<p>Hello everyone. I am blessed to have been admitted to Notre Dame and USC. USC has given me a full-tuition merit scholarship while Notre Dame has given me little aid. While I am very lucky to have gotten these admissions offers, I must make a difficult decision. My questions are: Is the education at Notre Dame better than USC? Is Notre Dame's Political Science department better than USC's? Is Notre Dame worth the extra cost? Is Notre Dame's alumni network stronger than USC's Trojan Family? Is the social experience at Notre Dame more favorable than USC's social offerings? etc. </p>
<p>I really appreciate your insight and assistance. Thank you very much.</p>
<p>But I guess, in all honesty, unless you love ND and hate SC like a lot of ND fans, you would be kinda silly to pay 50k a year for ND when you can go to SC (a good school, as much as I hate it) for free. Honestly.</p>
<p>Evidently, USC believes that a Notre Dame education (or any other school that generally does not provide merit aid) is “better” than a USC education; otherwise, you would not have been offered the giant scholarship package to lure you there instead of ND. Universities offer big merit aid awards to “buy” top students who would otherwise go elsewhere. Those students help drive up the average SAT/GPA numbers, as well as the graduation rates, grad/prof school admission rates, etc. Only you can decide whether the benefits of graduating debt-free are worth the costs of attending a school that might not be the absolute best fit for you. But I tend to agree with the previous posters – it’s hard to walk away from a free ride at a good school. This is especially true if there is any possibility of law or business school in your future. You can always consider transferring if you have a disappointing freshman year at USC – you’ll have saved 25% on tuition.</p>
<p>My daughter is in the exact same position - ND is her dream school but there is no aid. Then she has several full rides at less prestigious schools. She wants to be a pre-med so the cost of medical school is in the future as well. Is the ND experience worth the $200,000?</p>
<p>For the kind of money you’re being offered you can learn to root for the Trojans. You have an incredible offer at USC. Can’t see how you’d turn it down.</p>
<p>Notre Dame’s education is better, as are the political department and alumni connections (especially this one), but a full tuition ride is a lot of money…and it’s not like USC is like way behind Notre Dame in terms of the the things listed above. Tough call on this one.</p>
<p>USC has a fabulous alumni association. They look out for their graduates but I am biased as a USC alumn… Take the scholarship and enjoy the weather</p>