<p>Hey, sorry it took me so long to respond to your thread. I did indeed have to make this same decision a couple years ago. One of the main reasons I picked Notre Dame was because I was sick of my high school's political makeup and Dartmouth seemed exactly the same- the majority of people seemed to be liberals and there didn't seem to be a whole lot of respect for other opinions or diversity of opinion. The college republicans are apparently very active, but were very much in the minority and moderate political opinions did not seem to have much of a voice. At Notre Dame, the split is mostly 50:50 (maybe a few more conservatives, but not by much) and most people I know are fairly moderate.</p>
<p>Another reason I picked ND was the social atmosphere. I didn't really like the fraternity-centered atmosphere at Dartmouth. When I visited, the campus seemed very polarized between those who partied hard at the frats and those who didn't drink, lived in sub-free dorms, and studied all the time. At Notre Dame, most parties are in dorms or off-campus houses, there is none of the exclusiveness associated with Greek life, and there is a place for those who don't want to be boring but don't want to go too crazy either (perhaps this exists at Dartmouth too, but that's not the impression I got when I went to visit).</p>
<p>Lastly, I really liked the fact that ND is Catholic. One thing I really like is that there are opportunities here for the uber-religious, but there is also a place for the normal Catholics. At other schools, it seemed like to get really involved in a Catholic organization and meet other Catholics, you'd end up with a bunch of crazy religious people (who can be wonderful, but I just didn't feel like I fit in with them...), and I really wanted to have Catholic friends (which I didn't have in high school). At ND, I go to Sunday mass in my dorm and weekday mass on occasion and always have someone to go with, which is nice- I guess its part of the "Notre Dame family" experience.</p>
<p>Anyway, those are just a few personal reasons. If you have any other questions or specific concerns, feel free to shoot me a PM.</p>