<p>I'm officially stuck. Notre Dame has been my top choice since the beginning of the application process, but I never seriously thought I'd be able to go there. Now, with two days to go, I have $21,000 on the table form Notre Dame and $33,000 from Boston University. I can stay close to home (Boston) and actually make money while attending BU, or I could go to ND and end up in $40,000-$50,000 debt. Logic says BU, but my heart certainly says Notre Dame. What would you do?</p>
<p>which place feels right? would you be happy at boston? i'm partial to where the aid is, but there are exceptions.</p>
<p>Well, I'm not a big fan of BU itself, but I live 5 minutes from Boston and I do like the city.</p>
<p>Also, the BU money is a scholarship, while the ND money is aid. ND's the better school, but BU's the better deal. Oh, decisions, decisions.</p>
<p>If your heart is set on Notre Dame, and the $10,000 difference between Notre Dame and BU isn't going to cause too many financial issues, I say go Irish!</p>
<p>I agree with Alexandre. $40,000 is definitely workable...keep in mind that you can probably cut at least $10,000 off it from the start by working summer jobs and more if you work during the year.</p>
<p>Go with your heart and go to Notre Dame. Your choice here will be on your resume the rest of your life and in your obituary.</p>
<p>I agree that you should go to ND. The difference in cost isn't significant enough to go to a worse college than you don't seem to be enthusiastic about.</p>
<p>Anybody else?</p>
<p>Any help would be appreciated</p>
<p>I'm still stuck and now am somehow leaning toward BU. Can someone convince me otherwise?</p>
<p>Go to Notre Dame. If you've always wanted to go there, go there. Money should not be a issue. Most people will have some amount of debt leaving college and I personally like ND better. Don't let this be something that you will regret for the rest of your life... you can probably always be able to transfer back to BU, but probably not ND.</p>
<p>Look at your user name! Agree with the others who said ND.</p>
<p>Have you seen to BU? It's not a bad place for those who thrive on a 100% urban existence, and want no big-time sports (except hockey), no architectual beauty, and all their classmates b1tch1ng about the fact that they didn't get in Cornell or Tufts.</p>
<p>Notre Dame, on the other hand, is a unique and very special place. It's just the right size;it is amazingly beautiful; academics are excellent; traditions abound; sports are suberb, etc. You know all that.</p>
<p>As for the $40,000 difference...some day: you will lose that much on a bad stock investment; you will spend that much on a car you don't need; you will GLADLY spend that much PER YEAR to send your kid to his/her dream college; you will be expected to pay that much (total) for a couple weddings; you will spend that much (total) on several vacations which will be boring. You can also reduce it significantly by taking courses at a public college at home during the summer and taking the occasional course overload at ND (that will allow you to graduate in 3 or 3.5 years).</p>
<p>There are college-choice decisions in which such an amount should sway you. Like if you were deciding between Michigan-Ann Arbor and Wisconsin-Madison. Or Williams and Middlebury. Or Boston U and Northeastern. Those are close enough that $40k is an appropriate tie-breaker. Notre Dame and BU do not fall into that category. The Notre Dame name on your resume will pay dividends for the rest of your life, and attending ND will be a complete college experience. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish at this crucial time. Rarely in life does one get a chance to spend 4 years with his beloved, whether it's a car, a person, or a college. Don't waste this opportunity.</p>
<p>Thanks, TourGuide446. You've helped a lot and I really appreciate it. I'll let everyone know my final decision.</p>