<p>To current students...describe what it is like to be a student at ND on a football weekend. Is your world turned upside down with the invasion of the ND fans? How long does the madness last? Does it ever get overwhelming like you feel like your campus is being over taken my the masses of people/visitors?!</p>
<p>imagine the greatest weekend you have ever had and multiply it by 1000. yes i feel overtaken by hoards of alumni and little kids tossing footballs, but overwhelmed in a good way, because 50-60 years from now i will do the same thing and come back to campus as an alum and party like I never left. Now when we lose football games, only multiply your greatest weekend by 10.</p>
<p>I attended my first game as a parent last week-end and I was totally blown away. It is, without a doubt, a bucket list experience. Watching The student section alone is worth the price of admission. Great tail-gating - the few folks that had a bit too much to drink didn’t keep it from being a great family experience.
As far as our kid-I think he rolled out of bed about 2 hours before game time and most of the fans seemed to disappear after the game.</p>
<p>Current student here writing three days after the first home game–the spirit and tradition that pervades this campus on football weekends more than makes up for the long lines in the dining hall and the slow traffic. Seeing all of the alumni come back with their families, wearing their spiritwear and reminiscing about their times on this campus, really speaks to how much this place means to people, even 50 years after they graduate. During football weekends, everyone has a smile on their face. There’s tons of food, fun, and excitement.</p>
<p>I got chills when I attended my first midnight Drummer’s Circle on Friday before the game. And walking into the Stadium and taking my place in the Student Section? I can’t even describe how awesome that felt. I’ve never seen so many people together in one place, and the energy was overwhelming. I basically lost my voice from cheering for four hours, and my feet were aching after standing/jumping/jigging/doing pushups for the whole game. But it was so worth it. </p>
<p>So, do I feel like campus is “invaded” during football weekends? Nope! It feels more like a giant homecoming from lunchtime Friday–lunchtime Sunday.</p>
<p>What a great post^^! Enjoy your time at ND–it passes very quickly!!!</p>
<p>^^^NotredameAL- yes, didn’t it pass quickly, but now that son is an alumnus he is attending games (luckily he is now lives in Chicago, so this is possible). So it can continue, but even he said things felt different, “the kids look younger”. LOL, what a moment.</p>
<p>Magical. Alumni and their kids everywhere…playing football on the quad, singing the fight song, and flooding the bookstore. </p>
<p>Students are out and about beginning around noon, and you hear the victory march about everywhere you go.</p>
<p>It really is one of the greatest things I have been a part of.</p>
<p>it really is funny that i stumbled upon your post, but i really am glad that i did. i am a senior in high school and literally just got back from my first visit to ND yesterday. My entire family (granted we’re not alums) have been fans for as long as i think anyone can remember, so when we had the opportunity to go to a game, believe me, we jumped at it. I must say that it is really one of the best experiences of my life. yeah, it sounds corny and everything, but the energy that the campus exudes on a game weekend = SURREAL. from the trumpet section of the band playing in the dome before game time, to the players walk from the basilica, and not to mention the game itself, I literally saw dozens of people well up with tears that had to be from nothing but the sheer energy associated with something as tradition steeped as a weekend of football at notre dame. I saw so many alums and their families, students, and just pure fans getting so involved in every aspect of weekend (and this was even after a loss!! haha) Granted, i am not a student or anything, but i can tell you that from what I experienced, it is nothing short of amazing! seriously, if you get the change to go, go and experience it for yourself because no amount of words can do the feeling justice. haha, i hope this helped, I feel pretty corny right now :D</p>
<p>The scent of bratwursts in the quads on game day, one of the fondest memories of my youth…</p>
<p>No one talked about the drinking, so I feel that I should mention that. Being a current freshman at ND, I can say that there is downright too much drinking on game days. I’ve only been here two months and have witnessed so many people vomiting. I’ve also carried a fellow domer into a dorm to avoid the police because he was passed out in the street. The football weekends are fun, but you need to enjoy copious amounts of alcohol or at least be able to deal with drunk people. (You’ll get used to it if you come here)</p>
<p>^^This scenario is pretty rampant on most college campuses esp those with football teams. I am in no way condoning this activity at ND, just making an observation. And, it is not just the students and “too much drinking”–plenty of alums and much older ones at that!</p>
<p>“Now when we lose football games, only multiply your greatest weekend by 10.”</p>
<p>So like every other weekend?</p>
<p>All in good humor@!</p>