ND vs. WUSTL

LizziePoo · 03-16-2008, 08:48 PM

I have been accepted to both...and I must make a very tough decision between the two of them. Both are top schools. Both have incredibly good academics, food, and quality of life for students. WUSTL does not have D1 sports, but other than that...what are the differences? and which, in your opinion, is better?

BobbyC · 03-16-2008, 10:36 PM

well, i'm biased, i'll be going to ND next year.

however, imo, ND is a very closer-knit community that will help you throughout your life no matter where in the country, or even the world, you find yourself

ND has tremendous tradition that permeates in all things related to the school

ND also gives you a spiritual experience i am confident you will find nowhere else in the country

notre dame AL · 03-16-2008, 10:40 PM

Son looked very closely at WUSTL, but at the time his intended major was relatively new compared to ND. (At least that was what was said during an info session!) Yes, the campus is nice and some of the dorms have been remodeled, but in the end, I think son felt the sense of community at ND could not be matched. Have you visited both campuses? If not, that might help you in your decision. Also, isn't ND ranked higher than WUSTL generally? The Alumni connections cannot be matched, either. Somehow, I just don't know if WUSTL can compare to the international Alum base that ND has--and that may come in handy when job hunting comes around!

PrincessND · 03-16-2008, 11:55 PM

If you're interested in medicine, Wash U has a great pre-med (though several in my med school class said it's an extremely tough program). I've heard that wash U is a pretty liberal school overall and has a lot of diversity in its student body.

moizuhk · 03-17-2008, 03:20 AM

i think the only way WUSTL would be better for internationals or non-catholics is that it does not have a religious affiliation. Otherwise I think ND would be better. I have heard that ND has a conservative student body and is not very accepting of other religions/race. But i cannot substantiate this opinion. lets see what other posters will have to say...

irish68178 · 03-17-2008, 07:41 AM

Also, this is stupid but a lot more people know that ND is a big deal than know that WUSTL is a big deal. That may sound stupid, but when you are in a job interview and they think WUSTL is some weird public school you will appreciate the difference. It is because ND has the track-rate, WUSTL has shot up the rankings in the last 15 years. In 1990 they were nothing special. What they have done is amazing, and they are a great school, but people just don't realize it yet.

Irishcali · 03-17-2008, 08:07 AM

Daughter was accepted to both schools last year (and is a freshman at ND now...so you know where this is going!). The more we looked at both, we started to feel that the "family" of ND would be so much friendlier. We had heard a lot about the "cut throat" atmosphere at Wash U. and knew that it wasn't like that at ND. In the end you have two very good schools but there was no comparison when you add them up. The community of ND, the strong programs in many disciplines, the national recognition and on and on. Wash U. just didn't add up for us. Good luck!

LizziePoo · 03-17-2008, 10:36 AM

thank you all so much for your help!!
I visited ND last month for Spring Vis, and I will be visiting WashU next month for Multicultural weekend. I must admit, when I went to ND I was blown away by what an amazing place it is, but I am not Catholic, and it's constant presence was a bit strange for me. I feel very strongly about my Protestant beliefs, and I just felt a bit out of place. I am hoping that the overall feeling of WUSTL is the same level of "amazingness" as ND was, w/o the religious affiliation. I have often said that if ND wasn't religiously affiliated, it would be the perfect match for me. I know that WUSTL's job placement services suck (from what I've heard), but I plan to go on to some sort of grad/law/med school anyway, so I dont think that would affect me.

PrincessND · 03-17-2008, 11:38 AM

Lizzie,
I'm glad you love ND, but I have to say that I don't think it would be the same school without the religious affiliation (not nearly the same school); I'm sure most other alums would agree.

That said, I disagree with Irish that you should base your decision on something as shallow as name recognition. As I said, if you go into medicine, there won't be anybody who hasn't heard of WashU; it's a superstar school for medicine...right up there with Johns Hopkins. Likewise, many a business/graduate school (especially the top programs) have heard of Wash U. While I admit that it doesn't have the same "wow" factor as the Notre Dame name among people not as familiar with academia, it's definitely a great school, that carries name recognition where it matters. Some people you meet in passing may not know much about your school, but you shouldn't make your decision based on how prestigious the school sounds to others anyways. I call the latter the "Ivy League State of Mind."

Lastly, Notre Dame is a fabulous school, and I love my alma mater, but it too rose to national acclaim for academics fairly recently: mid-late 80s. Much of Notre Dame's name recognition--especially outside of the midwest is due to football (which is kind of embarrasing considering this year's season). It was only during the end of Fr. Ted's (who I had the pleasure of meeting during my senior year at ND) presidency that NOtre Dame really emerged as an elite academic institution.

Finally, I was accepted to several presitigious medical schools, many with the "wow" factor names. I chose my school, and looking back on it, I couldn't be happier with my decision. I chose a school where the values and priorities fit my own...that's more important than any name.

Enough said, I just advise OP to not think about the name recognition. It really has no bearing on your life for the next for years, and in the case of these two schools, no bearing on your future. YOu would get a fabulous education and lots of opportunities at each of them, but where will you be happiest?

notre dame AL · 03-17-2008, 12:24 PM

Lizzie--son is soph at ND currently. The religious aspect has not been an issue for him and he is protestant. I really think the tipping point for him was indeed the sense of community that abounds. Do consider all options when making a decision, tho!

irish68178 · 03-17-2008, 07:31 PM

Quote:

That said, I disagree with Irish that you should base your decision on something as shallow as name recognition.

C'mon Princess, that isn't what I said. It should never be your primary criteria, but I listed it because it is worth thinking about. If you are going into business, name recognition is huge. I think it is hard for anyone to argue against that, and given that, it should be considered. I am not saying WUSTL isn't a good school, but I am saying you have to know all the pluses and minuses, not ignore it like you suggest.

learnmestuff · 03-17-2008, 07:36 PM

ND--->name recognition :P

WUSTL, imo, is fairly over-rated. There's a huge discussion on this school going on in the UMich forum, if you wanna check it out

the job · 03-17-2008, 08:23 PM

Let me just share one things I've heard about WUSTL that would make me skeptical about wanting to go there, and it's that I feel like the school has a complete inferiority complex.

It's not an overrated school at all. It has some really strong academic programs and a solid alumni network. It's in a semi-large city, is diverse, and probably has some really talented students and a beautiful campus.

The thing is though is that it holds this reputation for being, "the Ivy League reject school." I would think that most people stop caring about not getting into their first choice school by the time they are well into their freshman year, but I know of a couple of WashU friends (who didn't get into Harvard, UPenn, Duke, etc) that still seemed bitter about it over a year later. Whether the myth is true or not, WashU kids seem to hold it over their heads.

I'm sorry if I sounded really shallow in this post but I just wanted to let you know that as somebody who loves the avid sense of school spirit we have here, I would not want somebody who has the same feelings to end up going to a school that constantly feels like it has to prove something to somebody.

the job · 03-17-2008, 08:27 PM

...and from somebody who posted on the UMichigan vs. WashU thread...

"Wash U is by far the superior schools as it is ranked higher by US NEWS and if often considered a feeder into top med/law schools as well as top business firms like Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers. There is no competition here.

I do think that Michigan has a better anthropology program though so if you want to go into a major that will provide you with no income after graduation, then choose Michigan. Also, Michigan has crazier parties and sluttier girls. So if you want to acquire some STD's and plan a career as an alcoholic, then Michigan is also a great fit.

Obviously, you should take into account other factors. I think this is a good overview for now. Also, were you accepted and if so, was your SAT scores below 2000? I think Michigan is aiming for a class of lower SAT scorers this year."

...^^uhhh i think this gives you a better idea of what I was talking about...as much as I hate Michigan as an ND fan, you wouldn't find me or any other ND student making those kind of remarks.

vc08 · 03-18-2008, 01:02 AM

Quote:

as much as I hate Michigan as an ND fan, you wouldn't find me or any other ND student making those kind of remarks.

Haha, as you can see, that kid was chased out by many people (even WUSTL students!) in short order. My favorite one was a thread he started on the Mich forum titled "Why is this second-rate school taking so long?", which, as you can imagine, was taken down immediately.