<p>hello all, I am curious if current students (and parents) find that their is any sort of divide amongst the students which has roots in economic class. I have read on some threads that middle class students are shocked at the spending habits of upper class students. Do these middle class students feel like they can't connect with their upper class peers? Is there a large amount of jealousy? Do students seem to group together with others coming from similar economic circumstances? </p>
<p>This interests me because I would like to transfer to ND. Currently I am at a southern state school (UNC- Chapel Hill) which seems to have some social divides relating to economic class. Upper class students often join fraternities and sororities and seem to be friends mainly with their "brothers"/"sisters". I do not mean to say that they are not friends with non-frat/sorority members, but I feel that economics plays a role in who they associate with. It is not at all a large problem, so I am wondering if this happens in any large measure at ND.</p>
<p>Basically, I, coming from a NY middle class family, want to know if I will feel comfortable among my potential peers at ND. I know that ND's social scene does not equate with UNC's Greek atmosphere, and I really don't think that its a huge problem at ND, but I'm curious about people's outlook on this topic.</p>
<p>It is what you make it. Yes, sometimes it may lead to some awkward interactions, primarily around move in time and spring break planning, but for all intents and purposes, it’s not a big deal. You really can’t tell too much of a class distinction. That said, however, there are some people that you can just tell are loaded - it is Notre Dame, we’re stereotyped by our white, upper-middle-class-ishness. But any discomfort arising from that is a direct result of that person and their attitude.</p>
<p>It seems like rich kids go Greek, and that is the Greek atmosphere which divides the social circles. I would bet that rich frat kids would be more likely to associate with the poor frat kid than the rich non-Greek.</p>
<p>I don’t think economic class affects life at ND. Everyone has 310 flex points per semester.</p>
<p>Many years ago, I attended a University that offered a greek system and indeed joined. I did not find that just because someone joined the Greek system meant that they were wealthy. In fact, I knew many kids that had to pay for their own dues, formals, parties, etc. that goes along with being greek. Parents told them that they would pay tuition, etc., but not the social greek funding. I think that what you may have witnessed with the greek system is the familiarity of being with a particular group. Our student at ND does not seem to find that people exhibit their wealth that much. And, from what we have been told, he is very friendly with his club sports team members. It has nothing to do with how much money one has and I think the fact that ND does not have the greek system allows for maybe more involvement in other areas. As part of the greek system, I always felt that I didn’t have time for other clubs, etc on campus. Being greek is a huge commitment. And TheKid^ has stated it beautifully, everyone receives the same amount of flex points per semester at ND!</p>
<p>thanks for the responses everyone…its all good to hear! I was not trying to bash the greek system at all by the way – its just not my thing. I know that some people love it, but I’m glad that ND has different sources for social experiences (closeness of dorms, club sports, etc.)</p>
<p>contrary to what many said, I have no idea of what social class ANY of my friends come from (the only way I even have a hint is when we talked about financial aid scholarships). I haven’t seen anyone “flaunt” money or anything like that. I guess experiences just differ between various students here.</p>
<p>Fortunately there is no Greek system at Notre Dame.</p>
<p>That being said, gravy train off your rich friends. You probably couldn’t tell though unless you really look into everything your friends do, which equals stalker. Economic divide? I don’t think so.</p>
<p>I have seen very little division based on socioeconomic status, and as mentioned before it is most visible around vacations. However, it can also be noticeable in how some spend. I’ve seen kids from richer families blow a couple hundred dollars for one weekend. That said, there is plenty of mingling, and so the economic statuses of your peers should only bother you if you obsess. In fact, in my experience those wealthier kids have very often been willing to share the wealth.</p>
<p>As a parent who visited a lot of schools with the kids, the wealth effect was the most muted at ND. I was concerned about that issue and I have to say the rich kids tend to be very understated, unlike some California and east coast schools we visited. Maybe it’s the midwestern location, or maybe it’s the school culture.
D. observed more overt wealth-flaunting (high end handbags, flashy cars) at our state flagship U. than at ND. And because South Bend is hardly a playground for the rich, everybody stays on campus so you can get by quite nicely without a lot of money–in contrast our local state flagship is smack in a city so when D. is in town she’s always going out to restaurants and clubs with her high school friends who are now at the U.</p>
<p>You can kind of tell who is wealthy and who isn’t, especially in your close group of friends, but it really doesn’t come up much. Like someone said before, everyone has the same number of flex points and lives in the same type of dorm room, so social class doesn’t really matter.</p>