<p>Hi, my husband is taking our son at the end of July for a visit to Notre Dame. We live in NJ. They want to drive up and visit the U. of Chicago in the morning and then, rush over to Notre Dame for the information session and tour. Is there anything in particular they should do while there? Are there any spots that the tour doesn't cover, for instance? Thanks</p>
<p>My advice for admissions tours is to explore the places that you visit along the way after the tour is over. The admissions department selects the most important/ historically significant spots for the tours but the best thing you can do is wander around those same spots to get an idea of what campus is like. Normally most schools only lead you through a spot to show you where the most important spots. I remember touring Boston University and they didn't show me anything other than the lobbies of the places like the student union. Wander through places like LaFortune and DeBartolo. Stop at a dorm and talk to a rector to see if you can look around the dorm (the worst they can say is no you can't). </p>
<p>Also, if you are planning on visiting again or live close by, talk to the admissions dept. about having your son spend a night with a student host to get the inside perspective on life at ND.</p>
<p>Good luck with your son's selection process, cailg.</p>
<p>Also try and have a meal in whichever dining hall is open...after all, you could be eating there for four years, right?? (no worries, their food is amazing) And maybe see if the new Jordan Hall of Science is open, it's supposed to be awesome. The library is also a great building, and Coleman-Morse center has quite a few student areas, and houses the first year of studies office. Tell your son to enjoy his trip, and good luck with the college process!!</p>
<p>Thanks, the visit went well. My husband drove from NJ to Indiana (first went to Un. of Chicago), with my senior in HS and my younger son (12). All of them had the same reaction-"It was AMAZING!!!" My only concern is the distance. I definitely don't want to drive again. So, I am going to check into that small airport they have nearby and what the cost would be. The tour guide, who was great, said that he stays at school for Thanksgiving, Easter, and the Spring break. I had assumed my son would come home at those times, but I guess you don't know until you are in the situation.</p>
<p>Anyway, they really loved the religious pictures/murals, the grounds, the major selections, and the general way that it seems that the school puts the kids first.</p>
<p>The one nice thing is that ND has their own travel agency in the basement of LaFortune Student Center...sometimes you can get plane tickets at a bit of a break. When I flew out in March, the cost of the ticket was somewhere around $350 round trip, and I was flown right from Rochester, NY through Chicago into South Bend.</p>
<p>I'm really glad they enjoyed their trip...good luck in the coming months, and throughout senior year!!</p>
<p>bluebloodliberal, I see you are from NY. We are from NJ. How often do you go back home and do you fly? I am the parent of a boy seriously considering Notre Dame, and even much more so, after the visit this past weekend. Before the visit, he thought it was going to be Columbia or Princeton that he would apply to ED. Now, it may be Notre Dame EA. I assume that you are a liberal politically. So, are we. But many people assume that being liberal means your religion doesn't affect you. My son was very impressed by the Grotto, the murals such as The Last Supper, etc. To be honest, I would greatly miss him if he went to Notre Dame. But (and this will sound corny) as I read the literature, the mission statement, etc., I felt like crying because Notre Dame seems to take the responsibility of being Catholic to help the public good, the needy, and to build a loving community for the students. My huband said the tour guide, a wonderful history/pre med major from Minnesota, explained how focused the school is on the best intersts of the student. I couldn't ask for more for him. Yet, I still wish it were located in NY or NJ. He is receiving letters from Columbia, Yale, Dartmouth, etc.; but Notre Dame just seems to have that special quality. It doesn't hurt that he would get to see his favorite college football team (since he was 4) play home games. thanks, Carolyn</p>
<p>Hello, again, Carolyn!</p>
<p>This will be my freshman year, but after talking with mom and dad, I think I will be flying home for October break and Thanksgiving, and then probably driving over Christmas break. And what you say is absolutely not corny. I know (and I'm pretty sure everybody on campus knows) exactly what you mean. Whether a person is religious or not, there is something, well, magical about the place. And my mom feels the exact same way right now, too. Originally, I think she would have been much happier if I had stayed in state, but now that she sees how excited I am to go, she feels much more comfortable knowing that I will be somewhere where I will be having a great time and just loving life. Actually, she posts on the boards from time to time, and if you're interested in getting her perspective, she would be more than happy to talk to you. And my outlook seems very similar to yours - as a person who is a liberal and a rather nonpracticing Catholic, many people automatically assume that I'm immoral and with no interest in matters of faith. But at Notre Dame, I attended a mass in the basilica and was in awe of the sense of family everyone seems to have there. I didn't feel pressured to do anything except to keep an open mind, and I really felt as though everyone around me felt the same way. The campus is just such a welcoming place...I just don't have the words. But it seems as though your son and husband experienced it, which is the only way to do it!!</p>
<p>As far as all the other college opportunites, I always felt that just keeping an open mind, and, most importantly, an open heart during the college search is the best thing to do. At some point, your son will just know where he belongs. Whether that's at Notre Dame, or any of the other awesome schools he's looking at, he'll find his place! I hope that was some help, and if you're interested in chatting with my mom, I can give you her board name or e-mail...whatever works for you! Best of luck!</p>
<p>-Nick</p>
<p>Hi Nick! Yes, I would love to get your mom's perspective. The distance still concerns me. I think I "spoke" to you a little while back as well. Are you planning on coming home for Easter break and Spring break? thanks, Carolyn from NJ <a href="mailto:aigjr@aol.com">aigjr@aol.com</a></p>
<p>Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm coming home over both...my mom wouldn't have it any other way!! I'll pass your e-mail address along to her...she'll have plenty to say with the countdown til move in at less than twenty days!</p>
<p>Nick, so when you say you are going to drive from Indiana to NY and back over Christmas break, do you mean your parents are going to pick you up, or are you bringing a car to Notre Dame? </p>
<p>I bet you are excited about the home football games. My husband and younger son liked the fact that two family members also can get tickets. The price I am seeing from NJ to South Bend by air is around $350 round trip. It might be cheaper from NY. thanks again.</p>
<p>Just a piece of advice...</p>
<p>Stay away from flying into South Bend if at all possible. Try either O'Hare or Midway and take a bus, train, shuttle, etc. to ND. SBN has problems all the time and the extra cost and time of taking a connecting flight is just about the same as ground transportation. I've heard a lot of horror stories about SBN. I've only used SBN once and they lost my baggage on the way in and on the way out they delayed the flight 8 hours by telling us it will be another hour before they can fly at the top of every hour and then finally decided for us to take a bus out to O'Hare so we can catch flights. Plus if there's ever a situation where you need to get home in a hurry, there's only 4 gates I believeso you don't have many backup options.</p>
<p>Yes, my mom and dad will be coming to pick me up...first-years aren't allowed to have cars, but they sometimes relax the rule during the second semester. Although, I must say, the fact that I don't have one is a small problem too... :( But no big deal, from what I've heard, a car isn't really that necessary anyway; if you need to get somewhere, there's usually a friend you can bum a ride off of!</p>
<p>350 sounds about right too, especially when flying out of a smaller airport...that's the case with Rochester (it's an international airport, but I'm pretty sure the most international it gets is Toronto.)</p>
<p>I used to travel the 521 miles from the Bend for every break, Easter, TGiving, via car or train - it's not that far especially at 70mph (who goes the speed limit anyway?).</p>
<p>BlueBloodLiberal - I was a left-winger too when I went to ND but I came out a Dan Quayle/Ronald Reagan republican and still am. I call that "maturing."</p>
<p>There are a lot of NJ folks at ND -- it is one of the more highly represented states, so the distance doesn't seem to deter people too much. A lot of the folks who are from far away stay on campus for Thanksgiving and Easter. Actually, Easter is a very special time at ND -- the liturgies on campus are very moving.</p>
<p>I can only imagine how wonderful it must be during Easter, and I know I sound like an imature parent, but I would really miss having him present for the Easter Vigil Mass we attend every year and family dinner on Easter Sunday. I know, I have to get over it.</p>
<p>Cailg - You're not alone! My mom felt the same way!!</p>
<p>AlDomerDad- I can at least tell you this - my friends would die laughing if the same happened to me!! Let's just say I leave little doubt as to where I stand now (You should see the dorm stuff one of them got me for graduation...)</p>
<p>So, would you say that Notre Dame leans to the right? My son is with you, bluebloodliberal, and I would also be in shock if he changed his political views. You have me wondering what you have for your dorm-perhaps a "go Hillary" or "go Edwards" poster?</p>
<p>It's hard to say...the students are usually fairly middle of the road, but there are people on both ends of the spectrum. As far as the professors go, they range the same. Some are exceedingly liberal, as evidenced by test questions such as "Why is Bush a war criminal", and others are more on the right side.</p>
<p>As far as my dorm decorations, some flattering bumper stickers of GWB, an Ann Coulter book to color on, and, of course, the Bushisms book!</p>
<p>Wow, too bad you and my son aren't the same age. You would make very compatible roomates.</p>
<p>If political perception keeps you from choosing Notre Dame, I would say you are focusing on the wrong issue. The ND experience transcends politics. There are lefties, righties and idontknowbies on campus. Frankly, the opportunity to debate the issues with all political persuasions, rather than just with like-mided people, would be far more educational.</p>