University of Notre Dame Top Questions

countless options. Pretty much anything you want to do, you can do. Dorms replace frats, but not in the same degree for partying. Football is king. The rest of the sports teams are important too. But nothing rivals a football weekend or even all football season at Notre Dame. Dating situations aren't ideal, but it happens.

lots of religious activities, lots of drinking on weekends, lots of entertainment events on campus like musicians, magicians, etc, no greek life

The most popular group on campus is definitely Right to Life. This group is also controversial because of the tactics they sometimes use and because the administration gives them special privileges. The other most popular clubs are usually sports related or service related. Notre Dame probably is one of the most service-orientated colleges in the country. Athletic events for men are usually extremely popular, especially football, but women's events do not usually draw as large of crowds. The dating scene is not the best. It usually involves people looking to get married right after graduation or people just looking for random hook-ups on the weekends. There also is not much to do off campus because South Bend is not really a college town. There are usually a decent number of activities on campus on weekends for students who do not want to go partying.

We work hard and we play hard. Athletic events --- extremely well attended. We're kind of a big deal when it comes to sports. My favorite thing about Notre Dame is the social life! It's so wide open: If you want to party, you can find a party and you can find friends who will want to party with you. If you don't want to party, there are always fun sober activities and other non-partiers to hang out with. A lot of students have a mix of partying and non-partying friends and social life. There is no giant gap between them. There is no "cool" group. This isn't high school anymore --- people make friends with people who are nice or with whom they share a common interest.

Legends Hip-Hop night is a must!

Athletic events are very popular when the teams are good. Everyone goes to the football, men's basketball, soccer, and hockey games. Less-well-attended sports are track, golf, fencing, crew, laccrosse, baseball. On the weekends people mostly go to parties. There's not a whole lot to do besides that. And if there were alternative activities, I don't think anyone would go, so they wouldn't be successful.

There are all different kinds of groups, whatever you want. Like I said, there's always something going on around campus.

Activities are huge here. Everybody has something extra that they love - it's funny everybody has some little hidden talent, and some times you just stand back and realize that your friends are these amazing, talented people, and it's just a "wow, that is completely awesome" moment. I'm on the skating team here, and the girls are great. The team is really close and everyone meshes really well. Social life can be as mellow or as crazy as you want, there is definitely variety. You'll find students watching movies in the dorm on Saturday night, or strolling in from the party circuit around 4 - like I said, variety. It makes things really mellow, and pressure free, because you can just about do whatever you want without feeling like you're forced into a specific way to spend Saturday night.

Dorms are a huge part of the social life. A student's dorm comes with stereotypes, such as the pretty girl dorm, the fat girl dorm, the obnoxious boy dorm, and so on. People know the other people within their dorms very well and often leave their doors open. People often complain that single sex dorms negatively the dating scene and makes it more difficult to meet the opposite sex. I met my closet friends through activities within my dorm, If I am awake at 2 am on a Tuesday I am studying/talking with the other girls who are studying in the dorm lounge. People party usually every Friday, Saturday, and often Thursday night. These happen in the boys dorms or off campus. We don't party too hard, though. There are always events available other than parties, such as concerts and dances at legends, shows, sporting events, or Flipside activities. I can usually find something to do.

Lots of Parties on weekends. Dorm doors are usually open. No frats. Severe shortage of weed. Last weekend I got hammered on Friday at an off campus party and ended up inside a construction site in South Bend. Saturday I chilled and watched a movie.

I think the most popular groups/organizations are probably the interhall and intermural athletics. Each dorm has their own set of teams for various sports and they all compete with other dorms throughout the year. This helps intensify not only Notre Dame pride, but also dorm pride. We are very close with the members of our respective dorm and we do whatever we can to show everyone that closeness. We all work together and have a great time. People party on the weekends and it is not difficult to find those parties, however, I have never once been pressured to drink. I am not a drinker myself, and I have never had a problem with either finding somewhere to hang out that does not serve alcohol or going to a party that does and not drinking. Nobody has any problem whether you want to drink or not. It is simply your choice and that is all there is to it.

A lot of people get involved with interhall sports. There are TONS and TONS of volunteer activities to get involved with, so a lot of students, including myself, do that. Students in their dorms do often leave their doors open and most students get really close with the people in their dorm. Athletic events are, of course, HUGELY popular. If you don't go to the home football games you may as well not even go here. There are generally a good amount of guest speakers and theater events. The dating scene is fairly nonexistant. I managed to get a boyfriend, but the dating scene is more "we've been friends for one semester, now let's take things further." I met my closest friend through a class and then got to know all of her friends and that's how I made my group of friends. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday I'm most likely studying. There are tons of dorm events/traditions every year....your dorm will have multiple dances and formals that are similar to prom or homecoming, but are waay more fun. People party A LOT. Don't be fooled by the academic reputation into thinking we don't party, because we're Irish and we drink. A lot. There are no frats/sororities, thank God. Last weekend was St. Patrick's day so my friends and I had a little party, drank a bit, and danced around to music. On a Saturday night without drinking you can chill in someone's room/dorm, go to a SUB movie, go to a sporting event (hockey games!), hang out at LaFun or Recker's, go see the live entertainment at Legends and then stay for the night club, go to a theater event or movie at DPAC, or go off campus to a movie or out to eat, but we generally don't go off campus.

Popular groups: Right to Life, Volunteer groups like Circle K, religious groups like Iron Sharpens Iron Popular teams: football and basketball I am involved with Le Cercle Francais. Our group is dedicated to organizing French cultural events and providing opportunities to speak in French. There is no required time commitment for members. We simply encourage people to attend the events and give the officers their input and ideas. The dating scene can often be awkward due to the single sex dorms and the perception that most male/female relationships are serious romantic ones. Notre Dame students have a reputation for marrying other Domers at a young age. "Ring by Spring" is a common expression used for seniors who get engaged. It's not uncommon. Closest friends: through other friends made during Freshman orientation 2am Tuesday: work No Greek life. The dorms serve as a sort of substitue for this. There is a lot of dorm spirit and dorm officers/commissioners organize events. Not much to do off campus but go to bars to drink and/or dance.

Most Popular Groups: Circle K, Campus Ministry, College Republicans, Center for Social Concerns, Undergraduate Admissions (Tour Guides), Recreational Sports teams. A Group I'm Involved With: Student Senate; 28 senators elected, one from each dorm each year, meet with the Student Body President, VP, and administration to write student policies and reactions to recent events, debate in a formal political manner. Students Leave Doors: Open, unlocked, all the time. Athletic Events are: Constantly attended by everyone. Even soccer. Guest Speakers are: Usually well-attended Theater Events are: Usually well-attended, especially student-run productions! The Dating Scene: Sucks!! We call it "Notre Dating"; nobody here knows what a real date is. I Met My Closest Friends: In the dorm and through classes Freshman Year; be outgoing! At 2am on Tuesday, I'm: Studying. Traditions: Too many to name. Most fun: Keenan Revue, Football games, Fisher Regatta (boat race across the lake), Dillon Pep Rally, loads of other dorm events, Midnight Drummer's Circle before Football Saturdays. People Party: Any night of the week they want, but on average about twice a week. Frats: Don't exist, but dorms are similar and are super-important. Last weekend: I went to a student-run musical on campus, went to dinner off-campus at a local South Bend pizza joint (Rocco's), took my girlfriend to Tippecanoe Place (the old Studebaker Mansion) for brunch, played in the snow (in March!), watched movies with friends. Saturday nights: If you don't party, you can do tons of other stuff. There's always something going on, though a majority of students probably drink on Saturday. FlipSide, student-run group, plans cool events each week. Off-Campus: I go to Chicago, go to the Dunes on Lake Michigan (45 mins), eat at local joints and national chains, occassionally shop.

The social sphere @ ND encompasses almost everything you can imagine. Literally, everything. There is an opportunity for everyone, and this is a more valuable time than any other to just try out new things and be adventurous with clubs, service trips, concerts, seminars, etc. You tend to meet your closest friends when you aren't looking for them, honestly, although your dorm is your best source for your lifelong friends. But don't discount other dorms either!! And there is so so SO much more that you can do with your life on a Saturday than go out and get trashed somewhere. You'll only find that if you're looking for it.

There are so many clubs to get involved in that it is almost overwhelming. We have a club night at the beginning of the year and you can sign up for almost anything you could possibly want and sign up for as many as you think you might be interested in. There are club sports like water polo and gymnastics and religious, political and social clubs as well. I am involved in the water polo team and I am one of the captains. It is a really fun club and we are actually ranked second in the nation right now which is really exciting! We travel all over the country playing over 40 games in one semester! Depending on what kind of intensity you are looking for you can probably find it at ND. We have people on the team who had never played before they got here as well as people who have played for 7+ years so it is a fun mix. Students typically don't lock their doors in the dorms because you need an ID to get into the building and our campus is pretty safe in general. There aren't typically any issues with theft although it does happen on rare occasions. Football, basketball and hockey games are extremely popular as are other smaller sports and they are so much fun to go to. There is usually some kind of sporting event going on and students are always going to cheer other students on! Typically through your dorm and your classes you will know at least one person on almost every sport team so it is really fun to go watch them! We have an amazing theater program and building with many opportunities to go watch a play or musical throughout the year. There are also guest speakers just about every week on a large variety of subjects and students are alerted through fliers and emails about things they might be interested in. Dating here is pretty serious. There isn't so much of a hook-up culture here as there is a more serious dating scene. People here tend to have a lot in common and really get to know each other. There are a lot of couples here and people joke about "ring by spring" meaning that many people expect to get engaged by the end of their senior year. My closest friends are in my section of the dorm and on my water polo team. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday I am probably in the library with a couple friends studying for my test the next day or in La Fortune (the student center) grabbing a bite to eat and hanging out with some friends. Each dorm has its own traditions like dorms and events such as Alumni's "Bun Run" through the library during finals week. People party just about every night, so if you are really looking for something to do you can probably find something. There are a lot of bars off campus that upperclassmen go to and underclassmen typically have dorm parties which may sound lame but are actually really fun. There is not Greek system here so dorms are your social center and where you will typically meet all your friends and do a lot of activities. If you don't want to party or drink, we have movies playing every week that are different and you can go watch with a couple friends, or you can go to a concert on campus. Some clubs have activity nights where they all go bowling or ice skating or things like that. Dorms typically have dances or activity nights too which are so much fun!

The football team is obviously the most popular team on campus even though they weren't good this year we all know thats gonna change. I feel like most students leave their doors open because it would be wierd to lock them except for when you go to bed cuz you don't want some creep in your room. My closest friends are my roommates and people from my dorm. I've made some other cool friends from people in my classes. People party a lot here. Drinking is huge. Last weekend was the weekend before break so I stayed in with some friends and played drinking games all night. You can always go to parties and not drink on Saturday night, which I sometimes do. Off campus is more parties which equals more drinking.

I work for the newspaper, the Observer. We are a completely student run newspaper and are consistently ranked in the top ten of student newspapers. FOOTBALL is insanely popular. I don't know anyone who doesn't go to the games unless they're too drunk to stand. People party typically thursday-saturday if you're an underclassman. The rest of the days are for homework. Once you hit 21, people go to the bars on some week nights. Like most college campuses, there are certain hot bars for certain days of the week. A typical weekend night goes like this: us girls pregame in our dorm room, we go meet up and drink more in a guys room, and then we go to an off campus party. Come home, and eat food, then to bed.

You can always leave your door open (except on football weekends). Everyone goes to football games, and a lot of people go to basketball games. Anyone can participate in any kind of activity, really. Every dorm has athletic teams open for participation. As far as dating goes, it's a subject that gets a lot of attention at Notre Dame. Many people date for all four years, followed by a "ring by spring" of their senior year. The single life entails, for a lot of people, drunken hook-ups. However, a good deal of people are content to sit around in their dorms on weekends, either drinking with their friends or just watching sports and playing video games (at least for guys). During the week, most people spend a lot of time on homework, as most are very intense about their studies. Thursdays are, sometimes, good nights to go out, or at least to drink in the dorms with friends. There is always plenty to do without drinking, and plenty of people who don't do it much. There are a lot of parties in the dorms on weekends. Off-campus parties are usually the best because there are really no rules and they can go past 2 AM, unlike in the dorms. Almost all parties are hosted by guys, and unless you know the owners of the house its hard to get into a party. They are generally most interested in giving girls free alcohol, for reasons that are apparent. It's really disgusting and upsetting to me, but at least there isn't any concern of girls being roofied or anything like that.

Met my closest friends freshman year in my dorm. Most dorms leave doors open and people are in and out of friends rooms.