Catholic universities best suited for a kid like mine?

[Anonymous]

DD is a smart, bubbly kid who works hard, has very good stats, and is very devoted to her Catholic faith. She is very active in her sport (not college level), community service, and performing. She has expressed interest in a number Catholic universities as well as secular schools. She is not a big partier and not into the fast social scene at her school. She mainly enjoys activities with other like minded kids at our parish when it comes to socializing.

Notre Dame is her first choice, and we feel this would be the best fit for her based on our familiarity with the school. She definitely has the stats. FWIW, there is some legacy in our family (brother and grandfather), and she will be coming out of a strong Catholic HS. I realize ND is also a party school, but I am confident the culture is such that she will find her people.

The other Catholic schools she is considering are BC, Villanova, Georgetown, College of the Holy Cross, and Fordham. Not knowing much about the social scene at these schools, does anyone have any insight which of these schools would be best for a kid like my DD besides ND? Hoping ND comes through, but we all know that's never a sure thing. And I know many of you will suggest we tour the schools...and yes, we re starting that process. Sometimes, you can't really pick up on the social vibe during these tours, and sadly we will be touring some during the summer.

Thanks for any insights you can share.

[Anonymous]

If football isn’t high on her list, look at St. Joe’s in Philly.

[Anonymous]

What does she want to major in?

Depending in her major, the Saint Mary's to Notre Dame program would be a good pipeline for a devoutly Catholic young woman to earn a Notre Dame degree.

[Anonymous]

Saint Louis, University of Dallas, or Marquette?

[Anonymous]

There’s also Franciscan and Ave Maria.

[Anonymous]

It doesn’t sound like she’s looking for anything that unique. I think any Catholic school will be suitable for a smart kid who’s not all that into partying. I’d look more at other elements, like rural vs urban, college size, majors she’s interested in, and so on.

[Anonymous]

If she has the stats, and gets denied REA at ND, consider ED2 to BC.

Each school will have a subgroup of nonpartying students. Wherever she ends up - secular or Catholic university - she should look at the clubs of a religious nature and/or activities associated with campus ministry.

Beyond ND and BC, the usual suspects, Villanova, maybe SCU. Lots of safeties mentioned above - another one, Gonzaga.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If she has the stats, and gets denied REA at ND, consider ED2 to BC.

Each school will have a subgroup of nonpartying students. Wherever she ends up - secular or Catholic university - she should look at the clubs of a religious nature and/or activities associated with campus ministry.

Beyond ND and BC, the usual suspects, Villanova, maybe SCU. Lots of safeties mentioned above - another one, Gonzaga.

Meant to add, she will find her people. They are out there.

At BC, there are CLC small groups specifically for women https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/offices/mission-ministry/sites/campus-ministry/faith-communities/catholic-programs/christian-life-community.html

[Anonymous]

U or Scranton, Fairfield, Sacred Heart and Providence might be other options. DD, sounds a lot like my DD, Thankfully, I think they will both do well wherever they land.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

John Carroll, Marquette

[Anonymous]

My son is a freshman at a large, secular, public school. He is member of the Newman community there and spends multiple days a week at the house. They have meals together, play sports together, do Bible study etc. You do not have to go to a Catholic School to find your people and will be disappointed to find out how not Catholic some of them actually are.

[Anonymous]

OP, the only things that the schools on DC's list have in common is that they are Catholic. Different sizes, different calibration on teaching vs. research, different locations, different levels of affluence, different histories, different cultures. Even the Catholicism manifested on each campus (never mind Jesuit vs. non-Jesuit) is going to be different. Your instinct to visit is absolutely the right one.

If you want to take the temperature on the Catholicism angle, try talking with students from opposite ends of the theological and political spectrum at each institution, just while you're walking around meeting people or on tours. Ask to meet a kid who's super involved in spiritual life and then see if you can find a kid who's not. See how they talk about belonging at their school. But evaluating the schools themselves is the same regardless: just see what kind of campus fits DC best.

Other places not yet on your list: Loyola Chicago, Loyola Baltimore, John Carroll, Creighton. And +1 to St. Joe's in Philly.

[Anonymous]

I mean, her choices are all excellent, but they're all pretty different from each other. I'd say Villanova skews *slightly* more social, and Fordham skews more diverse and urban, but other than that, they're all wonderful. I hope she gets into ND, but if not, she sounds like she will be happy many places.

[Anonymous]

If she's serious about her faith, she should consider Catholic U

[Anonymous]

Santa Clara