Amherst vs. Dartmouth vs. Notre Dame

shellzie2006 · 04-01-2006, 07:52 PM

Hey, just got responses from all my colleges today, and the verdicts are:

Rejected from: Swarthmore and Princeton
Waitlisted by: Williams
Accepted to: Connecticut College, Colgate, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Honors Program with substantial merit money), Amherst, Dartmouth (likely letter), and Notre Dame (Accepted EA and applied to Honors Program)

I've got it pretty much narrowed down to three schools: Amherst, Dartmouth, and Notre Dame (if I am accepted to the Honors Program)

I've been compiling a list of pros and cons for each school which I will post later, but for now, what are everyone's thoughts on the three schools? (The "follow your heart" advice wouldn't be very helpful at the moment as my heart is currently very conflicted....

)

I plan to major in biochemistry/biology and minor in Chinese. I would also like to keep the possibility of applying to medical school open and I hope to study abroad in China at some point in college. Thanks for your help!

grumpybear727 · 04-01-2006, 08:42 PM

Amherst or Dartmouth, I think. Amherst has higher med school placement, but you will be really well prepared at Dartmouth. The two are really similar.

bobbobbob · 04-01-2006, 08:45 PM

completely agree with grumpy.

go to Amherst/Dartmouth depending upon which school you like better.

shellzie2006 · 04-01-2006, 09:57 PM

Bump..............................

emswim · 04-01-2006, 10:36 PM

As someone who is 80% sure she is going to ND, I am obviously biased. I think people are being too quick to write off ND. It has just as much prestige in the midwest as Dartmouth and Amherst do in the northeast. I was just at ND last weekend, and I talked to their medical school counselor. I found out that bio majors have a 90% med school acceptance rate. I was also very impressed with the research going on there, and the fact that you can start in the lab as a freshman.

As for the Chinese, I don't know about the department, but a student from my h.s. who is now a jr. studied abroad in China last year and loved the program.

Also, if you are religious (especially Catholic), you may enjoy that aspect at Notre Dame. It is a very spiritual place without feeling in-your-face. I don't know if you could get that at Dartmouth or Amherst.

As you probably know, dorm life at ND is amazing. To me, it makes a larger school feel much smaller. Finally, ND has an awesome athletic tradition and great school spirit, plus one of the strongest alumni networks in the country.

As for how to make the decision, making charts comparing the schools side-by-side has been helpful to me. I know how stressful this process is, but remember that you could have an awesome time and get a great education at any of these schools. Most people would love to be in your shoes right now. Good luck!

shellzie2006 · 04-02-2006, 03:29 AM

Thanks for the responses, guys. It's a lot to think about. I agree with emswim that Notre Dame doesn't get the respect it deserves on CC, which just makes it all the more difficult to choose between the 3 schools. emswim- you said you are 80% sure you'll be going to Notre Dame, what other schools are you considering?

pastariffic · 04-02-2006, 03:34 AM

I'm horribly horribly biased in two directions: My dad teaches at ND and I grew up there, basically, and I really really don't want to go there. I have to call bs on the claim that it's as prestigious as Amherst and Dartmouth, because among academics it isn't. My dad is an academic who TEACHES at ND, so I think he knows. They want to be, but they aren't yet. It's still a fantastic school, and since the religious aspect doesn't bother you like it does me, then you'll probably find it's perfect for you. I just find that ND is overrated all around me, whereas here it's probably underrated. But I'm coming in with a chip on my shoulder. Hehe. Okay, I'm not bothering you in these forums anymore. I've said my piece(s) and I'm sure you'll make the decision that's right for you.

emswim · 04-02-2006, 09:27 AM

The only other school I'm seriously considering is Rice, especially if I get into the Rice/Baylor program.
I stand by what I said about prestige, but I guess it depends what group of people you are talking about. In a recent study by the Princeton Review, parents rated Notre Dame as one of their top choices as their dream school for their children.
Here were the results:
1 Princeton
2 Stanford
3 Harvard
4 Notre Dame
5 Duke

scsazak · 04-02-2006, 10:18 AM

I think it is ND and Dartmouth. I don't really know about Dartmouth but I know they're way better than Amherst but for ND, I think it is a great choice for a prospective med student. ND is one of the best schools for med and has a good acceptance rate. If the religion thing does ot bother you much, I'd definitely say ND.

IWTGTGSS9 · 04-02-2006, 11:57 AM

Hey--I'm deciding between ND & Dartmouth too. I think if those two schools struck you then Amherst maybe doesn't belong--it's a much different environment in terms of spirit, class size, etc etc. There's no doubt it's a great school, but I feel like it's intensely academics.

PS --Emswim I tried to PM you but it's blocked I guess on yours

emswim · 04-02-2006, 12:11 PM

I didn't realize it was blocked. It should work now.

shellzie2006 · 04-03-2006, 12:52 AM

Well, in response to scsazak, I'd say that the religious aspect not only doesn't bother me, but its part of what draws me to Notre Dame. Also, I would definitely not say that Dartmouth is way better than Amherst. In any case though, I find it interesting that so many people are trying to decide between Notre Dame and Dartmouth or Dartmouth and Amherst. Dartmouth seems to be between the two, but even though Notre Dame seems nothing like Amherst, for various reasons all three schools still appeal to me.

bobbobbob · 04-03-2006, 12:57 AM

I completely disagree with whoever stated that Dartmouth is better than Amherst. They are both great schools and about equal in terms of prestige here in the northeast.

lewisloftus · 04-03-2006, 01:01 AM

Somebody posted a WSJ "feeder school" report in another thread. Amherst and Dartmouth are both top feeder schools to top five (well, top five according to WSJ, heh) medical, MBA, and law programs. ND is also a top feeder school, but much lower on the list than Amherst and Dartmouth.

liek0806 · 04-03-2006, 02:14 AM

i say dartmouth. it just seems as though that what amherst lacks Notre Dame has, and what Notre Dame has Amherst Lacks, and Dartmouth is basically in the middle because it has everything anyone could ever want and need in a school.