<p>Agonizing between ND and Dartmouth.</p>
<p>the weather in both is the same…lol (ND may even have more seasonable weather than Dartmouth)… while dartmouth is an ivy school, ND has academics that probably rival most ivies and i would say that ND has better academics than dartmouth (but they are pretty close i would imagine). i do not think anything beats ND’s campus. ND has a better alumni network was well… this is of course ND slanted, but I don’t know if you will find anything different on an ND forum (lol).</p>
<p>Dartmouth is ranked #1 in payback (amount of money gained back after investing in the education)</p>
<p>While that may be true, it depends on your values. Notre Dame graduates make plenty of money, but also are very highly rated for giving a year or two after graduation for service and working for non-for-profit organizations. A lot of schools will give you a great education, but few develop you as an overall person as well as Notre Dame.</p>
<p>Well, first of all, lucky you; they’re both excellent. Dartmouth may look better on paper, but there’s something about Notre Dame that just can’t be quantified, a certain ennobling serenity you might say. You would no doubt flourish at either school, but you would perhaps more likely LOVE Notre Dame.</p>
<p>I had to make this same choice 3 years ago and I know how tough it was. I chose Notre Dame and LOVE it here. Also, I’m not sure Dartmouth actually looks that much better on paper. If you are out East, then it does for sure, but Notre Dame seems to have a more national reputation. Both have their pros and cons and a lot of it depends on what exactly you want in a college.</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you want more info on why I made my decision or have other questions. You can also search my previous posts, I think I’ve written about this a million times before… :)</p>
<p>I went to ND and it means more to me than anything in the world…however, Dartmouth is Ivy League and it is going to raise more eyebrows than a Notre Dame degree. That’s not always what it’s about though; I have plenty of friends who went to similar Ivies and it was not a good fit. Notre Dame will offer a ridiculous education and an unparalleled sense of accomplishment when you graduate. There’s a social cohesion there that you can’t put into words. </p>
<p>Good luck with your decision! Take a trip to campus and I think the answer will come to you pretty easily…there truly is no place like Notre Dame.</p>
<p>anyone who rules out ND without visiting truly wasted their time applying. ND has a sense of aura when you visit that no other school can match. There is just an atmosphere around ND that makes it so inviting and that makes you want to attend. Plus, I think a ND diploma carries a lot, maybe not as much as an Ivy, but it still carries a lot of weight. Personally, I am turning down a number of great offers (like MIT), because of my visit to ND, which simply sealed the deal.</p>
<p>Yeah, my visits to ND and Dartmouth definitely helped make my decision. Have you visited both?</p>
<p>As others have said, visit both schools if you haven’t already. Beyond that, if you are an orthodox Catholic, you should be wary of Dartmouth. I know a Dartmouth alum and he strongly recommended against any of our kids going to school there.</p>
<p>Visiting both in 2 weeks. Why does your Dartmouth alum friend recommend you not send your kids there? What should I be looking for to make the most of my visit?</p>
<p>probably b/c he and his kids are Catholic? but idk</p>
<p>“Notre Dame will offer a ridiculous education and an unparalleled sense of accomplishment when you graduate. There’s a social cohesion there that you can’t put into words.”</p>
<p>Ridiculous, indeed. I also agree that UND grads feel an unparalleled sense of accomplishment when they graduate that is not shared by the rest of the world (who thinks they are overrated). That social cohesion stems from drinking the same Kool-Aid.</p>
<p>Okay, I’m just joking around (sort of). But in all seriousness, Dartmouth is far more prestigious and offers some advantages in terms of job opportunities (try going to an Ivy-Plus job fair with your UND degree) over UND. I wouldn’t go to UND unless you are strongly Catholic and would appreciate that aspect of your life being injected into all aspects of your life.</p>
<p>So in the battle of the cults the Ivy Cult wins out?</p>
<p>yes…</p>
<p>So much for being a maverick.</p>
<p>Was I supposed to insist UND is as good as Dartmouth? Claiming 2+2=5 doesn’t make you a maverick, it makes you stupid.</p>
<p>Only remarking on your claim that ND is a cult. Just wanted to point out that the Ivies are too, and if you’re smitten by it you’ve got a lot of company.</p>
<p>But of course you’re perfectly free to claim that 2+2=5. I must disagree though. That DOES make you a maverick.</p>
<p>…complex math aside, the part you are obviously misunderstanding is that I’m not claiming Dartmouth is “better” (however you want to define it) than UND because it is in the Ivy league. I am claiming that it is more prestigious and offers some slight advantage in terms of job opportunities, all other things being equal (which they never are).</p>
<p>In fact, I think Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, and Penn are overrated due precisely to the fact that they are part of that silly athletic conference. Notwithstanding, my assertions about Dartmouth vis-a-vis Notre Dame remain the same.</p>