<p>So I've been narrowing down my college list and it looks like University of Notre Dame and Amherst College may shape up to be the top 2 (LOOKS like). I visited Notre Dame this past July as part of the Seminar for African-American Scholars and had an AMAZING time...then in September, I'll visit Amherst College as part of the Diversity Open House Weekend. I've done a lot of research and to be honest, South Bend was sorta dead. Amherst definitely has location over them (I'm from Atlanta). But ND has sports and school spirit...can you say Fighting Irish? If I were to study political science (or any social science for that matter), I think Amherst would be the better pick, but what about the natural sciences? The director of the Seminar is the Vice President for Research and encouraged us to seriously consider ND because of its early engagement with freshman in scientific study and research. However, Amherst is small and can really promise close interaction...so what's truly better? Natural sciences at a larger, research university or a small, private, liberal arts college?</p>
<p>I think a lot of your decision will come down to how you feel on each campus. Both are excellent schools. You will have a lot of opportunities at either school. Notre Dame is a lot larger than Amherst, and has more schools - engineering, business, etc. Plus ND has a very active and national alumni that tends to take care of fellow alums. I’m not sure either school gives you a lot of urban opportunities, but truthfully, at ND there are so many activities going on that I don’t think most people miss the city life. The dorms at Notre Dame are like little communities and give a home-like setting to college life. When you get to Amherst, see how you feel amongst the students and see if you could see yourself there. You may also need to revisit Notre Dame during the school year to see the same. However, either way you decide, you will get a fantastic education and a fantastic college experience.</p>
<p>Also, Amherst is a pretty small town - population 37,000, and the south bend/mishawaka area is closer to 300,000 - so if you are expecting a more urban flavor to Amherst, I don’t think you are going to find it. Also, South Bend is 90 miles from Chicago, and there is a train that connects them, so the big city is only a couple of hours away.</p>
<p>I would go to Amherst. no facts or good reason.</p>
<p>Yeah, South Bend sucks (well, there are lots of good places to eat), but there’s rarely any reason to leave campus. We’re actually our own town (Notre Dame, IN) since we have our own FD, PD, PO, Zip, etc. Anything you need is on campus, and you will not run out of things to do here, it’s not remotely boring if you give it some effort.</p>
<p>Social sciences haven’t always been great, but are getting pretty good here, though Political Science in particular is already a very popular and well-developed department. I know plenty of Nat Science majors who really like it, but I can’t speak on that personally, nor can I speak on Amherst. I suggest contacting professors and student ambassadors from each school. We can’t tell you which school is right for you, but maybe they can help.</p>
<p>Notre Dame is a big mixture of academic, religious, athletic, and social aspects. The weather sucks, but there are plenty of upperclassmen here, so apparently the winters are survivable. I haven’t heard a non-weather-based complaint since I got here.</p>
<p>My niece attends ND. Originally, she wanted the big city atmosphere, like Boston, but fell in love with ND the second she stepped on campus. As for the winters, she too orginally wasn’t looking for the cold weather, but now she swears the snow is prettier there. She said it “sparkles” and we don’t have that in the NE. In any case, she loves ND and is now a Sophomore. Football rules the campus. I would definitely revisit ND during a home football weekend. We visited last year when ND v. Utah. It was truly spectucular!!!. Before the game started that had a flyover with 2 f-14’s. The band is amazing and the student section was incredible. (Hint: learn the fight song, you’ll need to know it.) Also check out their school store. I have never seen anything so big. </p>
<p>All this said my S got in to ND and declined. For whatever reason he didn’t want to go, ( I think he just wanted to go to a different school than his cousin.) but he will tell you to that that weekend was amazing!!! (He’s off to Stanford in a week.)</p>
<p>I would also think twice about the alumni at both schools. I’m from NY so I know that Amherst is a great school but when you go to England, China, or Brazil will they recognize the school? Will you meet someone there that is an alum? Probably not to both questions. On the other hand ND is world reknown.</p>
<p>Good Luck</p>