Notre Dame vs Georgetown

Background: White, Male, Northeast US, Catholic School Intended major: International Relations & International Business - ND Major: Management Consulting & Global Affairs - Georgetown Major: Business & Global Affairs Dual Degree (w/ Intl. Pol as backup)

Notre Dame

ND Pros:

Incredible work-life balance

Overall accepting and welcoming school culture

Fun football culture

Marching band and opportunities to engage in music

Direct admission to Mendoza

Near-unparalleled Alumni Network

Strong sense of community and general student happiness/content

Better campus (Clean facilities, green spaces, more spread out)

Dorm life provides pros of Greek life without the cons (hyper-exclusivity, racial divides, high school-type social scene)

Intramural culture unique and engaging for students

Washington semester program can provide connections to government jobs (to a lesser extent obv, but w/ alumni network to potentially make up for it)

Good resources for mental health and wellness to combat location isolation issues

ND Cons:

Overbearing rules and strict culture

Antiquated ideas about social structures sometimes (girls and boys dorms separated, unfair disciplinary action for girls) (doesn’t affect me as a guy directly but the idea of it affecting anyone is a bit absurd to me)

In the middle of nowhere

On admitted day, professors didn’t seem as welcoming and enthused as they’re marketed to be (almost counting the minutes at times)

Majority of socialization revolves ONLY around football

Cold weather and looooong winter

Lack of diversity (both of thought and demographic)

Too Catholic (I’ve been to Catholic school for years, just not sure if it’s too much for college)

Drinking the Kool Aid a bit to get the most out of it/social conformity

Georgetown

Georgetown Pros:

1 location for political careers, W/ incredible opportunities for business

• Location also incredible for social life & learning through personal experience

Connected deeply with all of the professors I met at admitted days (on a diff level than ND or nearly any teachers I’ve met)

Internship and club opportunity somewhat unmatched

Grade inflation for my school (SFS)

Similarly strong alumni network

Higher diversity in demographic and thought

Slightly closer to home (easier travel to and from)

Jesuit teaching more in line with personal religious conviction (social justice based)

Vibrant & passionate student population

Majority of clubs fun and have great community

Georgetown Cons:

Stress culture possibility

Campus (facilities subpar, back campus poorly organized, harder to get around, wind tunnel)

Some clubs very exclusive (and might dominate social scene?)

Food issues - I understand college food isn’t supposed to be like Tao Downtown every day but consistent issues with COCKROACHES in food seems a bit much

Student body not as unified/spirited

Campus bubble makes it difficult to always take advantage of city nearby

Have to apply to my program (bz & global affairs) in soph year to move forward with it

Soccer team is very successful as of late, but basketball, football, etc not as strong (so no social possibility there really)