Notre Dame party life

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Notre Dame
1

Ok so I’m stuck with the impossible decision of choosing between USC and Notre Dame.

I’ve been admitted to both business schools and the costs are roughly the same. Now all I have left to do is to determine if Notre Dame’s social life is too weak to make up for its academic superiority.

So from what I’ve heard, Notre Dame has:

  • mostly small, crowded, uneventful dorm parties
  • not much in terms of large(over 50)/club style parties due to no Greek life
  • somewhat strained gender relations due to parietals
  • better but somewhat sketchy off-campus parties
  • not much going on on weekdays
  • ban on premarital sex
  • ruthless prohibition on drugs
  • general lack of exciting social activity

Can somebody please tell me I’m wrong

^:)^

2

I’ve heard the same thing about most of those points, however I’m not a student there. So take this with a grain of salt.

3

Partying sounds pretty important to you. From your various posts on CC, it sounds like it’s almost equally important as the academic side of things. I would suggest USC.

4

I’m not a party person, but no, there are no “social gatherings” (their term) of probably more than 30 people on campus. That’s what you fit in a dorm room. That’s excluding the team houses, where things can get pretty rowdy. We really do work a lot more than party from my perspective. The last point is subjective - if you want to get wasted every night and have 10 hookups a week, then no, it’s not exciting. That’s not what we’re here for. But it’s not dead, we just find other things to do. Football season is better - second semester is definitely quieter.

5

You’re not wrong. USC has much better parties, if that’s what you’re asking. If you’re on the fence between the two schools, and if partying is something important to you, I’d definitely pick USC. From what I’ve read, though, dorm parties can get pretty crazy, as the rectors de facto allow drinking in men’s dorms.

This blog is a good resource for finding out more about ND social life:
http://thingsnotredamestudentslike.blogspot.com/2010/11/98-dorm-parties.html

6

To me, these schools are night and day - you can’t really compare them. So, what do you want? From your question, it sounds like USC is a much better fit.

7

Funny thing is several of the factors you list as making Notre Dame’s social life “weak” are things that my daughter and presumably many ND students think contribute to a very strong and balanced social life there. If you’re looking for club style parties and drugs, it should go without saying that a small Catholic university in Indiana shouldn’t be high on your list - big state schools would be up your alley. If you’re looking for a tight knit community, strong school spirit, and to spend a lot of your free time engaged in club activities, service work and rec sports, then ND is an easy winner.

8

All of our kids reported an extensive party culture, both in the men’s dorms and at the many team and special interest houses off campus. Actually, it was one of the things they most disliked during their freshman year, when they were forced to clean up after sick roommates and pick up friends who were unable to drive home from off-campus parties. Notre Dame is not BYU. But I agree with the other posters that if the party scene is your primary focus, you should decline the offer from Notre Dame and go elsewhere. My sense is that students who come here with concerns about the supposedly adverse effects of the lack of a Greek system and the existence of parietals do not enjoy their campus experience nearly as much as those who are attracted rather than repelled by the aspects of Notre Dame that set it apart from most other schools.

9

The party life at ND is basically nonexistent. ND’s parties are usually small - size of your dorm. It is nothing like a state university where they have tons of greek life house parties. ND doesn’t even have greek life. ND is also located in a somewhat rural town - I mean it isn’t close to a big city like Chicago where you could visit. If partying is important to you then you won’t be happy at ND. Also, they have strict curfews where the opposite sex must leave the dorms. I believe it is around midnight but I forget! It’s later on the weekends but earlier during the week.

10

@newjersey17 You are correct - it’s 12am on weekdays and 2am on Friday/Saturday.

OP, if you are going to try and do drugs, I would not recommend coming here. You WILL get kicked out. Premarital sex, however, is very common (although I think technically it’s prohibited in Du Lac).

As a current student, I definitely second what @emmamarie said - if one of your primary concerns is about the lack of a Greek Life system/party scene, I do not think that ND may be the best choice for you.

11

I’m smiling a little at the responses here. My D is a freshman, and there are plenty of dorm parties. There’s also a club that students go to in town on Thursday nights. There are no “strained” gender relations because of parietals. She’s had a very active social life there. However, I do agree that most kids don’t party during the week (well, they do starting Thursday) so if that’s a big deal to you, ND may not be the best fit. Drugs are a big no no and really will get you kicked off campus.

12

@suzy100 I don’t know if they eased up in recent weeks, but the club that all the students went to (Fever) got very strict about fakes after a bust happened.

13

Yep, I heard @IvyHopeful98. I’m pretty sure they will make a come back.

14

Notre Dame really doesn’t have a huge party scene compared to other schools: sure there are dorm parties and some off campus houses, but that simply doesn’t compare to the frats at USC. I’d recommend trying to visiting a friend from high school who’s a current student and spending a weekend.

15

@NHB123 Yeah, that sounds about right. Some of the bigger dorm parties (in multiple adjoined rooms) can clear 50, but they still suck unless you’re at the level of trashed where any party seems fun. The only dorm parties I enjoyed were the ones where it was just like 30 people I knew hanging out to music and/or doing something like 40s at 4.

The off-campus parties are a bigger deal and often less “sketchy” than you seem to portray. Most male dorms have at least one “house” of former residents off campus who throw parties often, as well as the sports houses and other miscellaneous people. You can find an off campus party every Thursday/Friday/Saturday if you’re looking for them, but they do vary wildly in quality. They’re much better as a junior/senior when you actually know the people in the houses.

Then there are the bars, and tons of people get fake IDs freshman year, but there are bars everywhere so that’s not really a point for any one school. Brothers is a cool bar within walking distance of campus, but the other “bar scene” bars (Feve, Finny’s, both of which are more like clubs) are further away. They also kind of suck in my opinion, but I prefer normal bars to clubs. Oh, and there’s the Backer. After my four years at ND, I still can’t tell if I love or hate the Backer.

If you like ND a lot and also want to party, you’ll have plenty of fun. But if one of your top priorities is going to the school with the biggest, best parties, you should probably go elsewhere. ND is great if you want a tight knit community, focus on service, religious connection, and/or the most athletic school in the country. You don’t need to want all of those things (I’m not religious and loved it), but it would not rate highly as a party school, even though there are tons of parties (just not huge/wild frat parties)

@wneely16 Yeah, ND is a wet campus, so beer and wine are allowed in the dorms for students 21+. However, for students under 21, the policy (in every male dorm at least) is to not search rooms or common rooms, so unless you’re out in the hall with it, you’re not going to get busted. Just have someone 21+ carry it in, or put it in a bag. You notice a lot of freshmen and sophomores moving around luggage on Friday afternoons haha.

@newjersey17 Ha, tragic to hear the impression of South Bend as a rural town. Used to be a major industrial city spoken of in the same breath as Detroit (if not as large). Where have you gone, Studebaker…

@silverdrop You’re kind of exaggerating saying you “WILL” get kicked out for doing drugs. I had tons of friends who smoked weed, on campus and off, and one who was constantly tripping on acid in the dorm on weekends (as well as a couple others who did it occasionally). If you’re smart and hide the evidence, there aren’t people hunting you down.

@IvyHopeful98 If Feve disappeared, I’m convinced nothing of value would be lost. I love bars, but god do I hate that place. Thousands of drunk freshmen might disagree, however.