Am I a little late? Yes, but it’s crunch time and I still do not know where to go. Here’s the full story:
OSU comes with a lot of perks
-full ride
-directly admitted to business school as a finance major
-morrill scholars program
-Vibrant city
-strong football
-a top public university
-beautiful campus
Notre Dame has
-prestige
-it’s catholic
-great football
-alumnae network
-beautiful campus
-top business school
-pretty good scholarship money
Money isn’t that big of a factor, but a full ride is a full ride so that’s major. I’m conflicted because I applied as a psych major to both schools. I wanted to major in psychology on a pre-law or pre-health track. I’ve changed my mind and decided to pursue finance. Within a few days of alerting Ohio State in March, they admitted me into Fischer. Notre Dame says I have to apply to Mendoza after first semester of freshman year, and there is a huge chance I wouldn’t get in for finance. Should I risk not getting into Mendoza for ND? I also believe I would get a great GPA at OSU which is necessary to B-School in the future, and I would probably get a 3.6 at ND. Would that really harm my chances at a great B-School?
Congrats on the full ride to OSU, that’s great. What is your annual cost to attend Notre Dame?
You are correct, if you did not apply directly to Mendoza to begin with, then you will have to apply for transfer in the spring of your freshman year (to start fall of sophomore year). Just to make sure you know, all freshman start out in the First Year of Studies program, regardless of the college they applied to https://firstyear.nd.edu/academics/
All things being equal, where would you rather be? If you don’t get into Mendoza (undergrad), you can always apply to grad school (as you noted). You don’t have to be a business major undergrad.
I grew up just north of Columbus and have two children who attend/attended ND. They are very different experiences. OSU is multiple times the size of ND, and from my experience doesn’t have the same community feeling that ND does. If that close community feeling is important to you, then ND no doubt has the edge. If attending a very visibly Catholic university doesn’t appeal to you, then OSU might have the edge. In terms of admission to Mendoza, finance is the most popular major and is thus more difficult to get into. My '19 daughter, who is in the first class that limited direct admission to Mendoza, said that no one she knew who applied as a rising sophomore was denied a place. I don’t know how many applied as finance majors though. What I will say, not to denigrate a degree from tOSU, is that the value of an ND degree cannot be overestimated. The alumni network is second to none.
I assume that $32K is total annual cost (tuition plus room and board)? If so, then total cost to attend ND over 4 years will be around $128K vs $0 for Ohio State. Is money really not that big of a factor, in terms of your parents being able to easily afford ND? And do you plan to attend grad school (in which case that $128K would come in handy for you down the road to lower your debt burden). Those are important things to consider.
Otherwise, in terms of fit, these would be two very different experiences. Big state school vs smaller (still mid-sized) Catholic school. How did you feel on your campus visits? Where do you see yourself being happiest over the course of 4 years? Often prospective students get a “feel” that tells them they are in the place for them. I don’t know a lot about OSU but I often refer students to this thread for a nice picture of life at ND. Read response #5 from someone called docmom
I agree with lastone that you don’t have to be an undergrad business major to pursue finance. I was an econ major with a masters in econ, my husband was an undergrad biz major with an MBA (both in finance) and we ended up in very similar jobs in finance.
Also think ejcclc is correct about Mendoza and the likelihood of getting in if you apply for transfer. That is my understanding from what I’ve heard from my daughter who is a student in Arts & Letters who briefly considered transfer, but didn’t pursue it.
Congratulations on two great choices. It is essentially what my son had before committing to ND last year, except UW instead of OSU.
What sealed it was when we told him to not worry about the money, just choose based on what he would want without looking at cost. It’s up to your parents to judge their comfort level on cost. Have an honest talk with them. If you can see yourself happy at either place, let them know.
One thing that nearly got him to go to UW was AP credits. He had a bunch, more than a year’s worth, and could have double-majored in three years. Notre Dame gave him 4 credits. It is definitely a four year program. One of those semesters will probably be in Europe.
The major differences:
Cost
Size
Greek vs. Dorms
3 years(?) vs. 4 years
At ND every single kid is super-smart
state vs. private
secular vs. Catholic
The advice seems to be to get an MBA after OSU from a higher rated program.
Good feedback. But re the AP credits, I think that probably depends on the individual circumstance – i.e. which AP classes taken and what scores received. My D received 12 credits from ND, which is basically a semester. She would not choose to finish a semester early, but rather to double-major at a more comfortable pace and still have the freedom to take electives of interest to her.
Also, congrats. My son also applied and was accepted to ND and OSU. If cost for ND was similar to yours, son would be going to ND. Merit aid at OSU but none at ND nor financial aid. That was a big disappointment. He really liked ND and was all ready to apply at end of April but no financial aid decided it for him. He will be a Psych major at OSU with a pre-health track. So combine ND full tuition and med school in the future - the decision was an easy one but not one he wanted at first. OSU has hospitals on campus for research, and both schools have opportunities unique to each. He will be in honors at OSU and is excited. Good luck to you.