<p>I'm currently down as a Bio major in both schools. With financial aid they cost approximately the same. I definitely plan on going to grad school. I have visited SD since it's so close, but I want your input before I decide whether to spend $ on a plane ticket to ND.</p>
<p>UCSD
Pros:
-I got into Muir!
-I won't be too homesick since I live only 2 hours away
-It's a great school, and especially great for my major
-Amazing weather and by the beach
Cons:
-It's not as well-known
-If I want to switch majors, it won't be as well-known for that
-Large classrooms
-Not as aesthetically appealing as ND</p>
<p>Notre Dame
Pros:
-Prestige/ranking
-Absolutely stunning campus and great dorms
-I love the style of teaching
-Lots of school spirit, something I never experienced at my HS
Cons:
-Cold!
-I am nonwhite, nonreligious (much less Catholic), and fairly liberal although I try to stay balanced. As you can imagine, this is a big one. I don't want to be completely miserable because I feel out of place.</p>
<p>Hmm, the biggest problem I see here is that you I’m not sure how well you would fit in at Notre Dame, it being a religious school and everything. It’s great, sure, but you’ll likely feel out of place there.</p>
<p>I touched on this in my reply to [your</a> other post](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-notre-dame/891637-notre-dame-uc-san-diego.html]your”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-notre-dame/891637-notre-dame-uc-san-diego.html), although you put more detail in your background here. The non-white, non-Catholic thing adds another wrinkle. There are plenty of non-whites at ND. Non-Catholics are more of a rare commodity. The religious atmosphere is such that if you do have a particular belief and want to adhere to it, you won’t be judged or looked down upon. But as I’m sure you know from your visits, the Catholic nature of the place is simply undeniable. You’ve got good reasons for both, and I could certainly understand why you would pick either. Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years? Still in SoCal? State bankruptcy aside, UCSD does just fine in that region of the world. ND does, too, but you’re not condemning yourself to a life of mediocrity by picking a well respected UC campus.</p>
<p>I question some of your views on UCSD. UCSD is definitely up there in the rankings alongside ND and switching your major won’t necessarily mean you’re in a less prestigious program. The main reason ND is well known among the common folk is because of sports, and because it’s older. Also, how do you know that you love the style of teaching if you’ve never attended a class at ND let alone visited yet?</p>
<p>Not like USNWR is authoratative, but 20 v. 35 is a bit of a gap. Plus, I would contend that the religious nature of ND causes it to be undervalued in the peer rankings which make up a huge portion of the USNWR score.</p>
<p>I agree that the main reason ND is known among “common folk” is football. The main reason ND is known among folks making hiring decision is that it has one of the highest ACT ranges in the country. I believe hawkette pulled the data together once, it was Top 5, I’m pretty sure. Again, UCSD is a great school and I could completely understand a decision to go there, but to downplay its academics because of athletic renown is misguided.</p>