University of Notre Dame Top Questions

Most popular activities are attending home games (of either football, basketball, etc.), attending a club meeting, gym classes, or training if you´re an athlete.

ND is a very athletic place. Many people are involved in interhall sports. Many people also choose to become involved in their dorms as part of hall council. Student government is big. There are several theater groups but, other than the musicals, their shows are not usually very well-attended. Lots of people volunteer. Many started their own non-profits in high school. The dating scene at ND is interesting. Hook-ups are prevalent, but mostly just “Notre Dame hook-ups”—read: making out. It seems as though people are either hooking up or in serious long-term relationships. Casual dating is not really a thing. “Ring by Spring” has a definite presence, although I think less so than in previous years. As far as the weekend goes, you have two options: party or be that weird goody-two-shoes who doesn’t party. Dorm parties are usually reserved for freshmen and some sophomores, whereas off-campus parties are more the domain of upper-classmen. Lots of people go to Fever, a nightclub in South Bend, or to the local bars. Though the parties are plentiful, they are not terribly rowdy.

The first thing I should mention is dorms. What sets Notre Dame apart from other schools is our residential system. Compare it to being sorted into a house like at Hogwarts. Everyone thinks their dorm is the best, and there is a big rivalry to win "Hall of the Year." So along with that, popular student activities often are associated with your dorm. Each dorm has a signature event (examples include mud volleyball tournaments, chariot races, etc.) and they do lots of things together as a dorm community. You can also play pretty much any sport (from ping pong to football) for your dorm. The marching band is huge here. There are tons of other musical groups - choirs, a capella groups, bagpipe bands - you name it! I'm a little biased, but Student Government is also huge here, and very influential. They plan a ton of events for students and also create changes for students around campus. There are many religious groups, academic associations, service organizations, etc. Every year, in the first couple weeks of school there is an activity fair where over 100 student groups set up booths and you can find out more about each one!

There are all kinds of activities and associations here. A nice museum on campus and good stage performance from time to time.

Students actively participate in service projects. Appalachia seminars are great ways to meet people and serve communities in need. If you wake up at 2am on a Tuesday you are probably getting up to study or to play in the snow.

The dorms are the foundation of social life on campus. Each dorm sponsors dances, parties, and other major social events, and all of these are well attended. The dorms develop their own personalities, including rivalries with other dorms, and many people learn to identify almost as strongly with their dorm as they do with Notre Dame over all. That being said, there is a significant off-campus community as well, and off-campus parties seem to be increasingly popular for weekend entertainment. South Bend has a few bars and clubs that are popular with students, including at least one per year that is the dedicated "underage" bar. Wednesday through Saturday are potential partying nights, although campus parties are generally limited to Fridays and Saturdays. All events in the dorm are also limited by the existence of "parietals", which specify that the dorms go single-sex at midnight on weekdays and 2AM on weeknights. For the non-partying crowd, there are usually movies, comedy shows, concerts, or other events around campus that could fill your time. Also, Chicago isn't that far away, and going on a little road trip is a time honored tradition for everyone. Most social activities are group oriented, which can make the dating scene a little strained. The general rule for dating at school is that you're either entirely single or in a committed relationship--there doesn't seem to be much room in between. But again, there are exceptions to every rule.

There's usually a lot to do on campus. Should you be a party type, dorm parties are big. There's always a concert (sometimes even good ones) at Legends about every weekend. Clubs are putting on different activities all the time. There's always a movie, play or orchestral concert going on somewhere. Reckers is always a nice place to hang out. There's also a lot of shady bars in town if you're into that kind of thing.

There are many activities opent o students and social life is great also.

The school really tries to keep people on campus on the weekends so they always have events going on, and honestly they are generally just alright. There are always things to be going to. I have one beef with the general life around here; it is not always easy to find food. The dining hall hours suck, they close at 8 or 7 at night, and there is one building with Sbarro, Subway, and Burger King, and they close generally before I would've liked.

Notre Dame has a wide variety of clubs to join. I played water polo in high school so i joined the club team at Notre Dame as a freshman. I would really recomend joining a group where you will get to know upperclassmen. The seniors on the water polo team showed me the robes, invited me to parties, and bought me booze. At the end of my freshman year I tried out for leprechaun. Out of 15 leprechauns I made the final 7. I didn't get the leprechuan but I'm trying out again. After I didn't make leprechaun I tried out for cheerleader and made the squad. Now I get to be on the field for all the football games...which is awesome!!! My closest friends are my guys in the dorm and all the cheerleaders.