What is the best Catholic College or University in the United States?

[Goth_Catholic]

I’m planning on trying for Mount St. Vincent’s college near NYC. It’s connected to two other schools and the diocese of NYC. Plus it’s right next to New York City, which being from a small town and planning on becoming a doctor I need the city experience. My mom isn’t too happy about me going 7 hours away but from what I’ve seen and read about the college and what a friend of mine has told me it’s the perfect place for me. It’s not a top school, which I don’t want anyway, but it’s a good school.

 

[maria29]

Since the OP is talking about a school for graduate studies and not undergrad one of the most important things to look for is Financial Aid and what kind of scholarships they offer.

Second would be what the rate/percentage is of the students who graduate and can get a good paying job in the field.

The financial aid is extremely important in grad studies. As to Political Science, or counseling. I would see the counseling you might be able to get a job without further education (such as a PhD) but Political Science is more tricky depending on what you want to do with it

 

[Andy_K]

I have to disagree with all those who say that you’ll have a hard time finding ‘authentic’ Catholicism at Notre Dame–I will be a junior at ND this August, and I absolutely love my school, for so many reasons!

ND is the foremost Catholic university in America which still professes to care about her Catholic identity–you can’t deny this. For all the problems we have with various events / professors / etc., there really is no where else in the country (or perhaps the world?) which I have heard about that cares as much about faith and reason and the Catholic intellectual life as Notre Dame.

I’m a political science and theology double major (PM me any time if you have specific questions about ND profs–I can definitely recommend some and tell you about the positives and negatives of the department!) and have had great experiences with the vast majority of my classes. Once you find them, there are many professors who truly care about ND’s Catholicism, and who use their faith to inform their intellectual pursuits. Yes, we have some profs who don’t give a darn…but there is so much more ND has to offer!

Honestly, the intellectual rigor of a Notre Dame education is hard to find anywhere else, I think. Perhaps some of the smaller Catholic liberal arts colleges can begin to compare, but honestly–I looked at Steubenville, and it just wasn’t there. If you’re up for the academic challenge, go for ND. (I visited BC, too–the ND bubble is much prettier! (Though they do have Peter Kreeft…) )

As far as personal faith goes, each dorm (all 26 single-sex dormitories) has Mass weekly–most of the men’s dorms, because they have priests-in-residence, have daily 10pm Masses. If that’s not your thing, the beautiful Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus has Masses twice daily and several times on weekends. I love Basilica Masses–Holy Cross priests are fantastic all-around, and the choirs are the most reverent and talented I’ve ever seen. I miss them over the summer!

Notre Dame is a great Catholic university, with people coming from all across the country and around the world to study. 80+% of our students are Catholic, and while not all of those are the most orthodox / faithfully practicing people you’ll find around, most do make a good effort to practice their faith.

I need to finish this later…but definitely consider ND!

Granted, my experience is limited, and I’m not even attending the school this fall as I begin college (and continue vocational discernment ), but I would agree with the general sentiment here.

ND gets way, way too much hate in general among the Catholic faithful and on this board in particular.

 

[Rach620]

Granted, my experience is limited, and I’m not even attending the school this fall as I begin college (and continue vocational discernment ), but I would agree with the general sentiment here.

ND gets way, way too much hate in general among the Catholic faithful and on this board in particular.

THANK YOU!!!

This is so incredibly true. We have our problems, but we also have so much that is incredibly good going on at ND.

To the OP–

Just realized you were talking about grad school. ND’s politics program is pretty good, though quite small, I believe. My particular area of interest is political theory, and I know of some quality professors in that department who would be great. And as far as interdisciplinary studies with political science goes, we have tons of great opportunities. Definitely check it out!

As far as counseling goes–we don’t have a Master’s in Counseling program, or anything like it, to my knowledge. I’ve heard great things about Steubenville’s MA of Counseling program, though.

Just a thought–a PhD in Political Science and an MA in Counseling are two wildly different degrees…are you leaning towards either one?

 

[RedSoxFan]

Don’t you mean “Poli Sci” ?

LOL, yep.

 

[RedSoxFan]

THANK YOU!!!

This is so incredibly true. We have our problems, but we also have so much that is incredibly good going on at ND.

To the OP–

Just realized you were talking about grad school. ND’s politics program is pretty good, though quite small, I believe. My particular area of interest is political theory, and I know of some quality professors in that department who would be great. And as far as interdisciplinary studies with political science goes, we have tons of great opportunities. Definitely check it out!

As far as counseling goes–we don’t have a Master’s in Counseling program, or anything like it, to my knowledge. I’ve heard great things about Steubenville’s MA of Counseling program, though.

Just a thought–a PhD in Political Science and an MA in Counseling are two wildly different degrees…are you leaning towards either one?

Thanks for all the responses from everyone! Currenlty I am leaning more to an advanced degree in Political Science.

 

[Joab_Anias]

Hey All,
In a couple of years I am looking to go to graduate school. I ideally would like to go to a Catholic institution. Being from Boston, (originally), I might be unique in being a Notre Dame fan and not being a Boston College fan. Still I want to hear your opinions. Which is the best in the US? I am considering a graduate degree in poly-sci or counseling. Thank you!

From what I have seen and know of them I would recommend:

Gonzaga,

Christendom,

Villanova,

and

Stubenville.

 

[EsclavoDeCristo]

Hey All,
In a couple of years I am looking to go to graduate school. I ideally would like to go to a Catholic institution. Being from Boston, (originally), I might be unique in being a Notre Dame fan and not being a Boston College fan. Still I want to hear your opinions. Which is the best in the US? I am considering a graduate degree in poly-sci or counseling. Thank you!

My little sis graduated from Franciscan Univ of Steubenville with a Masters in Theology and her roomate earned a masters in Counseling. I think they both thoroughly enjoyed it and the school is definitely Catholic. I highly encourage you to check it out.

 

[BigRedpg51]

You might want to check out Ave Maria University. It’s only recently opened, but it promises to be one of the most “Catholic” colleges in the USA.

Here is their website’s URL:

avemaria.edu/

God bless you!
John

 

[Mograce]

My homescool friends sent their freshmen to Benedictine in Kansas for his freshmen year…they are pretty pleased with the school so far…but the young man is pretty shocked by the behavior of the kids attending and what goes on outside class. That’s my concern for my kids when it is their time to go to college: the influences of peers.

 

[ack]

I’m not sure if I would choose Ave Maria right now, given that it’s not even accredited yet.

Two of my friends used to go there, but they both left due to the massive turmoil and controversy surrounding the move of the university (and the setbacks to accreditation that resulted.)

I would check out Thomas Aquinas College and the University of Dallas.

You might want to check out Ave Maria University. It’s only recently opened, but it promises to be one of the most “Catholic” colleges in the USA.

Here is their website’s URL:

avemaria.edu/

God bless you!
John

 

[Rach620]

I think I might have posted here before, but again:

If you’re looking at graduate studies, especially in political science, a lot of the typically recommended Catholic colleges aren’t going to cut it. Most do not offer PhD programs; of the programs which are offered, you’re just not going to get a good tenured-track position in political science after completing the program. That’s just the way academia works.

Most of my professors at Notre Dame have been Catholic; very few that I know of went to Catholic universities for their graduate programs. A few went to ND, some Georgetown or BC. Most others went to the Ivies. At the graduate level, most work is self-directed; the goal is to find a dissertation director who will be friendly to your particularly Catholic point of view/research interests at one of the high-level institutions where you will be truly challenged to develop your writing and research skills.

It could be my own personal experience, but I have found that on the whole, schools such as Steubenville, Ave Maria, etc. simply do not offer a sufficient level of academic rigor which will turn out intellectually deep students. They simply don’t have the faculty resources to do so. Sure, it’s nice being in an orthodox bubble, but you can really only learn as much as your profs are able to teach you. If you don’t have the brilliant faculty, the likelihood of turning out brilliant students just isn’t there. Don’t get me wrong, they are great places for certain kinds of students; they’re just not for everyone–especially those who are looking to succeed in serious graduate programs.

Especially since you’re looking at political science graduate degrees, check out Notre Dame! We have a top-10 program with some fantastic, authentically Catholic faculty. I also believe that it’s fully funded for up to 5 years.

God bless you in your pursuits!

 

[Joannm]

I have to disagree with all those who say that you’ll have a hard time finding ‘authentic’ Catholicism at Notre Dame–I will be a junior at ND this August, and I absolutely love my school, for so many reasons!

ND is the foremost Catholic university in America which still professes to care about her Catholic identity–!

I agree. I am doing grad work in theology in the summers and it has been the best educational expereince I have had in my life (and I am not a kid and already have degrees in theology and ministry) Being at ND in the summers is like, what one of the profs called, God camp. A day begins with common morning prayer in the basilica, classes, mass, dinner with wonderful faith filled conversation, a daily stop at the Grotto, common evening prayer, study and more conversation with priests, sisters and dedicated lay people from all over the world. The young people there in the summers are amazing. They have a wonderful program for young people who are planning on becoming catechetical leaders called ECHO and seminarians for the Holy Cross fathers are in classes as are other young men and women preparing for Church ministry. Every place you go at ND, including the football stadium, you know you are at a Catholic univeristy. The basilica is so beautiful and the whole campus is watched over by Our Lady on the golden dome - and Touchdown Jesus. What impresses me the most is the spirituality of the students. The masses are packed, especially the Sunday night student mass with the fantastic ND Folk Choir who sing much more than “folk” music.

 

[mmf]

I think it depends on what your other criteria are. Personally, I didn’t want to go to school in the sticks. I wanted an urban atmosphere, so I applied to schools in Boston, NY, Philly and DC. I ended up at a small all women Catholic college in Boston.

There are plenty of good schools out there, but you have to look at what your other priorities are. A strong alumni, or an excellent sports program, lots of scholarships, graduation rates, diversity, commute time, housing, job prospects etc.

 

[mmf]

what small Catholic school did thread attend in the Boston area?

 

[RedSoxFan]

I never went to Catholic School at all yet. I just grew up in the Boston area.

 

[mmf]

I wanted to know what small all girls Catholic school oldageguru gurru attended in the boston area?

 

[RedSoxFan]

I see that now.