Alternatives to Notre Dame

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BC and Villanova will have the pretty campus that ND has - Holy Cross does not. They also have the school spirit - though nothing will be ND football.

I agree with the others that you have to identify what draws her. There are lots of Midwest colleges, Catholic colleges, football dominant colleges, pretty campus colleges, popular name colleges . . . What is the appeal to her? Though frankly if she’s been saying it since 6th grade, it’s likely the name only or some connection to someone that she wants to continue because I highly doubt she was matching interest to college major and school reputation at that age.

I think "pretty campus" is a matter of taste. My opinion is that the College of the Holy Cross has a MUCH prettier campus than Villanova and most of BC's campus. There is one area near the BC old gothic library that is beautiful. but the dilapidated senior "temporary" housing in the mud is not very attractive.

I think the PP was referring to HC in Indiana, not Massachusetts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What did your kid like about ND? I assume mid-size and private. Football? Midwest? Catholic? No greek? The list of schools with similar attributes might be different depending on which characteristics they liked.

Good size, amazing academics, Catholic, great school spirit. Greek life is something she is interested in but the fact that ND doesn’t have it is not an issue for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What did your kid like about ND? I assume mid-size and private. Football? Midwest? Catholic? No greek? The list of schools with similar attributes might be different depending on which characteristics they liked.

Good size, amazing academics, Catholic, great school spirit. Greek life is something she is interested in but the fact that ND doesn’t have it is not an issue for her.

Villanova -- similar size, great school (undergrad Business school ranked #1 by Bloomberg), incredible school spirit, there is Greek life (smaller presence than at some schools but it's there).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BC and Villanova will have the pretty campus that ND has - Holy Cross does not. They also have the school spirit - though nothing will be ND football.

I agree with the others that you have to identify what draws her. There are lots of Midwest colleges, Catholic colleges, football dominant colleges, pretty campus colleges, popular name colleges . . . What is the appeal to her? Though frankly if she’s been saying it since 6th grade, it’s likely the name only or some connection to someone that she wants to continue because I highly doubt she was matching interest to college major and school reputation at that age.

I think "pretty campus" is a matter of taste. My opinion is that the College of the Holy Cross has a MUCH prettier campus than Villanova and most of BC's campus. There is one area near the BC old gothic library that is beautiful. but the dilapidated senior "temporary" housing in the mud is not very attractive.

These are "the mods." They don't take up much space, and are wildly popular with seniors, which is why they were made permanent. The mods are fun because they offer townhouse-with-a-yard experience right beside the Lower dining hall.

The rest of BC is pretty gorgeous. I love the Irish maze and Irish studies library, and the entire campus is magical in the fall when the leaves change.

The BC/Notre Dame football weekend is pretty insane, but fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What did your kid like about ND? I assume mid-size and private. Football? Midwest? Catholic? No greek? The list of schools with similar attributes might be different depending on which characteristics they liked.

Good size, amazing academics, Catholic, great school spirit. Greek life is something she is interested in but the fact that ND doesn’t have it is not an issue for her.

You might consider adding some secular schools to the list, OP. Sometimes trying replicate something, especially in a teenager's mind, it may never live up to her expectations if she's the type to make comparisons. Going in another direction can create a totally different type of magic that she never expected. I would add some state schools that have great school spirit. There are plenty of ways to make a big school feel smaller.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BC and Villanova will have the pretty campus that ND has - Holy Cross does not. They also have the school spirit - though nothing will be ND football.

I agree with the others that you have to identify what draws her. There are lots of Midwest colleges, Catholic colleges, football dominant colleges, pretty campus colleges, popular name colleges . . . What is the appeal to her? Though frankly if she’s been saying it since 6th grade, it’s likely the name only or some connection to someone that she wants to continue because I highly doubt she was matching interest to college major and school reputation at that age.

It depends on which Holy Cross you are speaking of. Holy Cross in Worcester has a beautiful campus and an excellent reputation.

+1

[Anonymous]

Villanova
Loyola Baltimore or Chicago

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the school my kid has wanted to go to since 6th grade but it’s soooooo competitive to get into. I am worried she’s setting herself up for disappointmen and am committed to finding her safeties that she actually likes.

She has a 33 ACT, 3.87 GPA, would like to major in business. Cost is not a factor.

at my kids school it seems a lot of kids applying to Notre Dame all are also applying to U Miami and Wake Forest.

[Anonymous]

This is the school my kid has wanted to go to since 6th grade but it’s soooooo competitive to get into. I am worried she’s setting herself up for disappointmen and am committed to finding her safeties that she actually likes.

She has a 33 ACT, 3.87 GPA, would like to major in business. Cost is not a factor.


at my kids school it seems a lot of kids applying to Notre Dame all are also applying to U Miami and Wake Forest.

Villanova sounds like the best option. Georgetown would be another.

[Anonymous]

My daughter who was also really into Notre Dame applied to:
Villanova
Miami of OH
Boston College
Wash U
Vanderbilt
Marquette
UVA
Loyola Chicago

She applied early action to ND and was accepted. Similar stats to your daughter. (The only school on this list she wasn’t accepted at was WUSTL). Is your daughter a legacy? ND loooves legacies, I think even more so than schools like Harvard and Yale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter who was also really into Notre Dame applied to:
Villanova
Miami of OH
Boston College
Wash U
Vanderbilt
Marquette
UVA
Loyola Chicago

She applied early action to ND and was accepted. Similar stats to your daughter. (The only school on this list she wasn’t accepted at was WUSTL). Is your daughter a legacy? ND loooves legacies, I think even more so than schools like Harvard and Yale.

Congrats to your daughter, but OP shouldn't plan on it. Both of my legacy kids with higher stats than OP were rejected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter who was also really into Notre Dame applied to:
Villanova
Miami of OH
Boston College
Wash U
Vanderbilt
Marquette
UVA
Loyola Chicago

She applied early action to ND and was accepted. Similar stats to your daughter. (The only school on this list she wasn’t accepted at was WUSTL). Is your daughter a legacy? ND loooves legacies, I think even more so than schools like Harvard and Yale.

Congrats to your daughter, but OP shouldn't plan on it. Both of my legacy kids with higher stats than OP were rejected.

Ok. I never said OP should plan on it. Just saying legacy is a factor in admissions.

[Anonymous]

https://admissions.nd.edu/connect/news/lunch-with-don-bishop/

This article does a great job explaining it. The university is committed to having about 25% of their class be legacies and the legacy admit rate is approximately double that of the non-legacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter who was also really into Notre Dame applied to:
Villanova
Miami of OH
Boston College
Wash U
Vanderbilt
Marquette
UVA
Loyola Chicago

She applied early action to ND and was accepted. Similar stats to your daughter. (The only school on this list she wasn’t accepted at was WUSTL). Is your daughter a legacy? ND loooves legacies, I think even more so than schools like Harvard and Yale.

Source for this? I can't tell you how many children of ND alums I know who have been rejected by ND. Being a legacy there isn't what it used to be with the school growing so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter who was also really into Notre Dame applied to:
Villanova
Miami of OH
Boston College
Wash U
Vanderbilt
Marquette
UVA
Loyola Chicago

She applied early action to ND and was accepted. Similar stats to your daughter. (The only school on this list she wasn’t accepted at was WUSTL). Is your daughter a legacy? ND loooves legacies, I think even more so than schools like Harvard and Yale.

Source for this? I can't tell you how many children of ND alums I know who have been rejected by ND. Being a legacy there isn't what it used to be with the school growing so much.

Isn’t the source in the post above?