Do research the core curriculum at ND, as students can be surprised by the theology and philosophy requirements for all students, regardless of major/college. Also, students should understand distinctive aspects of community life, such as parietals and single sex dorms.
And, as someone who moved to Indiana and wears the “Hoosier” mantle reluctantly, South Bend may not be a big city, but it actually has a pretty good quality of life, with a vibrant local arts scene, growing start-up culture, and great outdoors options, with bike trails along the river plus beautiful Lake Michigan beaches 45 minutes away The area right around campus is a bit of a “pre-fab” retail scene, but there are lots of downtown options to explore like Lang Lab for Latin dance, Fiddler’s Hearth, Vegetable Buddies for live music etc.