<p>And, for what it’s worth, all of Notre Dame’s financial aid is need-based. The university does not give “great packages” in order to attract minority students (though minority status is clearly a factor in admissions).</p>
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<p>claremarie, this link is to an article about financial aid decisions at Boston University, not ND. However, many believe that need-based aid is indeed used by quite a few private schools to shape the incoming class.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/695437-inside-financial-aid-office-boston-university-new-york-times.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/695437-inside-financial-aid-office-boston-university-new-york-times.html</a></p>
<p>I agree with you that the OP’s sister will not be doing anyone a favor by attending ND if she persists with shallow stereotyping.</p>
<p>But unlike Notre Dame, BU does have merit-based financial aid.
If the OP’s sister got financial aid at Notre Dame, most likely she would have received a comparable amount at other private universities that award only need-based aid. The biggest difference among packages is often the grant/loan mix – Notre Dame, like most other schools, will give more aid in the form of grants to students they want to attract.</p>
<p>It’s too bad “the sister” isn’t here to speak for herself. But I hardly think it is a stereotype to think that a Catholic religious institution, known as an educational haven for high-achieving Catholic students for a 100 years, wouldn’t have more than a normal share of religiosity as seen from the perspective from a student who has rejected this faith.</p>
<p>I mean, what if she simply doesn’t want to be around so many professing Catholics? Isn’t that reasonable? She might not be comfortable at Yeshiva U either.</p>
<p>“I mean, what if she simply doesn’t want to be around so many professing Catholics? Isn’t that reasonable?”</p>
<p>Replace “so many professing Catholics” with blacks, Asians, Hispanics, or gays and see what reaction you get from the diversity crowd. LOL.</p>
<p>People don’t CHOOSE to be Black, Asian, Hispanic, or gay. And I didn’t say “Catholic”. I said “professing” Catholics.</p>
<p>Again, she probably wouldn’t be comfortable at Yeshiva U. either. I bet she’d also have difficulties with Brigham Young, Oral Roberts, and Pepperdine.</p>
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<p>This young woman is asian. She said she didn’t feel comfortable being around so many white people. I’ve been trying (poorly it would seem) to point out that race matters to HER. </p>
<p>She is saying, “I’m not comfortable here.” She is saying “I’d rather be a member of 1/4 or 1/3 of the students who are Asian instead of the less than 7%.” </p>
<p>I don’t care how much money a school gave my kid, if my child told me they were not comfortable there due to something as unchangable as their gender or race, I would not send them nor encourage them to do go. </p>
<p>I stand by that.</p>
<p>“People don’t CHOOSE to be Black, Asian, Hispanic, or gay.”</p>
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<li>What difference does that make in this context?</li>
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<p>“And I didn’t say “Catholic”. I said “professing” Catholics.”</p>
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<li>A distinction without a difference? I don’t think that a student in, say, an engineering, math, economics, foreign language, or political science class would experience much “professing” from those darned Catholics. LOL.<br></li>
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<p>You might be surprised at how secular some Catholic universities are. In fact, authorities in the Catholic Church themselves are quite concerned about this trend. </p>
<p>I’m just amazed that a student whose family is under financial pressure would resist what is apparently a full ride to a school such as ND, all of those “professing” Catholics notwithstanding. :)</p>
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<p>As the mother of a gay son, if a student is uncomfortable around gay people, I hope like heck they don’t apply to the college S is going to attend. They are welcome to say that right to my face, I will thank them and wish them luck at Noprideparade U.</p>
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<p>Lather, rinse, repeat.</p>
<p>"I don’t care how much money a school gave my kid, if my child told me they were not comfortable there due to something as unchangable as their gender or race, I would not send them nor encourage them to do go.</p>
<p>I stand by that."</p>
<p>Fair enough. However, if this student were to end up with a law degree and were offered a position at a prestigious law firm that had few Asians, would you discourage her from taking that position for the same reason?</p>
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That shouldn’t offend anyone. It sucks to be a minority. I’d also be uncomfortable at Notre Dame. Surrounded by 90% Catholics in the middle of nowhere… I think I’d go stir crazy. </p>
<p>Georgetown probably wouldn’t be a big deal.</p>
<p>“- A distinction without a difference? I don’t think that a student in, say, an engineering, math, economics, foreign language, or political science class would experience much “professing” from those darned Catholics. LOL.”</p>
<p>Well, I do. Not in classroom. But in the surrounding environment. As she would at Yeshiva U.</p>
<p>“You might be surprised at how secular some Catholic universities are. In fact, authorities in the Catholic Church themselves are quite concerned about this trend.”</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be surprised at all. (My d’s second choice was Santa Clara. But it is a far cry from ND, or so I’m told.)</p>
<p>(I still think that if she can’t manage Berkeley with a maximum of $20k debt for herself, she should go to ND for at least a year or two, get good grades, and decide is she should try to transfer.)</p>
<p>mini, re: post 64. </p>
<p>I was using the term ‘stereotyping’ in reference to the OP’s claim that sis was really turned off by the name-brand clothing, the barbeque and the choice of lawn games. It had nothing to do with religion.</p>
<p>I think it is far more defensible to reject a school because of religious incompatibility than because it has too many students of a particular race.</p>
<p>Well, in any event, “sis” isn’t here to speak for herself.</p>
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<p>If my child were a minority, I would not encourage my child to go to school, work, socialize or live anywhere they did not feel comfortable due to their race or gender. </p>
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<p>Luckily, the kid doesn’t have to defend her decision to you.</p>
<p>^^^That was uncalled for. </p>
<p>This forum exists because people like to discuss larger issues related to college choice. Obviously the student in question does not need to defend her choice to anyone except the family members paying for her choice. My comments are in response to posts that find racist stereotyping unobjectionable.</p>
<p>“If my child were a minority, I would not encourage my child to go to school, work, socialize or live anywhere they did not feel comfortable due to their race or gender.”</p>
<p>That is an interesting perspective.</p>
<p>My child is a minority and we have worked very hard to make sure he is prepared to go to school, work, socialize and live almost anywhere. The world is not going to change to accommodate him, he has to deal with the world the way it is. I strongly feel we as parents are not doing him any favors if we do not teach him to function successfully in the majority culture as well as love and appreciate his own culture. I believe you can do both.</p>
<p>While OP’s sister may be “used to” the racial composition of the state of CA, ND’s racial make-up is not that much different from the U.S. in general: ND 77% white vs. U.S. 70% white; and is actually more favorable than the general population to Asians: ND 7% Asian vs. U.S. 4% Asian.</p>