<p>I’m new to this site so please be patient… 
My son has been accepted to both Catholic ( ED) and Holy Cross. My issues are two fold; Fiirst, is it worth the money to go to Holy Cross? Substantial money to go to Catholic University and it’s in a GREAT city. He wants to go to law school after undergrad. Holy Cross, well we don’t have the financial aid package yet, but let’s just say my husband and I are both lawyers and he is our first to attend college, so I am not expecting any needs based scholarships, and that is how Holy Cross operates. Second, if the major criteria for attending law school are your LSAT score and your GPA, does it make sense to go to an academically easier school ( Catholic ) so that your GPA is higher or to a college that makes you work harder for your grades, thereby making you a better student, but doesn’t necessarily translate to paper as well?
I want him to attend Holy Cross because it was his most competitive school he applied to ( along with Colgate, but he doesn’t want to go there ) and his father thinks Catholic University is a better fit because of the internships on the Hill and how that translates to law schools? Any thoughts?</p>
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<p>First off… Catholic University has Early ACTION (not early decision)…there is a huge difference in that ED is a binding acceptance…EA is not (Not posting this for the OP…posting it for others who may be reading this thread).</p>
<p>What does your SON think about the schools? He is the one going to college. If he wants to go to CUA, then so be it. If he wants to go to HC…so be it. Since the costs will be similar (unless he got some merit aid from CUA), it sounds like either is a viable financial choice for your family. I would let your SON make the decision. You allowed him to apply to both schools…let HIM make the matriculation decision.</p>
<p>Re: law school…he could very well change his mind multiple times re: pursuing that career option (I’m sure you do not want to hear that…but it’s true). </p>
<p>We know graduates of both schools. Yes, HC is perhaps a more competitive school. BUT Worcester MA is not as appealing a college location as Washington DC for some students. They are completely different cities. Your son has to live there for four years in addition to going to college there. I say…let the kid choose.</p>
<p>Catholic University is in a part of DC that I’m afraid to walk in even in the daytime.</p>
<p>This may be less of an issue for a guy, but I think it’s important for him to have visited Catholic and seen the surrounding area before making a decision.</p>
<p>Kelly, welcome to CC! Could you clarify something in your post? When you write “substantial money to go to Catholic University,” do you mean that your son received substantial money in scholarships, or that it would cost your family substantial money for him to attend? Would either school require him to take out student loans?</p>
<p>I’m going to guess…but parents are lawyers so the student is probably not receiving any need based aid. The question is whether the family can pay the costs of these schools…which presumably they can.</p>
<p>If that is the case, I still say…let the kid choose.</p>
<p>CUA is in an urban area. As with any college in an urban area, students need to have good common sense.</p>
<p>Yes, I apologize for putting (ED) instead of (EA), I am aware of the distinction. He actually received 20k in scholarships which makes Catholic University much more attractive from a financial perspective. He has visited both campuses and plans on attending the admitted open house days for both institutions. He has attended an all boys Catholic high school so Holy Cross and it’s size are a good fit, but DC is such a different vibe, and he says he likes both. I guess I am just wondering if I am getting sucked in to the Holy Cross name, when Catholic is a similarly great school. And i am torn that while Holy Cross is a challenging school ( my son knows kids that go there, and it’s hard) I think Catholic would not really challenge him. He will make the decision, but we have requested that he do substantiate going to Holy Cross because it would cost us 20k more each year, and considering his brother will going to college next year, it’s a consideration. Thanks again for any insight.</p>
<p>If money isn’t the deciding factor, then I would wait and see how your son feels about the schools after admitted student days, in case those experiences tilt him heavily one way or the other. If he likes both schools equally and/or If Holy Cross would be a financial hardship (I hear that even lawyers can have financial hardships ;)), then I would strongly consider Catholic University. But then, I’m a pretty practical person and don’t believe in creating an unnecessary financial burden, especially when the decision is between two good colleges.</p>
<p>I suggest you pose some specific questions on the Catholic University thread, both about academics and about the safety issue that Marian raised above.</p>
<p>Thank you very much. I agree with all of what you said ( yes, even lawyers, at least in this household, will miss a tuition bill the likes of Holy Cross ) about the admitted days making a difference. I thought that the waiting to hear was hard, the deciding phase may just be a bit more stressful. I will scoot on over to the Catholic University thread and start asking some questions.</p>
<p>The headmaster of our all male Catholic school who could have gotten free tuition at a great college, definitely more highly regarded than Catholic U, chose to pay full freight for him to go to CU because the student liked it better. The young man did go to law school thereafter, and yes, this is a true story that is oft told to parents at our school. The admissions director of the same school chose NOT to pay the extra for his son to go to Holy Cross and take the free tuition offered. So, it really depends on how you look at it and how much of a dent it will put in your finances. </p>
<p>As for law school, with you and your DH both having undergone the process, you well know that,yes, gpa matters a lot. It is half the package for law school and they don’t really care what major, what courses, how difficult they are or what school when making those decisions. Also other than the top 13 or so law schools, you might as go where you are planning to practice. </p>
<p>We let our kids decide where they wanted to go to school with certain monetary consideration in there. I have two who turned down HC because of the cost. Yes, it is very difficult to get merit money from them. I think there are a few such awards, but the chances are small in getting them and its the very top applicants who do get them. But once we got within the true affordability realm, I didn’t say peep whether the cost was zero or the max of that range. But that is a family type of decision.</p>
<p>Holy Cross has the far better academic reputation and will be much more challenging but the most important criterion (aside from financials) is the fit for your son and where he would feel most comfortable and enjoy his four years. Try to spend a full day at each campus within a week or two of each other to get a good feel for the campus and the environment.</p>