<p>I understand that football is huge at ND, but I am not a huge fan of football and am not enthralled to spend hundreds of dollars, especially since I do not have much money, on tickets. In the classic discussion topic, people said they camped out in the library or in the dorm rooms. Do many people not attend? Should I not attend or is it too much a part of the ND culture to miss, regardless of my preferences and scarcity of cash?</p>
<p>Instead of football, I enjoy watching racing, basketball, MMA, and pro wrestling--it's scripted but entertaining--and participate in tennis, ping pong, and badminton. Do any ND students watch on TV or attend UFC, NASCAR, or WWE shows?</p>
<p>The food question: Do students usually eat three times per day in the dining halls or restaurants? If so, the "board" part of my room & board cost is food, correct?</p>
<p>Food - yes it’s included in the “room and board” fee. Details on the 2 plans here, note that 99% are on the Gold plan. </p>
<p>[Resident</a> (On-Campus) Undergraduate // Food Services // University of Notre Dame](<a href=“http://food.nd.edu/meal-planscard-services/resident-on-campus-undergraduate/]Resident”>http://food.nd.edu/meal-planscard-services/resident-on-campus-undergraduate/)</p>
<p>Football - I’d guess about 30 percent of incoming students never really followed football. After 4 years at ND, about 97% of those have been converted and have grown to love football (well at least ND football).</p>
<p>I HATED football before I went to ND and now I love it and am a diehard Irish fan. And the football games/pregames/tailgates/etc were some of my favorite times at ND. My advice to you is to buy tickets freshman year- if nothing else, it will be good bonding time for you and your new friends. If you still hate it by the end of the year, then don’t buy tickets for sophomore year. Chances are, you’ll be converted as well, if not to love the game, to at least love going to ND games- they really are an experience that transcends the football itself.</p>
<p>If money is really an issue, talk to your rector. There are often dorm funds available to purchase football tickets for those who demonstrate financial need or they can hook you up with some dorm tasks to earn a little extra cash to go towards buying them (cleaning fans, shoveling steps, painting, etc). The games are such an integral part of campus life that they really want to make sure no one misses them due to limited finances.</p>
<p>As for the other sports, I’m sure you can find people to watch them with you. You’ll definitely find people to watch basketball with you. And a lot of the dorms have ping pong tables in their lounges, so you should have ample opportunity to play. Be sure to bring your own ping pong balls though, since they tend to go missing as they are appropriated for other purposes…</p>
<p>^rectors do have extra money to help with tickets, so that is a very good piece of advice. </p>
<p>I would definitely recommend buying them. I know some friends who weren’t into football but love the entire atmosphere…a football weekend at ND is unlike anything else…it is really something that every student should experience.</p>