<p>Notre</a> Dame looking to improve research, join elite -- chicagotribune.com</p>
<p>lol I read that today by accident when I googled something, did not check the date of the article, and just figured it was an older article. Anyways, I do get why some alumni might be worried, Notre Dame feels very much like a liberal arts college and many probably love that aspect of it and do not want to see it disappear. However, maybe it is time to put more into research because I do not see how else to climb the rankings, in the shortrun, without doing so.</p>
<p>The undergrad is far stronger than the grad school in part due to the research which is part of the reason I went elsewhere for grad school…didn’t even apply to ND (there were other reasons for that, don’t get me wrong, Psych is a strong program there).</p>
<p>It really presents opportunities for the undergrads. Unlike pretty much anywhere else, there is a good chance that the undergrad population is better than the grad population, and professors know this. I have actually heard profs say they prefer working with their undergrads than their grad students and there are internal research grants specifically for undergrads. Take advantage of this if you want a PhD someday, it was huge for me as I got a lot more research experience than I could have anywhere else!</p>
<p>A rule I made up, but it pretty much holds true, is the stronger the undergrad the worse it is for grad students and vice versa. Keep that in mind when you apply. For instance, I taught two sections of Psych 101 my first year of grad school, one year out of ND. At ND, you either have to have a PhD or be teaching the course with a PhD most of the time if you are a grad student. Just something to think about.</p>
<p>One of the reasons our student chose to attend ND was indeed the push to focus on research. When he was looking at various schools, he was told by a ND rep (back in 2005) that there was indeed a move on to try to focus more on research at the campus. I think he felt that given the size of ND and that there would be an emphasis, ND would be one of his top choices in terms of applying. Sounds like they are trying to follow thru even more!</p>
<p>I think Jenkins’ attitude is AWESOME about ND’s progress as a university over the past 20 years and now into the future. Under his leadership, I would not be surprised to see ND ranked in the Top 10 in the USN&WR rankings within the next decade.</p>
<p>I’ll second that ^.</p>
<p>Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if by the time I’ve graduated from ND, it’s ranked like top 12 in the USWNR and ahead of Cornell, Brown, Northwestern, etc. Then I can meet up with my HS buddies, many of whom attend top 20 universities, and really stick it in their faces. Hopefully, by then, ND football will also be back where it belongs. That’s when it gets really fun. =)</p>
<p>They should spend $40 million on an enclosed lazy river on South Quad so I don’t have to walk to debart on those winter mornings</p>
<p>We have heard from some old alums about some kind of tunnel system that used to exist years ago. Anyone know anything about this? Maybe this could be the lazy river you are looking for bpayne1!</p>
<p>Yeah, there are steam tunnels going everywhere on campus. You can tell where they are, because the snow melts over them first. You can get into them through the basements of most of the older dorms. Don’t get caught, because the admin doesn’t want people in them, and you didn’t hear this from me.</p>
<p>Yes I can see why they would not want people to know… Alot of pranks can be pulled in those tunnels lol.</p>
<p>My freshman year RA received his only ResLife as the result of some illicit spelunking in the tunnels his sophomore year. He walked from the Gug Sports Complex and came up in SDH, hoping to take the service elevator up from the food prep level and walk out the front door. He and his friends, instead, walked directly into 5 NDSP cops. Hilarity ensued.</p>
<p>You can usually get into the tunnels through any major construction project where foundations have to be poured. You were able to get in through Duncan Hall and the Law School extension before they closed them up. Not that I would know. You should be able to get in through the new girls’ dorm on West Quad. </p>
<p>Not that I know anything about this, or anything.</p>