<p>I'm currently finishing my freshman year at Notre Dame, so I'd be more than willing to answer any questions prospective students have about ND. Plus, I'm just coming back to this board (haven't posted in a long time) so you can get some fresh answers from someone you haven't heard from before. Congrats to all who have already gotten in as well as those who will get in very soon! :)</p>
<p>thanks for offering your information.
What is it like at Notre Dame on the weekends...I have heard there isn't much to do and feel like I might be stuck on campus for four years...also, is the University extremely strict? what is the course load like...? thanks!</p>
<p>During the fall, much of Notre Dame social life revolves around football. The Fridays before home games, there is a pep rally usually held in the JACC (though we had pep rallies for the Penn State and Michigan games in the stadium this year). Those are a lot of fun...attendance declined as the season progressed but those who did go enjoyed themselves and represented their dorms with pride. Additionally, every Friday night/Saturday morning at midnight, drummers circle is held, which consists of the ND Drumline performing many of the favorite ND cheers and there is always a large crowd encircling them, cheering along. Saturday mornings on home football weekends consist of tailgates, the band concert on the steps of Bond Hall, the football players processing from the Basilica to the Stadium, and of course, the game. After the games, most people go to the dining halls for their special "candlelight buffets" they have after every home game, or if a close friend has their parents in town, they will often take a group out to dinner. Sundays tend to be for relaxation after the hoopla of Friday and Saturday, and for catching up on homework. Of course, you can get as involved in football games and the fun surrounding them as you want, but the opportunity to base your entire weekend around football is certainly there.</p>
<p>Additionally, during football season as well as the rest of the year, many dorms hold "signature events" on weekends. This past Saturday alone, I went to the Welsh Family Feud (a version of the game show with free food and prizes) and the Rambler Scrambler (a Siegfried event, where many dorms built a golf hole and they set up a mini-golf course in Stepan Center, along with tons of free food and a game watch of the ND hockey play-off game). Sporting events are very fun and quite popular--student tickets to every sport except football and mens basketball are free, and taking in a lacrosse, tennis, baseball, or hockey (just to name a few) game is a great thing to do on the weekends. Additionally, last weekend alone, there were two comedy shows that played, a glee club concert, a dance show, there is always a second-run movie (this weekend's was "We Are Marshall") that plays for only $3, and a myriad of other events that I'm sure I didn't even know about. Of course, there are always plenty of off-campus parties in houses and apartment complexes close to campus, and dorm parties in many male dorms for the (mostly) freshman and sophomore crowd. Of course, you also have to make SOME time to do your homework....but that's what Sundays are for. Basically, there is always SOMETHING to do, and never enough time to do it all. </p>
<p>The University is somewhat strict in some regards. We have parietals, which means guys can't be in girls' dorm rooms after 12am during the week, and 2am on Friday and Saturday nights, and vice versa. However, there are common rooms in every dorm that members of either gender can be in at all times, and of course there are many public spaces that guys and girls can both be in at any hour. However, for every person that complains about parietals, you'll find just as many, if not more, people that like how parietals prohibit their roommate from having their significant other in the room all night, and how the dorms quiet down a bit after 12/2 giving people a chance to sleep. The University is also strict about hard alcohol, and does fine people heavily when they are caught with it, but as long as you don't do anything stupid, the University won't be out to get you and you'll be fine. </p>
<p>The course load varies greatly with your major. Engineering, science, and architecture students are stereotypically known to have the most, and hardest, work, but there are exceptions to that, of course. A normal course load for a freshman is 15 credits (5 classes) plus a 0 credit mandatory PE course. For the average student, the workload is challenging (harder than high school) but not overwhelming. There are distribution requirements that every student must take (for example, two sciences, two maths, two philosophies, two theologies, etc.) but I think it is a good overall program in that it exposes you to a little bit of everything.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any more questions!</p>
<p>thanks for all that info.</p>
<p>In regards to the engineering majors, are they so bogged down with the workload that they become, for lack of a better word, miserable?</p>
<p>Any idea on the job market for ND engineering grads?</p>
<p>Well, I just talked to an ND engineering student -- </p>
<p>It's "easy" to maintain a healthy balance between school work and free time, and the job market is "strong," with an average starting salary of $50,000.</p>
<p>It also depends on how "good" you are at engineering....I know some engineers who have such a natural aptitude for the subject that they breeze through all their work with straight As, and others that work tirelessly at it and still just don't do as well as they want to simply because they don't have the natural science and math abilities that others have. So, the level of talent you already know you have at math and science must play into your decision of whether or not to study engineering here. However, almost every engineer here still has plenty of time to socialize, sleep, and all that good stuff.</p>
<p>For the class of 2005, the average starting salary of an aerospace engineering major was $49,913, chemical engineering $52,888, civil engineering $45,500, computer engineering $49,071, computer science $47,942, electrical engineering $50,013, and mechanical engineering $52,019.
There is a high demand for engineers in general....I don't really know how an ND engineering degree vs. an engineering degree from another school directly compares. However, I am quite familiar with Georgia Tech (I live in Atlanta and know many people who go there) and graduates from their engineering school make, on average, between $60,000-$65,000 per year straight out of school. So, if making a college decision solely on the quality of the engineering school and job opportunities after graduation, and not focusing on anything else, a cheaper state school like Georgia Tech may make more sense in the long run.</p>
<p>happygirl837,
I'm also from Georgia, and I was wondering: how hard was it for you to adjust to the colder climate at ND?</p>
<p>Haha, the weather is definitely what I like least about Notre Dame. From mid-January when we came back from winter break to the end of February was absolutely frigid, and I've heard that time period was the coldest this region has been in many years. It snows a lot and it snows often, so that definitely took some getting used to, as well as the heavy winds and -25 degree windchills. However, that being said, my reward for sticking out the winter was a lovely week this past week, where it was sunny and in the 70s every day except one. So yes, it took some getting used to (wearing sweatpants and snow boots under my formal dress to walk to a dance was quite a strange experience for me...) but buy a heavy winter coat and some boots and you'll be fine. I'm glad I chose to go to school in a new place to force me to leave my comfort zone. Plus, it just makes me appreciate Georgia more when I return for breaks than I ever did during my 13 years of living there. Long story short, the weather will be an adjustment, but you'll probably end up finding yourself throwing the first snowball during the annual North Quad/South Quad snowball fight on the first really snowy day of the year!</p>
<p>P.S. Where in Georgia do you live?</p>
<p>happygirl837, what would u consider the weaknesses of Notre Dame, and also what is it like to get a job after u graduate from Notre Dame (undergraduate)?</p>
<p>As I said above, the weather is one of ND's biggest weaknesses. The surrounding city of South Bend is not one of ND's strengths either....it's not a very safe area and it doesn't provide many real cultural attractions. However, so much is going on on-campus and Chicago isn't that far away, so it is not a big deal to me. </p>
<p>One weakness of ND, or rather the 'average' ND student, is that many are simply apathetic when it comes to politics and current events. We live in such a bubble that many people seemingly have no idea what's going on in the world outside of South Bend, Indiana. There are certainly political clubs and the like to join, but the average student does not seem to care much about politics, etc. The Student Government initiated just this year the College Readership Program, providing stands with free copies Monday-Friday of the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today newspapers in both dining halls and a few other locations around campus to attempt to increase knowledge of our world around us, and I cannot applaud them enough for passing that initiative and making that happen. </p>
<p>Another weakness is that a few of the professors here should not have tenure. They may be fantastic researchers, but they have very little teaching ability. I had one professor last semester that was just simply not a very good teacher, and everyone just had to basically teach themselves the material for the tests. Additionally, not related to tenure, but I had another teacher last semester that was a graduate student that was not very good either. Although it was only a 30 person class, over half the class didn't even show up for most classes, and the teacher was so incredibly dull....needless to say, I did not learn much. However, I am in three 200-level classes this semester with mostly upperclassmen and I love all of them, in addition to the two mostly-freshmen classes I am in as well. So I'm hoping that the quality of the classes beyond a few of the freshmen intro courses is great, as it seems to be. </p>
<p>Since I am only a freshman, I have little experience with the Career Center and job searches, so you may want to ask someone about this that is a bit older than I am. There are several Career Fairs held on campus every year, with about a hundred employers at each. I went to the Winter one just to get a feel for what they are like; I advise doing that Freshman year, so that when you go to a fair actually looking for a job, you know a bit about the proper protocol. ND has great name recognition around the country, and the alumni networks are famous for being so strong and supportive, so I think ND is one of the best undergraduate schools to have on your resume. I personally plan to get a job right after graduation, and not attend graduate school, so I believe that the ND ties will help me land a good first job.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any more questions!</p>
<p>happygirl
thank you for all of that info...I appreciate it and learned a great deal about ND. I havent been on in a couple of days so I wasn't able to look at your response until now..thanks again!</p>
<p>Wow! thank you for such great answers. i love reading ur posts, and they rly help alot!</p>
<p>happygirl837, thanks for the info about the weather. Its been one of my key concerns in deciding whether to go to ND. By the way, I live in a town in Northwest Georgia called Dalton (known for being the "Carpet Capital of the World").</p>
<p>Thanks for the compliments everyone!</p>
<p>collegesportsfan: I totally know where Dalton is; I've driven through it many times. I live in Alpharetta, a suburb of metro Atlanta. Let me know if you have any other questions about ND!</p>
<p>happygirl--
Did you really have a class taught by a TA or was that one of the smaller review sessions? We were told that all classes are taught by professors. Is there a certain department where you think that the teachers are not as good as the rest? Thanks for any info !</p>
<p>According to the ND website, "Approximately 90% of courses taught at the University are taught by professors; however, the College takes seriously its responsibility to prepare future professors for the classroom, so graduate assistants and fellows instruct students in the First Year Composition Program, in some introductory Theology courses, and in some tutorials for larger lectures."</p>
<p>I had a graduate student teach my Introduction to Philosophy course last semester that all students must take; however, if you don't take it the first semester of your freshman year, you can pick your teacher (like for any other class) but since I took it first semester, I did not have a choice for my professor. She was not considered a "Teaching Assistant" per se, because she did not grade papers, conduct review sessions, or help the teacher; she WAS the sole teacher. However, I am in a 200-level philosophy course this semester called Morality and Modernity (everyone is required to take two philosophy courses before graduation, and since I don't like the subject very much, I chose to finish my requirement this year to get it out of the way). The professor for this course is quite good, MUCH better than the graduate student I had last semester, and he lectures twice a week to a 150 person class. Then, every Friday, we have a discussion section led by a TA. Mine is only eight students. I also had tutorials once a week for my calculus and physics classes last semester that were taught by TAs, but a professor taught the actual lecture portion of the course three days a week. All of my other courses have been taught by professors, and TAs are only used for grading papers and conducting review sessions. I have not heard of a specific department that generally has worse teachers than any other, but rather, in general most of the professors are quite good with a few bad ones spread out among all departments. Hope that helped a little bit and feel free to ask me if you have any other questions!</p>
<p>Thanks for answering!</p>
<p>hey guys. i'm from a REALLY small town and a REALLY small catholic school (1st of 45 seniors) and i managed to get into ND. I'm wondering what it will be like to have a class of more than 20 people. lol. I love the catholic character and academics of ND, but it almost seems too big. Can u change my mind? thanks.</p>
<p>dec27- I have never really had a problem with having larger classes. Coming from a small high school (graduating class of about 90), most of my classes were 8-20 people, and I was a bit concerned. But, even though you won't necessarily get to know your professors as well as you would in a smaller class, it doesn't make learning the material any more difficult. If you have a question, its very easy to ask the question in class or find the professor or a TA after class. And there is a surprising amount of interaction with the students in the larger classes. Some of my large lecture classes actually have more student interaction than my seminar class (although my seminar class is probably an exception- my professor really likes to talk, lol). Also, not to sound like a slacker or anything, but having larger classes also means you can skip one every now and then without anyone noticing, which is helpful if you have a huge project due in another class or really need a nap after not sleeping for 30 hours. Also, 8000 undergrads seems like a lot, but it never faisl to astound me how everyone seems to know everyone else. And while you will keep meeting new people, you will most likely already have a mutual friend or share some common ground. And, no matter where you go, you will see people you know. Also, even though the switch to college life can be a bit overwhelming at first, ND really does have a very welcoming environment, so you won't ever feel completely lost among the crowd. Anyway, I hope that helped allay some of your fears. Let me know if you have any other questions.</p>