I visited and am applying REA to Notre Dame, so far I really like it… but I don’t know exactly what the student life is like. Can someone let me know what its like? Thanks!!
@rm29rm29 - what info are you looking for? My son is a freshman in Stanford Hall. We are Christian, but not Catholic. He loves the environment. The organization of the halls makes the transition pretty smooth. The Rector and Asst Rectors help keep tabs on the guys in the hall. There are activities available almost every day. My son is in the marching band.
I’m a current freshman, and if I’m being honest, I’m not a huge fan of the environment. I grew up in a big southern city, and was used to my independence before coming here — but, they call it the “Notre Dame bubble” for a reason. Most students are pretty content with never leaving campus (not that there’s much to do in South Bend), but Eddy Street and the dining halls can get really old really quickly. Also be aware that starting with my graduating class (2018 and on), students are required to live on campus for three years. Also, roommates are completely random your first semester, which can either turn out really great, or be a complete disaster (my roommate is super sweet, but I had to teach her how to sweep and vacuum, and it did start off a bit rocky). Also, because there’s nothing to do off campus, people usually spend the weekends at dorm parties (essentially a bunch of sweaty drunk people stuffed into a humid male dorm room). I personally don’t feel comfortable drinking at coed parties, and the parties aren’t really fun when you’re sober — so just know, Notre Dame is a drinking school, not a party school. People drink to get drunk, not to loosen up and have fun. Football weekends can be fun, but when you have to study or work on assignments, it can be really irritating to have a bunch of random people walking around (and the lines in LaFun for things like Starbucks and subway get ridiculously long). Also, uber prices spike on football weekends — it can cost up to $40 for a round trip to the grocery store. Yes, there is a bus system, but it’s really confusing, and it takes a while, so most people just uber, which can rack up costs pretty quickly. So far, I haven’t had the best experience (I pretty much go to class, then go to Pasquerilla Center to study until about 11pm every night — I’m on a first name basis with the security guard Keith…it’s kind of sad). I’m also vegan, which doesn’t help — ND advertised a bunch of vegan options, but if you don’t want to eat a bunch of completely unseasoned vegetables and rice, the only two options are hot sauce salads and veggie burgers…again, kind of sad. So, if you have any dietary restrictions, that’s also something to consider. I’m currently planning on transferring to Vanderbilt, because I feel as though it’s an overall better fit. I really hope this didn’t come off as too negative, but these are things I definitely would have liked to know before committing! If you have any other questions, just @ me, and I’ll try to respond as quickly as I can!
I am also a current freshman, and I have to say that my experience is totally different from LifewithLia. It is true that there is a big drinking culture here, but it is only as big as you want it to be. You can always find people who do not like these parties and find things to do on the weekends together. And truth be told, the people who party all the time are the minority. Most of the people who drink excessively do not really bother others. However, if you like to party, there is nothing holding you back as there are a lot of dorm parties and off-campus parties.
Football weekends are the main highlight of the semester. I am getting into football, surprising for someone whose first game was this semester. The school spirit is great and is a great change from high school. There is great pride in going to this school and this can especially be seen on football weekends. During the week days, most people focus on school and their work. For me, my social time during the week is my dinners and lunch with my friends.
It is true that most people stay on campus, there really is nothing to do off of campus. However, this does not mean that there is nothing to do on campus. You can always find something to do with your friends. Every week there is a newsletter where the schools lists out all the activities it is hosting for the next week. Overall, college is what you make it. I believe that there is a community here for everyone and if you get in and decide to come, you will find your place.
@LifewithLia Sorry to hear that your experience at Notre Dame is less/different than you expected. It also sounds like your emotions are translating into seeing a lot of negative in even small aspects of student life at ND (Uber costs?, vegan entrees?, long Starbucks lines on football Saturdays? people walking around on football Saturdays?). The fact that ND is pretty much a campus based experience should come as no surprise.
Certainly college is a lot more than going to class and studying until 11:00 PM every night - and you should find an environment that better supports your personality/preferences/interests - though I have a hard time believing that Notre Dame in monolithic in its culture (as tsumtsumlover points out - you can make of it pretty much what you want). Having said that, your choice of Vanderbilt as your potential next destination seems surprising. Like Notre Dame, it is a work hard/play hard environment - with the addition of fraternities and a southern culture. Similarly pre-professional, but without the Catholic overlay (service, faith, values, community, etc.). It does, however, have Nashville. Where do you see a “fit” at Vanderbilt that does not exist at Notre Dame?
I’m really sorry it is not going well for you @LifewithLia . There are some nuggets in your post that are similar to S2’s experience as a sophomore and a few differences as others have pointed out.
Similar:
- S2 does not drink, thus does not attend the dorm parties. People cram into a room, doors closed, music turned up so loud you can’t talk to anyone, drinking beer and kind of dance as space permits. Definitely not his thing. He is trying to get a regular game night organized that would include female students who are not really interested in the parties. He loves to dance and socialize so will go to the other events like Fall Formal.
- It is demanding academics and 99% serious students. Yes, people find time to hang out and have fun but it is largely contained to Friday and Saturday. He does get some secondary social time with his clubs and at his campus job.
- South Bend. No lie, it is not a great city but it is functional. There is a lot more to the area for someone willing to explore. S2 grew up around mountains and a cool city in a very safe suburb where you could walk around at night with no cares. Life for him is on campus or at apartments of those he knows.
Differences:
- Except for football home games, the bus to the stores leaves every half hour from the library, not that difficult. Student ID is all you need. Can confirm, don’t Uber on game day. Lime Bikes are available.
- Random roommate assignments work at least as well as ones matched by interests. Someone asked that question at Accepted Student Days. The dorm rector and one of the RAs just kind of looked at each other, then said that there were some small issues but no one was close to needing to change rooms. Our older two kids went to a large state school where they match using a questionnaire. S1 switched after first semester and D’s roommate switched out the first week. S2 at ND is living with his randomly assigned roommate again this year.
- ND ranks very highly on happiest students lists, student retention, and 4-year graduation rates. S2 is no exception and is loving his time there.
Just to add on to Magnetron’s observations, my son is a Freshman at ND. He has commented that his group of friends are quite diverse. While there is some overlap, he has friends he studies with, friends he plays pick-up basketball with, residence hall friends that he does dorm based events with, and friends that he goes to parties with. His schedule is absolutely 100% focused on academics Sunday through Thursday - with casual sports to blow off steam.He gets along well with his roomate and they are respectful of each other. He has enjoyed the football culture (particularly given his initial exposure to it) but has left Saturday night games a little early if Sunday is going to be a big study day and spends Saturdays before the game now mostly sleeping in or relaxing rather than always engaged in the pre-football hoopla.He actually enjoyed the week-end when ND had their first road football game as he had more flexibility in his schedule. He definitely does not feel isolated at ND, but is able to make time and space for himself when he needs to. He is happy and at home there.
We seem to be experiencing a CC tradition on this board: one student posted their experiences and immediately a score of people write contrary posts. Everyone may be correct, it is all a matter of individual perceptions, but it is a bit sad how people seem to want to be sure that negative/contrarian views are immediately refuted. Personally, I feel the value of CC is having different opinions expressed.
@exlibris97 the OP wanted to know what life is like. Both sides have weighed in. That’s how it should work. I don’t see anything sad here.
I’m a bit confused by post #7. @exlibris97 writes that “I feel the value of CC is having different opinions expressed,” yet seems to find it “sad” (?) when different perspectives are offered.
I actually think the general vibe of this thread is very supportive, and not sad or defensive at all. I did not think anyone dismissed @LifewithLia 's concerns out of hand either. Some posters noted that @LifewithLia might be letting some areas of concern impact other areas as well. For example, I’ve visited ND in the summer, but it would not surprise me in the slightest that Uber would cost more when there are about 70,000 non-students visiting South Bend on a football weekend.
I have a son who is a Freshman at Notre Dame. He went to a Catholic High school. While Notre Dame was not his first choice he was pretty excited when he was accepted. The first few months, however, have been a complete disaster. He has developed a good group of 4 or 5 friends and his classes are going well. When he came home for mid semester break it was exceedingly tough to get him to finish out the semester. We tried to get our arms around why he disliked the school so much and what we heard was 1) most kids blindly love the school and if the school says “jump” they say “how high”? 2) the administration is really focused on students becoming a force for good and a lot of students came in with aspirations of being a doctor or lawyer or banker and the Development office has steered them towards social work, teaching etc (I saw this firsthand during the Development Office presentation at Welcome Weekend) and 3) the campus is so big - 1300 acres and the student body so small 8,000 students the campus can seem like a morgue (looked at other schools campus size versus student body population and there is some merit there).
He is my 4th child in college so I have been through this and I find most kids who don’t like there school Frosh year don’t have a good set of friends. He does. Or there classes are not going well. His are going fine based on mid term grades. And yet he viscerally dislikes the school and is working on a list of schools to apply to for next year.
Has anybody else experienced the same and did it get better with time?
@ND2022Dad I am really sorry to hear that your son is unhappy at ND. My daughter (Catholic high school that is a feeder to ND, high stats, attended NDLS) applied to ND REA but is now having reservations about several things (distance, isolation, weather, size of campus) but also the fact that a bunch of kids from her high school (legacies and/or children of people who wrote huge checks) were admitted in past years and will likely be again in a few weeks. I think you are on a good path by encouraging him to give it some more time while still supporting his efforts to explore transferring. Maybe the list of potential schools will help you understand what he dislikes most about ND (e.g. looking at urban schools etc). Hope it works out.
@ND2022Dad Not sure I’ll have much wisdom to add here, but a friend of mine 2 years ahead of me in high school did go through a time during his freshman year where he was really not sure he made the right choice in going to ND. Maybe similar to what your son is experiencing, my friend just didn’t like the lack of diversity among the students. He also found the dorm life to be a little too frat-like on occasion, although he did make a few friends early on and had a great roommate.
For him, the reputation of ND made him stick it out, and he had a much better sophomore year. He got involved in a few clubs on campus, didn’t try to be overly social like he’d been his first year, and avoided the heavy drinking scene that didn’t do much for him. He stuck it out, but when I saw him that first Christmas break after he started at ND, I was sure he was going to transfer.
@ND2022Dad As Geronimo Alpaca has noted, sometimes it just takes a little longer for kids to find their niche - and much of that is directly tied to getting involved more broadly if the general atmosphere of the school or the residence hall life (which can be a blessing, making a large campus feel much smaller) isn’t cutting it. I think the Notre Dame football culture (and associated activities) marks the campus particularly strongly in the Fall semester - but may not be reflective of a full four year experience. There are a lot of students who do absolutely love ND and buy into the traditions, the administration and sports culture wholeheartedly - which can exacerbate the situation for a student who is still not completely settled, is actively questioning campus values or worse, viscerally dislikes the environment. I am truly glad that your son has found a circle of friends that he is comfortable with and that his academics are going well. As the father of four, you know things could be a lot worse. I would follow the twin path of supporting a look at other schools, based as specifically as possible on addressing his current frustrations, while at the same time seeing what options may exist at ND to improve his experience. Sometimes these things are really hard to quantify but, when it doesn’t feel right, it may not be right for your son - and attempts to understand exactly why can fall short.
I truly wish you and your son all the best as you sort through this together.
I totally agree with this.^^. Things may change once the football season is over. Kids typically change their focus to other things in the spring semester - deeper involvement with clubs and activities within the dorm, etc. But if your kid just isn’t feeling the vibe that’s ok too. I am scratching my head a little about your second point. I have 2 kids there now, older one is a poli sci major major and she’s never felt steered anywhere. The support she received from both the dean of her particular major and from A&L has been pretty incredible .
Rereading this: if your son doesn’t feel like ND is the place for him, that’s OK. I’d let him explore transfer options. At the end of the day, We want our kids in a place where they are happy.
My DS is planning to major in accounting. They have a pretty specific plan for Accounting majors, e.g, internship timing, expected interview timing. He is feeling like its pretty locked in. Whether that path will happen exactly as scheduled, we will see. As @suzy100 mentioned, we have not heard of any “steering”. I got the impression at welcome weekend that ND is rather proud of the number of MDs and JDs they produce. To @ND2022Dad , I am on my 2nd and 3rd DS in college. Our experience is that all three are managing the transition differently. Good luck in your effort to help you son decide what makes sense for him, stick it out at ND or look for another option.
@lastone03 You may be correct but the fact that the OP is in such a minority suggests that not all views are being voiced.
In the end, the OP needs to make own decision. Two things LifewithLia made me remember from my time there in the 80s is that 1) given ND is just not in a big city, stuff you could do in that type of environment - just isn’t available at ND, and up to OP if a big deal or not and 2) ND football weekends are big events with lots of people on campus. Have to decide if like that type of energy or not. I still remember alumni knocking on my Lyons dorm door during football weekends… because they had lived there back in the day. From taking my kids to see various colleges, it reminded me that ND just had a strong personality of its own that either is a good fit or not.
For me, and others I know, some of the best parts of student life were the quiet ones found on campus … walking around the lakes or going to the Grotto - just not on a football weekend 
Can students comment on the sleepover restrictions and separate male female dorms? Does that mean less of a hookup culture at Notre Dame or really that just goes off campus and Notre Dame has as much sex as any campus?
Thanks.
So I am asking about the current view of parietals at ND. Are they followed and strict or just everyone ignores
this sleepover rule?
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-notre-dame/1121263-punishment-question.html