<p>My ND daughter visited and liked these 2 schools on your list:
Holy Cross - much smaller than ND but strong academics, solid core courses, small classes, undergraduate focus with engaged professors, and nice and friendly students. The campus is beautiful but very hilly and much smaller than ND (no long treks across campus in windy, snowy and rainy conditions like at ND). Jesuit with strong tradition of service. Strong school spirit and loyal alumni. Similiar industrial city and similiar weather but Holy Cross is closer to Boston (about an hour bus ride) vs the longer distance to Chicago from ND. Similiar students who work really hard but are involved in tons of other activities as well. We know several kids who are gone to Holy Cross and several who are there now, and all of them have been very happy with their experience. I would think that if a family likes ND, they will like Holy Cross as well.</p>
<p>Richmond - gorgeous campus with great weather. Lots of money being poured into new buildings and top notch facilities. Solid academics with small classes and the undergraduate focus. Friendly students but not the same school spirit as you will find at ND. Single sex dorms across a lake from each other and more of a soriority and fraternity culture than my D was looking for. Catholic mass offered on campus on Sundays (of course no place can beat the ease of the ND dorm mass) and a fairly large Catholic Ministry group if that is an interest. Seemed to have the similar campus bubble as ND with not many students taking advantage of the city of Richmond or traveling to Washington DC.</p>