<p>Notre Dame actually has ten valedictorians, two per college; but only one gives the valedictory address and is known as the valedictorian.</p>
<p>“Notre Dame begins the selection process for valedictorian in February when the Register’s Office determines the two students in each college with the highest grade point averages. Selected candidates then complete an application process that includes a recommendation from the college’s dean and a peer and a draft of their commencement speech. A selection committee then nominates a valedictorian and the second place candidate is invited to deliver an invocation at graduation.” - [The</a> Observer](<a href=“http://www.nd.edu/~observer/today/News/3.html]The”>http://www.nd.edu/~observer/today/News/3.html)</p>
<p>(The article is from '03, but the process hasn’t changed substantially since then. Unfortunately I can’t find a better reference.)</p>
<p>I just read that most kids opt to take the meal plan that only has 14 meals per week, so where do kids eat the other seven meals? And do the $345 in flex points typically last the entire semester?</p>
<p>The flex points last the entire semester (and roll over to the spring) if you don’t go crazy buying overpriced cereal and candy and whatever at the Huddle. There are a bunch of little cafes and fast food places on campus where students can get other meals. There’s a Starbucks, a Burger King, a Sbarro, a Subway… And across the street at Eddy Street Commons there’s a Hot Box Pizza, Chipotle, and a Five Guys, but they only take real money. </p>
<p>As for meal plans, I have the 14-mean plan with the flex points, and anywhere from 3-7 meals are left over at the end of the week. I pretty much eat one meal a day in the dining hall and spend all my flex points on coffee. You can also switch to a 21-meal/week plan but then you don’t get any flex points.</p>
<p>Our meal plan is kind of rigid and I could go on for days about how I would improve it, but I don’t know anyone who is starving or truly unhappy/upset about the meal plans. The dining halls are all-you-can-eat and the food is pretty decent. The food is on a 12-day rotation, so you won’t be eating the same thing every day, but after a few semesters it may seem kind of repetitive.</p>
<p>I have been accepted to ND via EA. The one thing that concerns me the most about ND is the housing policy whereby the roommates are matched up randomly by computer. On my campus tour, I asked the guide about that and she said “Oh, I have never heard of any problems with roommates being paired up this way!” I wanted to ask her what she had been smoking!</p>
<p>I am a very conservative student who likes to go to bed early, study(I enjoy academics), read the classics, and not much of a party person. My Catholic faith is very important to me. </p>
<p>I have heard there may be some ways to get into a dorm where things are a little more “sedate” where the priest there prefers students like myself. Has anyone else heard anything like this?</p>
<p>I am hoping to live off campus in a house run by a religious group that my family is involved with but I don’t think I can do that until I am a sophomore or junior.</p>
<p>You will get put with a random person in a random dorm unless you are from one of those families that donates tons and tons of money to the university. There is no personality survey or anything, and rectors do not request certain kinds of people.</p>
<p>You’ll have to talk with your roomie and lay down some ground rules in order to coexist peacefully. Be flexible. It’ll probably be good for you if you don’t live with someone who is just like you.</p>
<p>loveneweng,
You will find that there are a fair number of other students like you, and that many students who are more outgoing/social actually prefer a quiet roommate. Don’t worry about it – my son’s first-year roommate was not a great match (too neat and tidy) but after the first year, he joined a quad of like-minded friends who have to go to bed early (because of ROTC and early-morning sports practices) and it has worked out very well. Living off-campus is always an option after freshman year, but do try to give the dorms a fair chance. You will make some life-long friends there, and you can still spend lots of time at the off-campus house with other friends (I’m pretty sure I know the one to which you refer).</p>
<p>It’s basically an all-expense-paid trip to the University for a 4 day weekend. You stay in a dorm with a current student and participate in a bunch of planned activities, sit in on classes, etc.</p>
<p>Golf308 - just curious, were you surprised at the football ticket prices because you thought they were expensive? They may seem expensive, but given how much everyone else pays for them, it’s a quite a bargain. I think they broke down to about $35 a game, which is half of what you’d pay for each ticket if you were a regular season ticket holder. We also don’t have to “donate” thousands of dollars each year just to stay eligible for the season tickets, like the regular season tickets holders do. </p>
<p>All of the “main” sports - football, men’s basketball, etc. you have to pay, but the prices are pretty reasonable. However, baseball, softball, women’s basketball, etc. you can get free tickets on a first come, first serve basis. And like someone said already, for hockey you can secure your tickets by paying or take your chances with getting free tickets.</p>
<p>And to brotherlylove, party at your own risk in South Bend, especially if you’re underaged. Just watch about the SBPD. If you’re caught, chances are you’ll get arrested.</p>
<p>cjester- I saw that thread but besides being invited for a sleep over what other perks does one receive over the long haul. Or is it just the 4 day week.</p>
<p>Keenan’s a pretty good dorm. They have a huge rivalry with Stanford since they share a lobby and chapel. The dorm was just remodeled and I hear the bathrooms are pretty nice. They have the best basement social space on campus, hands down. There’s a student-run pizza shop down there, tons of couches and booths for studying, pool table, ping pong table, a huge projector tv screen (i guess if you don’t buy football tickets that would be the place to watch!), and a decent gym room.</p>
<p>The best thing about Keenan is the Keenan Revue, the annual comedy show that the dorm holds. Not sure where it will be performed this year since St MAry’s finally realized they were being made fun of and refused to let it happen in their auditorium. Basically, they make fun of everything and anything they can about ND and SMC. And the proceeds go to charity in true ND fashion.</p>
<p>Most of the Keenan guys I am friends with are normal. Some others are kind of weird, but there’s is no Keenan stereotype like there is for, say, Zahm. Golden Tate lived in Keenan, as did a few other football players.</p>
<p>To kk448. I was not surprised by the price of football tickets but I am kind of surprised by the fact that you have to pay for other sports as well. Football is understandable because it is ND football and they know every kid will pay for the tickets (including myself). I just thought basketball and everything else would be free. I am mainly concerned by the fact that I want to go to every ND sporting event possible, from football to fencing, but I definitely don’t have the money to pay for tickets to all the events I want to go to.</p>
<p>every dorm has a rector’s fund that may subsidize ticket costs if you cab’t afford them. Also if you go to sporting events late and ask nicely, they sometimes let you in. Or you could become part of the campus media and get in for free. sometimes people who buy season tickets don’t go to every game and may sell or give away tickets.</p>
<p>but if you really, truly want to go to every single bball and hockey or whatever game, buy tickets</p>
<p>Golf 308, you can get into pretty much every ND athletic event EXCEPT football and men’s basketball for free. Heck, many times they offer free things (ie free pizza, shirts, cowbells, etc…) just to get people to come to games. Hockey is pretty big here, we’re getting a sweet new stadium next year, and you can pay for guaranteed student season tickets if you want, but my friends and I usually show up with our ID’s a little before the game and get in free. Through my first semester I have only paid for football and basketball season tickets, and you don’t necessarily even have to pay for basketball tickets if you are only going to go to a few games here and there.</p>
<p>loveneweng - unfortunately, I would say that you can get through a bad roommate if you aren’t a party person (i.e. just don’t go to parties), but the whole going to bed early is going to be a challenge…of course this is what you define as early but quiet hours don’t begin until midnight on school nights and 2 a.m. on weekends and the whole dorm might be quite loud…but it is an exercise in patience and adapting to the situation…</p>
<p>Golf - I had similar interests in attending every sporting event but with the school work it can get challenging…but you sound like a serious sports fan and if you want some more info on working sporting events and getting a cool experience in a number of sports, send me a PM and I can lead you to the right areas (the only down side is that if you work with in the office that I do you can’t cheer at any sporting event)…</p>
<p>Does anyone know the average class size at Notre Dame. What size classes can we expect as a freshman before a major is declared? and what size are the classes as an upper classman? I could not find very convincing data on this from the website. Thank you…</p>
I don’t know jack about ND athletics, but I know a lot about fencing. If you have an opportunity, be sure to go to a men’s foil meet. ND has assembled the greatest collection of men’s foilists in the country, or perhaps the world. They are incredibly strong.</p>