<p>My daughter is a high school junior. She is working on the college list that she plans to apply for soon. ND and Georgetown are all on her list. I read some college book that states 80% of ND students are Christian. I wonder how will an atheist student fit into such Christian school. Will they feel comfortable? Other than some more restrict policies and beautiful churches, can students feel difference between other non-Christian colleges and ND in terms of religion? Thanks.</p>
<p>Notre Dame is the premier Catholic University in the world. That being said, it’s still one of the top schools in the country. Considering thousands of kids who are Christian or other denominations regularly go to non-denominational schools, I don’t think it’s an issue. The ND community is very accepting. Ultimately, it is up to your daughter to visit campus and get a feel for the school. Possibly do an overnight. That’s going to be the best way to answer your question.</p>
<p>Agree that a visit and overnight will be important for ND or any other school with a strong religious affiliation. I believe something like 80% of the ND students self-identify as Catholic. All classrooms have a crucifix and all dorms and many other buildings have a small chapel. Mass is held in each residence hall every week though students report there is no pressure to attend. While the spirituality of the school can be easily ignored if one is so inclined, it is present and part of why some of the students are there. Faith can be a powerful, uniting force on campus. </p>
<p>My impression from parents with students at Georgetown is that it is less overtly religious. </p>
<p>Good luck with your search, you have plenty of time to sort these issues out.</p>
<p>It depends on what type of atheist she is. If she accepts that others have different belief systems than hers, she will be fine. If she asks other students why they still belive in fairy tales, she will have problems.</p>
<p>While I’m sure your daughter will have no trouble feeling accepted at ND, it is important to know that ND’s Catholic identity is more prominent than at a more diverse school like Georgetown. </p>
<p>Students at ND must take 2 theology courses, and the campus is dotted with religious statues, buildings, and artwork (it is all very beautiful).</p>
<p>Your daughter needs to visit the schools, get the feelings and vibes there, look around, talk to students if this is a possible issue. I can tell you that at some schools it is not for the vast majority of non Catholic and non Christian students. But it is, at others. Fordham and Georgetown are two schools that do not seem to have the rep of being overly religious in flavor. I know a number of non Christians at both who didn’t and don’t give that affiliation a though. I don’t know about ND. Have heard mixed reports. Franciscan University, Liberty U, Brigham Young, Catholic U, to name a few, are schools where the religous climate is very pervasive from what I have heard.</p>
<p>But what I have heard or anyone FEELS, is irrelevant. It’s how your daughter feels about it that is important.</p>
<p>As an additional thought – while students will be very open to someone being non-religious, the Catholic nature of ND affects some everyday aspects of student life. For instance, health services does not provide birth control, food services provide Lenten foods on Fridays though you can still get meat, only this year has a GLBT organization been allowed to form, and there does not seem to be a pro-choice “counter-event” when pro-life groups put up white crosses on campus protesting abortion. All dorms are single-sex, there are parietals (students of the opposite sex cannot be in dorm rooms after a certain time, and pre-marital sex violates the student code of conduct. </p>
<p>So, again, she should visit, talk to students and reflect on what she is looking for in a university environment.</p>
<p>Most of the schools comparable to Notre Dame are either overtly secular, or, like Georgetown, essentially secular with a thinning veneer of Catholicism. What sets Notre Dame apart is its Catholic identity, which, as others have noted, is reflected in the physical surroundings, the curriculum, and many aspects of student life. Mass in the Joyce Center is part of Orientation, Junior Parents’ Weekend, and Commencement. Later this week, hundreds of students will be traveling to DC for the March for Life. (And, no, there are no pro-“choice” events on campus). Some 85% of the students identify as Catholic, though a good number of those are not actually practicing the faith in any significant way. I agree that the environment is generally welcoming and that there would be no pressure to attend Mass or otherwise participate in Catholic life. </p>
<p>However, with so many other secular schools offering comparable academic programs, one wonders why an atheist student would even consider a school like Notre Dame. If, after doing some serious research, your daughter is still considering Notre Dame, she should definitely plan to spend some time on campus before applying. And certainly, as a previous poster noted, her experience at Notre Dame would depend upon the kind of atheist she is.</p>
<p>“one wonders why an atheist student would even consider a school like Notre Dame.”</p>
<p>Really? It’s depressing you see it that way. Fortunately, I know from my time at ND many years ago, plus a lot of time on campus since then, ND is a great school for an atheist to consider. It’s also a great school to consider for a Jew, a Mormon, a Muslim, a Lutheran, etc., as well as for a Catholic, practicing or non-practicing.</p>
<p>There are many terrific things about ND that have nothing to do with being Catholic. The pervasive Catholic atmosphere may bother some individuals, including many Catholics. On the other hand, regardless of one’s religious beliefs, an individual may find it intellectually stimulating that religious beliefs and non-beliefs are an easy topic to discuss at ND if you want to.</p>
<p>As the previous replies indicated, it’s up to the individual whether ND seems right for them. There’s no reason to wonder why an atheist student would consider ND, if you don’t know anything else about that student.</p>
<p>While not an atheist, but a very lapsed Lutheran, my husband applied to ND 30 years ago, not realizing it was A Catholic school. (He must have been living under a rock!) He believes that his experience at ND laid the foundation for his conversion to the faith over 20 years later.
But the terrific things about ND have everything to do with it being Catholic, even if not everyone sees that.</p>
<p>Interesting Question-Let’s take a look below the scenes. Are you an atheist? I ask because if you taught her to be an atheist, I think it points to some exploration on her part. All that being said. I think ND needs atheists, and in my opinion Catholics are the most tolerant of all Christians. No one will likely care. I don’t know for sure but I’d venture a guess and say at least 25% of the student body is not Christian and they seem to be doing just fine.</p>
<p>I am curious why some feel Notre Dame “needs” atheit students…? With so many students nation wide that dream of this school are we getting a little carried away with the whole diversity thing? Let those that apprectiate the environment appreciate the environment. Go somewhere else.</p>
<p>I find the assumptions here interesting. What matters here is whether a prospective student - Catholic, Jew, athiest, whatever - is okay with the rules and structure Notre Dame provides. If you don’t mind the strict visitation rules, single sex dorms, Masses, and religious symbols in classrooms, then ND may be for you. If you do mind, then look elsewhere. Some athiests may be perfectly okay with the rules; others may not. I don’t think we can assume that every athiest would hate the rules, just like we can’t assume every Catholic would be okay with them.</p>
<p>Why would ND accept non-Catholic students? If they do, I doubt that there will be problems for a mature, thoughtful, and open-minded student. Also, there are quite a few non-Catholic faculty members. DS3 has a 90% probability of attending ND if he gets this one external scholarship. And, he would definitely be interested in the theology courses.</p>
<p>Notre Dame actually has an Atheist Club, though they aren’t official.</p>
<p>It seems odd an atheist has selected 2 Catholic schools at the top of her list. Maybe she is looking for something other than academics.</p>
<p>Hey bud123,</p>
<p>I wanted to comment on what you said. I am also an atheist, and two of my three reach schools(the two I’d most like to go to of all 8 schools in fact) are catholic. Notre Dame and BC both have outstanding business programs, great alumni networks, beautiful campuses, etc. I didn’t choose them because I’m searching for god or going through some spiritual crisis, I choose the schools because I genuinely liked the schools and they offered what I am looking for in an education. I think it’s kind of ignorant to say that it is odd for an atheist to apply to a catholic university. Is it odd for a Christian to apply to a secular university?</p>
<p>The only “atypical” factor that led me to apply to the two schools is that being Catholic, I presumed the student bodies would in fact be perhaps a tad more friendly / genial. I do think the sort of people who go to a catholic university may just have that extra level of friendliness, even off that originates from their religion.</p>
<p>Nicolaspb94</p>
<p>It could be that Catholic students are friendly because they are taught in Catholic schools to be kind. Not to say there are no mean Catholics but Catholic students that attend Catholic private schools are expect to be kind and much is done to to foster that in grade school. </p>
<p>No, Catholics will not mind an Atheist. They may just have to pray for you</p>