<p>Hey, I'm seriously considering Notre Dame, but I'm Jewish. How tough is it at Notre Dame if you're not Christian?</p>
<p>Academically, the only thing that you might want to think about are the two required theology courses. The first one is a general “Foundations of Theology” course, which will vary in it’s focus on Christianity (or more specifically Catholicism) by professor. My class was taught by a Dominican friar who assumed the class would have basic knowledge of Catholicism. I struggled to keep up and understand everything, but I managed to get an A- in the course. </p>
<p>You have many more options for your second theology course. You could take anything from “Medical Ethics” to a comparative religions course, or a course on Islam.</p>
<p>Outside of the classroom, you will find that a significant portion of the student body attends church regularly or participates in some kind of campus ministry. I haven’t felt much pressure to go to church and people generally respect my religious views.</p>
<p>You should be fine! :)</p>
<p>I think many who are religious would find ND to be a better fit than a secular school, many of which tolerate religious belief at best, and ridicule it at worst. So it might be a bit of an adjustment coming to Catholic ND as a Jew, but if you are strongly religious you may find that it is a great environment that fosters religious belief.</p>
<p>lovethem–
“Hey, I’m seriously considering Notre Dame”</p>
<p>I am curious what your considerations are FOR ND? and what are your other choices in the mix?</p>
<p>I’m considering Georgetown, ND, and UMich. And by considerations FOR ND, I’m a little confused as to what your asking?</p>
<p>by considerations FOR ND,</p>
<p>pluses , minuses, factors,</p>
<p>the usual suspects :)</p>
<p>For ND, it’s hard for me to paint a clear picture (since I’m not visiting til this coming week), but from discussions with current students, I love how everyone LOVES Notre Dame-- when they say community, they aren’t kidding. I don’t mind the location; I think the more suburban setting actually increases the sense of community, since most people stay on campus. I’m also a huge football fan and love that Notre Dame is into athletics. I also like the smaller classes and the gorgeous campus.<br>
As for drawbacks, I’m not sure how I will fare in a school that is over 80 % Catholic when I’m a Jew. Although, after hearing the thoughts of current students and people on CC, I’m hoping that won’t really be an issue. I knew when I applied to ND that it was a Catholic school, and I respect the Catholic identity and the sense of tradition that accompanies it. I just have to be sure I can find a place in the community. Additionally, I come from a boarding school in New England where diversity is really important, and I get the sense that ND isn’t particularly diverse. Not to say that bothers me, but it will be a transition for sure. I’m also not a huge fan of the parietals system, and I worry that the social scene and gender relations at ND might be slightly tense as a result. </p>
<p>Well these are just my thoughts, feel free to let me know yours.</p>
<p>lovethema: I guess I can give you the perspective from a parent; albeit a Jewish one whose daughter is looking at schools with small Jewish populations…</p>
<p>You may want to distinguish in terms of the following (which I do not have knowledge about with regard to ND)</p>
<p>THere are thousands of schools in the US where being Jewish will put you in a very small minority in terms of the student body demographic; this does not appear to be a problem for you ( as it isn’t for my daughter)…but its crucial to distinguish the majority of these schools from one that is steeped in the Catholic or Christian faith and has those values and customs integrated into every aspect of student life; from academics to extra curriculars to activities…</p>
<p>In my opinion, this isreally the decision that you have to make for yourself…it’s not just the % or anything else; it’s how the school is run…</p>
<p>and just as comparison, while georgetown has similar roots in Christianity, we have been told that it is considerably more secular than alot of other similar type schools…yet not as secular as others…</p>
<p>Your decision though…and until you can find someone at ND that falls into your “other” category, not sure CC can help with this one…</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision…</p>
<p>lovethema10- my brother (current ND student) has many friends who are not Catholic/Christian/religious. He reports that they don’t feel alienated at all. However, I can understand how this majority viewpoint might not take into account the difficulties and annoyances a non-Catholic might face (like no meat in the dining halls on Fridays in Lent). </p>
<p>There are two ways you can think about it. One, if you are deeply and spiritually Jewish, ND could be a very good place for you. I’ve often observed that Catholicism has more in common culturally and liturgically with Judaism than many Protestant denominations, even if the theology is different. In that sense, perhaps the pervading spritual feel of ND would be a good fit for you, even if it’s not the exact flavour you’re used to.</p>
<p>OTOH, if you’re more secular or you’re just very steadfast in your faith and don’t want to be surrounded by 6,000+ very Catholic students for four years, you would probably do better at UM or Gtown. My brother’s friends often mock Gtown for being only nominally Catholic, and my own experience from friends and visits is that is indeed VERY secular. Really, it comes down to whether you think you can feel comfortable at ND given the intense Catholic nature of the place. Many people do not like parietals (restrictions on inter-gender visting hours), required theology, or the general Catholic school feel so prevalent on campus. If you fall into that category, you won’t be giving up much academically to go to Georgetown or Michigan.</p>