University of Notre Dame Top Questions

Most popular activities are attending home games (of either football, basketball, etc.), attending a club meeting, gym classes, or training if you´re an athlete.

ND is a very athletic place. Many people are involved in interhall sports. Many people also choose to become involved in their dorms as part of hall council. Student government is big. There are several theater groups but, other than the musicals, their shows are not usually very well-attended. Lots of people volunteer. Many started their own non-profits in high school. The dating scene at ND is interesting. Hook-ups are prevalent, but mostly just “Notre Dame hook-ups”—read: making out. It seems as though people are either hooking up or in serious long-term relationships. Casual dating is not really a thing. “Ring by Spring” has a definite presence, although I think less so than in previous years. As far as the weekend goes, you have two options: party or be that weird goody-two-shoes who doesn’t party. Dorm parties are usually reserved for freshmen and some sophomores, whereas off-campus parties are more the domain of upper-classmen. Lots of people go to Fever, a nightclub in South Bend, or to the local bars. Though the parties are plentiful, they are not terribly rowdy.

The first thing I should mention is dorms. What sets Notre Dame apart from other schools is our residential system. Compare it to being sorted into a house like at Hogwarts. Everyone thinks their dorm is the best, and there is a big rivalry to win "Hall of the Year." So along with that, popular student activities often are associated with your dorm. Each dorm has a signature event (examples include mud volleyball tournaments, chariot races, etc.) and they do lots of things together as a dorm community. You can also play pretty much any sport (from ping pong to football) for your dorm. The marching band is huge here. There are tons of other musical groups - choirs, a capella groups, bagpipe bands - you name it! I'm a little biased, but Student Government is also huge here, and very influential. They plan a ton of events for students and also create changes for students around campus. There are many religious groups, academic associations, service organizations, etc. Every year, in the first couple weeks of school there is an activity fair where over 100 student groups set up booths and you can find out more about each one!

There are all kinds of activities and associations here. A nice museum on campus and good stage performance from time to time.

Students actively participate in service projects. Appalachia seminars are great ways to meet people and serve communities in need. If you wake up at 2am on a Tuesday you are probably getting up to study or to play in the snow.

The dorms are the foundation of social life on campus. Each dorm sponsors dances, parties, and other major social events, and all of these are well attended. The dorms develop their own personalities, including rivalries with other dorms, and many people learn to identify almost as strongly with their dorm as they do with Notre Dame over all. That being said, there is a significant off-campus community as well, and off-campus parties seem to be increasingly popular for weekend entertainment. South Bend has a few bars and clubs that are popular with students, including at least one per year that is the dedicated "underage" bar. Wednesday through Saturday are potential partying nights, although campus parties are generally limited to Fridays and Saturdays. All events in the dorm are also limited by the existence of "parietals", which specify that the dorms go single-sex at midnight on weekdays and 2AM on weeknights. For the non-partying crowd, there are usually movies, comedy shows, concerts, or other events around campus that could fill your time. Also, Chicago isn't that far away, and going on a little road trip is a time honored tradition for everyone. Most social activities are group oriented, which can make the dating scene a little strained. The general rule for dating at school is that you're either entirely single or in a committed relationship--there doesn't seem to be much room in between. But again, there are exceptions to every rule.

There's usually a lot to do on campus. Should you be a party type, dorm parties are big. There's always a concert (sometimes even good ones) at Legends about every weekend. Clubs are putting on different activities all the time. There's always a movie, play or orchestral concert going on somewhere. Reckers is always a nice place to hang out. There's also a lot of shady bars in town if you're into that kind of thing.

There are many activities opent o students and social life is great also.

The school really tries to keep people on campus on the weekends so they always have events going on, and honestly they are generally just alright. There are always things to be going to. I have one beef with the general life around here; it is not always easy to find food. The dining hall hours suck, they close at 8 or 7 at night, and there is one building with Sbarro, Subway, and Burger King, and they close generally before I would've liked.

Notre Dame has a wide variety of clubs to join. I played water polo in high school so i joined the club team at Notre Dame as a freshman. I would really recomend joining a group where you will get to know upperclassmen. The seniors on the water polo team showed me the robes, invited me to parties, and bought me booze. At the end of my freshman year I tried out for leprechaun. Out of 15 leprechauns I made the final 7. I didn't get the leprechuan but I'm trying out again. After I didn't make leprechaun I tried out for cheerleader and made the squad. Now I get to be on the field for all the football games...which is awesome!!! My closest friends are my guys in the dorm and all the cheerleaders.

Ok, so the party scene - Since ND is in Indiana anyone under 21 is not allowed into the bars. So a bar scene is pretty non-existant untill Junior and Senior year. Other typical parties include dorm parties (I know it sounds lame, but they can actually be pretty fun) or off campus house parties.

Guest speakers are amazing on campus. Really important people visit all the time and give lectures. Dorm life is great, everyone in my halls know everyone else. There is a lot of dorm pride and they are almost like frats. 2am on a tuesday is study time. Partying is generally just fri and sat unless you are a business major then maybe thursdays too. There are no real frats or sororities which is a good thing. The dorm system is way way better and very unique to Notre Dame.

There is a big drinking culture at ND, surrounding football season.

Virtually every student goes to the football games in the fall; you're basically required to shell out the $95 for a ticket booklet and go to the games. Even if you aren't a football fan, you won't regret spending the money. It's part of the experience of going to school here. Basketball and hockey games are also very popular. Unfortunately, other school-sponsored events are significantly less popular. There are a plethora of theatre shows, concerts, comedians, and guest speakers made available to students by various organizations, but I feel like a lot of students don't take advantage of these great opportunities very often. Legends, the on-campus bar and nightclub, hosts six events every weekend, from Thursday to Saturday. This includes one or two concerts featuring up-and-coming musical artists every week. However, these events are often poorly attended, unless the band has the advantage of name recognition. The social life revolves around the residence halls. Since these halls are single-sex only, they act in place of fraternities and sororities on campus, minus the partying. Most students' closest friends come from their dorms. Roommates are assigned randomly freshman year, which can be a drag or a blast depending on who you get. My sister, who also goes here, was in a quint with four other girls her freshman year, and they all got along famously. In contrast, I was in a double, and my roommate and I didn't have very much in common. We tolerated each other, but never talked very much or did anything together. This latter situation is probably the most common as a freshman. It can be frustrating sometimes, but it is also a learning experience. You find out more about yourself and your values, as well as the kind of people you like and don't like. Furthermore, you learn how to interact with people even if you don't like them. As far as dating goes, there really isn't much. There seem to be two kinds of relationships at Notre Dame: drunken hook-ups, and serious couples bordering on engagement. There is not much middle ground; for some reason, nobody really goes on casual dates. This might stem from the kinds of things there are to do on weekends: partying (hence the drunken hook-ups) or hanging out with a group of friends. People usually go to concerts, events, and shows in groups, although these would be good activities to do with a date. Some people have suggested that students do not feel like they have enough time to date. Also, there is the conspicuous lack of places to go off campus. There is not really a college town in the traditional sense of the word. South Bend is not exactly classy, and there are no cute little restaurants that students can walk to (or even drive to). Basically, aside from off-campus partying, everything goes on on-campus. There are usually plenty of things to do on campus to keep you entertained, though, if you don't want to go to parties.

There is a group for everyone on this campus. Students are usually very open and there is a feeling of family/community here that makes everyone pretty comfortable. For example, many students leave their doors open in the dorms. There are tons of traditions that lots of people participate in every year. I would say the largest tradition by far is football. EVERYONE buys "the shirt" and shows up for every home game, rain or shine, win or lose, to cheer on the Irish. There are no fraternities or sororities, but the dorms take on part of this role, especially the men's dorms, and there is almost as much dorm spirit as there is school spirit. There are parties on and off campus at least every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but there are plenty of things to do on campus if you don't want to drink: concerts, comedians, movies, theater. I don't party but I have never felt like I am missing out on anything. I have plenty of friends and am rarely, if ever, bored.

I enjoy the social life for the most part. There seems to be a good balance between it and academics. We try to encourage open doors, and most of my friends live in or near my dorm. There is no Greek life but I think ND has developed its own social scene without it.

inter-hall sports are really popular. other popular things are environmental projects and the center for social concerns. i have helped build a house for habitat for humanity. everyone leaves their doors open and the dorms are a great place to foster friendships. athletic events are EXTREMELY POPULAR, especially football. on a tuesday at 2 am you are probably doing last minute studying for an exam.

We don't have fraternities or sororities, and I'm really glad. The dorms are single sex and mixed years so they take the place of frats but w/o the pressure of rush and striving to find the one that fits you best. Most people are placed randomly into the dorms and the people you live around most of the time become your best friends.

Many religiously oritented groups are here on campus, as spiritual life is very important here. Dorm life is quite unique, where it is very communal. Students are held to a very high moral standard. There are numerous opportunities to get involved with the community, through tutoring, volunteering at the homeless shelter, and other such things. There are a lot of service opportunities over fall, spring, winter and summer breaks that are known to be life-changing. Dorm life promotes a fun atmosphere with your dormmates, and each dorm has their own athletics teams of various sports, like football, basketball, softball, tennis, and even broomball!

Obviously: football. But not just that, sports in general here are huge, I love it. There is some statistic that says something around 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students here were captains of their particular sports team in high school. There are no frats or sororities, good riddance.