<p>Zahm is well Zahm - i will let them brainwash you before I bash them (as everyone usually does)</p>
<p>Hey all - how about Knott? My son just got word. He’s a bit sad he’s on the north side.</p>
<p>ok so for keenan: </p>
<p>Like I said, they are doing a major renovation this summer and it will be done by the time you arrive. I have heard they are replacing all windows, hardware, etc, and they are redoing the bathrooms but this is just what I have heard. </p>
<p>Keenan is on North Quad so you will use North Dining hall probably (most people like the one they are closest to so I like south better but it is just preference). North Dining Hall has a bunch of different rooms you go into to get your food so it may take a little time to adjust but idk. </p>
<p>Keenan’s mascot is the knights and they have a hilarious comedy show that is comprised of skits during the year. They make fun of almost everything from the football teams to other dorms to saint mary’s sometimes. </p>
<p>Keenan is mostly freshmen and sophomores (34% and 38% respectively)…there is an elevator but no air conditioning. However there is an exercise room. </p>
<p>Keenan does not have modular furniture, but with the new addition, they actually might put some in there but I have no idea about that. I would ask the Frosh-O staff about that one, but according to reslife website they don’t have any modular furniture. </p>
<p>[Welcome</a> to Keenan Hall!](<a href=“http://www.nd.edu/~keenan/]Welcome”>http://www.nd.edu/~keenan/) – this is the link to the hall’s website</p>
<p>if you have any specific questions just ask</p>
<p>as for Alumni </p>
<p>I live in Alumni - great cuz it is literally in the center of campus and is on south quad. Close to the dining hall yet close to class in general (especially debartolo). There is no A/c and the rooms are a little small --the rector is awesome (FGR) and has been there like forever. We probably have the best dorm spirit of any dorm and we are very vocal at pep rallies. we have a lot of traditions and most are kept secret though. </p>
<p>We have modular furniture so you can loft and we have an elevator tho it is an old one but it is awesome. </p>
<p>we got fairly new bathrooms too </p>
<p>i am wokring with someone on the website so it won’t be up for a while, but next year we do have a pretty good mix though we will have more freshmen than any class i think</p>
<p>Are the mens and womens dorms linked - like brother/sister dorms? If so, where can you find which ones are which?</p>
<p>I feel bad for doing this but Zahm house really is one of its own - and anything I say will be brainwashed away when you get there — just be prepared for a really tight group of guys who could care less about what other do and a group of people who everyone hates at football games. </p>
<p>Really, trust me, everything I say will just go away, so I won’t waste my time. </p>
<p>You are on North Quad (so same thing about dining halls) — no A/C </p>
<p>about 25% freshmen and up for sophomore and juniors I think </p>
<p>some modular furniture </p>
<p>here is the website - and go be brainwashed haha — [Zahm</a> House](<a href=“http://www.nd.edu/~zahmhall/]Zahm”>http://www.nd.edu/~zahmhall/)</p>
<p>duncan hall like ryan are both hotels – a/c, really nice game room, large rooms and all of that – but it is a little bit out of the way and on the edge of West Quad - that said it is next to south dining hall. </p>
<p>it is brand new as of two years ago – it has ever amenity – i can find breakdown of fresh/sophomores, etc but I think there is a good amount of freshmen in duncan b/c there was originally a good amount of ppl who transfered in but now that has stopped a little i guess </p>
<p>here is their webstie: [Duncan</a> Hall](<a href=“http://www.nd.edu/~duncan/]Duncan”>http://www.nd.edu/~duncan/)</p>
<p>duncan doesn’t have many set traditions and they are trying to continue to build theirs up </p>
<p>their mascot is the highlanders (everyone wanted it to be donuts - you will only get that if you live in the Northeast)…</p>
<p>and by the way, alumni’s mascot is the dawg and Zahm is the Zahmbies</p>
<p>and finally knott – mod quad so they are up behind the library ---- and yes he is on the north side kind of far away - he will use north dining hall but he is close to the library for studying :). </p>
<p>they are the juggerknotts and love their color orange. </p>
<p>one plus is they have a/c and basically all the amenities </p>
<p>they are also pretty close to classes in general so that is also a bonus</p>
<p>knott has an awesome website: [Knott</a> Hall Homepage](<a href=“http://www.nd.edu/~knott/index.html]Knott”>http://www.nd.edu/~knott/index.html) </p>
<p>they have one of the best websites of any dorm</p>
<p>there are brother sister dorms and those usually change each year – rival dorms are more steady. some examples are: </p>
<p>alumni vs dillion
siegfreid vs knott
o’neill vs keough
stanford vs keenan
all guys dorms (except zahm) vs. zahm</p>
<p>however, there usually is a brother-sister dorm connection but like i said that sometimes changes and i believe it changes yearly</p>
<p>your frosh-o staff should know which is your dorm’s brother/sister dorm – they are the ones that run freshmen orientation</p>
<p>Does anyone know what was done in the renovation of Stanford and Keenan? Is there AC? Also, what activities are in the game room, such as pool, ping pong, etc.</p>
<p>I’m in Duncan. DO you think its location is that bad? I feel like it’s far from everything.</p>
<p>OK, well I’m in Zahm.</p>
<p>I have mixed emotions. I like the close-knit feel of the dorm, but I’m concerned. I’m not a party guy. I’m not rowdy. I don’t drink or do any of that stuff. I’m afraid in Zahm, based on what I’ve heard, you basically have to do this stuff/act in their rowdiness, or you won’t be accepted. Don’t know if that’s true or not, but that’s the vibe I’m getting. I don’t want to go streaking or do some of their other “acts”. But I don’t want that affecting the way I’m viewed by my dorm brothers in my time in Zahm if I choose not to.</p>
<p>I chose ND for a number of reasons, including the academics, the campus, the strong ND Athletic Department, the Catholic environment, the ND family, the school/dorm pride, the community service, and the fact that it seemed a place where, compared to some other universities I was looking at, I didn’t have to engage in some of the rowdy aspects and wouldn’t be pressured to. Some of those reasons aren’t affected by the dorm (academics, campus, athletics, etc). Zahm actually probably enhances others, like the dorm pride and community service, it sounds like. But in some others, Zahm is way behind. It’s definitely a lot crazier than other dorms. And it doesn’t seem like it’s as part of the ND family. The other dorms, while maybe not quite the extreme dorm pride as Zahm, still have lots of pride in their dorm, but obviously love ND and get along pretty well with the other dorms (with the exception of a rival or two). It almost seems like Zahm’s against all of ND (or at least, ND’s against Zahm). That seems weird to me. I don’t want to be disconnected from the school just because of my dorm. I chose to go to ND for the reasons I mentioned above. I didn’t choose Zahm, I chose ND. And I also don’t want the following conversation, with someone right off that bat:</p>
<p>Me: Hi, I’m ____<strong><em>.
Other ND Student: Nice to meet you. I’m </em></strong>. So, what dorm are you in?
Me: Zahm.
Other ND student: Oh… so you’re one of them.
And the conversation just ends awkwardly.</p>
<p>It’s not that I’m a nerd who wants to study all the time. I like going out, hanging with friends, going to the sporting events, etc. It’s just my definition of fun seems a little different than Zahm’s. And I don’t want to feel like I’m not really a part of ND, just because I’m in Zahm.</p>
<p>Maybe I’m just looking too deeply or worried over nothing, but I’m just concerned a little. I’ve only been on ND’s campus twice, once in the summer and once for a football game, so I really haven’t seen personally how the dorms interact, I’m just going off of what I heard/read, so it could be very overexaggerated. Also, like I said, I like some of Zahm’s aspects, but not all of them.</p>
<p>NewtoND-- (and all other incoming first years concerned with their housing assignments… ) I really wouldn’t worry too much about your dorm. EVERY dorm has its pros and cons, but after a short while, you will love everything about it, believe me. There’s a reason a very low percentage of people ever switch dorms. </p>
<p>And if I was a guy, I would have loved to be in Zahm. Zahm is the closest knit dorm on campus. And it’s not like other students don’t talk to the guys who live there. It’s all in jest that they are made fun of, and really only when they are in a group- setting. And as much as people do make fun of them… everyone in Zahm got into ND-- they’re just as intelligent as others who were accepted. Also, you mentioned how everyone is against Zahm, but Zahm has a “sister-dorm”. Many Cavannaugh girls are quite close to the Zahm guys. So, again, don’t fret.</p>
<p>While I’m here-- did any girls get into Welsh Fam?! If so, get excited :)</p>
<p>When I was looking at dorms I could possibly get, the only real thing that detracted me from Duncan was that it is far from a lot of things (golf not being one of them). It is nothing like Carroll however. But it is a little far. You probably have to add a couple of minutes to get to say DeBartolo than you would from Alumni, but the dining hall is closer to the middle of the two. </p>
<p>Trust me, in terms of distance, I wouldn’t mind that distance for that quality of dorm. I love Alumni and wouldn’t change where I am but Duncan would probably be in the Top 3-4 of dorms that I would have not minded getting. </p>
<p>In a sort of offhand note, i would recommend a bike - they are very, very nice to have and make traveling quick for those long distances w/o someone.</p>
<p>As for the question about Zahm - I felt the same way about Alumni last year — I picked and chosed the events I attended and did not go to the ones I did not feel comfortable with - it probably did affect the quality of my relationship with some of the people in the dorm, but it what I did to maintain my beliefs - plus things change and you never know how you will feel about certain things once you achieve independence – trust me I have seen this happen first hand on multiple occasions. PM me if you want.</p>
<p>As you can probably tell I am a Dawg of Alumni — the Center of the Universe — and the best dorm on campus - if you have any questions just ask me or PM me — for those lucky few you were able to escape the Housing Lottery with Alumni, you are truly blessed.</p>
<p>Could you tell me a little about Sorin?</p>
<p>Sorin is the oldest dorm and isn’t even considered a hall by those who live in there (they call it Sorin College instead of Sorin Hall) … they have the most history of any dorm since it was the first one built - i think the 4 horsemen all lived in there. Their mascot is the otters. They don’t have many if any amenities but people love the dorm b/c of its history and tradition — they also wear shirts, ties, and sweaters every friday of the month i believe. </p>
<p>One of my friends lives in Sorin and loves it. They are a little wild as well, but most guys dorms are. </p>
<p>there is only 22% freshmen, then 30% sophomores and 37& juniors so a lot people move into Sorin. </p>
<p>They do have laundry and study rooms, etc, but no elevator or a/c obviously. They have modular furniture in some rooms but a lot of their rooms are oddly shaped and there is not many traditional rooms. </p>
<p>here is their website: [Sorin</a> College](<a href=“http://www.nd.edu/~otters/]Sorin”>http://www.nd.edu/~otters/)</p>
<p>The question of Zahm tends to get raised a lot here and rightfully so. I was in NewtoND’s situation exactly five years ago and had the same questions and concerns. For upwards of $40,000 a year it is perfectly sensible to ask those questions.</p>
<p>Zahm is a rowdy dorm. It’s as simple as that. Frosh-O is crazy but you can freely skip all the stupid events. People may think less of you for that but those are the kind of people who don’t get far in life and do not make the best of friends. If you want more details about Zahm’s Frosh-O just let me know.</p>
<p>As individuals most of the folks I lived with in Zahm were very kind and considerate people. But in groups they took on this rowdy mentality fueled often by excess alcohol and this sense of bravado. As you can imagine this doesn’t create the best of study environments as it is a problem even on the weekdays. I can’t stress enough that there were (and probably still are) a lot of good people in Zahm. I just wish they didn’t allow the crowd mentality get the best of them.</p>
<p>The frat house-like sense of community does have positives though. Zahm takes community service very seriously. It bands together to support a local youth program which is probably the most successful dorm sponsored community service program on campus. Zahm’s prayer community is also pretty strong and mass attendance is generally high. </p>
<p>I eventually left Zahm after the first year with a few other students. We simply could not take the frat-house mentality which seemed pervasive day after day. Granted weekdays were not as bad as weekends but they were not great. And telling others that you are from Zahm is not always the greatest of experiences. Students often smile slyly at you when you tell them and professors often laugh. I can’t say that this helps when you are trying to build a professional relationship with someone.</p>
<p>But I will say that you can live comfortably in Zahm. Things do inevitably calm down and you can sleep comfortably. But as a community I cannot say that it works well for everyone. Some love it, others hate it. I wasn’t the biggest fan of it but I grew to enjoy many of the positive aspects that Zahm had to offer. In the end though, I simply couldn’t take much more of it. Good luck and if there is anyone else who lived at Zahm and can offer their experience I think that would be helpful for many of the incoming students here. I am sorry but I can’t say the best of things about Zahm.</p>