<p>Lots of CC members are asking about their chances at Notre Dame. What are your top reasons for making ND one of your college choices?</p>
<p>from a parents point of view It is the premier catholic university in the united states Georgetown arguably may be a better school but the reputation of notre dame is more impressive, </p>
<p>I had a history professor in college who was in the first class that graduated women. she was married to a fellow in the coast guard. she told me that she would never have a problem finding a university teaching job because of the notre dame name on her diploma</p>
<p>the 95% graduation rate is very very impressive</p>
<p>Notre Dame has been one of the colleges that my son has considered ever since he saw the movie, "Rudy." We are going to visit in a couple of weeks. The smaller (than public universities) campus size and beauty are all considerations. My son is religious although not Catholic, so the religious aspect also seems to be a plus. The only downside is that it's a long way from home and the cold weather. We'll see how he likes it once we get there. Getting admitted is another story. We're also visiting Purdue.</p>
<p>i visited notre dame back in spring, it was almost a life-changing experience. the school was amazing. the people were amazing, and teh atmosphere was amazing. There as not one bad thing i could say about it and the education is awesome</p>
<p>My uncle went there and he also went to an Ivy, he liked that notre dame was less pretentious and that the student body was like a family and come on, it's notre dame!</p>
<p>I'm the parent of a sophomore. I feel like I should answer, "let me count the ways". </p>
<p>ND is possibly the most supportive university in the country - and I'm not just talking about the profs (although they have been outstanding in this area). The dorm system at ND makes it truly unique - no greek system, and most kids stay in the same dorm all four years. There is a LOT of dorm pride, and they have colors, nicknames, hats (my son's wears nordic horns to all the pep rallys - yes, they actually all wear them and it is hilarious to watch) and they compete in a quite serious sense in intramurals. As at many top schools, work hard, play hard is the order of the day.</p>
<p>The rector, a priest, the assistant rectors, and the resident assistants have all been individuals of extremely good character and empathy. My son suffered a huge loss at the beginning of this school year and you would not believe the outpouring of support he received from these people. I cannot imagine my son going through this type of grief anywhere else but Notre Dame. From the rector on down to the students in his dorm (all of them!) they were with him. Unbelievable.</p>
<p>The students are incredibly supportive of each other. Because there are kids in his dorm from all four classes, when he needs help on physics or whatever he has to look no further than his dorm family, not to mention the HUGE support services on campus. While being academically competitive kids, they quickly learn that at ND, even if you are technically competing with each other on curved grades, none of your fellow students wants you to fail. They encourage each other.</p>
<p>And that "ND Family" thing? It's real. And it means something long term for these kids - they not only receive support but they learn how to give it as well. Notre Dame seems to focus on making not just good students (and they are) but also on sending good human beings out into the world.</p>
<p>We just had four ND kids at our house over the weekend, and it is interesting to hear them talk about their school - they all just absolutely love it. When they talk about their friends from home, they mention several kids who are unhappy with their school choices and ended up transferring. I believe something like 95% of freshmen at ND stay on for their sophomore year - one of the highest percentages in the country. </p>
<p>They were talking about parietals (girls out of boys dorms and vice versa at midnight Sun - Thurs. and 2:00 a.m. on Fri and Sat.) and saying that while it is a little bit of a pain at times, generally they like it because they KNOW at midnight at the latest the dorm will quiet down and everyone will be studying. There are 24-hour lounges in every dorm, as well.</p>
<p>They also spoke about while South Bend is not a mecca of culture, even their friends at schools like Georgetown just end up going to parties and bars in the area, and that's pretty much the same thing they're doing. Plus I think ND offers an incredible amount of on-campus activities, probably because they're trying to counteract the perception that there's nothing to do in Indiana :)</p>
<p>One thing my son has learned to take advantage of is how open the profs are to giving him extra help during office hours. He has <em>never</em> felt anything but welcome, and some of the profs spend a LOT of time with him getting him over a hump. They also have been incredibly human to him in his loss this semester.</p>
<p>Then there are football Saturdays on that campus, and it is electric. </p>
<p>This school has been such a positive experience for my son, and he really wasn't sure about going there before he left. He did not have a dream school and wasn't too sure about the whole college thing and everything that went with it to begin with. I keep thinking I should write something negative just to legitimize this post, but I honestly can't think of one thing...maybe the weather for a couple of months in winter? I now "get" why all those ND alums are in such a hurry to help out another ND alum - it is family in almost the strictest sense, and they generally know the character and formation of the person they're helping.</p>
<p>I have three more kids and I'm not sure I'll feel this way about their college choices. Son #2 is already interested in ND, and we find ourselves <em>greatly</em> welcoming that interest.</p>
<p>One of the most prestigious undergraduate schools
One of the most prestigious undergraduate business schools
Only bettered by the following in both categories:
UPenn
MIT
Wash U</p>
<p>Great post, docmom. The bond the students form with Notre Dame is further evidenced by the exceptionally high alumni contribution rate. I'm glad things are working out so well for your sophomore.</p>
<p>i have been to ND three times. my biggest reasons are football, catholic, the family aspect, the history of the university, and the types of people the University attracts. I was accepted to their pre-college program this past summer and i had the time of my life. i have felt homesick ever since for that place.</p>
<p>man peter kelly you stole the words out of my mouth (same boat)</p>
<p>" ..... " every single thing docmom said is why I want to go to Notre Dame.</p>
<p>The second I stepped on campus, I just knew I'd found the place for me. I love the high academic standards, the supportive atmosphere, the sports, the dorm system, the spiritual aspect.. pretty much everything except the price! There is nowhere else I can see myself going. I just need to be admitted!</p>
<p>I'm a freshman here... last year I felt exactly the same way you guys do! I love ND... the dorm spirit is amazing, and it really is a family. I can't imagine spending my college years anywhere else. Plus, you can't beat ND football!!</p>
<p>I visited in the spring and I must say that ND is truly the one college that i would really like to go to. (Much like many of you) I really can't list off the reasons for liking ND because they have all been listed off already and I completely agree with all of them!! Everything about Notre Dame is to my liking. Just the aura of the campus when i walked around and later on when I watched the regatta on the lake (when students made their own boats) I truly felt that ND was a great place. I even went down near the lake to sit down and open up my report card from school. (I was just trying to be like Rudy).
However, with that said, I feel kind of bad knowing that many of us here on CC will be rejected from ND and that we may not be able to achieve our dream of coming to ND. But to all those who are applying this year, to my competitors for the class of 2010, I'd just like to say good luck and that I hope many of us on this forum will have a chance to become a domer!!</p>
<p>b.c im at notre dame right now, and i have a ticket to the usc nd game. i just went to the nd pep rally, and it was the most exhilerating experience of my life. i feel so fortunate to actually have a ticket to this game, the biggest in oh so many years. ND ROCKS !!!!!</p>
<p>Who were the speakers at the pep rally? Those are the best.</p>
<p>there was RUDY, joe montana, some football theisman trophy winners, coach charles WEIS, brady quinn, and a few others i cant remember right now. many students were expecting someone famous to show up (bon jovie) ahem ahem. but that ended up not happening for either the pep rally or the half time show.</p>
<p>I AM SO ****ED RIGHT NOW. ND LOST BY 3 POINTS IN THE LAST 20 SECONDS OF THE GAME AGAINST USC. BECAUSE OF A RIDICULOUSLY STUPID CALL BY THE REFS. UNVELIEVABLE. AT LEAST WE SHOWED THAT USC IS NOT UNBEATABLE. THE ENTIRE STUDENT BODY ACTUALLY THOUYGHT WE WON, SO WHEN THE TIMER TIMED OUT AND WE WERE AHEAD 31-28, WE RUSHED THE FIELD, but apparently someone fumbled the ball riight at the end, so an extra 7 seconds was called., so the field had to be cleared of the tens of thousands of people that crowdede onto it. AT 2 TIMES, WE THOUGHT WE HAD WON!!, BUT AT LEAST WE WENT DOWN FLYING AND SHOWED THAT ND FOOTBALL DESERVES ITS RESPECT. ALMOST DEFEATING USC CERTAINLY EARNS RESPECT, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE USC ONLY WON ON A TECHNICAL RULE.</p>
<p>Red06,</p>
<p>I too am an ND fan . . . but if you watched the game on TV like I did you would see that the refs got the call right. Leinart got hit and the ball went out of bounds with time left on the clock. That means that team that had the ball gets the ball.</p>
<p>Yes, ND deserves respect and it appears that Charlie Weis has made a big impact on the program already. It will be great to see these two teams play over the next 10 years. They should all be epic battles.</p>
<p>BTW, ESPN is running a poll on what is the best regualr season game ever. Yesterday's game was leading with 43% of the vote. Let's see if it produces a Heisman trophy like the game that received the second most votes the BC-Miami game. I suspect Reggie Bush cemented the Heisman yesterday.</p>
<p>Docmom- you are a mother- how on earth can I persuade my mom to let me go to ND??? i love the school but she is ignorant to how amazing nd really is…</p>
<p>So I’m not Docmom, and this post was from 2005, so I doubt she is still posting… but it was awesome to read her post on the first page. </p>
<p>Go visit, dab, if you can. Your parents opinions will change. The place is special- no other way to put in.</p>