<p>So much of this has to do with a visceral reaction it seems. When my daughter was looking at schools we visited both Northwestern and Notre Dame. Twenty minutes into the Northwestern tour she said, “Let’s leave now,” wheras she LOVED Notre Dame. She didn’t even apply to Northwestern, though the department she was interested in was probably stronger there. She was thrilled to get into Notre Dame, and as it turned out (as it so often does) she decided to major in something else. Though I tried not to sway her, I must say that I had the same feeling about Northwestern, that it lacked “a center” or something. Anyway, she never regretted choosing Notre Dame (she truly loves it), and if you felt at home there it might be a good idea to keep in mind that your academic interests may be drastically different after a couple of months of college.</p>
<p>The number of people I know who are going to be graduating with the same major and the same intended life-path as they had when they came in as freshmen is startlingly low; doesn’t mean much, but it’s food for thought in any event.</p>
<p>Go with the place that will foster who you are in all aspects for four years, not just the place that will get you into the best post-secondary education. College is about a lot more than class.</p>
<p>My son visited both ND and Northwestern in the same weekend last year. I expected he would like ND but love Northwestern because of its “city” vibe. Just the opposite was true. My son fell in love with ND (which he knew he would), and he wasn’t impressed at all by Northwestern. He didnt’ even feel a connection there. He also went to watch a former teammate play in a Northwestern football game this past fall and still he didn’t get the “itch” to go there. Since our visit, our family, including our 15 yo daughter, have all fallen in love with ND.</p>
<p>@aristophanes: Yeah I felt a bit that way too. And maybe a part of it is the fact a lot of my family has gone to NU and I want to be a bit different.</p>
<p>Really? I don’t think I posted as a parent anywhere.</p>
<p>@kevdude: Yeah, I have a feeling my major may change as well so the school’s academics may not be as important.</p>
<p>@smd640: The citiness is a dislike for me for NU and its campus feels a bit cramped to me sometimes, although everything is in closer reach.</p>
<p>And haha I think I biased this by posting in the ND forum. :P</p>
<p>aristophanes - my son went through the same emotional process. We went to ND, NW and U of C in July. NW left him so cold that he was begging to leave the tour. He liked U of C, but he loves ND - spent a week there in their ND Vision program both in July 2009 as well as last July, and he came away more convinced than ever. Luckily for him, while he’s been waitlisted at U of C, ND accepted him EA and we are waiting and hoping on the financial aid info. He truly feels he’s meant to be there.</p>
<p>mommysusan: I think what may have really sealed the deal was The Rock. I don’t mean the gym at ND, but the boulder at NW, which seems to be its counterpart to the Golden Dome. The tour guide spent at least fifteen minutes talking about how wonderful this hideous painted object was, and you could see people rolling their eyes and wanting to run. As we moved on from this highlight my daughter said under her breath, “Oh, my, God.” Beyond this salient feature, however, the campus on the whole feels more confining. ND has it all in terms of scale and serenity (well at least it’s serene when there aren’t any screaming students around). Though I certainly am critical of individual buildings as works of architecture, I think that the campus is beautiful and welcoming.</p>
<p>MasterFox: Did you pose this question in the Northwestern Forum? If you didn’t I suspect that you have already made up your mind and you are looking for people that will confirm your belief that ND is the school for you. I have to say that if you are considering med school then I would think pretty hard about Northwestern. Do you know if you have an advantage down the road (for med school) if you go to NW undergrad program? Very tough choice, good luck.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any questions about the psychology department at Notre Dame, I know it VERY well. I graduated in 2007 with a degree in psychology and I am now working on my Ph.D. (not at Notre Dame, although I have several friends who are psych grad students at ND).</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision…hard to go wrong.</p>
<p>I did pose this in the NU forum and as expected it was a bit more biased toward NU, but that’s a good thing. The biases of both forums should balance out objectively.</p>
<p>I am considering med school, but I’m afraid if I go into a school for a specific major, I may end up changing it later and then I’ll be regretful, because young people do change their minds on their majors on average of about 3-4 times in 4 years.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to hijack your thread, but I have the same dilemma. I want to major in journalism in college and am finding it hard to pass up a Medill education even though I really liked ND when I visited. Any input would be much appreciated!</p>
<p>Ok, Just to be upfront. I have family that are alumni of Northwestern and I attended one quarter as a business major. No one in our family has attened ND but I am a big fan of the school and its environment. I would, hands-down choose ND over Northwestern if you love it. The schools are VERY different. Whoever wrote that Northwestern lacked a center or was cold is correct. It has many fine points, but its administration and many of the professors are “removed”. Medill is a great journalism school, so for that reason I might consider it. IF you want a more nuturing environment filled with tradition and a strong community/family like feel then pick Notre Dame. If you are in it for the academics, have a strong sense of survival and want the connections of the journalism school go to Northwestern. I think you need to be far more independent and a tad cut-throat to make it through NU and love it at the same time.</p>
<p>People have made a lot of comments regarding the social life and atmosphere at each campus, so I will comment briefly on the academics. Both are fantastic schools with highly qualified student bodies. However, within the field of journalism, Northwestern is definitely a few lengths ahead of ND. In fact, [url=<a href=“http://www.nd.edu/academics/undergraduate-majors/]ND”>404 - Not Found | University of Notre Dame]ND</a> doesn’t even have a journalism major<a href=“although%20you%20can%20technically%20minor%20in%20something%20called%20%5Burl=Undergraduate Programs | Academics | College of Arts & Letters | University of Notre Dame”>/url</a>. Granted, career paths shift, preferences evolve, and you could simply change your mind like so many other people, but if you are reasonably certain you want to be a journalist, NU will better prepare you for that career. Besides, the overall quality of the school is such that even if you do switch majors, you’ll still be at a fantastic school.</p>
<p>Professors are “removed” at NU? Well, if that’s the case, I don’t know how NU has 4 Goldwater Scholars (the only top-15 school with that many) this year. I am sure they didn’t just get their extensive research experiences out of nowhere. </p>
<p>MasterFox. Go visit. I believe there is one more Northwestern Wildcat day if you have not done so already. My niece went Monday. Did NOT like Northwestern at all but expected to love it as her Mom went there. My sister was also disappointed with it compared to how it was when she atteneded. I think you have to go, meet current students, professors, other admitted students etc to get a better feel for it. </p>
<p>SamLee. Its just my opinion on the administratino. Have friends who visited and interviewed there as well for different positions/grad school etc. Same take from all of them as well. I am glad you are happy with it though. It is not for eveyone, nor is Notre Dame. </p>
<p>All I can say is know thyself and know the university before you commit.</p>