the quads were full of students playing sports, etc. A lot of social events do revolve are sports especially football, but there are a number of theater performances, musical performances, and comedy skits on campus as well. From what I have been told, the Catholic identity is strong, but I did not see too much when I visited. I am Catholic, so this may have been why I did not really realize anything weird. That being said, they are a Catholic school with a Catholic agenda, which is where the rules are introduced, but from what I have heard, the rules are not that bad and you get used to them after a while, and they do force to sleep somewhat (when the opposite sex is kicked out of the dorm at midnight), many then go to sleep. I also heard a rumor that lights were shut off at midnight on weekdays and 2 am on weekends, but I did not see this when I visited (we went to a food place at midnight) and students were looking for classes in the hall until 2 am. </p>

<p>good luck with the decision!</p>

3

<p>i’m struggling with a similar decision between ND and WashU (except I’m Catholic so it’s not as much of a problem for me), so i don’t have much advice. However, I will say this- I think that social life is what you make of it. I know when I visited WashU this year I was put off at first by the “socially awkward” people who seemed to study way too much there, but then I realized that there are plenty of people not like that. The same goes for drinking and partying during college. I know when I went to ND last week I asked my host about the social scene and she said that it’s whatever you want because it is based on who you spend your time with. I’m sure this goes for NU as well. I hope this helped a bit…</p>

4

<p>Don’t look at ND as having just “good enough” academics. Some people think this is where IVY rejects go, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I guarantee you will be challenged; no one thinks it is easy. </p>

<p>Premed here is very good and popular. Business is incredible, ranked 2 in nation by business week, and if you want to go accounting, this is one of the best. Internships and opportunities are not limited at all. The university employs a tremendous amount of kids for those sorts of things, and it has networks in just about every decent-sized city. The career center is great, so you will have great opportunities when it comes to that. Granted, South Bend is not a college town nor is it a major cultural center; if you need that on occasion though, Chicago is an easy day trip.</p>

<p>It is a Catholic school, no doubt. But, it is not overwhelming and, I would argue, does not even pervade campus life that much if you are not attuned to it. Yes, you have to take 2 semesters of theology, but it’s not a big deal and nothing is pushed on you; it’s more learning about a particular religion which in this case is the catholic religion. I think the minority student population is actually a bit over 20%, but with the huge diversity in the kind of people you will meet here, that’s no problem.</p>

<p>Parietals: No women in men’s rooms and vice versa after midnight on weekdays, 2 am on weekends. There is still 24 hour space in every dorm, and there is no campus curfew of any kind, nor do lights shut off except in buildings where they naturally would be at that time of night. </p>

<p>Rules are somewhat strict, but we are actually pretty lax on drinking and parties in the dorms compared to other colleges. No greek life but plenty of off campus houses and apartments for the party side of that, and your dorm is like a frat/sorority when it comes to the community aspect of that. Single sex dorms can be a damper, but there’s a much closer and open environment amongst dorm residents as a result. Social scene is whatever you want it to be, whether that means going to discussions and dances and productions or parties and sporting events (or some mix of all these). Football season is huge in the social scene, but social life does not dry up and go away after it is over by any means. It is alive and well and I can vouch for that.</p>

<p>Didn’t mean to preach there; hopefully I cleared up some things. NU is also an excellent school all-around, though definitely different than Notre Dame. I can’t speak for NU students, but your typical ND student is very-well rounded, socially, academically, artisticallly, and spiritually.</p>