Which catholic U?

Parent Cafe
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<p>DS is considering several Catholic Universities. He needs merit scholarships if he doesn't go to public U, since we won't qualify for need-based aid. This factoid has effectively ruled out the likes of BC, Notre Dame, Holy Cross, and Villanova. Currently making the list are:</p>

<p>Canisius College
Niagara University
Gannon University
Duquesne University
Marist College
Xavier University</p>

<p>Academically speaking, they all seem similar to me. Any reason to favor one over another from a purely academic standpoint? Rank them for desirability? </p>

<p>I notice that Marist is the most selective, but their SAT range is on par with the others. I assume the selectivity is due to the large pool of similar-stat applicants generated by New York City/megalopolis?</p>

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<p>I’m not familiar with the first 3, but I am with the last 3. It really depends on how Catholic you want it to be. Do you want a school with a crucifix in every room and a curriculum that heavily emphasizes the Bible? Do you want a school that is open to all groups, requires a few theology classes but is otherwise hardly recognizable as a Catholic school?</p>

<p>Xavier and Duquesne fit the second role. While you definitely see signs of the Church, both in their mission and their core curriculum, for the most part the Church plays a little role in the education. Both, of course, do require some theology classses.</p>

<p>I’d also look into University of Dayton and DePaul.</p>

3

<p>What about the University of Scranton? Jesuit school about 3 hours outside of NYC.</p>

<p>It offers a variety of merit scholarships. </p>

<p>[The</a> University of Scranton - Financial Aid - Programs](<a href=“http://matrix.scranton.edu/admissions/fa_fa_grants.asp]The”>http://matrix.scranton.edu/admissions/fa_fa_grants.asp)</p>

<p>And has an exchange program with other Jesuit schools in the US.</p>

4

<p>I believe Marist (NY) is no longer affiliated with the Catholic Church. </p>

<p>Might want to look at Catholic U.</p>

5

<p>Jesuit schools in general will be more liberal and have less Church presence.</p>

<p>Also consider University of Dallas (if it fits your and your son’s requirements in a college).</p>

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<p>You’re right, smdur. Marist used to be Catholic, still has catholic roots, I guess that’s why it made the list. Dallas is too far, DS would prefer something in midwest or northeast. Doesn’t want someplace super conservative, as we have heard Catholic University of America is (is that true?). More liberal is fine. </p>

<p>He’s thinking about history, maybe pre-law, but overall seems kind of undecided, but liberal arts.</p>

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<p>CIA - of the three you are familiar with, is there one you would consider superior?</p>

8

<p>I second the suggestion of The University of Scranton. They are fairly good with merit money depending on the student’s stats. You could also consider Loyola in Maryland, St. Joseph’s in Philly, Sacred Heart or Fairfield in CT, Seton Hall in NJ.</p>

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<p>I like Duquesne. It’s sometimes overshadowed by Pitt, but it is very highly regarded in the area. Don’t let the Steelers fool you, Pittsburgh is not just manufacturing anymore. It is a revitalized city with tons of great opportunities. Duquesne is in a not-so-great area of Pittsburgh, but the campus is safe.</p>

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<p>Canisius and Niagara are popular in my area. I haven’t personally heard any complaints about Canisius or Niagara being overly religious either. </p>

<p>Niagara is very pretty and is known to be very open to other religions, I even attended a “Bollywood” night there. As far as I know, Canisius follows similarly.</p>

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<p>What about Mercyhurst in Erie PA? Or John Carroll in University Heights, OH?</p>

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<p>Also, Siena College, just outside Albany</p>

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<p>It seemed like Loyola chicago had crucifixes in every room. Our tour guide sid that priests live in the dorms.</p>

<p>DePaul didn’t seem very Catholic (which was good for us because we aren’t.)</p>

<p>University of Dallas continually makes the list of the ugliest campuses. And that was before nieghboring Texas Stadium was imploded and all the highways around the schools went under construction.</p>

14

<p>Mount St. Mary’s of Maryland
Assumption College, MA</p>

15

<p>Marquette University in Milwaukee is an excellent Jesuit school. Milwaukee is a far better than average larger midwestern city and if you really need a big city for more excitement, Chicago is 90 minutes south.</p>

16

<p>LaSalle College in Philadelphia.</p>

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<p>Friends have gotten excellent aid from Emmanuel College in Boston and are very happy there!</p>

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<p>I’ve never heard of Emmanuel. How Catholic is it?</p>

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<p>you need to identify which Catholic Universities will give you LARGE merit awards if you need those to bring the costs down to public levels.</p>

<p>Frankly, some of the more well-known Catholic U’s don’t give that much merit. St. Louis Univ gives merit aid for high stats, but not enough to bring costs down to a public U. </p>

<p>**How much merit aid do you need? ** If a CAtholic U costs $50k per year to attend, how much merit aid would you need for it to be affordable? </p>

<p>What are your child’s stats? To get the BIG merit scholarships (from the schools that give big merit scholarships), your child’s stats would need to be in the upper 25% of the school. </p>

<p>I think the approach you need is this…</p>

<p>First, let us know what your child’s stats are (GPA and test scores - including SAT breakdown).</p>

<p>Then, let us know how much YOU can afford to spend each year.</p>

<p>Since many Catholic privates are costing between $45k - 55k per year, once we know how much you can pay and how much you’ll need in merit scholarships, then we’ll be able to recommend schools that will give (or likely will give) you that much merit.</p>

<p>If you would need $25k per year in merit to help pay for a school that costs $48k per year, or your child’s stats are not that high, then there’s no point in us recommending various colleges that wouldn’t work for you either because they don’t give that much merit or because your child’s stats aren’t high enough.</p>

<p>What is your budget and what are your son’s stats?</p>

<p>*
DePaul didn’t seem very Catholic *</p>

<p>DePaul is still Catholic. It’s still very devoted to its Vincentian principals. However, that doesn’t mean that non-Catholics would feel odd there or any “pressure.”</p>

20

<p>

It seems to me that the ones that cost $50K don’t give merit aid, or if they do, it is for students with better stats than DS. That said, we would feel a lot more comfortable with $30K pricetag than with $50K.</p>

<p>

DS school doesn’t rank, and when I called they refused to tell me where he stands in his class. His gpa is 3.7, but he had 2200 SAT, (1500 CR/M 760/740) and 34 ACT. His EC’s are not extensive, but he is an Eagle Scout, if that means anything.</p>