<p>I'm considering going to ND, but a few things I've read about it have me a little concerned, so if someone could answer my questions that would be great. Ok, I love the fact that its Catholic, has great school spirit, and great academics. However...</p>
<p>1) I am a SoCal girl born and bred (6th generation). I'm a little worried I'll feel ostracized from the "predominantly Mid-West" student body.</p>
<p>2) I am also a little concerned about weather. I believe that 60 degrees is cold. I hate cloudy weather. Does ND really not see the sun for half of the year? Please, please, please, tell me that it is sunny at least half of the time.
Do CA kids adapt? Will I have to get an entirely new wardrobe? I think actual seasons will be a good change of scenery, but not to an extreme. </p>
<p>3) How is the social scene? I know South Bend, Indiana probably isn't crazy, but I would like to go to a place where kids know how to have fun on the weekends, and not just at football games. I don't want to be locked in a dorm room studying for four years. I'm not an airhead; I do want to get a great education, but I also want to make friends and have a great overall life experience.</p>
<p>Notre Dame has 88% of students from out of state I think, so there should be many other non-midwesterners. As for the weather, yes, it is a drawback, but you might enjoy experiencing the seasons for the first time. You can get details about the climate of South Bend at weather.com.
Regarding your other questions, they have been addressed in the past. You could probably find some answers with a few minutes of searching.</p>
<p>Yes, I understand that there are "things to do" like going to the mall or whatever, but are kids actually social? Like, is the workload not so horrible that kids can have a good time during the weekend? Do ND students ever go up to Chicago or any other urban areas? Or is it too out of the way?</p>
<p>I have heard the workload is challenging but reasonable. I was there over a weekend and everyone seemed to have plenty of freetime. I would say the students were definitely very social, though not exactly hard partiers if that is what you are looking for. Not that there isn't plenty of partying, but there were many people who spent the weekend watching movies, playing sports, hanging out with friends, etc.<br>
I heard that most people don't go to Chicago often, however, it is only about a 1 hour train ride and a ticket is less than $20 I think.</p>
<p>remember though about the time differential. Thanks to the lovely governor Indiana is now running on daylights savings time...why? Honestly the fact that it is still light out at 8:30 PM is really, really, annoying. So now Indiana is obeying daylights savings time, and all but 8 counties are in the Eastern time zone - and yes St. Joe county is one of the eastern counties. So remember you will now always be gaining and losing that hour when you travel to Chicago...</p>
<p>emswim...how did you spend the weekend up here? Normal prospects are only allowed to visit Sunday - Thursday. Or were you Reilly and/or one of the admitted student programs? I think we all recognize why the administration normally doesn't let students come on a F,S night? </p>
<p>That having been said, it depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking to get drunk every weekend, I am sure you will be able to. If you never want to drink, likewise. That's part of what FroshO and the first couple of the weeks in the dorm will do for you. Allow you to form friends, and more importantly, those groups of people whom you want to hang out with....</p>
<p>When you think about it, the time change isn't that bad. You just have to remember it and once you get there it in essence takes an hour off your trip so that you have more time to do whatever in Chicago (though you pay on the way back, of course). I think it was worse when we were always different, it really threw people off. My parents would always ask me what time it was at ND because they couldn't keep track. When we visited here my junior year I remember us having no idea what time it would actually be, lol.</p>
<p>I lived in San Francisco for 13 years and now live in Indianapolis. They are two completely different worlds. You really need to visit Notre Dame and see what you think of the weather and the city. </p>
<p>I toured Notre Dame with my daughter last weekand during the tour a boy walked by and said....It's cold here 8 months out of the year and if you are from California don't come here.</p>
<p>I would argue with that boy that right now as I sit here it is in the mid 70's and I am rather hot. Regardless, while it may be a factor, don't decide to go to a school or not because of weather! Really, if you dress appropriately, the winter isn't all that bad. Granted, I was born and raised in Denver, but the winter really isn't as bad as people make it out to be (I think at least). Yes, it is annoying at times and you have to wear a coat, but let's be honest, you are inside most of the time anyways. It isn't as good for going out and running or walking or anything like that, most of that will have to be moved in-doors unless you want to bundle up (once again) but it is manageable.</p>
<p>I'll try to answer your questions in the way you asked 'em.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Predominately "Mid-West?" I suggest you check out the admitted students forum. I've met people from all over the country. People from SoCal, people from Singapore, India, Ireland, Florida, South Carolina, Connecticut, Oregon, and I'm from New York. Yea, the majority may be from the Midwest, but it's not by much. People are from all over.</p></li>
<li><p>Yea, the weather is cold. When I visited, it was 12 degrees, -7 with the windchill. My answer to that though, is layers. Lots of layers. You should be able to adapt to the weather. And yea, seeing the school in different seasons is beautiful. The weather, so I hear, can also be sporadic - warm one day, snow the next. But I think a place like ND is worth putting up with a little bit of snow. </p></li>
<li><p>ND is a serious Study Hard Play Hard school. Don't expect to go out and get smashed at huge parties every night, but on the weekend, there is always stuff to do. I think that ND is actually better because of its isolation - it makes it so that the students HAVE TO produce their own fun. Theres hundreds of student-sponsored events, a movie theater on campus, and the administration is good at getting relatively famous acts to come to the campus. The Black Eyed Peas and U2 have both performed on campus for students, free of charge.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>All in all, it's your decision, but it is a good idea that you're doing your research.</p>
<p>Notre Dame is decidedly NOT a midwestern school. My son has friends from all over the country, with no special concentration of any geographic area, either.</p>
<p>summerskter don't worry about the weather...
im traveling all the way from central america to go to nd n i WAS a little worried about the weather b/c i'm used to 365 days of sunshine a year, BUTTTT after thinking about it for long time i figured that college is about experiencing new things. i could've chosen to go to texas to pretty much live the lifestyle im used to. my other option was trinity university... there i would've paid half of what ill be paying in nd, a suite, my own bathroom, maid, the weather im used to, the city, n whatnot. pretty much the life im living right now... HOWEVER, i chose nd bc it's just so incredibly different. i think attending a university should be a completely new experience, thus... nd is where i'll be this fall.. i'll be in a tiny dorm, sharing a bathroom with a bunch of other people, with hardly any sun, cleaning after myself, and whole bunch of things im not used to. also, i think nd is worth the weather... ehmm i dont know, i've got a good feeling about notre dame, i think it'll be fun.</p>