University of Notre Dame Top Questions

if i could change something it would probably be that i want to be closer to home and the weather is kind of rough

It's a medium sized school where you see people you know walking to class, but there are lots of people you don't know. The Catholic element is very present, and it's a great place to develop your spiritual life. It's fairly conservative socially both in the structure and the students. The student body is, on average, more athletic and interested in sports. It's very demanding academically, but you can grow so much if you want to.

I love the spirituality at notre dame. I also love how much the school cares about the students and their future. It's really good for undergraduates, because it is a very safe campus with students who look out for others. I would not want to go here for grad school though, or stay here as an adult - the town is pretty cruddy, and there doesn't seem to be much of a city life. I wish notre dame could be more open-minded about certain things though, and it is very obvious that the campus is male-focused. Everything for boys is more lenient, and it's a wierd feeling. One big controversy was the vagina monologues coming on campus, which did end up happening and I was happy about that.

I came to Notre Dame because I liked the size and the 2-hr distance from home, as well as the prestige of the school, the family atmosphere, and the values I perceived from the administration. I think these have all continued to be good reasons for coming here. I don't like the weather as much as some other places, and the location is not quite picturesque, but it still has its beauty. Sometimes I feel like we live too much in a bubble, and that the world is so much bigger than we realize, but at the same time, there are so many ways to learn about the world while we are here.

You get to start expecting people to react when you say you go to Notre Dame, so much so that you brace yourself for it and are almost disappointed when all they say is "oh, that's cool". The administration here sucks. You often really wonder who they are here for, the name of Notre Dame or the actual students. It seems that many things that come from the administration are often two-sided and it feels like you are always trying to figure out the real reason things are as they are. On top of that, there are way to many politics going on everywhere. It really can come down to who you know. However, all in all, I love my school. I know there are so many things here that I have experienced that I would have never experienced any where else. And I will always be grateful for the person I have become by coming here. Not every lesson I have learned has been taught easily and some have come through hard circumstances and experiences, yet even those I have come to appreciate and would not change them or how they have changed me.

One of the greatest things I've learned being abroad is how much I love Notre Dame. And I don't mean it in the sense of I'm going to paint my house blue and gold, get tatoos all over my body, make it mandatory that my kids (in the future) attend Notre Dame... What I mean is Notre Dame has been a WONDERFUL experience for me. I love our campus size; I love how beautiful our campus is; I love how I can walk around by myself at any time of day, pretty much anywhere, and feel comfortable; I love our dorms; I love the opportunities that I've been presented with because I've been at Notre Dame. I've done things I know I'll never get another opportunity to do...I've met some of the most wonderful people that I know I will be friends with for the rest of my life. I also love that we're a Catholic school...but a Catholic school, that, in my opinion, doesn't pressure you to have to be Catholic, but will support you if you are. I love having masses in the dorms, a breath-taking Basilica, and most importantly, one of the most beautiful and touching Grottos I've ever been to. Notre Dame is a place where I just really feel you can learn a lot about yourself and really grow if you take advantage of all there is around you. I wouldn't trade my time at Notre Dame for any other school.

perfect size school. enough people that you always see someone you know wherever you go, but you are still always meeting new people. Its Catholic, but lately has been sacrificing some of its catholic tradtions to meet liberal societal pressures.

Notre Dame is a bubble campus. Once you are here, there is little to no need to go off campus and the freshman students rarely do so. The school seems large, but within a couple months, the campus shrinks and you cannot walk anywhere without recognizing many of the people you pass. This is also a very conservative campus, evident in decisions here and the rules in the student dorms. However, some rules only appear to be inforced when looking from the outside of the dorm, but alcohol is very prevelant on this campus. Overall, the students here are hard working during the week and like to let loose on the weekends.

THe only thing I'd change is where ND is. There is no college town here, and life basically centers around campus. Luckily, campus life is awesome, just gets old after 4 yrs

the best thing about ND is that you don't have to work hard to find friends who value their schoolwork, so it's easier for me to do mine and not feel ostracized. one thing i'd change would be parietals (the part where you can only be in the same genders' dorm after midnight). it's a good size. i can say hi to people i know on the way to class, but i dont know everyone in my classes (by any stretch of the imagination). people are always impressed when i say i go to ND. they say "oh so you must be smart." which of course is impossible to respond to. most of my time on campus is spent in my dorm or in my boyfriend's dorm, or else in LaFortune with my friends. "what college town?" although they're building a street of little shops that should be open by 2010. the biggest recent controversy was over jenkins' decision to allow the vagina monologues to be performed on campus. the unusual part of ND is our stupid ducks that swim on South Quad when it rains too much. most people complain about the weather the most, and then too much schoolwork the second-most.