<p>Hi everyone! I've narrowed my college choices down to Northwestern ISP and Notre Dame with the Glynn Family Honors Program. My heart is at Notre Dame, but I loved Northwestern as well. I'm planning on double majoring in physics and math, and I feel like ISP would be perfect for that. Does anyone have any input or experience or advice about either of these schools that may help me decide? Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Hello,</p>
<p>Congrats on getting in to two great schools!</p>
<p>I’m only a junior in high school, although during the summer of 2013 I participated in the Notre Dame Summer Scholars program, which was a two week stay at Notre Dame where we had the full college experience; staying in dorms with a roommate and RA, eating at the dining hall, going to class, roaming campus, participating in group activities and volunteer opportunities, etc.</p>
<p>I don’t have much experience with Northwestern, but I can safely say that Notre Dame is one of the most beautiful colleges, likely the most, that I’ve ever been to. Here were some of my take-aways from my time there:</p>
<p>-The dorm rooms are small but pretty comfortable, and the dorms themselves are pretty homey
-The food is great!
-The current students are very friendly, as were the professors who were there to help us. Their class was interesting and I definitely learned a lot. I was in the science building for the majority of my time as I took a “Research Computing Expeditions” course, and in my free time would sit on the computers and play games on them with a couple friends.
-For example of above and beyond kindness, I’m pretty shy, and after the first day or two of me sitting inside my room watching Netflix in my free time, my RA came knocking and was wondering how I was doing, if I was feeling alright, etc. He was concerned because I hadn’t been out much (I was busy watching Breaking Bad). This really struck me because he went out of his way to check up on me and make sure I was doing ok and it definitely pushed me out of my shell. He is a great person and I’m glad he spent the time to make sure I was doing well. He also frequently invited our dorm section to group events like soccer, volleyball, dining out, and other fun events to really give us that sense of community and friendship, which was awesome.
-Another example was a student I met who became my best friend on the trip. He noticed that a girl in my class had been looking sad and lonely, and heard from someone else she was depressed, so he invited her to sit with us at lunch and he and I spent that hour talking to her and getting to know her. I think this shows the type of students you’ll find at Notre Dame. (Not to say every student is great, as that just isn’t possible anywhere, but every kid I talked to (probably close to 50) was very nice. I’ve met up with a few even after the summer scholars trip just to hang out and catch up!)
-The campus is beautiful, I find it incredibly difficult to accurately describe how great it is.
-There were lots of volunteer opportunities for us in just the two weeks we were staying there (participating in a food drive, playing bingo with the elderly, spending time with foster kids, etc) and it was great to get involved in the community
-The surrounding area has a Five Guys (which is a great burger place for those who don’t know) and many other local restaurants and shops right outside campus, which was great
-There is also a burger king, Subway, and Taco Bell on campus (along with a handy grocery store) if I remember correctly that I really enjoyed</p>
<p>Maybe my younger perspective isn’t quite what you were looking for, but I hope what I picked up in my two weeks there helped you with your decision! I know after my time there Notre Dame is definitely my number one school at the moment, and I think it would be hard to dethrone; I’ve visited 7 colleges since then, and none have lived up to that feel and experience for me.</p>
<p>Congrats again on getting in!</p>
<p>Congratulations on having two great choices. If you love both schools go with the one that is better for your intended major. Best of luck. </p>
<p>Thank you both for your feedback and well wishes! I really appreciate it. Mcjd869, thank you so much for all that information. I did end up deciding to attend Notre Dame, and your input helped. </p>